Parasites That Could be Infecting You Right Now
Being infested with parasites is
something that you associate with people from faraway places. However,
parasites that infect humans are a lot more common than you think. To
add to this, a lot of them have no symptoms either, so a person can go
years without knowing they’re infected.
Around 60% of the world’s population has at least one parasite in them right now. That’s correct, there’s more than a 50/50 chance that you have one inside you right now. Below you’ll find 8 common asymptomatic parasites that could be a lot nearer to you than you could ever have imagined.
Around 60% of the world’s population has at least one parasite in them right now. That’s correct, there’s more than a 50/50 chance that you have one inside you right now. Below you’ll find 8 common asymptomatic parasites that could be a lot nearer to you than you could ever have imagined.
1. Tapeworms
Do you like to eat you steak
rare? Well, tapeworms, which can grow up to 15 meters long, get inside
their human hosts from raw or undercooked meats. These parasites love to
live in peoples’ intestines and are transferred from animals, mostly
cows and pigs. This happens either through the consumption of infected
meat or unwashed veggies.
If you digest a tapeworm larva, it can live inside you for almost 30 years, feasting off your intestinal wall. The tapeworm’s eggs can be dangerous as they can develop into cysts on vital organs.
If you digest a tapeworm larva, it can live inside you for almost 30 years, feasting off your intestinal wall. The tapeworm’s eggs can be dangerous as they can develop into cysts on vital organs.
2. Liver Flukes
These
parasites infect the bile duct and liver. One way that they can infect a
human is through the consumption of undercooked freshwater fish that
share the same environment. Mature flukes will cause chronic
inflammation of the bile ducts, leading to gallstones. While the
majority of liver fluke infections appear in developing countries, there
have been cases in California, Florida, and Hawaii.
3. Hookworms
Hookworms enter their human host
through the feet, sometimes leaving itchy rashes at their entry point.
They will then travel along the bloodstream until they reach the lungs.
Once at the lungs, they irritate the lung tissue enough that the
infected host starts coughing them up. If they then get swallowed, the
hookworm has reached its desired home: the small intestine.
This parasite is more prominent in poor countries as it’s can be easily transferred from person to person through feces. If infected feces isn’t managed properly or spread in the soil, it can easily affect others. Being infected by hookworms can cause lethargy and mental incapacity.
This parasite is more prominent in poor countries as it’s can be easily transferred from person to person through feces. If infected feces isn’t managed properly or spread in the soil, it can easily affect others. Being infected by hookworms can cause lethargy and mental incapacity.
4. Pinworms
These
parasites can be spread very easily, and are the most common parasite
in North America. The live on the human anus, so it only takes one
scratch, and then anything that person touches will be covered in
pinworm eggs. If someone swallows an egg, they’ll become infected.
Pinworm infections are mostly found in children, but they can easily
affect anyone who has been exposed to them.
5. Ascariasis
This is a roundworm infestation
that attacks the small intestine. It is usually spread through
undercooked meat or exposure to human feces, but it can also be spread
by direct contact with a contaminated human.
Children are at higher risk of getting infected as they have a greater tendency to stick their hands in their mouths. They can cause bloated stomachs and pain, but mostly they just live in your stomach until they are ready to be expelled from the body.
Children are at higher risk of getting infected as they have a greater tendency to stick their hands in their mouths. They can cause bloated stomachs and pain, but mostly they just live in your stomach until they are ready to be expelled from the body.
6. Echinococcus Granulosus
Our
canine friends can give us this parasite which will slowly grow inside
its human host for years. This is a tapeworm-like larva that create
cyst-like lesions on the liver or in the lungs.
7. Trichinosis
This
is a roundworm infestation that usually occurs after eating undercooked
or raw meat. It’s mostly found in boar or pig meat. Once this larva
enters the intestines, it will start to develop into a mature worm,
which will produce more larvae that can eat through muscles and other
body tissues. A large infestation of these parasites can cause
intestinal pain and diarrhea.
8. Toxoplasma Gondii
This
parasite can be found in nearly a third of the world’s population. Its
main aim is to be in the guts of a cat, and how it reaches its goal is
quite fascinating. It will infect rats and mice that have been exposed
to cat feces, and then it will travel to the rodent’s brain and get rid
of their natural fear of cats. Therefore, instead of running away, the
rodent seeks out a cat and promptly gets eaten. The parasite then ends
up in the cat’s gut.