Parasites are organisms that live in, on or with another organism (host). They feed, grow or multiply in a way that harms their host. However, they need their host for their survival. For this reason, they rarely kill their host, but they often carry diseases that can be life-threatening.
What do parasites do to your body?
Parasites feed, grow or multiply in a way that harms your body.
What are the three types of parasites?
The three main types of parasites that cause disease in people include:
Ectoparasites
An ectoparasite is a parasite that lives on the outside (exterior) of its host. They‘re vectors (living things that carry diseases between animals and humans) that usually carry infections through blood. Many creatures that healthcare providers classify as vectors feed on your blood. They generally include:
They generally include:
Fleas: Fleas are tiny wingless insects equipped with powerful hind legs for making long jumps. An infected flea can cause disease if bitten by the host or ingested accidentally by the host.
Head lice and pubic lice (crabs). Lice are small, flat insects which are typically motioned by crawling. Head lice live on the hair of your head. Pubic lice live in the hair around your genitals. Both kinds of lice spread from person to person through close contact, often including sexual intercourse or exchange of personal items such as sheets, pillows or towels.
Mites. Mites are tiny arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) and are closely related to spiders and ticks. They are smaller than 1 millimeter (0.04 inches, about as tall as a stack of 10 sheets of paper). Some types can lead to scabies.
Ticks. Ticks are arachnids. Their bites do not usually hurt or itch. They tend to bite you and then burrow into your skin. They often dwell in wooded areas or grassy fields.
Helminths
Helminths are parasitic worms that usually live in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Your GI tract is a series of hollow organs that connect to each other from your mouth to your anus, including your stomach, small intestine and large intestine. Helminths are observable to the naked eye in the adult stage — they run from over 1 millimeter to over 1 meter (a little bit longer than 39 inches, a little smaller compared to the width of an entranceway).
The chief types of helminths that afflict people include
Flukes (Trematodes). Flukes are a class of flatworms. They may be transmitted through contaminated water or aquatic animals, which include snails, crabs, and fish. There are many different varieties of flukes, which can infect your blood, urinary bladder, liver, lungs, intestines, and other organs.
Tapeworms are Cestodes. Adult tapeworms are long, flat worms living in the intestines of a host. They survive by drawing nutrients from what their host consumes in eating food. They spread through laying eggs in their host’s body. The eggs leave the host’s body when the host poops. They spread through contaminated food and water or undercooked meat.
Roundworms (Nematodes). Roundworms are small parasites that dwell in your intestines. They are spread from contaminated stool or soil. There are many different types of roundworms.
Protozoans. Protozoans are one-celled organisms. You can‘t see them without a microscope. They may live in your intestines or blood and tissues. They may spread through contaminated food or water, person-to-person contact or through the bite of a vector.
There are tens of thousands of different kinds of protozoans. Specialists classify them according to their mode of movement. The most common ones that affect humans are:
Amoeba. Amoebas form temporary “false feet” (pseudopods) to move. The amoeba Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) causes dysentery.
Ciliates. Ciliates use many short, hairlike structures (cilia) to move and gather food. Balantidium coli (B. coli) is the only ciliate that affects people. It causes dysentery.
Flagellates. Flagellates use one or many whip-like structures (flagella) to move and sense their surroundings. The flagellate Giardia intestinalis causes giardiasis, and Trypanosoma brucei causes sleeping sickness.
Sporozoans (apicomplexan). In their adult stage, sporozoans aren’t capable of moving. They eat the food their host is digesting or their host’s body fluids. The sporozoan Plasmodium causes malaria, and Cryptosporidium causes cryptosporidiosis.
How common are parasitic infections?
Parasites and parasitic infections are quite common. They affect millions of people across the entire world. Many may not even notice that they have an infection since they experience few symptoms. Others may have more serious illnesses.
Symptoms and Causes
What are human parasite symptoms?
Parasites are of several different types, so symptoms may vary. Some of the most common symptoms that can be attributed to a parasite infection may include:
- Diarrhea.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Abdominal pain.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Increased appetite.
- Muscle aches.
- Fever.
- Chills.
- Problems sleeping (insomnia).
- Fatigue.
- Weakness.
- Skin rash.
You may have a parasite and no symptoms, or the symptoms may appear a long time after infection. You may also not have any symptoms and accidentally pass a parasite to another person who develops symptoms.
What foods cause parasites?
Common food sources of parasites include:
- Raw or undercooked meat, including fish.
- Raw or unwashed fruits and vegetables.
- Raw aquatic plants, such as watercress.
- Unpasteurized milk and juices.
How do people get parasites?
Common sources of parasitic infection include:
- Spending time in areas known to contain parasites.
- Contaminated water, foods, soil, blood or feces.
- Not washing your hands before eating or drinking.
- Less frequent washing or bathing.
- Weak immune system.
- Dirty bug bites.
- Sexual contact.
- Diagnosis and Tests
How do I know I have parasites?
If you suspect you have a parasitic infection, a medical professional may question you in the following areas:
How long have you had the symptoms?
Do your symptoms come and go, or are they constant? Do friends or family members you spend time with experience similar symptoms?
Have you recently traveled?
- Do you live near wooded areas or areas with tall grass?
- Do you have pets that spend a lot of time outdoors?
- Have you consumed any raw or rare animal meat?
- Do you drink unpasteurized milk or juice?
