Killer Protists
By: Jordan Scott
Malaria
With this protist, they attack the red blood cells, go inside them, and then multiply rapidly. This protist is carried by mosquitos, so when a mosquito bites an organism, the protist moves to the organism through the saliva. The common symptoms are fever, chills, sweats, nausea, fatigue, head aches, body aches, joint pain, malaise, and jaundice. The common name is Malaria and the scientific name is Plasmodium falciparum. It is a protozoan parasite.
Amoebic Dysentery
This protist is transmitted when someone intakes contaminated food or water or touches a contaminated item. Once they're inside the body, they go to the intestine, settle, make cysts, and create discomfort for the host organism. The main symptoms are abdominal pains, fatigue, cramps, constipation, diarrhea, The common name is Amoebic Dysentery and the scientific name is Entamoeba histolytica. It is an amoeba.
African Sleeping Sickness
This protist is transferred by the tsetse fly's bite. When the protist first enters the organism, it goes into the lymphatic system, but then moves to the blood stream. After, it attacks the central nervous system. The symptoms include: fever, anxiousness, drowsiness, fatigue, mood changes, headaches, sweats, and heavy insomnia. The common name is African Sleeping Sickness and the scientific name is Trypanosoma brucei. It is a protist protozoa.
Chagas Disease
The protist is a protozoa. It is transmitted by the bite, saliva, and poop of blood-sucking bugs. When the organism scratches the bite, the protist enters through the wound and multiplies. Then, they enter the blood stream and attack the organism. The common name is Chagas Disease and the scientific name is Trypanosoma cruzi. The common symptoms are swelling, fever, fatigue, nausea, rash, headaches, cramps, abdominal pains, and body and muscle aches