Parasitology

- Recognize and identify the main species of parasites responsible for disease in humans.
- Relate the morphological and biological knowledge in the parasitological diagnosis.
- Apply the biological and epidemiological foundations in the prevention and control of parasitic diseases.
- Building capacity to formulate and solve practical parasitology problems.

SECTION I. GENERAL
Unit 1. Parasitism as a biological association. Biological cycles. Types of parasites and hosts.
Unit 2.Parasite taxonomy and nomenclature. Bases and limitations of morphological characterisation.
Unit 3.Parasite actions on the host: parasites as pathogenic organisms. Impact of parasitic diseases on human and animal populations.
Unit 4.Factors determining the distribution and prevalence of parasitic diseases: biotic, abiotic and social factors. Epidemiology. Parasitic zoonoses.
Unit 5.Bases for the control of parasitic diseases.

SECTION II. PROTOZOOLOGY
Unit 6. Protozoa: introduction, biology and classification.
Unit 7. Intestinal amoebae: Entamoeba histolytica. Amphizoic amoebae: Naegleria, Acanthamoeba and Balamuthia.
Unit 8. Intestinal flagellates: Giardia duodenalis. Urogenital flagellates: Trichomonas vaginalis.
Unit 9. Hemotisular flagellates: Leishmania and Trypanosoma.
Unit 10. Ciliates: Balantidium coli (syn. Balantioides coli).
Unit 11. Intestinal apicomplexans: Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora and Isospora (syn. Cystoisospora).
Unit 12. Tissue apicomplexans: Sarcocystis and Toxoplasma.
Unit 13. Haematic apicomplexans: Plasmodium.

SECTION III. HELMINTOLOGY
Unit 14. Trematodes: introduction, biology and classification.
Unit 15. Hepatobiliary trematodes: Fasciola, Clonorchis and Opistorchis.
Unit 16. Intestinal trematodes: Fasciolopsis and Heterophyes. Pulmonary trematodes: Paragonimus.
Unit 17. Haematic trematodes: Schistosoma.
Unit 18. Cestodes: introduction, biology and classification.
Unit 19. Pseudophyllids: Diphyllobothrium and Spirometra.
Unit 20. Cyclophyllids: Taenia, Echinococcus and Hymenolepis.
Unit 21. Nematodes: introduction, biology and classification.
Unit 22. Trichuridae: Trichuris and Trichinella.
Unit 23. Ascarids: Ascaris, Toxocara and Anisakis.
Unit 24. Strongylids: Ancylostoma and Necator. Rabditidae: Strongyloides.
Unit 25. Oxyuridae: Enterobius vermicularis.
Unit 26. Filariae: Wuchereria, Brugia, Onchocerca, Loa and Mansonella.

SECTION IV. ARTHROPODOLOGY
Unit 27. Arthropods: introduction, biology and classification. Health interest and vectorial role.
Unit 28. Mites: Sarcoptes and Demodex. Ticks: Argas and Ixodes.
Unit 29. Insects. Lice: Pediculus and Pthirus. Bedbugs: Triatomidae and Cimex. Fleas: Pulex and Tunga.
Unit 30. Diptera (mosquitoes, flies and horseflies): Anopheles, Culex and Aedes. Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia. Simulium. Glossina. Chrysops. Main aetiological agents of myiasis.

PROGRAMME OF PRACTICAL CLASSES:

Practice 1. Description and operation of the microscope and stereomicroscope. Arthropods: morphological characteristics of insects, mites and ticks. Observation of preparations.

Practice 2. Trematodes: morphological characteristics of adults, eggs and larval stages. Biological cycles. Observation of preparations.

Practice 3. Cestodes: morphological characteristics of adults, eggs and larval stages. Life cycles. Observation of preparations.

Practice 4. Nematodes: morphological characteristics of adults, eggs and larval stages. Life cycles. Observation of preparations. Natural infection.

Practice 5. Protozoa: morphological characteristics of amoebae, flagellates, ciliates and apicomplexans. Observation of preparations.

BASIC

- Parasitología Humana. W.L. Apt Baruch. McGraw-Hill Interamericana. 1st Edition. 2013.
- Foundations of Parasitology. L.S. Roberts, J. Janovy and S. Nadler. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 9th Edition. 2013.
- Atlas de Parasitología Humana. L.R. Ash and T.C. Orihel Editorial Médica Panamericana. 5th Edition. 2010.

