Match the animals listed in Column I with primary tissue or organ of residence in the host listed in Column IIColumn IColumn IIP. Ascaris lumbricoides(i) Subcutaneous tissue in humanQ. Dracunculus medinensis(ii) Lymphatic vessels and lymph nodesR. Enterobius vermicularis(iii) Small intestineS. Wuchereria bancrofti(iv) Caecum or vermiform appendix

The correct match is P-(iii), Q-(i), R-(iv), S-(ii).Ascaris lumbricoides, the large roundworm, lives as an adult in the small intestine (iii).Dracunculus medinensis, the guinea worm, lives in subcutaneous tissue; the female emerges through a blister, usually on the leg (i).Enterobius vermicularis, the pinworm, lives in the caecum and appendix and migrates to the perianal skin to lay eggs (iv).Wuchereria bancrofti adults live in the lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes, causing lymphatic filariasis and elephantiasis (ii).Options A, B and C each put the guinea worm or the filarial worm in the wrong tissue.

Match the following human diseases in Column-I with their causal organism in Column-IIColumn-IColumn-IIP. Sleeping sickness1. Trypanosoma cruziQ. Chagas disease2. Trypanosoma bruceiR. Elephantiasis3. Borrelia burgdorferiS. Lyme disease4. Wuchereria bancrofti5. Rickettsia rickettsii

The correct match is P-2 ; Q-1 ; R-4 ; S-3.African sleeping sickness is caused by Trypanosoma brucei, spread by the tsetse fly.Chagas disease, in the Americas, is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, spread by triatomine (kissing) bugs.Elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis) is caused by the nematode Wuchereria bancrofti, spread by mosquitoes.Lyme disease is caused by the spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi, spread by ticks.Rickettsia rickettsii causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever and matches none of the four. The option with P-2 but Q-4 and R-1 swaps the filarial worm and T. cruzi, and the others misplace the trypanosomes.

Parasitology Questions and Answers

Q: Which one or more of the following terms describe(s) Toxoplasma gondii?

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite; it is the only term the key accepts in this multiple-select question.T. gondii is a protozoan of the phylum Apicomplexa, related to the malaria parasite. It is an obligate intracellular parasite: it can multiply only inside host cells. Cats are its definitive hosts, where sexual reproduction takes place, while humans and many other warm-blooded animals act as intermediate hosts, infected through oocysts or tissue cysts in undercooked meat.It is a eukaryotic cell with a nucleus and organelles, so it is not a virus or a bacterium, and it is a protozoan rather than a fungus.

Q: Exo-erythrocytic schizogony in the life cycle of malarial parasite Plasmodium occurs in :

Exo-erythrocytic schizogony occurs in the Liver.The sporozoites injected by the mosquito travel in the blood to the liver and enter hepatocytes. There they multiply asexually by schizogony, outside red cells (hence exo-erythrocytic), and release thousands of merozoites.Only those merozoites then invade red blood cells and begin erythrocytic schizogony, which causes the fever. 'Blood' is too vague and is where the merozoites travel, and in the mosquito the stage is sporogony, with oocysts on the stomach wall, not schizogony.

Q: Which of the following transmits ‘Yellow fever’ and ‘West Nile fever’ ?

Both are transmitted by Mosquitoes.Yellow fever virus is spread mainly by Aedes mosquitoes, especially Aedes aegypti, and West Nile virus mainly by Culex mosquitoes, with birds as its main reservoir.Ticks transmit diseases such as Lyme disease and Kyasanur Forest disease, kissing bugs (triatomines) transmit Chagas disease, and deer flies transmit tularaemia and loiasis. None of them is the vector of these two fevers.

Q: Which one of the following is a true combination for Kala-azar disease ?

The true combination is sand fly and Leishmania.Kala-azar, visceral leishmaniasis, is caused by the protozoan Leishmania donovani. It is transmitted by the bite of the female sand fly, Phlebotomus argentipes in India. The parasite multiplies in macrophages of the spleen, liver and bone marrow, causing fever, an enlarged spleen and greyish skin, the 'black fever' of the name.The tsetse fly (Glossina) and Trypanosoma cause African sleeping sickness. Mosquitoes and Plasmodium cause malaria, and mosquitoes and microfilarial worms cause lymphatic filariasis.

Q: Out of the following Helminthes which one of the groups is solitary and free living representatives ?

The free-living group is Turbellaria.Turbellarians, such as the planarian Dugesia, are flatworms living in fresh water, the sea and damp soil. They are solitary, ciliated and free living, gliding over surfaces and feeding as predators or scavengers.The other two flatworm classes are entirely parasitic: Trematoda (flukes such as Fasciola and Schistosoma) and Cestoda (tapeworms such as Taenia). Nematoda includes many free-living roundworms, but the question asks for the group whose representatives are free living, and among the helminths it is the Turbellaria that are standardly described this way.

