Parasitemia
Encyclopedia
Parasitemia is the quantitative content of parasites in the blood
. It is used as a measurement of parasite load in the organism and an indication of the degree of an active parasitic infection
. Systematic measurement of parasitemia is important in many phases of the assessment of disease, such as in diagnosis
and in the follow-up of therapy, particularly in the chronic phase, when cure depends on ascertaining a parasitemia of zero.
The methods to be used for quantifying parasitemia depends on the parasitic species and its life cycle. For instance, in malaria
, the number of plasmodia
can be counted using an optical microscope
, on a special thick film (for low parasitemias) or thin film blood smear (for high parasitemias).
The use of molecular biology
techniques, such as PCR has been more and more used as a tool to measure parasitemia, specially in patients in the chronic
phase of disease. In this technique, blood samples are obtained from the patient, and specific DNA of the parasite is extracted and amplified by PCR. And no cure on cats
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
. It is used as a measurement of parasite load in the organism and an indication of the degree of an active parasitic infection
Parasitic disease
A parasitic disease is an infectious disease caused or transmitted by a parasite. Many parasites do not cause diseases. Parasitic diseases can affect practically all living organisms, including plants and mammals...
. Systematic measurement of parasitemia is important in many phases of the assessment of disease, such as in diagnosis
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of anything. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines with variations in the use of logics, analytics, and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships...
and in the follow-up of therapy, particularly in the chronic phase, when cure depends on ascertaining a parasitemia of zero.
The methods to be used for quantifying parasitemia depends on the parasitic species and its life cycle. For instance, in malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, the number of plasmodia
Plasmodium
Plasmodium is a genus of parasitic protists. Infection by these organisms is known as malaria. The genus Plasmodium was described in 1885 by Ettore Marchiafava and Angelo Celli. Currently over 200 species of this genus are recognized and new species continue to be described.Of the over 200 known...
can be counted using an optical microscope
Optical microscope
The optical microscope, often referred to as the "light microscope", is a type of microscope which uses visible light and a system of lenses to magnify images of small samples. Optical microscopes are the oldest design of microscope and were possibly designed in their present compound form in the...
, on a special thick film (for low parasitemias) or thin film blood smear (for high parasitemias).
The use of molecular biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
techniques, such as PCR has been more and more used as a tool to measure parasitemia, specially in patients in the chronic
Chronic (medicine)
A chronic disease is a disease or other human health condition that is persistent or long-lasting in nature. The term chronic is usually applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include asthma, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.In medicine, the...
phase of disease. In this technique, blood samples are obtained from the patient, and specific DNA of the parasite is extracted and amplified by PCR. And no cure on cats