Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

The purpose of this course is to acquaint the veterinary technology student with the important parasitic organisms in veterinary medicine. This is designed for first year veterinary technology students and is a graduation requirement for the Associates Degree in Applied Sciences in Veterinary Technology.  Credits in this course are not transferable to a four-year school towards a baccalaureate degree. The text required for this course is Veterinary Parasitology by William J. Foreyt and Course Veterinary Parasitology Notes by Randall Haveman, DVM.  

Upon successful completion of the course, the short term outcome will be that the student will have satisfactorily accomplished the goals and objectives of this course content guide and confirmed as provided in the assessment above.  The long-term outcome desired is for the student to gain sufficient knowledge of veterinary parasitology to successfully pass the National Veterinary Technician Board Examination and effectively utilize the knowledge gained in their Cooperative Education Experience and as a practicing veterinary technician upon graduation.  The course content guides are developed by college-wide subject area faculty and approved by the administration.  
Laboratory tasks with an asterisk indicate tasks the student must be able to perform since they are listed as “essential tasks,” and tasks with two (**) asterisks indicate tasks considered to be “recommended tasks” by the Accreditation Policies and Procedures of the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities of the American Veterinary Medical Association.  Tasks with no asterisks are considered neither “essential” nor “recommended,” but are taught based on instructor, SAC, and/or advisory committee recommendations.  This course content guide specifies which tasks students are required to perform (as indicated in the task description) and the tasks on which they have been educated and have observed but individual performance is not required.

1. Introduction :

Instructional goals: The goal is to introduce students to the field of parasitology and basic terms used for describing parasites and their life cycles.  

Objectives:   
Define and apply the terms given
Differentiate and correctly apply the terms given
Identify and/or define types of hosts   

2. Phylum Arthropoda :

Instructional Goals:  The goal is to characterize the phylum Arthropoda and its two major classes containing parasitic organisms.  Also, to be able to recognize and characterize the following organisms of common concern.  

Objectives:  
List three characteristics for the phylum Arthropoda and characterize the classes 
Compare the characteristics of ticks and mites.  
Identify genus of ticks
Describe the life cycles for hard ticks and soft ticks.
Identify (from slide, diagram or kodachrome) the following mites: 
Identify and/or list the diseases caused, life cycle, common names and means of transmission for  the mites listed under section 2.5. 
Differentiate between arachnids and insects.  
Recognize and identify members of the following orders: 
Identify (from slide, Kodachrome, or specimen) 
Give common names to the above insects.
Identify the canine and feline flea.   
List three diseases transmitted by fleas.  
List three diseases transmitted by lice.
Define the given terms
Describe generalized life cycles 

3.  Phylum Nematoda:

Instructional Goal:  The goal is for students to become familiar with the more common members of the phylum Nematoda, their life cycles, and diseases caused by parasitic worms found in this phylum.  

Objectives:  
List four characteristics of the phylum Nematoda.
Identify and differentiate (by use of adult specimens, eggs, microfilaria, or host symptoms)  roundworms
Identify, specifically, where in the host’s body each of the above nematodes would be found and  what  type of specimens would be needed for identification. 
Describe the life cycles, infective stage, pathogenicity and disease syndromes for the above  nematodes.   
Identify by generic and common name the intermediate hosts involved in life cycles.  
Identify a general geographic range for the above roundworms.  
Identify the common names given to each nematode and common names to diseases produced by each  nematode.  
Recognize anatomical features used to identify the above organisms.
Differentiate the rhabditiform and the filariform larvae of the listed examples
Discuss the free-living and parasitic stages of life cycles and the importance of each.
Know the complex anatomy of the nematodes.
Identify zoonotic nematodes.
Know the means that nematode life cycles affect treatment and control. 
Use and know ZuSO4, Ovassy, Fecalyzer, Guardia ELISA, and MgSO4, direct smear, fecal analyses.
Use and know occult ELISA, Knotts, filtration, buffy coat, and direct smear methods of  microfilaria analysis. 
Know the scotch tape test for pinworms. **
Discuss clinical case histories and how lab tests, life cycles and logic aid in diagnosis.

