List of Human Body Parasites – Symptoms, Pictures
Intestinal Parasites
Unicellular Parasites (Protozoa)
| PARASITE / DISEASE | DISTRIBUTION | TRANSMISSION | SYMPTOMS and SIGNS |
| Balantidium coli, balantidiasis | worldwide/rural | contact with pigs, infected water | severe diarrhea |
| Blastocystis hominis, blastocystosis | worldwide | stool to mouth | none or mild diarrhea |
| Cryptosporidium, cyptosporidiosis (crypto) | worldwide | stool to mouth, contaminated water | diarrhea |
| Cyclospora cayetanensis, cyclosporiasis | hot climates | contaminated water/food | diarrhea |
| Entamoeba histolytica, amebiasis | tropical/rural | stool to mouth | diarrhea, rarely systemic infection |
| Giardia lamblia, giardiasis | worldwide | stool to mouth | diarrhea |
| Isospora belli, coccidiosis | worldwide | dog/cat puppies feces; persons with low immunity | diarrhea |
| Microsporidia, microsporidiosis | worldwide | ingestion, inhalation, person to person contact, persons with low-immunity (AIDS) | chronic diarrhea, gallbladder infection, eye irritation |
More about intestinal parasites: pictures, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Intestinal Worms
| PARASITE / DISEASE | DISTRIBUTION | TRANSMISSION | SYMPTOMS and SIGNS |
| ROUNDWORMS (Nematoda): | |||
| Anisaxis simplex; 1 inch; anisakiasis | worldwide, Japan | undercooked saltwater fish, sushi | vomiting, diarrhea, diagnosis with upper endoscopy |
| Ascaris lumbricoides; up to 12 inches; ascariasis | warm climates, south/rural US | stool-to-mouth, contaminated food | worms in the stool, abdominal pain or cough |
| Hookworms: Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus; 1/2 inch | warm climates | walking barefoot, swallowing soil | skin rash on the foot, diarrhea or cough |
| Enterobius vermicularis, pinworm, seatworm, threadworm; 1/2 inch; enterobiasis | worldwide | stool-to-mouth | anal itch |
| Strongyloides stercoralis; threadworm; 2 mm; strongyloidiasis | warm climates, south US | walking barefoot | foot itch, mild diarrhea, cough |
| Trichinella spiralis; 1-3 mm; trichinellosis (trichinosis) | worldwide/rural | non-commercial pork | diarrhea, headache, muscle pains, chills, eye swelling |
| Whipworms: Trichuris trichiura; 2mm;trichuriasis | worldwide/warm climates, south US/rural | stool-to-mouth, ingesting dry beans | diarrhea |
| TAPEWORMS (Cestoda): | |||
| Diphyllobothrium latum, fish tapeworm, 10 meters | North hemisphere | raw fish | diarrhea |
| Dipylidium caninum, dog tapeworm, 20 inches | worldwide | ingesting dog/cat fleas, children | diarrhea |
| Hymenolepis nana, dwarf tapeworm; 1-2 inches | worldwide, temperate climates | stool-to-mouth | diarrhea, itchy bottom |
| Taenia saginata, beef tapeworm; several meters | worldwide | raw/undercooked beef | nausea, irritation of anus, crawling segments in stool |
| Taenia solium, pork tapeworm; several meters, cysticercosis | worldwide/rural | undercooked pork meat, stool-to-mouth | diarrhea |
More about intestinal worms: pictures, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Intestinal Flukes or FLATWORMS (Trematoda)
| PARASITE / DISEASE | DISTRIBUTION | TRANSMISSION | SYMPTOMS and SIGNS |
| Fasciolopsis buski; 1-3 inches | China, south Asia | ingesting water plants infected by pig stool | diarrhea, abdominal pain |
| Metagonimus yokogawai; 1/2 mm | Siberia, Balkan, Spain | undercooked freshwater fish | diarrhea, abdominal pain |
