Parasites in the Human Body

The human body can be a prey to more than 1,000 types of parasites. Parasite-induced diseases in our body have reached an epidemic stage in some parts of the world, including in the United States of America.

We never think that while eating or drinking we could simultaneously be making way for a lot of unwanted objects and organisms to enter our biological system. It has been estimated that about 85% of the world's population suffers, or has suffered, a parasite-induced sickness at any given point of time.

The parasites in a human body enjoy the food that is eaten and they also suck out the nutrients from the host body. The human body is then left without any nutrients and is burdened with wastes produced by these parasites.

These parasites usually attach themselves to the intestinal walls and live on tissue and blood, which leads to iron deficiency and anemia. Very often, we see that we ourselves feel hungry all the time and keep eating. However, we fail to notice that probably the food we are eating is being eaten by the resident parasites.

The most important fact about these organisms is that they have a highly developed survival mechanism, due to which they can spend all their time and energy in eating and reproducing without being much affected by the host's immune defenses.

These are notorious for growing as long as even 30 feet. They are capable of producing approximately one million eggs per day. Tapeworms can be responsible for obesity in humans.

A human being infested with this parasite is always hungry, as these organisms feed on the food, leaving no nutrients for the human they are feasting upon. These enter the body from raw, infected meat. A variety of tapeworms are also said to cause seizures if they reach the brain.

These are intestinal parasites. Pinworm infestation is difficult to avoid, as their eggs are airborne. These parasites crawl out of the anal cavity at night, causing severe itching. They usually lay their eggs on the bedding.

50% of the population worldwide is infested with hookworms. These parasites are curved in shape and align themselves to the intestinal wall to suck blood. They are about six inches in length and grayish in color.

Red worms are similar to earthworms in appearance. They come out from the colon, curled into balls.

These worms secrete a digestive liquid due to which the colon tissue is converted into a liquid form, which is sucked up by these parasites.

Although the name of this parasite has amoeba in it, they are actually parasites, albeit relatively harmless. They make tooth cavities their homes and live on microscopic food lodged in the mouth and clean your mouth. It is very difficult to remove them while brushing, as they run for cover when they spot a toothbrush.

Dust mites can cause allergies in some cases, but they are harmless creatures per se. These parasites clean up the skin and scalp by eating dead cells.

The worst part about parasites in the human body is that even if the person is able to get rid of them, they will reinfect them. Very often, it has been noted that if a person is infected with parasites, their partner also gets infected.

Therefore, it is advised that both undergo treatment to get rid of parasites together. In case they have children, they should also be given the treatment simultaneously.