Skip to content
Microbe Notes

Microbe Notes

  • Home
  • All Notes
  • Category Wise Notes
  • Microorganisms Note
  • Microbiology Terms
  • A Level Biology

Parasitology

Parasitology is a discipline that studies the structure and physiology of parasites, their host, and host-parasite interactions.

  • In biology, parasites are not determined by the nature of the organism or the environment, but these are classified by their mode of life.
  • Although parasitology originated in the zoologic sciences, it is today an independent, interdisciplinary field, highly influenced by microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, and other life sciences.
  • Traditional medical parasitological studies have included studies related to three major groups of animals: parasitic protozoa, helminths, and arthropods that directly cause disease or act as vectors of various pathogens.
  • A large number of infections of humans are caused by parasites which range from relatively benign to fatal with some parasitic diseases being the cause for major human health problems throughout the world. 
  • Traditionally, parasitology has been limited to the identification of parasites, their mechanisms, and diseases caused in plants, animals, and humans.
  • Modern parasitology research is more focused on the determination of signal transduction mechanisms controlling the behavior, survival, virulence, and gene expression of parasites, which have a crucial role in influencing the outcome of the interaction between host and parasite. 
  • Parasitology has importance in veterinary and ecology, where the diseases caused by parasites in animals and the role of parasites in the ecosystem are the two major areas of focus.
  • Most parasites, unlike viruses, are not host-specific and can infect multiple hosts. These depend entirely on the living beings for their nutrients and survival.
  • Parasites can be differentiated from fungi based on their host as parasites rely on living beings while fungi depend on dead particles for survival.
  • Parasites are mostly macroscopic and belong to the invertebrate subphylum of the Animal kingdom.
  • Diagnosis of parasitic diseases is based on the identification of the infectious agent, which is mostly made through microscopic examination.
  • With the continuous emergence of new parasites and parasitic diseases, parasitology is considered a necessary scientific discipline.

Parasitology: Introduction, Branches, and Significance

December 31, 2024 by Ritika Pandey
Introduction to Parasitology

Parasite: A parasite is an organism that lives on or inside another organism called its host and derives its nourishment from the host, without giving any benefit to the host. … Read more

Wheatley Trichrome Staining: Principle, Steps, Uses

December 19, 2024September 1, 2024 by Faith Mokobi
Wheatley Trichrome Staining

Wheatley Trichrome staining technique is a special permanent satin used in parasitology for the detection and identification of intestine protozoans from stool samples. Principle of the Wheatley Trichrome Stain The … Read more

Malaria (Plasmodium): A-Level Biology Revision Notes

November 27, 2024July 20, 2024 by Sadikshya Dhakal
Life cycle of Plasmodium (Malaria)

Malaria is an infectious disease that is caused by one of five species of protozoa Plasmodium. Plasmodium is an unicellular obligate parasite that infects the red blood cells, liver and … Read more

Host-Parasite Interactions: Types, Mechanisms & Example

December 30, 2024July 2, 2024 by Sagar Aryal
Host-Parasite Interactions

Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between two organisms: a parasite, usually the smaller of the two, and a host, upon which the parasite is physiologically dependent. The host in a host-parasite interaction is … Read more

Ascaris lumbricoides: Habitat and Morphology Overview

December 28, 2024June 1, 2024 by Laxmi Neupane
Ascaris lumbricoides- Habitat and External Morphology

Habitat of Ascaris lumbricoides External Morphology of Ascaris lumbricoides 1. Shape and size Figure: Male and Female Ascaris lumbricoides. Image Source: Harveen Kaur. 2. Coloration 3. Longitudinal streaks or lines … Read more

Protozoa: Locomotory organelles and locomotion methods

August 3, 2023August 3, 2023 by Nidhi Dewangan
Protozoa- Locomotory organelles and locomotion methods

Protozoa are unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms found in nearly every habitat on Earth, from freshwater ponds to marine environments, from soil to animal digestive tracts. They are known for their morphology, … Read more

Wuchereria bancrofti- Habitat, Morphology and Life Cycle

March 25, 2025August 3, 2023 by Laxmi Neupane
Wuchereria bancrofti- Habitat, Morphology and Life Cycle

Wuchereria bancrofti is a filarial nematode that causes Wuchereriasis or filariasis(commonly called elephantiasis) in human beings. The name of this worm is given Wuchereria bancrofti in honor of the two … Read more

Plasmodium vivax- Habitat, Characteristics, Structure, Life cycle

August 3, 2023August 3, 2023 by Sourav Pan
Plasmodium vivax

Plasmodium vivax is a widely distributed protozoal parasite and a human pathogen that is responsible for human malaria. P vivax is not virulent as compared to Plasmodium falciparum. Plasmodium vivax … Read more

Giemsa Stain- Principle, Procedure, Results, Interpretation

September 25, 2022August 2, 2022 by Faith Mokobi
Giemsa Stain- Principle, Procedure, Results, Interpretation

Introduction Giemsa stain was a name adopted from a Germany Chemist scientist, for his application of a combination of reagents in demonstrating the presence of parasites in malaria. It belongs … Read more

Plasmodium vivax vs Plasmodium falciparum- 40 Differences

October 21, 2022June 2, 2022 by Sagar Aryal
Differences between Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum

Five species of Plasmodium are believed to cause malaria in humans: Plasmodium vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, P .ovale and P. knowlesi.  Of the five species that infect humans, P. vivax … Read more

Older posts
Page1 Page2 Page3 Next →

Topics / Categories

  • Agricultural Microbiology (30)
  • Bacteriology (123)
  • Basic Microbiology (63)
  • Biochemical Test (114)
  • Biochemistry (169)
  • Bioinformatics (22)
  • Biology (135)
  • Biotechnology (34)
  • Botany (84)
  • Cell Biology (107)
  • Culture Media (67)
  • Difference Between (88)
  • Diseases (49)
  • Environmental Microbiology (11)
  • Epidemiology (28)
  • Food Microbiology (52)
  • Genetics (80)
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology (75)
  • Immunology (115)
  • Instrumentation (65)
  • Microscopy (31)
  • Molecular Biology (105)
  • Mycology (33)
  • Parasitology (28)
  • Pharmacology (14)
  • Phycology (2)
  • Protocols (9)
  • Research Methodology (20)
  • Staining (29)
  • Syllabus (20)
  • Virology (51)
  • Zoology (38)
  • Family Liliaceae: Characteristics, Floral Formula, Diagram
  • NEET Biology Syllabus 2025-26 with Study Notes
  • Green Algae (Chlorophyta): Characteristic, Class, Importance
  • Zoonotic Diseases: Classification, Causes, Prevention, Control
  • Cyanobacteria: Characteristics, Classification, Applications
  • Our Team
  • Advisory Board
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclaimer (Terms and Conditions)
© 2025 Microbe Notes. Made with ♡ by Sagar Aryal.