Parasites in the Human Body

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

Parasites in the Human Body
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 systems. 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 by the human being and they also suck out the nutrients from the host body. The human body is, then left without nutrients and burdened with wastes produced by these parasites. The parasites that live in the human body usually attach themselves to the intestinal walls and live on the tissue and blood. This leads to iron deficiency and anemia in the human body. 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 parasitic organisms is that they have a highly developed survival mechanism due to which they spend all their time and energies in eating and reproducing without being much affected by the host's immune defenses. It also very difficult to get rid of these parasites from the human body as they reproduce very fast.

Types of Parasites in Humans
Some of the common types of parasites that can be found in the human body are as follows:

• Tapeworm: These are notorious for growing to a length of 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 tapeworm is always hungry as the tapeworms feed on the food, leaving no nutrients for the human they are feasting upon. Tapeworms enter the body from raw, infected meat. A variety of tapeworms are also said to cause seizures if they reach the brain.
• Pinworms: 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.
• Hookworm: 50% of the population worldwide is infested with hookworms. These parasites are curved in shape and align themselves to the intestinal wall and suck blood. They are about six inches in length and grayish in color.
• Red Worms: Red worms are similar to earthworms in appearance. They come out from the colon, curled into balls.
• Roundworms: 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.
• Tooth Amoeba: Although the name of this parasite has amoeba in it, they are actually parasites. These are human body parasites albeit relatively harmless. They make the cavity of the teeth 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: In some cases, dust mites cause allergies but they are harmless creatures per se. These are the cleaner parasites who clean up the skin and the 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, parasites will reinfect them. Very often, it has been noted that if a partner is infected with parasites, the other 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.