Opening Hours : Monday to Friday - 8am to 5pm Contact : 02 Parasitic infections, as unpleasant as they sound, are much more common than you think. Often, they are to blame for the various health issues we suffer from. From digestive issues to post-traumatic stress disorder, a parasitic infection can affect your physical and mental health. Not restricted to underdeveloped countries, parasitic infections also exists in many developing or developed countries around the world.
It can affect anyone belonging to any gender, race or socioeconomic status. Many people are unaware that they are suffering from a parasitic infection and it could be a contributing factor to many chronic health problems.
A parasite is an organism that lives by feeding off another organism, often called a host. Parasites release toxins into your bloodstream and this may cause symptoms similar to various gastrointestinal conditions.
Additionally, some intestinal parasites are large enough to be seen with the naked eye and may appear as white thread-like creatures in stools. For instance, some parasites may consume your food and leave you hungry after meals, resulting in an inability to gain weight.
Others may feed off your red blood cells causing anaemia or lay eggs resulting in itching, irritability, and even insomnia. Anyone can contract a parasitic infection and some people are at higher risk because of certain reasons.
One of the most common ways of contracting this type of condition is through contaminated food such as undercooked meat or drinking unclean water. You are also at risk of a parasitic infection through contact with contaminated faeces, which could spread due to unsanitary habits such as not washing your hands after using the bathroom.
Parasitic infections are a big problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Malaria is one of the deadliest parasitic diseases. Parasitic infections can also occur in the United States. Common parasitic infections found in the United States include:.
Protozoa are single-celled organisms that can live and multiply inside your body. Some infections caused by protozoa include giardiasis. 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:.
They include bacteria and viruses. Endoparasites rely on a third organism, known as the vector, or carrier. The vector transmits the endoparasite to the host. The mosquito is a vector for many parasites, including the protozoan known as Plasmodium, which causes malaria. These feed on other parasites in a relationship known as hyperparasitism. A flea lives on a dog, but the flea may have a protozoan in its digestive tract. The protozoan is the hyperparasite.
Protozoa : Examples include the single-celled organism known as Plasmodium. A protozoa can only multiply, or divide, within the host. Helminths : These are worm parasites. Schistosomiasis is caused by a helminth. Other examples include roundworm, pinworm, trichina spiralis, tapeworm, and fluke. Ectoparasites : These live on, rather than in their hosts. They include lice and fleas. There are many types of parasite, and symptoms can vary widely. Sometimes these may resemble the symptoms of other conditions, such as a hormone deficiency, pneumonia , or food poisoning.
Often there are no symptoms, or symptoms appear long after infection, but the parasite can still be transmitted to another person, who may develop symptoms. Many types of parasites can affect humans. Here are some examples of parasites and the diseases they can cause. This tiny ameba can affect the eye, the skin, and the brain. It exists all over the world in water and soil. Individuals can become infected if they clean contact lenses with tap water. This disease that comes from parasites that are spread by ticks.
It affects the red blood cells. The risk is highest in summer in the Northeast and upper Midwest of the United States. This is passed on by Balatidium coli , a single-cell parasite that usually infects pigs but can, in rare cases, cause intestinal infection in humans.
It can be spread through direct contact with pigs or by drinking contaminated water, usually in tropical regions. This affects the intestines. The blastocystis enters humans through the fecal-oral route. A person can get it by eating food or drink contaminated with human or animal feces where the parasite is present.
Coccidia is passed on through the fecal-oral route. It is found around the world. It can also affect dogs and cats, but these are different kinds. Dogs, cats, and humans cannot normally infect each other. 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.
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