Parasite Cleanse Monthly
March, 2007
Featuring in-depth and up-to-date information on parasites and treatment options, Parasite Cleanse Monthly connects you with the resources you need to protect yourself and those you love.Get the inside scoop on parasites …before they get inside of you!
Human Intestinal Parasites
Sure, you know there are parasites out there in the environment. But did you ever stop to think about whether or not those parasites are making their home inside your body? Human Intestinal Parasite infections are more common than you think, and they are a number of parasite species that make their home in the human intestines. Think something may be bugging you? Here's what you need to know about some of the most common human intestinal parasites.
Hookworms
There are two species of hookworms that commonly infect humans, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. Of the two, Ancylostoma duodenale is a bit larger, at around eight to thirteen millimeters. Whereas Necator americanus usually reaches a length of seven to nine millimeters.
The life cycle of these two parasites begins with eggs that are passed in the stool. If conditions are just right (warm, damp, and shady) the eggs will hatch and release their larvae in a number of days. The larvae will continue to grow and mature in the soil until they come in contact with a human host. The larvae can then penetrate the skin to enter the human body and travel through the veins to the heart and then to the lungs. Once in the lungs the parasites travel up the bronchial tree to the pharynx where they will be swallowed.
Hookworms will then grow and mature while making their home in the small intestines. Most adult worms will eventually be purged from the system after a number of years. Hookworms are the second most common human intestinal parasite in the world. These parasites can be found worldwide in areas with a moist, warm climate. Both species are found in Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Schistosoma Species
Schistosomiasis is disease caused by the human intestinal parasite of the Schistosoma family. The three main species infecting humans are Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma japonicum, and Schistosoma mansoni. The life cycle of these parasites begins when their eggs are eliminated from a host in feces or urine. The eggs then hatch and release larvae that can swim until it penetrates its next host, a specific species of snail. It will then grow and mature in the snail until it is excreted again. At this point, the Schistosoma parasite is ready to infect a human host.
Once contact is made with a human, the parasite will penetrate the skin of the human host and travel through the tissues until it makes its home in the veins surrounding the intestines. As the parasite reaches maturity, it can deposit eggs in the intestines that then move throughout the system to the bladder and the ureters until they are excreted with the feces and urine. And the whole cycle begins again.
Schistosoma parasites can reach a length of seven to twenty millimeters. These human intestinal parasites are typically transmitted via contact with contaminated water, either by drinking, swimming or bathing. Schistosoma parasites are primarily located in parts of South America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Cyclospora cayetanensis
Another human intestinal parasite is caused by the species Cyclospora cayetanesis. Its life cycle begins with the passing of eggs into the soil with feces or urine from a contaminated host. However, unlike many parasite species, direct fecal contact will not cause a Cyclospora infection. Instead, the human intestinal parasite will enter the body through the consumption of contaminated food and water.
Once in the body, Cyclospora parasites will invade the intestinal tract and mature and multiply within the system. Eventually, the eggs of the parasite will be shed in the waste of the human host, beginning the cycle anew. Cyclospora cayetanensis has been found in many countries throughout the world. Since the early 1990s, there have been at least eleven cyclospora outbreaks in North America alone, infecting approximately four thousand people.
Giardia intestinalis
The single-celled protozoan human intestinal parasite known as Giardia intestinalis, or Giardia lamblia, is responsible for the condition called giardisis. The life cycle of this parasite begins with the excretion of parasitic cysts in the waste of an infected host. The cysts may survive for several months in the environmental, until they are ingested by the human host in contaminated water, food, or contact with contaminated feces.
Once in the human body, Giardia will move into the small intestine and multiply. As the parasite continues moving through the system, it may become encysted near the colon. This cyst will then work its way out of the body via feces or urine. These human intestinal parasits are infectious when passed in the stool; therefore it is possible for one human to contract this condition from another. Giardia have a worldwide distribution, and they are found most frequently in warm, moist climates.
Pinworm
Enterobius vermicularis is the human intestinal parasite that is also known as human pinworm, as humans are the only known host of this parasite species. Pinworms typically lay their eggs on the skin surrounding the anal area. Therefore self-infection can occur when a contaminated individuals scratches the anal area and transfers the eggs on his hands to his mouth.
Human to human transmission is also possible via contact with contaminated clothes, toilet, surfaces, or bed linens. Pinworm eggs may also become airborne and infect a human via inhalation. Once inside the human body, pinworm eggs travel to the small intestine where they hatch and mature. Adult pinworms make their home in the human colon, where they can live for several months.
Once the female pinworms reach maturity, they will travel through the system and exit via the anus, where they will lay their eggs. These pinworm infections occur all over the world, most frequently in school-aged children or in overpopulated areas. This is the most common human intestinal parasite worm infection in the United States, with as estimated 40 million persons infected.
About the Author
Dr. Edward F. Group III continues to develop, sell and evaluate exclusively high-end natural and organic healthcare products to support a wide range of health conditions. The products we promote are free of toxic tag-along herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, heavy metals, fumigants, irradiation, liver-toxic glues, binders, or gelatin capsules with animal-source risk and toxic preservatives.
All of the ingredients we use are organically certified, wild crafted or as pure as we can obtain with the highest level of active ingredients. For more information, please visit the webs best resource on Parasites. Also visit www.paratrex.com for Dr. Group's parasite removal formula.