4. Acanthocephalids:

Instructional Goals: 
The goal is for students to recognize the spiny-head worms and be able to differentiate them from nematodes. 

Objectives:  
Describe the life cycle, infective stage, and normal definitive host for the Acanthocephalids.
Identify the common name for this group.
Differentiate this group from the Nematodes. 

5. Cestodes:

Instructional Goals:
The goal is to be able to recognize and characterize the more common tapeworms by use of anatomy egg appearance, and life cycle for each organism.  

Objectives:  
Identify and be able to differentiate, by use of either adult specimens or eggs, the following  tapeworms:  
Identify, specifically, where in the host’s body each  of the above tapeworms would be found and  what type of specimens or testing would be needed for diagnosis. 
Describe the life cycles, infective stage, pathogenicity and disease syndromes for the above  tapeworms.   
Identify a general geographic location for each of the above tapeworms.  
Give common names to the above cestodes.  
Identify anatomical structures of adult and larval tapeworms.   
Identify those tapeworms that use the cysticercus and those that use the cysticercoid to infect   the definitive host.  
Discuss zoonoses and the danger of hydatid disease.  
Differentiate the species of tapeworms from eggs or gravid proglottids.   
Identify those tapeworms, which do one of the following:

6. Trematodes

Instructional Goals:  
The goal is to be able to recognize and characterize the more common flukes by use of anatomy, egg appearance, and the life cycle of each organism.  

Objectives:  
List three characteristics of the class Trematoda.  
Identify and differentiate, by its use of either adult specimens or eggs, the following flukes: 
Identify, specifically, where in the host’s body each of the above flukes would be found and what  type of specimens and lab tests would be needed for identification.
Describe the life cycles, infective stage pathogenicity and disease syndromes for the above  trematodes.   
Identify a general geographic location for each of the above trematodes.  
Give common names for the above flukes.  
Identify distinguishing anatomical characteristics of flukes.  
List three techniques used in fluke diagnosis.

7. Protozoa

Instructional Goal:
The goal is to recognize those protozoa, which cause disease symptoms, and be able to discuss their life cycles, pathogenicity, diagnosis, and treatment.  

Objectives:  
Describe the life cycle, infective stage, pathogenicity, disease syndromes, diagnosis, and  treatment of the following protozoa. 
Identify to group by means of locomotion 
Understand cyst stages as protection in environment.  
Identify in lab and understand lab tests.  
Know how each protozoan deals with transmission to new host.  
Know protozoan anatomy.

8.  Laboratory Competencies

Instructional Goals:
The goal is to develop an understanding for the proper procedure in the collection and processing of fecal, urine, blood, hair, skin, or tissue samples to be used for parasite identification.  

Objectives:
Demonstrate the following tests and know the reasoning behind each procedure
Demonstrate objects found in fecal floatation and smear that are not parasites, but may be confused as parasites, i.e. the “pseudo-parasites” such as pollens and yeast.  

This course is designed to be a lecture-lab course.  It is a three-credit-hour course that meets for six-lecture-lab hours per week.  Although the course is a lecture-lab course, three hours per week are devoted to lecture and three hours per week to lab.   The lecture part of the course will include taxonomy, life cycles, modes of transmission, geographic distribution, disease entities associated with each parasite and description of the identifying characteristics or each organism studied.  The lab will include prepared slides, preserved specimens, staining techniques, collection methods, concentration techniques, and identification of both cysts and eggs

Grades will be based on the student’s understanding of the course content as demonstrated by periodic lecture examinations, lab quizzes, one comprehensive final exam, and by attendance.  To receive a passing grade, the student must have attended a minimum of 80 percent of each of the lecture classes.