Q: Which of the following is not a developmental stage in the life cycle of Fasciola hepatica ?

The stage that does not occur in the liver fluke is the Cystecircus (cysticercus).The life cycle of Fasciola hepatica runs: egg, miracidium (which enters a snail), sporocyst, redia, cercaria (which leaves the snail), and metacercaria (the cyst on vegetation eaten by sheep or cattle). The adult then develops in the bile ducts.The cysticercus, or bladder worm, is the larva of tapeworms such as Taenia solium, found in the muscles of pigs. It belongs to the cestode life cycle, not the trematode one. Cercaria, metacercaria and sporocysts all occur in Fasciola.

Q: In the representatives of order Cestoda, the mature proglottids get separated from main body by a process known as :

The process is apolysis.In tapeworms (class Cestoda), new proglottids form behind the neck and mature as they are pushed back. The terminal gravid proglottids, filled with eggs, detach from the strobila and are passed out with the host's faeces. This shedding is called apolysis.Apoptosis is programmed death of individual cells, not detachment of body segments. 'Homolysis' and 'genolysis' are not terms for this process.

Match the animals listed in Column I with primary tissue or organ of residence in the host listed in Column II

Column I	Column II
P. Ascaris lumbricoides	(i) Subcutaneous tissue in human
Q. Dracunculus medinensis	(ii) Lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes
R. Enterobius vermicularis	(iii) Small intestine
S. Wuchereria bancrofti	(iv) Caecum or vermiform appendix

A.P-(iii), Q-(iv), R-(ii), S-(i)
B.P-(i), Q-(iv), R-(iii), S-(ii)
C.P-(ii), Q-(iii), R-(iv), S-(i)
D.P-(iii), Q-(i), R-(iv), S-(ii)

Exam Year(s)

GATE Life Sciences - 2022,

Answer: D

The correct match is P-(iii), Q-(i), R-(iv), S-(ii).

Ascaris lumbricoides, the large roundworm, lives as an adult in the small intestine (iii).
Dracunculus medinensis, the guinea worm, lives in subcutaneous tissue; the female emerges through a blister, usually on the leg (i).
Enterobius vermicularis, the pinworm, lives in the caecum and appendix and migrates to the perianal skin to lay eggs (iv).
Wuchereria bancrofti adults live in the lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes, causing lymphatic filariasis and elephantiasis (ii).

Options A, B and C each put the guinea worm or the filarial worm in the wrong tissue.

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Match the following human diseases in Column-I with their causal organism in Column-II

Column-I	Column-II
P. Sleeping sickness	1. Trypanosoma cruzi
Q. Chagas disease	2. Trypanosoma brucei
R. Elephantiasis	3. Borrelia burgdorferi
S. Lyme disease	4. Wuchereria bancrofti
	5. Rickettsia rickettsii

A.P-3 ; Q-1 ; R-4 ; S-5
B.P-1 ; Q-2 ; R-3 ; S-4
C.P-2 ; Q-4 ; R-1 ; S-3
D.P-2 ; Q-1 ; R-4 ; S-3

Exam Year(s)

GATE Life Sciences - 2025,

Answer: D

The correct match is P-2 ; Q-1 ; R-4 ; S-3.

African sleeping sickness is caused by Trypanosoma brucei, spread by the tsetse fly.
Chagas disease, in the Americas, is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, spread by triatomine (kissing) bugs.
Elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis) is caused by the nematode Wuchereria bancrofti, spread by mosquitoes.
Lyme disease is caused by the spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi, spread by ticks.

Rickettsia rickettsii causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever and matches none of the four. The option with P-2 but Q-4 and R-1 swaps the filarial worm and T. cruzi, and the others misplace the trypanosomes.

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Which one or more of the following terms describe(s) Toxoplasma gondii?

A.Virus
B.Parasite
C.Bacteria
D.Fungus

Exam Year(s)

GATE Life Sciences - 2026,

Answer: B

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite; it is the only term the key accepts in this multiple-select question.

T. gondii is a protozoan of the phylum Apicomplexa, related to the malaria parasite. It is an obligate intracellular parasite: it can multiply only inside host cells. Cats are its definitive hosts, where sexual reproduction takes place, while humans and many other warm-blooded animals act as intermediate hosts, infected through oocysts or tissue cysts in undercooked meat.

It is a eukaryotic cell with a nucleus and organelles, so it is not a virus or a bacterium, and it is a protozoan rather than a fungus.

