Parasites and Diseases

• Acanthamoebiasis

  •This is a tiny ameba can cause an infection to the eye, the skin, and the brain. It can be found all over the world in soil and water. Individuals can get an infection if they have their contact lenses cleaned with tap water.
• Babesiosis

  •This is a disease that is caused by parasites that are carried by ticks. The disease affects the red blood cells and poses a higher risk in summer around the Northeast and upper Midwest of the US.
• Balantidiasis

  •This is a disease transmitted by Balatidium coli, which is a single-cell parasite that mostly infects pigs but can cause intestinal infections in humans rare cases. It can be spread by drinking contaminated water, or through direct contact with pigs.
• Blastocystosis

  •This is an illness that affects the intestines. The blastocystis goes into the human body via the fecal-oral route. Any person can get one by eating or drinking anything that has been contaminated with animal or human feces where the parasite is present.
• Coccidiosis

  •This is a disease that affects the human intestines. Coccidia is transmitted through the fecal-oral route. It is a condition found all over the world.

  •It can also affect cats and dogs, but these are different from the kinds that affect humans. Cats, dogs, and humans typically can’t infect each other.
• Amoebiasis

  •This is a disease caused by the parasite known as Entamoeba histolytica. It attacks the intestines. It is highly unlikely to be found in places outside tropical regions and in areas with poor sanitation and high population density. It is transmitted via the fecal-oral route.
• Giardiasis

  •Giardia, also known as “beaver fever,” is a disease that affects the lumen of a person’s small intestine. If humans keep drinking anything that has been contaminated with feces, dormant cysts may cause an infection to the body.
• Isosporiasis or cyclosporiasis

  •This is a disease that is caused by the Cystoisospora belli, formally called Isospora Belli. It creates an infection to the epithelial cells of the small intestine.

  •It can be found all over the world and is both preventable and treatable. It is passed on via the fecal-oral route.
• Leishmaniasis

  •This is a common disease that is transferred by parasites belonging to the Leishmania family. It can affect the viscera, the skin, or the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and throat.

  •It can be a fatal condition. Certain types of sandflies transmit the parasite responsible for this case.
• Trichomoniasis

  •This condition is also known as “trich” and is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that is caused by the parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. It can affect males but will display no symptoms. It mainly affects the female urogenital tract.
• Trypanosomiasis (Sleeping sickness)

  •Also called the African sleeping sickness, is a disease that is passed on when a tsetse fly transmits a parasite belonging to the Trypanosoma family. The parasite affects the blood, central nervous system, and lymph.

  •It causes a change in sleep pattern or behavior, among several other physical symptoms, and it is considered fatal without immediate treatment. It can cross the placenta and even infect a fetus during pregnancy.
• Chagas disease

  •This is a disease that affects the muscle, blood, nerves, esophagus, heart, and colon. It is transferred through an insect bite. More than 300,000 people in the United States have the parasite that causes this disease.
• Roundworm:

  • A roundworm or ascariasis infection does not usually show any physical symptoms, but the worm may be noticed in feces. It enters the human body through the consumption of contaminated food or drink.
• Clonorchiasis

  •Also called the Chinese liver fluke disease, clonorchiasis is a disease that affects the gall bladder. A person can become infected by this disease after eating raw, preserved, or poorly processed freshwater fish.
• Diphyllobothriasis

  • This disease affects the blood and intestines. Humans can get infected by the illness after eating raw fish that live fully or partly in freshwater. The prevalence of this disease has increased in certain parts of the developed world, most likely as a result of the growing popularity of salted fillets, sushi, ceviche, and other dishes that involve raw-fish.
• Enterobiasis

  • A threadworm, or pinworm, Enterobius vermicularis can take abode in the human colon and rectum. The worms lay eggs around a person’s anus while they sleep, which leads to itching. These parasites spread through the oral-fecal route.
• Hookworm infection

  •These are common causes of intestinal disease. These parasites lay their eggs in the soil, and their larvae can easily penetrate the human skin. Early physical symptoms of hookworm include a rash and itching. Hookworms are most common in damp places and places with poor sanitation.
• Strongyloidiasis

  • This is a parasite that can lead to severe and even fatal immunodeficiency. The Strongyloidiasis parasite penetrates via the human skin and affects the intestines, lungs, and skin. This parasite is passed on from direct contact with soil that has been contaminated. It mostly occurs in subtropical and tropical regions.
• Taeniasis ( pork and beef tapeworm)

  •Taeniasis is a disease that is caused by tapeworm belonging to the taenia family. They attack the intestines and are passed on by eating raw or undercooked beef or pork.
• Toxocariasis

  •This is an infection transmitted by a roundworm from animals to humans. It affects the brains, eyes, and liver. Toxocariasis is caused by swallowing the eggs of the parasite accidentally.
• Trichinosis

  •This is an infection caused by the roundworm belonging to the Trichinella family. An infection can cause fever, intestinal symptoms, and muscle aches. It is transferred from animals to humans by eating undercooked meat.
• Whipworm infection

  •Also called trichuriasis, the whipworms takes abode in the human large intestine. Its eggs are passed in feces, and it is a prevalent parasite all over the world. Humans can get infected from ingesting the eggs accidentally when consuming unwashed fruit or vegetables.