| Paragonimus | Africa, south Asia, South America | raw crustaceans | diarrhea, cough |
| Schistosoma haematobium, S. japonicum, and S. mansoni, bilharzia | Africa, South America, Middle East, south Asia; not in US | swimming in freshwater | itchy rash, after 1-2 months: fever, cough; years: blood in urine (parasites live in veins around bladder and intestine) |
Liver Parasites
| PARASITE / DISEASE | DISTRIBUTION | TRANSMISSION | SYMPTOMS and SIGNS |
| FLUKES or FLATWORMS(Trematoda): | |||
| Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini, Chinese liver fluke; 2-25 mm | east Asia | undercooked fish | lives in bile duct, RUQ abdominal cramps, jaundice |
| Fasciola hepatica, sheep liver fluke | Europe, Middle East, Asia | raw watercress in sheep/cattle raising areas | lives in bile duct, fever, abdominal pain |
| TAPEWORMS (Cestoda): | |||
| Echinococcus multilocularis, hydatid disease | Europe, North America, Asia | stool-to-mouth, feces of cats, foxes, coyotes | liver cysts, weight loss, RUQ abdominal pain |
Skin Parasites
| PARASITE / DISEASE | DISTRIBUTION | TRANSMISSION | SYMPTOMS and SIGNS |
| Bedbug, red, flat, non-flying insect; 5-7 mm | worldwide | bedlining, clothes | itchy rash, few bumps in a row |
| Bot fly (human), Dermatobia hominis | Central and South America | mosqitoes transmit bot fly eggs | painful, raised oozing bumps with a larva underneath |
| LICE: | |||
| Body louse, Pediculus humanus corpori, 3mm | worldwide | clothes | itchy red bite marks |
| Head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, white/gray, 2-3 mm | worldwide | person-to-person | itchy scalp, lice attached to hair |
| Pubic (crab) louse, Phthirus pubis; 2mm | worldwide | skin-to-skin or sexual contact | itchy pubic area |
| MITES: | |||
| Chiggers, harvest mites, red bugs, 1mm | worldwide | walking in grass | itchy red bumps on legs |
| Demodex folliculorum, face mites; 0,1-0,4 mm | worldwide | live in scalp/facial hair follicles in most people | itchy scalp, eyebrows, acne rosacea, hair loss |
| Dust mites | worldwide | house dust | itchy rash |
| Scabies mites, Sarcoptes scabiei | worldwide | skin-to-skin contact | itchy rash |
| FLEAS: cat (Xenopsylla cheopis), human (Pulex irritans), dog, rat, black, 1-4 mm | worldwide | contact with pets | three itchy bumps in a row |
| TICKS, several species, 3-10 mm | worldwide | walking in woods | blood sucking tick firmly attached to skin |
| Cutaneus larva migrans (CLM), roudworm | warm climates | walking barefoot | ground itch, creeping eruption |
| OTHER: | |||
| Dracunculus medinensis, roundworm; 80 cm,Guinea worm disease | west Africa | drinking contaminated stagnant water | painful skin ulcers |
| Leishmania, unicellular parasite, cutaneus leishmaniasis, Balkan sore, Delhi boil | warm climates, south/rural US | sandfly bite | skin boils |
| Loa loa filaria,roundworm, loiasis | West Africa | Deer fly | red skin (Calabar) swelling, eye pain |
| Onchocerca volvulus, roundworm (filaria), onchocerciasis, river blindness | Africa, Central America, near rivers | blackfly bite | itchy skin nodules, de/pigmentations, enlarged lymph nodes |
| Swimmer’s itch, cercarial dermatitis, caused by various parasites | worldwide | fresh or marine coastal water | itchy red bumps |
More about dust and skin mites and itchy skin in general.