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Exo-erythrocytic schizogony in the life cycle of malarial parasite Plasmodium occurs in :

A.Red blood cells
B.Liver
C.Blood
D.Mosquito stomach

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: B

Exo-erythrocytic schizogony occurs in the Liver.

The sporozoites injected by the mosquito travel in the blood to the liver and enter hepatocytes. There they multiply asexually by schizogony, outside red cells (hence exo-erythrocytic), and release thousands of merozoites.

Only those merozoites then invade red blood cells and begin erythrocytic schizogony, which causes the fever. 'Blood' is too vague and is where the merozoites travel, and in the mosquito the stage is sporogony, with oocysts on the stomach wall, not schizogony.

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Which of the following transmits ‘Yellow fever’ and ‘West Nile fever’ ?

A.Ticks
B.Kissing bugs
C.Deer flies
D.Mosquitoes

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

Both are transmitted by Mosquitoes.

Yellow fever virus is spread mainly by Aedes mosquitoes, especially Aedes aegypti, and West Nile virus mainly by Culex mosquitoes, with birds as its main reservoir.

Ticks transmit diseases such as Lyme disease and Kyasanur Forest disease, kissing bugs (triatomines) transmit Chagas disease, and deer flies transmit tularaemia and loiasis. None of them is the vector of these two fevers.

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Which one of the following is a true combination for Kala-azar disease ?

A.Sand fly and Leishmania
B.Glossina fly and Trypanosoma
C.Mosquito and Plasmodium
D.Mosquito and Micro-filarial worm

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: A

The true combination is sand fly and Leishmania.

Kala-azar, visceral leishmaniasis, is caused by the protozoan Leishmania donovani. It is transmitted by the bite of the female sand fly, Phlebotomus argentipes in India. The parasite multiplies in macrophages of the spleen, liver and bone marrow, causing fever, an enlarged spleen and greyish skin, the 'black fever' of the name.

The tsetse fly (Glossina) and Trypanosoma cause African sleeping sickness. Mosquitoes and Plasmodium cause malaria, and mosquitoes and microfilarial worms cause lymphatic filariasis.

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Presence of parasite on the surface of the body of host is called as :

A.Infestation
B.Infection
C.Pollution
D.Contamination

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: A

Parasites living on the body surface of the host constitute an Infestation.

The term is used for ectoparasites such as lice, ticks, mites and fleas, which live on the skin or hair rather than inside the body. Infection is the corresponding term for the entry and multiplication of a parasite or microbe inside the host's tissues, for example a bacterial or protozoan infection.

Pollution refers to harmful substances in the environment, and contamination to the presence of an agent on objects or in food, water or wounds; neither describes a parasite living on a host.

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Out of the following Helminthes which one of the groups is solitary and free living representatives ?

A.Turbellaria
B.Trematoda
C.Cestoda
D.Nematoda

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: A

The free-living group is Turbellaria.

Turbellarians, such as the planarian Dugesia, are flatworms living in fresh water, the sea and damp soil. They are solitary, ciliated and free living, gliding over surfaces and feeding as predators or scavengers.

The other two flatworm classes are entirely parasitic: Trematoda (flukes such as Fasciola and Schistosoma) and Cestoda (tapeworms such as Taenia). Nematoda includes many free-living roundworms, but the question asks for the group whose representatives are free living, and among the helminths it is the Turbellaria that are standardly described this way.

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Which of the following is not a developmental stage in the life cycle of Fasciola hepatica ?

A.Cercaria
B.Cystecircus
C.Metacercaria
D.Sporocysts

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: B

The stage that does not occur in the liver fluke is the Cystecircus (cysticercus).

The life cycle of Fasciola hepatica runs: egg, miracidium (which enters a snail), sporocyst, redia, cercaria (which leaves the snail), and metacercaria (the cyst on vegetation eaten by sheep or cattle). The adult then develops in the bile ducts.

The cysticercus, or bladder worm, is the larva of tapeworms such as Taenia solium, found in the muscles of pigs. It belongs to the cestode life cycle, not the trematode one. Cercaria, metacercaria and sporocysts all occur in Fasciola.

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10.

In the representatives of order Cestoda, the mature proglottids get separated from main body by a process known as :

A.Apoptosis
B.Apolysis
C.Homolysis
D.Genolysis

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2024, SET Exam - 2024,

Answer: B

The process is apolysis.

In tapeworms (class Cestoda), new proglottids form behind the neck and mature as they are pushed back. The terminal gravid proglottids, filled with eggs, detach from the strobila and are passed out with the host's faeces. This shedding is called apolysis.

Apoptosis is programmed death of individual cells, not detachment of body segments. 'Homolysis' and 'genolysis' are not terms for this process.

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