Your provider will also order tests to ensure that their diagnosis is correct. These tests may include:
Physical examination
Your provider will examine your body. They‘ll note any severe itching, bite marks or rashes. Depending on the type of parasite, they may also be able to see it on your hair, skin or clothing.
Fecal exam (stool culture)
Fecal exams help diagnose parasites that affect your intestines. During a period of several days, you will collect three or more samples of poop for a provider to examine. The provider will send your samples to a lab where technicians will look for parasites or eggs (ova).
Enteroscopy or colonoscopy
If a fecal exam cannot determine what type of parasite you have, your provider may order an enteroscopy or colonoscopy. These exams use a long, thin, flexible tube with a small video camera at the end to look into your body. During an enteroscopy, the endoscope goes through your mouth and passes through to your small intestine. During a colonoscopy, the endoscope goes through your anus and passes through to your large intestine. A medical care giver who specializes in diseases and disorders of your digestive system will administer these tests.
Blood test
Your health care professional can diagnose some parasites via blood tests. Your doctor will use a small-gauge needle about the diameter of a typical earring post to take a very small amount of blood from your body. Your healthcare provider will then run either or both of the following tests:
Blood Smear. Your physician will place a small drop of your blood on a special glass microscope slide and then examine it under a microscope.
Serology. Your doctor looks for antibodies or antigens in your blood sample that indicate the presence of specific parasites. Antibodies are proteins your body makes to fight infections. Antigens are foreign substances in your body that cause your immune system to react in order to get them out of your body.
Imaging tests: Some parasites may cause damage (lesions) to the structure of your intestines. Your provider may order X-rays, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan or a computed tomography (CT) scan to examine your organs for lesions.
Management and Treatment
How are parasites treated?
Your treatment depends on what type of parasite you have. Your healthcare provider may prescribe:
- Antiparasitic drugs.
- Antibiotics.
- Shampoos.
- Ointments.
Carefully follow your provider’s instructions. If you don’t, your parasite may come back.
Your provider may recommend the following to help you control ectoparasites, such as lice, fleas, and ticks, with frequent:
Bathtime using soap
Washing clothing, bedding, and towels in hot water.
Vacuuming carpets, mattresses and furniture and emptying the vacuum bag into the trash outside.
Is there anything else I can do to eliminate parasites?
Along with the prescription medications, diet, and supplements may help to get rid of parasites within your body faster. It is essential to consult with a healthcare provider before seeking any alternative therapies. These may interact with other prescription medications you are taking.
The following foods and supplements may aid in clearing out parasites from your digestive system or inhibit them from multiplying:
- Beets.
- Carrots.
- Fiber.
- Raw garlic.
- Pure honey.
- Pumpkin seeds.
- Probiotics.
- Digestive enzymes.
- Vitamin C.
- Zinc.
Then, of course, drink lots of water in order to flush your system.
Do parasites go away on their own?
Some parasites dissipate on their own if you have a good immunity system and a well-balanced diet. If you find you have symptoms of an infection caused by parasites, visit a healthcare provider who will make an official diagnosis and help prevent further parasitic spread to others.
Prevention
Parasitic infections can be prevented?
If the following tips can assist you in preventing parasitic infections:
Wash your hands regularly with clean water and antibacterial soap. This means before you eat, after touching raw meat, and after handling poop-which includes changing dirty diapers or cleaning up after a pet.
Bathe or shower regularly. Use hot water and soap. Don’t forget to wash your hair, the backs of your arms and legs, between your toes, your genitals, your belly button, and in and behind your ears.
Drink safe water. If you can’t be sure the water is safe, drink bottled water. Do not use any water from lakes, ponds or streams without making it boil for at least a minute.
Cook your meat to its recommended minimum internal temperature. If that can‘t be done then it should not be cooked.
Wash your personal items frequently.
Wash your clothes, bedding, and other personal items in hot water with detergent. Dry them using a hot cycle in the dryer.
Protect yourself from insects. Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants when traveling through the woods or through grassy fields. Use DEET skin spray on your clothes and exposed skin.
Check yourself for insects after spending time outdoors. Check your hair, beltline and the backs of your legs, arms and back.
Regularly check your pets. Use a fine-toothed comb to remove insects. Ask your veterinarian what prevention products you should give your pets.
Practice safe sex. Wear condoms every time you have sex. Condoms help stop the spread of the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis, which causes trichomoniasis (trich).
Outlook / Prognosis
What to Expect
It depends on the type of parasite you have. Most people recover fully with proper diagnosis and treatment. If you do not get treatment, you may develop a serious infection with severe symptoms.
Living With
When to Seek Medical Care Call your healthcare provider
if you have signs of a parasitic infection or if you still have symptoms after treatment.
When should I visit the ER?
You must seek emergency room services when the symptoms worsen fast.
What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?
- What kind of parasite is this?
- How did I become infected with a parasite?
- Do I have any diseases that the parasite can transmit?
- What do you suggest that I take for my infection?
- What do I do if the symptoms do not improve?
- How can I avoid passing this parasite to others?
- A note from Cleveland Clinic
it is creepy to know that you have a parasite, but it does not mean that you have done something wrong. Many parasites spread very easily from person to person. If you are showing symptoms of a parasite, then it is very important to schedule a visit to the healthcare provider for an official diagnosis and treatment, following their instructions so as not to let others catch the parasite and spread it. i want to publish on daily pakistan news.com
