Aug 15th – Cestoda (Cestoidea) is a class of parasitic worms of the flatworm (Platyhelminthes) phylum. They are informally referred to as cestodes. The best-known species are commonly called tapeworms. All cestodes are parasitic and their life histories vary, but typically they live in the digestive tracts of vertebrates as adults, and often in the …
Aug 14th – Trichomonas vaginalis is an anaerobic, flagellated protozoan parasite and the causative agent of trichomoniasis. It is the most common pathogenic protozoan infection of humans in industrialized countries. Infection rates between men and women are similar with women being symptomatic, while infections in men are usually asymptomatic. Transmission usually occurs via direct, skin-to-skin …
Aug 13th – Diphyllobothrium is a genus of tapeworm which can cause diphyllobothriasis in humans through consumption of raw or undercooked fish. The principal species causing diphyllobothriosis is Diphyllobothrium latum, known as the broad or fish tapeworm, or broad fish tapeworm. D. latum is a pseudophyllid cestode that infects fish and mammals. D. latum is …
Aug 12th – Sarcocystis is a protozoan genus of parasites, the majority of species infecting mammals, and some infecting reptiles and birds. The life-cycle of a typical member of this genus involves two host species, a definitive host and an intermediate host. Often the definitive host is a predator and the intermediate host is its …
Aug 11th – Rhinosporidium seeberi is a eukaryotic pathogen responsible for rhinosporidiosis, a disease which affects humans, horses, dogs, and to a lesser extent cattle, cats, foxes, and birds. It is most commonly found in tropical areas, especially India and Sri Lanka. The pathogen was first identified in 1892, and was comprehensively described in 1900 …
Aug 10th – Cyclospora cayetanensis is a protozoan that causes disease in humans, and perhaps primates. It has been linked in the United States to fecally contaminated imported produce, and was virtually unknown before about 1990, but has been on the rise since. The health risk associated with the disease is usually confined to adult …
Aug 9th – Cryptosporidium is a genus of apicomplexan parasitic alveolates that can cause a respiratory and gastrointestinal illness (cryptosporidiosis) that primarily involves watery diarrhea (intestinal cryptosporidiosis) with or without a persistent cough (respiratory cryptosporidiosis) in both immunocompetent and immunodeficient humans. Treatment of gastrointestinal infection in humans involves fluid rehydration, electrolyte replacement, and management of …
Aug 8th – Entamoeba histolytica is an anaerobic parasitic amoebozoa, part of the genus Entamoeba. Predominantly infecting humans and other primates causing amoebiasis, E. histolytica is estimated to infect about 50 million people worldwide. Previously, it was thought that 10% of the world population was infected, but these figures predate the recognition that at least …
Aug 7th – Naegleria fowleri can cause an often lethal infection of the brain called naegleriasis (also known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), amoebic encephalitis/meningitis, or simply Naegleria infection). Infections most often occur when water containing N. fowleri is inhaled through the nose, where it then enters the nasal and olfactory nerve tissue, traveling to …
Aug 6th – Balantidium coli lives in the cecum and colon of humans, pigs, rats and other mammals. It is not readily transmissible from one species of host to another because it requires a period of time to adjust to the symbiotic flora of the new host. Once it has adapted to a host mortality, …
