This blood parasite survives by sucking the blood of the human host. Eventually, the human host will begin to experience malaria-like symptoms. It has the potential to be fatal in humans, as the parasite causes the red blood cells to breakdown from the inside.

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Are you infected with internal parasites? These harmful organisms are more common than you may think. There are several types of parasites that can infect the human body. Here is a list of parasites that may be affecting your health

Protozoa internal parasite

Protozoa are very small parasites that cannot be seen with the human eye. They also include some of the most common parasitic invaders in the United States, namely,
Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum.

• Giardia is responsible for the common illness giardiasis. Symptoms of this condition include digestive disorders such as diarrhea, bloating, foul-smelling gas, nausea, weight loss and abdominal cramping. Giardia can be transmitted via food or water that has been contaminated by human or animal feces. Giardia can also be carried by household pets. This intestinal parasite makes its home in the small intestine and interferes with the body’s levels of immunoglobulin A, vitamin A and vitamin B12.
• Cryptosporidium is another common protozoan parasite. It is a water-borne internal parasite but it can also be transmitted from unsanitary diaper changing conditions at day care facilities. Once inside the human body, Cryptosporidium makes its home in the intestines and is responsible for such symptoms as diarrhea, fever, nausea, abdominal cramps and migraines.

Nematode internal parasites

This category of internal parasites includes the larger species such as roundworm, hookworm, and pinworms.

• Roundworm: (Ascaris lumbricoides) The roundworm is the most common parasite in humans throughout the world. This flat worm resembles an earthworm and can infect humans via contact with contaminated food, feces or soil. Once ingested, roundworms move through the liver and the lungs causing damage as they go.

  Symptoms of a roundworm infection include abdominal pain, swelling, allergic reactions, sleep disturbances, and significant weight changes. In children, roundworm infection may be responsible for conditions such as nervousness, colic, poor appetite, allergic reactions, and malnutrition.

• Hookworms: (Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenal) Hookworms are another intestinal worm that is commonly found in warm, moist soil environments. They can enter the human body by penetrating the skin. This is why people who are frequently barefoot are often infected with hookworms. Once in the body, hookworms will travel through the blood stream into the lungs and then to the trachea. Hookworm parasites may cause symptoms such as sore throats and coughing and illnesses such as bronchitis. Hookworms can then work their way into the esophagus where the will be swallowed into the digestive system. Hookworm infection can lead to symptoms that include itchy rashes, pimples, anemia, vitamin deficiencies, and weight loss.
• Pinworm: (Enterobius vermicularis) Pinworm is one of the most common internal worms in the United States. It is found primarily in children and it can infect the body via several pathways. Pinworms tend to lay their eggs right outside the anus. These eggs can then contaminate underwear, pajamas, sheets, toilet seats, sofas, hands, doorknobs, and anywhere that contaminated hands have touched. The eggs can also float about in the air, therefore even with careful hygiene, it is possible to become infected with pinworms simply be breathing the eggs in. The main symptom of pinworm infection is anal itching, especially at night, due to the pinworm eggs that lay outside the anus. The itchiness can then lead to insomnia and, fatigue, restlessness, and irritability as a result.

Cestodes (Tapeworms) – Internal Parasites

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Tapeworms are very large worms, the largest of all of the parasitic worms. (The largest of tapeworm, the beef tapeworm can grow up to forty feet (twelve meters) long! There are several species of tapeworm: the beef tapeworm (Taenia saginata), the pork tapeworm (T. solium), the fish tapeworm (Diaphyllobothrium latum), and the dog tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum). Each tapeworm can infect the human body via consumption of contaminated fish or meat (for instance, a human can become infected with beef tapeworms by eating infected beef).

Beef tapeworm internal parasite infection is not usually life threatening, but it can result in diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nervousness, nausea, and loss of appetite. Pork tapeworm infection can be dangerous and even lethal. The larvae of these tapeworms can invade the muscles, heart, eye, and brain as they migrate through the body. Once in the brain, pork tapeworms may result in seizures and brain deterioration. This type of infection is often misdiagnosed as epilepsy.

Fish tapeworm infection is common in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada. Humans can become infected by eating contaminated fish that is raw or lightly cooked. Fish tapeworm infection can cause serious deficiencies in the host’s vitamin B12 levels. Symptoms of fish tapeworm infection include nausea, anorexia, and pain or fullness in the upper abdomen.

Trematodes (Flukes) – Internal Parasites

Trematodes, or flukes, can make their home in many different areas of the human body. There are blood flukes (Schistosoma spp), liver flukes (Clonorchis sinensis), oriental lung flukes (Paragoniumus westermani), sheep liver flukes (Fasciola hepatica), and intestinal flukes (Fasciolopsis buski).

