Parasitic infections are diseases caused by organisms that live off of another living thing. They can cause fever, fatigue, intestinal symptoms, skin rashes or neurological symptoms.
Common global water-related diseases caused by parasites include Guinea worm, schistosomiasis, amebiasis, cryptosporidiosis (Crypto), and giardiasis. People become infected with these diseases when they swallow or have contact with water that has been contaminated by certain parasites.
Chronic parasite infection can alter the commensal flora of the gut, resulting in reduced airway inflammation/allergy and inflammatory bowel disease.
Most parasites cause a harmful mechanical impact damaging the skin and tissues [22–24]. External parasites insert their stick and mouth organs into the skin, causing damage, and then use the sources of food such as blood, causing inflammation and itching.
Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is a disease caused by parasitic worms. Although the worms that cause schistosomiasis are not found in the United States, people are infected worldwide. In terms of impact this disease is second only to malaria as the most devastating parasitic disease.
Here are the most common symptoms: Unexplained constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, nausea or other symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. You traveled internationally and got diarrhea on your trip. You have had food poisoning and your digestion has not been the same since.
Cysticercosis is a parasitic tissue infection caused by larval cysts of the tapeworm Taenia solium. These larval cysts infect brain, muscle, or other tissue, and are a major cause of adult onset seizures in most low-income countries.
But it was recently shown that the gut microbes that break down food can directly affect the production of another neurotransmitter (serotonin) in the colon and blood, which can then in turn affect communicative, anxiety-like and nerve-related (sensorimotor) behaviours.
What is cysticercosis? Cysticercosis is an infection caused by the larvae of the parasite Taenia solium. This infection occurs after a person swallows tapeworm eggs. The larvae get into tissues such as muscle and brain, and form cysts there (these are called cysticerci).
Protozoa and helminths largely affect the gut, while ectoparasites include lice and mites that can attach to or burrow into the skin, staying there for long periods of time.
The worms can spread to the spinal cord, causing myelopathy. This results in pain, urinary retention, and weakness of the regions below the level of infection. Permanent paralysis can result.
The inflammation caused by parasite infections affects the brain and CNS via the blood brain barrier, activation of the vagus nerve and immune cells. An individual's genetics also play a key role in the susceptibility to parasite infections and the prediction of depression.
A person infected with T. gondii would experience significantly increased T-cell activity, leading to the chronic inflammation. Researchers say this inflammation is the link between parasites and incidences of obesity.
Symptoms may include diarrhoea, tiredness and weakness, abdominal pain and weight loss. Some worms cause anaemia.
Helminths are worms with many cells. Nematodes (roundworms), cestodes (tapeworms), and trematodes (flatworms) are among the most common helminths that inhabit the human gut.