Blood Parasites
| PARASITE / DISEASE | DISTRIBUTION | TRANSMISSION | SYMPTOMS and SIGNS |
| Babesia, babesiosis | US (north/mid) | ticks | red cells, flu-like symptoms, jaundice |
| Plasmodium, malaria | south Asia, sub-saharian Africa | mosquito bite | high fever, shaking chills |
| Schistosoma haematobium, S. japonicum, and S. mansoni, bloof flukes, bilharzia | Africa, South America, Middle East, south Asia; not in US | swimming in freshwater | itchy rash, after 1-2 months: fever, cough; years: blood in urine (parasites live in veins around bladder and intestine) |
| Trypanosoma brucei, African sleeping sickness | Africa | tsetse fly | fever, headaches, joint pains, itching, drowsiness |
Lymph Parasites
| PARASITE / DISEASE | DISTRIBUTION | TRANSMISSION | SYMPTOMS and SIGNS |
| Wuchereria bancrofti, microscopic roundworm, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) | tropics, NOT in US | mosquito bite | swollen leg, scrotum, arm, breast, skin rash, blindness |
| Onchocerca volvulus, onchocerciasis (river blindness) | Africa, Central America | blackfly bite | enlarged lymph nodes in groin, skin nodules |
Parasites in Internal Organs
| PARASITE / DISEASE | DISTRIBUTION | TRANSMISSION | SIGNS and SYMPTOMS |
| BRAIN: | |||
| Taenia solium, pork tapeworm, cysticercosis | worldwide/rural | undercooked pork meat, stool-to-mouth | neurocysticercosis with headache, seizures, eyes |
| Echinococcus granulosus and multilocularis, tapeworm; hydatid disease | Mediterran, Middle East, South America, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, southern parts of Africa | dog feces | seizures, other neurological symptoms |
| EYE: | |||
| Acanthamoeba, unicellular | worldwide | swimming with contact lenses in pools or freshwater | eye irritation (keratitis); granulomatose amebic encephalitis (GAE): seizures, hemiparesis |
| Onchocerca volvulus, roundworm (filaria), onchocerciasis, river blindness | Africa, Central America | blackfly bite | itchy skin nodules, de/pigmentations, enlarged lymph nodes, blindness (keratitis) |
| Microsporidia | worldwide | ingestion, inhalation, person-to-person contact, persons with low-immunity (AIDS) | eye (cornea) irritation |
| KIDNEY: | |||
| Dioctophyme renale, giant kidney worm (roundworm); up to 40 cm | worldwide | undercooked/raw freshwater fish or frogs | enlarged, painful kidney on one side, blood in urine |
| LUNGS: | |||
| Paragonimus westermani, lung fluke, 1cm | N and S America, Africa, southeast Asia | raw/undercooked seafood | coughing up blood |
| Pneumocystis jirovecii (previously P. caninii) is now classified as fungus, pneumonia | worldwide | sneezing, coughing; in persons with low immunity (AIDS) | fever, night sweats, dry cough, weight loss |
| NOSE: | |||
| Rhinosporidium seeberi, rhinosporidiosis | south India, Africa, south US, South America | working or bathing in standing water (lakes) | blocked nose on one side, nosebleeds, polyps in the nose |
| VAGINA: | |||
| Trichomonas vaginalis, trichomoniasis | worldwide | sexually transmitted | vaginal discharge |
| VARIOUS ORGANS: | |||
| Baylisascaris, racoon roundworm | north/mid US | soil/water, hunters | nausea, tiredness, liver enlargement, loss of coordination, lack of attention, blindness, coma |
| Echinococcus granulosus and multilocularis, tapeworm; hydatid disease | Mediterran, Middle East, South America, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, southern parts of Africa | dog feces | jaundice, abdominal presure, low-grade fever, cough…due to cysts (1-15 inches) in liver, lungs, muscles, kidneys.. |
| Leishmania, unicellular parasite, visceral leishmaniasis, Kala azar | sub/tropics, south Europe | sandfly bite | fever, enlarged liver/spleen, dark skin |
| Schistosoma haematobium, S. japonicum, and S. mansoni, bloof flukes, schistosomiasis, bilharzia | Africa, South America, Middle East, south Asia; not in US | swimming in freshwater | itchy rash, after 1-2 months: fever, cough; years: blood in urine, bloody diarrhea (parasites in bladder/intestine veins) |
| Taenia solium, pork tapeworm, cysticercosis | worldwide/rural | undercooked pork meat, stool-to-mouth | neurocysticercosis with headache, seizures, eyes |
| Toxocara canis, T. cati, roundworm, visceral and ocular larva migrans | worldwide | dog/cat puppies stool | fever, coughing, blindness |
| Toxoplasma gondii, unicellular parasite, toxoplasmosis | worldwide | cat feces, contaminated meat, mother-to-child | miscariage, swollen glands, bluured vision, eye pain, headache, lungs, liver |
| Trichinella spiralis, roundworm, trichinellosis or trichinosis | worldwide/rural | noncommercial pork meat | diarrhea, headache, muscle pains, chills, eye swelling |
| Trypanosoma cruzi, American trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease | Central and South America | triatomine bug bite, contaminated food | fever, malaise, red skin swelling, swollen eye, digestive problems, enlarged nodes, liver/spleen, rapid heartbeat |
Related Articles:
- Intestinal Parasites
- Intestinal Worms
- Dust and Skin Mites
- Itchy Skin
- Itchy Anus and Rectum
- Causes of Chronic Diarrhea
- Abdominal Bloating
References:
- Parasitic diseases: transmission, symptoms, pictures, treatment (cdc.gov)
Latest Updated on August 24, 2014 by Dr. Chris
Published on January 22, 2010 by Dr. Chris
