This is a serious infection that you can contract from drinking water infected with Giardia protozoa. Helminths are multi-celled organisms that can live in or outside of your body. They include flatworms, tapeworms, thorny-headed worms, and roundworms. Ectoparasites are multicelled organisms that live on or feed off your skin. They include some insects and arachnids, such as mosquitos, fleas, ticks, and mites. Parasitic infections can be spread in a number of ways. For example, protozoa and helminths can be spread through contaminated water, food, waste, soil, and blood.
Some can be passed through sexual contact. Some parasites are spread by insects that act as a vector, or carrier, of the disease. For example, malaria is caused by parasitic protozoa that are transmitted by mosquitos when they feed on humans. Anyone can get a parasitic infection.
But some people are at greater risk than others. Outdoor cats can come into contact with infected rodents and birds. This makes their owners more likely to contract toxoplasmosis, a type of protozoa.
Toxoplasmosis can be very harmful for pregnant women and their developing babies. The infection is spread through cat feces. Parasitic infections can be diagnosed in a number of ways. For example, your doctor might perform or order:. Your doctor may also order tests to check for bacteria or other things that can cause infections.
Your treatment plan will depend on your specific diagnosis. Typically, your doctor will prescribe medications. For example, they may prescribe medications to treat trichomoniasis, giardiasis, or cryptosporidiosis.
Your doctor may also recommend other treatments to relieve your symptoms. For example, many parasitic infections can cause diarrhea, which often leads to dehydration. This is caused by the parasite Entamoeba histolytica. It affects the intestines. It is more likely in tropical regions and in areas with high population density and poor sanitation. It is transmitted through the fecal-oral route.
If humans ingest food or water contaminated with feces, dormant cysts may infect the body. This disease is caused by the Cystoisospora belli , previously known as Isospora belli. It affects the epithelial cells of the small intestine. It exists worldwide and is both treatable and preventable. It is passed on through the fecal-oral route. This is a disease that is passed on by parasites of the Leishmania family. It can affect the skin, the viscera, or the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth, and throat.
It can be fatal. The parasite is transmitted by types of sandflies. This is passed on through a free-living ameba known as Naegleria fowleri. It affects the brain and the nervous system, and it is nearly always fatal within 1 to 18 days. It is transmitted through breathing in contaminated soil, swimming pools, and contaminated water, but not from drinking water.
Different types of plasmodium affect the red blood cells. It exists in tropical regions and is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. This is caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi. It mainly affects the mucous of the nose, conjunctiva, and urethra. It is more common in India and Sri Lanka but can occur elsewhere. Polyps result in nasal masses that need to be removed through surgery. Bathing in common ponds can expose the nasal mucous to the parasite.
This is a parasitic pneumonia caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. It affects the liver, heart, eyes and brain. It occurs worldwide. People can become infected after ingesting raw or undercooked pork, lamb, goat, or milk, or though contact with food or soil that is contaminated with cat feces.
A person with a healthy immune system will not usually have symptoms, but it can pose a risk during pregnancy and for those with a weakened immune system. It affects the female urogenital tract. It can exist in males, but usually without symptoms.
This is passed on when the tetse fly transmits a parasite of the Trypanosoma family. It affects the central nervous system , blood, and lymph. It leads to changes in sleep behavior, among other symptoms, and it is considered fatal without treatment. It can cross the placenta and infect a fetus during pregnancy. This affects the blood , muscle, nerves, heart, esophagus and colon. It is transmitted through an insect bite. Over , people in the U. Anisakiasis : This is caused by worms that can invade the intestines or the stomach wall.
The worms are passed on through contaminated fresh or undercooked fish and squid. Roundworm : Ascariasis, or a roundworm infection, does not usually cause symptoms, but the worm may be visible in feces. It enters the body through consuming contaminated food or drink. Raccoon roundworm : Baylisascaris is passed on through raccoon stools. It can affect the brain, lungs, liver, and intestines. It occurs in North America.
People are advised not to keep raccoons as pets for this reason. Clonorchiasis : Also known as Chinese liver fluke disease, this affects the gall bladder.
Humans can become infected after ingesting raw or poorly processed or preserved freshwater fish. Dioctophyme renalis infection : The giant kidney worm can move through the wall of the stomach to the liver and eventually the kidney. Humans can become infected after eating the eggs of the parasite in raw or undercooked freshwater fish. Diphyllobothriasis tapeworm : This affects the intestines and blood.
Humans can become infected after eating raw fish that live wholly or partly in fresh water. Prevalence has increased in some parts of the developed world, possibly due to the growing popularity of sushi, salted fillets, ceviche, and other raw-fish dishes.
Guinea worm : This affects subcutaneous tissues and muscle and causes blisters and ulcers. The worm may be visible in the blister. As the worms are shed or removed, they enter the soil or water, and are passed on from there. Hookworm : These can cause intestinal disease. They lay their eggs in soil and the larvae can penetrate the skin of humans. Early symptoms include itching and a rash.
They are most common in damp places with poor sanitation. Hymenolepiasis : Humans can become infected by ingesting material contaminated by rodents, cockroaches, mealworms, and flour beetles.
Echinococcosis tapeworm : Cystic echinococcosis can lead to cysts in the liver and lungs, and alveolar echinococcosis can cause a tumor in the liver.
Humans can be infected after eating foods contaminated by the feces of an infected animal, or from direct contact with an animal. Enterobiasis pinworm : A pinworm, or threadworm, Enterobius vermicularis can live in the colon and rectum of humans.
The worm lays eggs around the anus while a person sleeps, leading to itching. It spreads through the oral-fecal route. Fasciolosis liver fluke : This affects the gall bladder and liver. It is common in countries where cattle or sheep are reared, but rare in the U. It can affect the liver and the bile ducts and it causes gastrointestinal symptoms. It passes from one mammal to another through snails.
A person may get it from eating watercress, for example. Fasciolopsiasis intestinal fluke : This affects the intestines. It can also transmitted when consuming contaminated water plants or water. Gnathostomiasis : This causes swellings under the skin, and occasionally affects the liver, the eyes, and the nervous system. It is rare, but it can be fatal.
Parasitic infections cause a tremendous burden of disease in both the tropics and subtropics as well as in more temperate climates. Of all parasitic diseases, malaria causes the most deaths globally. Malaria kills more than , people each year, most of them young children in sub-Saharan Africa. The Neglected Tropical Diseases NTDs , which have suffered from a lack of attention by the public health community, include parasitic diseases such as lymphatic filariasis , onchocerciasis , and Guinea worm disease.
The NTDs affect more than 1 billion people worldwide, largely in rural areas of low-income countries. These diseases extract a large toll on endemic populations, including lost ability to attend school or work, stunting of growth in children, impairment of cognitive skills and development in young children, and the serious economic burden placed on entire countries. However, parasitic infections also affect persons living in developed countries, including the United States. Contact Us. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.
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