Epidemiology: Open Access
Open Access

A parasitic illness, often known as parasitosis, is an infection caused or spread by a parasite. Many parasites do not cause illnesses since they may cause both the organism and the host to die. Human parasites are parasitic organisms that infect humans. Parasitic illnesses may infect almost every living thing, including plants and mammals. Parasitology is the study of parasitic illnesses. Some parasites, such as Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium, can cause disease directly, but toxins produced by other organisms can also cause disease.

Although microorganisms can behave as parasites, the phrase "parasitic illness" is typically used to a narrower range of conditions. Protozoa (protozoan infection), helminthes (helminthiasis), and ectoparasites are the three primary types of organisms that cause these infections. Endoparasites (those that reside within the host's body) and ectoparasites (those that dwell on the host's surface) are the most common types of parasites. The kingdom Protista is made up of single-celled, tiny creatures. Helminthes, on the other hand, are multicellular, macroscopic creatures from the Animalia kingdom.

Pinocytosis and phagocytosis are two ways that protozoans get their nutrition. Helminths of the classes Cestoidea and Trematoda absorb nutrients, whereas nematodes must eat to survive. The term "parasitic illness" is sometimes limited to diseases caused by endoparasites.

African trypanosomiasis, babesiosis, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, malaria, and toxoplasmosis are examples of parasitic illnesses that may be transmitted by blood. Many blood borne parasites are transmitted by insects (vectors) in nature, thus they are also known as vector-borne infections.

Symptoms of parasitic infectious disease

Parasite symptoms are not usually evident. Such symptoms, on the other hand, might be mistaken for anemia or a hormone deficit. Itching in the anus or vaginal area, abdominal discomfort, weight loss, increased hunger, bowel blockages, diarrhea, and vomiting that leads to dehydration, sleeping issues, and worms in the vomit eventually leading to dehydration, sleeping problems, worms present in the vomit or Worm infestations can cause diarrhea, anemia, hurting muscles or joints, overall malaise, allergies, tiredness, and anxiety, to name a few symptoms.. Pneumonia or food poisoning might also cause similar symptoms.

Parasitic illnesses have a wide variety of symptoms, from little discomfort to death. Human hookworm infection is caused by the nematode parasites Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale, which induce anemia, protein malnutrition, and shortness of breath and weakness in highly malnourished patients. This illness affects about 740 million people in developing nations in the tropics, including children and adults, primarily in poor rural regions in Sub- Saharan Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and China.

Chronic hookworm infection in children impairs physical and intellectual development, as well as school performance and attendance. Pregnant women with hookworm infections might develop anemia, which has severe consequences for both the mother and the baby. Low birth weight, decreased milk supply, and an increased risk of mortality for both the mother and the infant are just a few of them.

Antiparasitic drugs

Antiparasitic medicines are often used to treat parasitic infections.

• To control hookworm infection, albendazole and mebendazole have been used to treat whole populations. However, it is a pricey alternative, and both children and adults re-infect within a few months of deparasitization, raising worries about the treatment's recurrent administration and the possibility of drug resistance.

• Pyrantel pamoate is another drug that has been used to treat worm infestations. There is no therapy for some parasitic illnesses, and in the case of severe symptoms, medicine to kill the parasite is given, but in other situations, symptom alleviation alternatives are utilized. Viruses have also been recommended as a treatment for protozoa infections in recent publications.