Question

Name two diseases caused by protozoans. What are their causal organisms?

Answer 1

Protozoa is a term for a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris.

Complete answer:

Protozoan infections are responsible for diseases that affect various types of organisms, including plants, animals, and some marine life. Many of the most widespread and fatal human diseases caused by a protozoan infection are African Sleeping Sickness, amoebic dysentery, and malaria.
Two diseases caused by protozoans are Malaria and African Sleeping sickness. Malaria is caused by plasmodium species spread when a female anopheles mosquito feeds on an associated infected person’s blood, gets the parasite that matures within the mosquito and later deposited in the saliva when the mosquito bites an uninfected person. There are four species of the Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria in humans are, P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae.
The first two types of malaria are the most common. Plasmodium falciparum is the most dangerous of these parasites; infection with it can kill rapidly (within several days), whereas the other species cause illness but usually not death.
African sleeping sickness is a very rare disease. Early symptoms include fever, headaches, joint pains and itching. Last stages include behavioural changes, confusion and poor coordination. is caused by the species Trypanosoma brucei. Humans are infected by two types, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense.
The first stage of the disease is generally diagnosed by fever, headache, itching and joint pain, beginning one to three weeks after the bite. After weeks or months later the second stage begins with confusion, poor coordination, numbness, and trouble in sleeping.

Note: Infections caused by protozoa can be spread through ingestion of cysts (the dormant life stage), sexual transmission, or through insect vectors. Many common and also not common infections are caused by protozoa. Anti-microbial are drugs that kill the virus, protozoa, and bacteria.