PARASITOLOGY QUESTION:

Amoeba case study

Calatagan is a third-class municipality in the province ofBatangas, Philippines. It has a total population of 30,500 with atotal of 8 barangays. The municipality’s major revenue comes fromagriculture and aquaculture. A section of the population isemployed in “Ang Pulo,” an island housing a mangrove forestconservation park located in the northeast. Some residents ofCalatagan are settled along the major highway that connects it toneighboring municipalities, while some live further inland, usuallynear farms. Major streets are cemented but small streets are not.Deep well is the main source of water but there is one waterdistillery station serving three barangays in the municipality. Inthe summer of 2005, there were 950 cases of a rare eye infection inone barangay that affected residents of different ages. Theinfection is characterized by severe pain and reddening of thecornea. Antiviral drugs where administered but the patients’condition did not improve. There were also 1500 reported cases ofdiarrhea by the RHU. Stool examination results from specimenssubmitted by patients revealed an increase in WBC count. Strangecrystal-like structures were also seen under the microscope in someof the stool specimens. The mayor of Calatagan ordered an immediateinvestigation of the probable cause of the cases.

Questions to answer:

1. Identify the probable cause of the incidents in Calatagan,Batangas. Justify. (provide references for your answers)

2. What could have been the sources of infection of theresidents in Calatagan? Describe the probable mode of infection foreach identified cause. Cite examples and references.

3. Briefly provide a possible plan of action on how to controlthe cases in Calatagan.