Five tiny parasites cause some of the most devastating diseases including malaria, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness and guinea worm disease. These diseases affect 1 in every 18 people in the world.
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a vector-borne infectious disease that is transmitted to humans by infected sandflies and is the second-largest parasitic killer in the world after malaria [1, 2].
Some parasites, like malaria, are a common cause of death, while others, like parasitic nematodes can lead to disfigurement, blindness and severe economic hardship.
There are three main classes of parasites that can cause disease in humans: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites.
Dioctophyme (=Dioctophyma) renale, the giant kidney worm, is the largest known parasitic nematode infecting humans — adult females can reach over one meter in length. The genus has been spelled as both “Dioctophyma” and “Dioctophyme”.
Globally, due to intestinal parasitic infections, around 3.5 billion people are affected and more than 200,000 deaths are reported annually.
However, parasitic infections still occur in the United States, and in some cases, affect millions of people. Often they can go unnoticed, with few symptoms. But many times these infections cause serious illnesses, including seizures, blindness, heart failure, and even death.
They found the oldest fossil evidence of a parasite ever, in 540 million-year-old rocks in Yunnan Province, China. The rocks date to the Cambrian period, when complex life was first appearing on Earth.
New fossils from China reveal the oldest case of parasitism, allowing us to trace back parasitic interactions more than 500 million years to the rise of animals during the Cambrian Radiation.
Cardiovascular diseases
These include hypertension (high blood pressure); coronary heart disease (heart attack); cerebrovascular disease (stroke); heart failure; and other heart diseases. Cardiovascular disease is the top cause of death globally.
Loiasis, commonly called African eye worm, is an infection caused by the Loa loa roundworm. Loiasis is a type of filariasis, an infection from a filarial worm (parasitic roundworm). People can get loiasis if they're bitten by deerflies (also called mango or mangrove flies) that carry the parasite.
Common global water-related diseases caused by parasites include Guinea worm, schistosomiasis, amebiasis, cryptosporidiosis (Crypto), and giardiasis. People become infected with these diseases when they swallow or have contact with water that has been contaminated by certain parasites.
Acanthocheilonemiasis is a rare tropical infectious disease caused by a parasite known as Acanthocheilonema perstans, which belongs to a group of parasitic diseases known as filarial diseases (nematode). This parasite is found, for the most part, in Africa.
At times these parasites can even pose a greater threat to our bodies because many of them carry diseases. It is estimated that around 80% of both adults and children have parasites in their gut. People can be infected with these parasites in a number of ways. The most common route is through the faecal oral route.
Toxoplasma gondii is a microscopic creature that scientists believe could infect up to 50 percent of people. The parasite is easily transmittable and is carried for life once a person has been infected.
Once infected, a person carries Toxoplasma for life. So far, we don't have a drug that can eradicate the parasite from the body. And there is no vaccine approved for use in humans. Across the world, it's estimated 30–50 percent of people are infected with Toxoplasma – and infections may be increasing in Australia.
Leishmania donovani and L. tropica, responsible for leishmaniasis in humans, are intracellular parasites, measuring a mere 2 mm (0.08 in) long.
Description. Trichinella species, the smallest nematode parasite of humans, has an unusual life cycle, and are one of the most widespread and clinically important parasites in the world.
Parasites are more common than you think, and many parasitic infections can go undetected due to overlap in medical symptoms.
Creeping eruption is a skin infection caused by hookworms. The infection is also called cutaneous larva migrans or sandworm disease. Creeping eruption causes severe itching, blisters, and a red growing, winding rash. The rash can grow up to 1 to 2 centimeters per day.
Here are some common signs of parasites to look out for: Gastrointestinal issues like bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting (especially common with Blastocystis infections) Problems with your skin such as rashes, itchiness, hives, or eczema. Feeling anxious and not being able to explain why.
Causes of threadworms
A threadworm infection is passed from person to person by swallowing threadworm eggs. A female threadworm can lay thousands of tiny eggs around the anus or vagina. The female threadworm also releases mucus, which can cause an itchy bottom.