#Veterinary Parasitology

[dvmby2021]

Parasitology might be my fave subj if only I was given a chance :( ( daz me multitasking huu bad habit tbh)

[veterinarydiscussionscom]

Veterinary Parasitology

Veterinary parasitology 1st Edition by Lora Rickard Ballweber in 2001

Veterinary parasitology 1st Edition

by Lora Rickard Ballweber in 2001

The book begins with an introduction explaining some basic concepts of parasitology and taxonomic classification. Chapter 2 is devoted solely to ectoparasites. Chapter 3 is an introductory chapter to the endoparasites, describing the characteristics and generalized life cycles of each group (protozoans, nematodes, cestodes,…

[vetschooliscool]

day seventy-four: back at it! five weeks until my third-year finals, and i start my first small animal clinical placement tomorrow. H E L P!

[walshteqr]

Georgis' Parasitology for Veterinarians

Georgis' Parasitology for Veterinarians The latest edition of this extensive text provides the most current information on all parasites commonly encountered in veterinary medicine. High-quality illustrations help readers identify and treat parasites of every kind. A discussion of dog and cat parasites examines the prevalence of infections caused by hookworms and roundworms despite the wide range of preventative treatments on the market. This edition features new and revised material on arthropods, protozoans, helminths, antiparasitic drugs, diagnostic parasitology, and histopathological diagnosis.Common parasites of domestic cats, dogs, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and swine are identified and discussed.Hundreds of illustrations aid in identification of the different parasites.References are provided for all chapters.Updated material covers the continuous, marked changes in veterinary parasitology, allowing for more immediate and accurate diagnosis of disease and abnormalities - such as the source of the oocysts parasite that has caused so many bovine abortions.Contributions by the top experts in the parasitology field supply the most accurate and up-to-date information.The easy-to-follow chapter format, with six main topics with outlines in each chapter, present quick, detailed overviews of specific topics.Several new tables allow quick access to detailed information - specifically on the life stages and times associated with helminth parasites, dipterans, lice, and fleas.Printed end sheets with a list of Greek and Latin roots make it easier to learn many of the names that appear in the text.A discussion of the honeybee as a host highlights this important colonizer and its effect on animal agriculture.Extensive updates on veterinary pharmaceutical products for animal parasites are included, with quick-reference tables new to this edition.A separate chapter on histological diagnosis by Dr. Mark Eberhard - an expert in the identification of parasites in histological sections offers advice for identifying parasites in this type of material.An appendix of Antiparasite Products by Species is included for easy reference.

[vetschooliscool]

how to study: parasitology

this is the first in a series of study guides which i’ll be writing for preclinical veterinary students, to celebrate reaching 500 followers on this blog. obviously, these are informed by my own experiences, and it’s important to find out what works for you, but i thought i’d create some general tips to help. 

why learn the parasites?

to pass your preclinical exams (obviously)

to inform your differential diagnoses during the OSCEs and rotations

very important in practice, especially with production animals 

a large number of them are zoonotically significant 

some of them are incidental/insignificant (eg. Monezia spp. in sheep) and it’s important to be able to differentiate harmful from passive parasites.

what are the problems with studying parasitology?

volume. there’s an enormous number of individual parasites which you should know the pre-patent period, clinical signs, treatments and preventative measures for. we had nearly 150 to learn. it’s a lot! 

time. at the rvc, parasitology is a three week block of work. in comparison to the other areas of preclinical study, this is barely anything, yet the time taken to study parasitology exceeds that of pretty much any other -ology. 

details. each parasite, even if they’re in the same group, tends to be radically different from any other (take Dictyocaulus viviparus in cattle cf. Dictyocaulus arnfieldi in horses). differentiating between useful and useless detail can be very difficult. 

what are some solutions and tips?

condense! i wrote a ‘long’ set of notes, as i would for any other subject, but then wrote a second, ‘short’ set of notes (mostly using spider diagrams) which got down to the core of the matter. i eliminated parasites which one could extrapolate from one species to another, condensed five+ clinical signs to one or two important ones, and grouped species according to organ system and type.

repeat the information. this was the grit of it. i probably wrote out the details of each individual parasite four or five times over the revison period, even if it was just “D.arnfieldi, 80% donkeys (reservoir), <20% horses, chronic cough, trichostrongyloid”. 

for short-term exam revision, focus on the ‘big ones’ - liver fluke, hydatid disease, bovine PGE, lungworms, toxocara, toxoplasma, fleas, and ticks. 

summarize. once it become clear that i wasn’t going to be able to retain all the information at once, i tried associating one trait of a parasite with it’s name. this usually, with a bit of thinking, meant that i could recall the the rest of the details by visualizing the information that i’d written down (eg. Giardia duodenalis = pear-shaped -> forms trophozoites, binary fission, GIT brush border, passed on in infected water and food, causes dysentery, treated with metronidazole or fenbendazole

flashcards can only really be used once you have a grip on the information and know at least part of it - this goes for any topic, but especially one as complex as parasitology. once you’ve grasped the main concepts, start using flashcards with summarised information on them. i separated these further into organ systems (eg. liver parasites, lungworms, large animal PGE, small animal PGE) to compartmentalise the information and ensure i wasn’t getting confused across systems. 

talk to someone! i found that quizzing and getting quizzed was the most helpful way of learning parasites, and it’s good for auditory learners too - it also helps perfect pronunciation, which is great for those pesky oral exams. make sure you have your notes on hand to correct any errors. 

good luck with your parasitology learning!