Blood flukes can penetrate the human skin. Infection can occur via contact with contaminated water (such as bathing or swimming.) Liver, oriental lung, sheep liver, and intestinal flukes, on the other hand, are all transmitted via consumption of contaminated food. Fluke infections are rare in the United States; however, they are still possible. Symptoms of fluke infections include urinary disorders, liver problems, hepatitis, abdominal pain, liver abscesses, fibrosis, diarrhea, and vomiting.

by Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN, DABFM

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1) Blood Parasite Schistosoma Species

The Schistosoma species of blood parasites are responsible for the disease called schistosomiasis. There are three species in the Schistosoma family that are known to infect humans: Schistosoma haematobium, S. japonicum, and S. mansoni.

Two other species, more localized geographically, are S. mekongi and S. intercalatum. Schistosoma parasites begin their lives as eggs that are excreted from a host in feces or urine. Once the eggs hatch, the parasites will swim in the water until they infect a snail as their new host. They pass through several life stages within the snail and are again excreted as parasites that can penetrate the skin of the newest host, humans.

Schitosoma migrate through several tissues and pass through several life stages until they make their permanent home in the veins. These blood parasites may occupy the veins around with the large or small intestine, and they are capable of migrating between the two sites. Once in the veins, the female parasites will begin to lay eggs that will gradually progress from the intestines to the bladder until they are subsequently excreted with the fees or urine. Schistosoma parasites average seven to twenty millimeters in length.

These blood parasites may be found in the waters in certain parts of South America, Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East. Therefore, human contact with infected water is necessary for contact with Schistosoma. Animals such as dogs, cats, rodents, pigs, horses and goats may serve as intermediate hosts for this parasite.

2) Trypanosoma Brucei

There are two subspecies of Trypanosoma brucei that can distinctly different illnesses in humans. Trypanosoma brucei gambiense is responsible for West African sleeping sickness and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense causes East African sleeping sickness. The tsetse fly is critical to the development of these blood parasites. The life cycle begins with an infected tsetse fly that then bites a mammalian host.

With each bite, the fly injects metacyclic trypomastigotes into the skin tissue of the host. This passes the parasites into the lymphatic system of the host where they can then pass into the bloodstream. Once inside the host, Trypanosoma pass through several life stages, moving to various sites on the body, and infecting other blood fluids, such as lymph fluid and spinal fluid. If this mammal where then bitten by another tsetse fly, it would pass the blood parasites on to that fly and can allow the process to begin again. It takes approximately three weeks before an infected fly can become an infecting fly.

Trypanosoma brucei gambiense is found in certain parts of West and Central Africa. Whereas, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense is found in East and Southeast Africa.

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3) Plasmodium Species

Blood parasites of the genus Plasmodium are responsible for the disease we know as malaria. Of the one hundred fifty six named species of Plasmodium, only four are known to infect humans. These are P. falciparum, P. vivax , P. ovale and P. malariae.

These blood parasites utilizes two separate hosts to assist with the life stage development. The cycle begins with an infected mosquito of the genus Anopheles. The mosquito injects sporozoites of the parasite into a human host as it simultaneously draws blood for its meal. These sporozoites then continue to infect liver cells and pass through several life stages in the liver. (Incidentally, these parasites can remain dormant in the liver, reinfecting the host weeks or even years after the initial infection).

The parasites multiply while occupying the liver and then pass into the red blood cells. Once in the blood, the parasites will set about causing the damage that is ultimately responsible for the symptoms of malaria. They can then also be passed on to a mosquito during a blood meal, beginning the cycle anew.

4) Babesia Species

Blood parasites of the genus Babesia, are responsible for the illness known as babesiosis. There are over one hundred species of this parasite that have been recorded, however only a few are known to infect humans. In most cases of human infection, Babesia microti and Babesia divergens are the source parasites.

Similar to other blood parasites, the life cycle of Babesia species involves two hosts. Babesia species typically infect a tick that then in turn bites and infects a human host. The parasites continue to multiply and pass through life stages in the human host until they enter the blood stream. It is in this location that they are responsible for the clinical symptoms of babesiosis.

Humans will not usually re-infect ticks. However, it is possible for humans to transmit this type of parasite to other humans through blood-blood contact (Such as transfusions.) This family of blood parasites is found worldwide in locations such as Europe, the United States, Africa, Australia, and Asia. In areas that are prone to malaria epidemics, babesiosis may often be misdiagnosed for this condition. This has led to inaccurate information about the occurrence of Babesia in African and Asian nations.

by Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN, DABFM

Do Some Intestinal Parasites Have Medical Advantages?

What Causes Ringworms in Humans?

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Live Whipworm Squirming Around Inside Intestines