Comparative Pathobiology of the Intestinal Protozoan Parasites Giardia lamblia , Entamoeba histolytica , and Cryptosporidium parvum

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) Vol. 8; no. 3; p. 116
• Main Authors: Hemphill, Andrew, Müller, Norbert, Müller, Joachim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29-07-2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Amebiasis; Chemotherapy; Colon; Cryptosporidiosis; Cryptosporidium; Cryptosporidium parvum; Cysts; Cytokines; diagnosis; Diarrhea; Drinking water; Duodenum; Entamoeba histolytica; Epidemiology; Feces; Food contamination & poisoning; Giardia; Giardia lamblia; Giardiasis; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Ileum; Immune system; immunopathology; Infections; intestinal infections; Intestine; Irritable bowel syndrome; Jejunum; Malnutrition; Nutritional status; Organs; Parasites; Pathogens; Protozoa; Reptiles & amphibians; Review; Small intestine; treatment; Tropical diseases; Virulence; Zoonoses; United States > US; intestinal infections; treatment; diagnosis; immunopathology; pathogens
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8030116

Protozoan parasites can infect the human intestinal tract causing serious diseases. In the following article, we focused on the three most prominent intestinal protozoan pathogens, namely,
,
, and
. Both
and
colonize the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum and are the most common causative agents of persistent diarrhea (i.e., cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis).
colonizes the colon and, unlike the two former pathogens, may invade the colon wall and disseminate to other organs, mainly the liver, thereby causing life-threatening amebiasis. Here, we present condensed information concerning the pathobiology of these three diseases.