COMPLEMENTARY

- Manual de Parasitología: morfología y biología de los parásitos de interés sanitario. J. Gállego Berenguer. Publicacions i Edicions Universitat de Barcelona, D.L. 2007.
- Parasitic diseases. D.D. Despommier; J.W. Karapelou and J. Jensen. New York : Apple Trees. 5ª Edition. 2006.
- https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/index.html. DPDx – Laboratory Identification of Parasitic Diseases of Public Health Concern. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

KNOWLEDGE:
- Con 10. Know one's own limitations and the need to maintain and update professional competence, giving special importance to self-learning of new knowledge based on available scientific evidence.
- Con 22. Know the nature and behaviour of infectious agents.
- Con 32. Know and understand the basic fundamentals of clinical analyses and the characteristics and contents of laboratory diagnosis reports.
- Con 35. Know the relationship between food and health, and the importance of diet in the treatment and prevention of diseases.
- Con 37. Know the structure and function of the human body, as well as the general mechanisms of disease, molecular, structural and functional alterations, syndromic expression and therapeutic tools to restore health.
- Con 39. Knowing the analytical techniques related to laboratory diagnosis, toxins, food and environment.
- Con 41. Know the fundamentals of public health and intervene in health promotion activities, disease prevention in the individual and collective spheres and contribute to health education, recognising the determinants of health in the population, both genetic and those dependent on sex and lifestyle, demographic, environmental, social, economic, psychological and cultural.
- Con 43. Know information retrieval techniques related to primary and secondary information sources (including databases with the use of computers).
- Con 44. Know the ethical and deontological principles and act in accordance with the legislative, regulatory and administrative provisions governing professional practice, collaborating with other health professionals and acquiring teamwork skills.

ABILITIES/SKILLS:
- H/D 01. Act in health promotion activities, disease prevention, at individual, family and community level; with a comprehensive and multi-professional vision of the health-disease process.
- H/D 02. Design, apply and evaluate reagents, methods and clinical analytical techniques, knowing the basic fundamentals of clinical analysis and the characteristics and contents of laboratory diagnostic reports.
- H/D 04. Perform hygienic-sanitary analyses (biochemical, bromatological, microbiological and parasitological, among others), especially those related to health in general and to food and the environment in particular.
- H/D 05. Develop communication and information skills, both oral and written, to deal with patients and users of the centre where he/she carries out his/her professional activity.
- H/D 06. Promote work and collaboration skills in multidisciplinary teams and those related to other health professionals.
- Understand the relationship between the life cycle of infectious agents and the properties of active ingredients.
- Promote the rational use of medicinal products and medical devices.
- H/D 28. Make correct use of scientific information sources, including those in English.
- H/D 29. Analyse and synthesise basic information in both Spanish and English and summarise it correctly and in an incisive manner.
- H/D 30. Structure, develop and summarise a paper on a specific aspect of the profession.
- H/D 31. Orally present a report on a general or specific aspect of the profession in a clear and synthetic way and defend it publicly.

COMPETENCIES:
- Comp 01. Capacity for analysis and synthesis.
- Comp 02. Ability to organise and plan.
- Comp 03. Oral and written communication in one's own language.
- Comp 04. Knowledge of a second language.
- Comp 06. Information management skills (ability to search for and analyse information from different sources).
- Comp 07. Problem solving.
- Comp 08. Decision-making.
- Comp 10. Critical and self-critical skills.
- Comp 13. Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team.
- Comp 14. Ability to communicate with experts from other areas.
- Comp 17. Ethical commitment.
- Comp 18. Ability to apply knowledge in practice.
- Comp 21. Ability to adapt to new situations.
- Comp 24. Knowledge of cultures and customs of other countries.

Expositive classes: lectures given by the teaching staff, which may have different formats. The teaching staff may be supported by audiovisual and computer media. The USC virtual platform will serve as a support and complement to the theoretical teaching. These classes will usually follow the contents of the programme proposed in the subject's Teaching Guide. Although attendance is not compulsory, it will be evaluated.

