List of Parasites of Humans

You might have heard so many cases when people suffer some serious disease due to parasite attacks. It may appear uneasy to digest, but in actual, there are so many parasites in the human body that keep on growing without giving any indication. Studies reveal that many people live a longer life with deadly parasites in their body; without even showing any symptom of their presence.

Reports say that almost 60% of world’s population is affected by some kind of parasite in their body. It means; even you have 50-50 chances of being infected with parasites. But due to lack of awareness and knowledge, many people keep on ignoring this fact so long, and later they suffer serious complications.

In this article, we have elaborated few details about most common parasites present in the human body

• Tapeworms:

You must be a terrible fan of raw meat, but the terrible fact is that tapeworms often enter the human body through the undercooked or raw meat. This parasite is scientifically named as Taenia Saginata or Taenia Solium. They have a tape-like structure and can grow as long as up to 15 meters or 50 feet. These parasites live in the intestines of human body and studies reveal that they often transfer from other animals like pigs and cows. In most common cases, it happens due to consumption of unwashed vegetables or infected meat.

Even if you consume a tapeworm larva by mistake, it will take very less time to grow inside your intestinal wall and will soon become a fully-grown adult. It is observed to live actively in the human body for at least 30 years; that means, people can even grow older with the parasite in their body. The tapeworm eggs are considered to be more dangerous for the human body as they can cause the development of cysts in organs. However, in case if the infection is just the worms or tapeworms; you may rarely notice any symptom.

• Liver Flukes:

Live flakes are special kind of parasites that infect liver and bile ducts. Note that, this flatworm usually breeds in the freshwater snails. One of the most common paths that it follows to the human body is when someone consumes freshwater fish as they share the same environment with freshwater snails. Few symptoms are observed due to the presence of liver flukes in the human body; however, many people live an easy life without knowing about its presence. When these flukes become mature, they often cause some chronic inflammation of bile ducts that further leads to gallstones. Most cases of liver flukes are observed in areas like Florida, California, and Hawaii.

• Hookworms:

There are two types of hookworms that can be found in the human body; they are Necator Americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale. You will be surprised to know that hookworms often enter the human body through feet and in few cases, they also leave some rashes at entry points. These parasites keep on traveling through the bloodstream until they reach lungs. Once they reach their destination in your body, they start irritating the lung tissue, and in most cases, the infected person throws them out with a cough. However, in case if even a small amount of that wormy phlegm is swallowed by the person, this hookworm finds a happy home inside the small intestine.

This parasite is highly prominent in communities because it can easily transfer from one person to other via poop. When the infected stools are not managed properly, or they get mixed into the soil, the chances of infection to other people increases. Hence, it is important to use proper sanitary practices so that infection cannot get transferred to all. People that are affected with hookworms often report mental incapacity and lethargy.

• Pinworms:

These parasites can spread easily and are one of the most common causes behind increasing cases of parasite infections in North America. These parasites live on the human anus, so they take very less time to spread ahead; anything that comes in direct contact with an infected person also becomes covered with pinworm eggs. In case if someone swallows these eggs by mistake, he/she may also suffer infection.

Pinworms do not cause so many symptoms; very few conditions are possible and mild irritation is one of them. However, this irritation is quite dangerous itself as the person keeps on scratching his butt, and the eggs keep on spreading everywhere. Most cases of pinworm infections are observed in children, but it can affect anyone that comes in contact with this parasite.

• Ascariasis:

Ascariasis is a common roundworm infection that has a major impact on the small intestine. Studies reveal that it transfers through human feces and due to uncooked meat. However, in some cases, it may also spread via human to human contact. Generally, these parasites cause very few symptoms, but the problem may increase when they are present in bulk amount.

In most cases, this parasite affects children because they have a bad habit of putting hands into mouth again and again. As a result, children suffer from pain and bloated stomach. These tiny roundworms can stay in your stomach so long until they are pooped out.

• Echinococcus granulosus:

This parasite can also grow in the human body so long without displaying any symptoms. Note that, Echinococcus granulosus usually affects dogs but it can also transfer to the human body when they are exposed to canine feces or live with a pet dog. This tapeworm like larva often causes the development of cyst-like lesions in lungs or liver region.

• Trichinosis:

This roundworm infestation also occurs due to consumption of raw or undercooked meat. Studies reveal that Trichinosis is usually found in the pig meat or boar so if you are planning to enjoy some medieval feast on the upcoming weekend, prefer to cook that boar carefully.

As soon as this trichinosis larva is present in your intestine, it will keep growing to become a mature worm. It will even produce more larvae that can enter body tissues and muscles. When a small sample of this larva is ingested by humans, they may not be able to know that their body is containing Trichinosis but when the infestation increases, a person may suffer diarrhea and intestinal pain.

• Dientamoeba fragilis:

This single-celled parasite is still a matter of research in the medical health community because no one is able to understand how it is actually transmitted to the human body. Scientists don’t even know if it causes some symptoms in the human body; however, in few cases, patients report abdominal pain and diarrhea. The chances are that these parasites have some connection with pinworms, and they get transferred to the human body via eggs, but the actual fact is still undercover. The sad truth is that Dientamoeba Fragilis can infect human beings in large number and most of the infected person doesn’t even know about the presence of this parasite in their body.

• Microsporidia:

Here is another group of single-celled parasites that can target a wide range of creatures; including humans. This parasite can stay in the human body so long without producing any symptom; however, if you have weak immune health, it may cause many troubles. These parasites are originally believed to live in fish. These parasites were earlier considered as protists, but their genomes often appear like fungi.

• Toxoplasma gondii:

Toxoplasma gondii is the most popular parasite present in a one-third population of the world. It is considered to be dangerous because it causes an alteration in the brain. This parasite is originally found in the gut of a cat, and it can also infect mice and rats when they get exposed to cat feces. Once it enters inside body, this parasite travels to the brain, and soon it alters the normal feelings inside the brain; even the rodents infected by Toxoplasma gondii get more attracted towards predators due to brain alterations. Instead of running away from cats; they would rather love to go closer and will soon get eaten. With this action, the parasite again finds its destination in the cat’s gut.

The weird fact is that Toxoplasma gondii can also affect humans; however, most people do not observe any specific symptom about the presence of this parasite. Studies show that this parasite in human brain tries to alter its normal chemistry and force people to do suicide or cause schizophrenia.

• Loa Loa:

This eye worm usually dwells in the bloodstream that flows exactly below the skin area. In many cases, it follows the path to the white part of patient’s eye and soon starts creating serious complications. This parasite may cause pain in the nose and eye area during its journey across the eye. The time when this worm dies inside, it causes swelling of wrist and forearm area. For few patients, it also causes some allergic reactions; however, no cases of any long-term damage to health are reported.

• Giardia Lamblia:

One this parasite enters the human body, it starts making colonies in the intestine region. In most cases, Giardia Lamblia enters the human body through contaminated water and the common symptoms associated with it are flatulence, diarrhea, and burping with foul-tasting that makes people vomit. Some people also report blood in the stools or lack of appetite along with pain.