Parasite Infections

Parasite Infections

Parasitesare a type of organism that lives in or on another organism. It depends on its host to survive, and it often causes diseases to its host.

Parasitic Infections

Parasitic infections, as we have already stated, are a bigger problem in tropical and subtropical regions. Malaria is the most severe and deadliest parasitic disease. Intestinal helminths caused infections followed by the protozoan parasites are the most dreadful parasitic infections in humans in developing nations. In these countries, protozoan parasites are the most severe reasons for gastrointestinal infections compared to helminths. These parasites cause significant disease and fatality in the native countries around the world.

Parasites like helminths have many cells in their body. There are many other parasites which inhabit inside human guts. These are also some common types of helminths. Generally, they do not increase in the human body. On the other hand, the protozoan parasites have only had a single cell, and they can multiply inside our bodies. These are soil-transmitted germs.

These parasite infections are the most prevalent infections in the tropical region of the world. It is because of the problem of the supply of adequate water and sanitation facilities in this region of the world. Recent assessments imply that A. lumbricoides can infect more than a billion people; for T. trichiura, this number can reach up to 795 million, and for hookworms, it’s almost 740 million human beings.

Some other species of helminths family can cause severe infections, no matter how less widely prevalent parasites are. Intestinal helminths, however, rarely lead to death.

Amoebiasis, the protozoan parasite, has the greatest impact on developing countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 50 million people around the world are suffering from an intrusive amoebic infection like amoebiasis every year. This results in huge 40-100 thousand deaths annually.

Cryptosporidiosis is another prevalent infectious disease in both developed and developing countries. This mostly happens with patients suffering from AIDS. Also, children aged less than five years are at greater risk of catching this disease. C. cayetanensis parasites have been responsible for numerous outbreaks of this diarrhoeal disease in the last decade.

Now here we are going to talk about the symptoms of some of these parasitic infections. Check them out below.

Symptoms of Parasitic Infections

Parasitic infections vary with the type of organism. Some symptoms of these parasitic infections are:

• Trichomoniasis: It is a parasite-driven, sexually transmitted disease. It doesn’t show any symptoms in many cases; however, it might cause itching, irritation, and redness in some people, in their genital area.

• Giardiasis: It might cause gas, diarrhea, upset stomach, dehydration, and greasy stools.

Cryptosporidiosis is another parasite that causes stomach cramps, nausea, dehydration, stomach pain, vomiting, fever, and weight loss.

• Toxoplasmosis: It may show symptoms like flu. Sometimes the patient shows symptoms like swollen lymph nodes and muscle pains. These pain in toxoplasmosis may last for over a month.

Possibilities of getting a parasitic infection

Parasitic infections do not judge age, race, color, or anything else while inhibiting a host’s body. However, some people with lesser immunity are more vulnerable to these infections than the rest of us. People having a weaker immune system are at more risk of catching up these infections. People who are already sick with other illnesses might catch up with parasitic infection too.

People living in the tropical or subtropical area of the world face a huge problem of lack of supply of clean drinking water. The lakes, ponds, or rivers of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world are a natural habitat for Giardia and other parasites. These are very common in these regions. People working in childcare, or somewhere where they have to keep in touch with the soil regularly, are at higher risks of getting infected by these parasites.

Outdoor cats that come to contact with infected birds and rats while praying are responsible for the spread of these infections. These pets infect their owners with toxoplasmosis, a protozoan infection type we have already stated. Toxoplasmosis is a severe and harmful condition for pregnant women and the babies developing in their womb. If you’re pregnant, it’s important to clean the dustbin every day.

Treatment of Parasitic Infections

If you are affected by a parasitic infection, the treatment plan for you will depend on the specific diagnosis of your infection. Your doctors will prescribe your medicines according to the infection. They might prescribe medicines to cure trichomoniasis or cryptosporidiosis. However, they may not prescribe medicines for toxoplasmosis if you’re not pregnant or you are suffering from this infection for a long time.

The doctors might recommend different treatments to cure your symptoms, as well. These are, many infections, as stated earlier, can lead to diarrhea, followed by dehydration. Your doctors may also try to encourage you to have plenty of fluids to compensate those you lose with such physical condition.

So, these are some of the things you should know about different parasitic infections and their treatment. We have tried to cover up as many infections as possible in this article. Post your queries about other infections in the comments below, and we will try to inform you about those as well.