Interactive seminar classes: compulsory theoretical/practical classes in which applications of the theory are proposed and solved. Students must actively participate in these classes. Students who are unable to attend the assigned seminar group for a justified reason must inform the lecturer in charge sufficiently in advance or their non-attendance will be considered negative.

Interactive laboratory classes: this includes classes that take place in the practical laboratory. Each of the practicals will consist of a brief presentation of the fundamentals and methodology to be followed. Students will not be assessed if they do not carry out the laboratory practicals. Students who, for a justified reason, cannot attend their assigned practical group, must inform the lecturer in charge sufficiently in advance in order to restructure the groups. The laboratory practicals will be compulsory and will be valid for three academic years, including the year in which they are carried out.

Tutorials: these will be devoted to resolving doubts or clarifications and will be scheduled by the teaching staff at the students' request.

-Students will not be able to pass the course if they do not carry out the laboratory practicals and their final mark for the course will be "Not Presented".

-The evaluation will consist of a theoretical exam that will account for 90% of the final grade and may consist of: definition of basic concepts, answers to short and multiple choice questions, interpretation of images and diagrams, resolution of practical cases and development of fundamental topics. The knowledge acquired during the practical classes will also be assessed.

-There will be a complementary continuous assessment in which attendance, participation, attitude and use of the different programmed activities will be assessed, including expositive, interactive seminar and laboratory classes. Its assessment will represent 10% of the final grade, but it will be necessary to obtain a minimum mark (5 out of 10) in the theory exam in order to apply this assessment, that will only be valid for the academic year in which it is obtained.

- The assessment of the knowledge, abilities/skills and competences acquired in the subject will be carried out in the following ways:
A. In the exam: the following competences will be assessed:con 22, con 32, con 35, con 37, con 39, con 41, H/D 01, H/D 02, H/D 04, H/D 14, H/D 18, Comp 01, Comp 03, Comp 07, Comp 08, Comp 10, Comp 17, Comp 18, Comp 24.
B. In the interactive classes of laboratory: con 10, con 22, con 32, con 35, con 39, con 41, con 44, H/D 01, H/D 02, H/D 04, H/D 05, H/D 06, H/D 14, H/D 18, Comp 01, Comp 03, Comp 07, Comp 08, Comp 10, Comp 17, Comp 18, Comp 21, Comp 24.
C. In the interactive semirar classes: con 10, con 22, con 32, con 35, con 39, con 41, con 43, con 44, H/D 01, H/D 02, H/D 04, H/D 05, H/D 06, H/D 14, H/D 18, H/D 28, H/D 29, H/D 30, H/D 31, Comp 01, Comp 02, Comp 03, Comp 04, Comp 06, Comp 07, Comp 08, Comp 10, Comp 13, Comp 14, Comp 17, Comp 18, Comp 21, Comp 24.

- In the second opportunity call, the same assessment criteria will be used as in the first call.

- For cases of fraudulent performance of exercises or tests, the "Normativa de Avaliación do rendemento académico dos estudantes e de revisión de cualificacións" will be applied.

CLASSROOM WORK HOURS
Lectures in large groups: 30
Interactive classes in small groups: 4
Tutorials in very small groups: 3
Laboratory practicals: 20
Exams and revision: 3
Total hours of face-to-face work in the classroom or laboratory: 60

PERSONAL WORK OF THE STUDENT HOURS
Autonomous individual or group study: 60
Readings, recommended web pages, video visualisation...: 10
Practical work: 20
Total hours of personal work of the student: 90

Recommendations for the study of the subject:
- Attend lectures.
- Keep your study up to date.
- In each subject, it is useful to summarise the important points, making sure you know both their meaning and their application.
- Consult any doubts that arise with the lecturers in charge.
- Use the virtual platform as a complement and consult the bibliography.
- Use the tutorial hours to resolve any doubts.

Recommendations for the assessment:
- It is recommended to read the exam carefully in order to adjust the answers to the questions posed.

Recommendations for the recovery:
- Students who do not pass the assessment process successfully at the first opportunity should go to the lecturers responsible to seek the necessary advice once they have checked the faults that caused them to fail the exam.

NOTE: All genera and species names in the programme should be correctly written in italics, the currently available software does not allow this.