Protists, Fungi, and Human
Diseases
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Printed: August 11, 2013
AUTHOR
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C ONCEPT
Concept 1. Protists, Fungi, and Human Diseases
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Protists, Fungi, and Human
Diseases
Key Concept
Most protist diseases in humans are caused by protozoa. Protozoa make humans sick when they become human
parasites. Examples are the protozoa that cause giardiasis and malaria. Fungi may cause poisonings, parasitic
infections, or allergies. For example, many mushrooms are poisonous, yeasts may be parasitic, and mold allergies
are very common.
Standards
• NSES.9–12.G.3.1
• AAAS.9–12.1.C.2; AAAS.9–12.6.E.1
• McREL.9–12.13.1.1; McREL.9–12.13.2.1, 5
Lesson Objectives
• Explain how protists cause human disease.
• Identify three ways fungi can make humans sick.
Lesson Vocabulary
athlete’s foot: infection of the skin between the toes by the fungus Trichophyton
candidasis: infection of the mouth or of the vagina in females that is caused by the yeast Candida
giardiasis: disease caused by Giardia protozoa that spreads through contaminated food or water
malaria: disease caused by Plasmodium protozoa and transmitted by mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical
regions of the world
• ringworm: skin infection caused by the fungus Trichophyton that causes a characteristic ring-shaped rash
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Teaching Strategies
Introducing the Lesson
Show students an image of the Plasmodium protozoa that causes malaria.
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(Image courtesy of Ute Frevert/Margaret Shear and under the Creative Commons license CC-BY-2.5.)
Then share the following facts and figures with the class:
a. At least 3.3 billion people — half the world’s population — are at risk of malaria.
b. Each year, 1 million people die from malaria.
c. Every 30 seconds, a child dies from malaria.
Tell students that this lesson will introduce them to malaria and other human diseases caused by protists or fungi.
Building Science Skills
Discuss the role of vectors in the transmission of protozoan diseases, such as malaria and sleeping sickness. Challenge students to infer how knowledge of vectors could be used to interrupt transmission of the diseases. You and
your students can learn more at the URLs below.
• http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/1/1/24
• http://www.aaas.org/international/africa/malaria/toure.html
Differentiated Instruction
Create a gallery walk of human diseases caused by protists and fungi. Post several large sheets of paper around the
room and write the name of a different disease on each sheet. Have small groups of students move around the room,
from sheet to sheet, adding notes about each disease. They should also read and comment on the notes written by
other groups. After the gallery walk, read the groups’ notes and discuss the most important points they make, as
well as any misconceptions they reveal.
Enrichment
Encourage interested students to learn more about the groundbreaking epidemiological research of Carlos Chagas,
which is introduced in the lesson. They can start with the links below. Ask them to prepare and give a PowerPoint
presentation about Chagas’ work and its significance.
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Concept 1. Protists, Fungi, and Human Diseases
• http://www.uta.edu/chagas/html/histCarl.html
• http://www.dbbm.fiocruz.br/tropical/chagas/chapter.html
Science Inquiry
Involve the class in the inquiry activity Giardia and Giardiasis—Research and Role Play, which you can access at
the URL below. Students will investigate how the Giardia parasite infects a human host, how it spreads, and how
transmission can be prevented.
• http://www.bam.gov/teachers/epidemiology_giardia.html
History Connection
Protists and fungi not only cause human diseases directly. They also cause diseases in plants, including agricultural
crops, and this can have a devastating impact on human populations. Share with students the case of the Irish potato
famine of the 1840s. The famine was caused by a water mold that infected potato plants, which were a staple of
the Irish diet. During the famine, a million people died and a million more emigrated from the country. The overall
population declined by 25 percent. The famine was a watershed in Irish history, permanently changing Ireland’s
demographic, political, and cultural landscape.
Reinforce and Review
Lesson Worksheets
Copy and distribute the lesson worksheets in the CK-12 Biology Workbook. Ask students to complete the worksheets
alone or in pairs as a review of lesson content.
Review Questions
Have students answer the Review Questions that are listed at the end of the lesson in their FlexBook.
• Sample answers to these questions will be provided upon request. Please send an email to [email protected] to request sample answers.
Points to Consider
In this chapter, you learned about two kingdoms of Eukarya, the protists and fungi. In the next chapter, you’ll learn
about another kingdom of Eukarya, the plants.
• Plants are a very diverse kingdom. How many different kinds of plants can you think of?
– (Encourage students to name as many different plants as they can.)
• What traits do you think might distinguish plants from other eukaryotes? What do you already know about
plants that might help you answer this question?
– (Sample answer: Plants contain chlorophyll and can make food.)
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