Endolimax is a genus of amoebozoa found in the intestines of various animals and humans. Originally thought to be non-pathogenic, studies suggest it can cause intermittent or chronic diarrhea. It is very significant in medicine because it can provide false positives for other tests, such as the similar species Entamoeba histolytica (the pathogen responsible for amoebic dysentery), and because its presence indicates the host has consumed fecal material.
Similar to other parasites acquired through the fecal-oral route, symptoms include diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain.
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Tapeworm, fish Diphyllobothrium is a genus of tapeworm which can cause Diphyllobothriasis in humans through consumption of raw or undercooked fish. It is also known as the salmon tapeworm or broad fish tapeworm. Adult tapeworms may infect humans, canids, felines, bears, pinnipeds, and mustelids, though the accuracy of the records for some of the nonhuman species is disputed. Immature eggs are passed in feces of the mammal host (the definitive host, where the worms reproduce). After ingestion by a suitable freshwater crustacean such as a copepod (the first intermediate host),...
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Cyclospora is a protozoa that causes disease in humans, and possibly other primates. In the United States, It has been linked to fecal-contaminated and imported raspberries. It was virtually unknown before about 1990, but has been on the rise since. The health risk associated with the disease is usually confined to adult foreigners visiting endemic regions and acquiring the infection. This is why it has been labeled as causing "traveler's diarrhea." The time between becoming infected and developing symptoms is unusually long for a disease spread by food -- about...
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Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that causes the diarrheal disease cryptosporidiosis. Both the parasite and the disease are commonly known as "Crypto." There are many species of Cryptosporidium that infect humans and animals. Cryptosporidium lives in the intestine of infected humans or animals. An infected person or animal sheds Crypto parasites into the stool. Millions of Crypto germs can be released in a bowel movement from an infected human or animal. The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods...
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Blastocystis are parasites naturally found living in the gastrointestinal tracts of species as diverse as humans, farm animals, birds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and even cockroaches. Infection caused by Blastocystic species causes blastocystosis in humans. Transference occurs when infected fecal matter is ingested so transmission of this parasite is strictly via the fecal-oral route. Symptoms associated with the infection are diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps, bloating, excessive gas, and anal itching. Most cases of the infection are often incorrectly diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome. Always wash your hands after using the...
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This parasite is most often found in the intestines and rarely causes infections, even in people with compromised immune systems. Less than 5 percent of people in the United States are infected with the organism. Chilomastix makes it into the human body via simple food or water contamination or the fecal-oral route. This means that transmission occurs from the feces of an infected individual to the mouth (by ingestion) of a new host. Even the tiniest amount of fecal matter, like what might be left microscopically on the hand after...
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Balamuthia is a free-living amoeba found in soil and dust. It was first identified in 1986 in a specimen from the brain of a baboon that died in the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Since then, approximately 200 cases of Balamuthia disease have been reported worldwide with 70 of those cases being reported in the United States. Limited information is currently available about how a person becomes infected. Many believe that this parasite causes multiple health conditions, but medical technology is not trained to look for it, so conditions are...
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Babesia is a protozoan parasite of the blood that causes a hemolytic disease (infects red blood cells) known as Babesiosis. Over 100 species of Babesia have been identified, but only a very small number are thought to cause disease in humans. Human babesiosis is an important, emerging tick-borne disease. Babesia divergens, a parasite of cattle, has been implicated as the most common agent of human babesiosis in Europe, causing severe disease in splenectomized individuals (people missing a spleen). In the US, Babesia microti, a babesial parasite of small mammals, has...
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Ascaris is a parasitic roundworm known as the "giant intestinal roundworm". A. lumbricoides species is the largest intestinal roundworm and is the most common helminth infection of humans worldwide. This infection is known as ascariasis. You can see the worms inside of a human large intestine in the photo. Perhaps as many as one quarter of the world's people are infected, with rates of 45% in Latin America and 95% in parts of Africa. Ascariasis is particularly prevalent in tropical regions and in areas of poor hygiene. Other species of...
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Acanthamoeba are found in soil, water (including treated water), air, and dust. Although most people have been exposed to this organism during their lifetime, the good news is that the majority of healthy people have serum antibodies to fight it. For the few people whose antibodies do not kick in, Acanthamoeba can cause three known diseases. Acanthamoeba keratitis is an infection of the eye. Most cases occur in people who wear contact lenses. Keratitis has been associated with wearing non-disposable contact lenses, using homemade sodium chloride solution to clean the...
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One expert says, "It isn't a matter of IF you have parasites, just a matter of what kinds and how many of them you have". The most common symptoms of a parasite infection include: constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, joint and muscle aches, anemia, allergies, skin conditions, tumors, nervousness, sleep disorders, teeth grinding, chronic fatigue, and immune dysfunction. These symptoms are listed as the most common, but a wide range of health complaints have been medically linked to parasites, making it difficult to compile a list of...
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