Parasitic Infections

Overview

Parasites are organisms that live on other organisms in order to survive. A parasite will suck every nutrients and food needed from the host. Some parasites would not affect the host, however, some will affect the host by attaching, grow and invade the host. This will cause the host to turn weak which leads to parasitic infection. In certain regions, parasitic infection is becoming a big issue to cope with. In general, there are three types of parasitic organisms. They are protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. Some of the parasitic infections are trichomoniasis, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, and toxoplasmosis. The symptoms vary and can be non-specific depending on the organism. However, they can cause itchiness, redness, and discharge from the genital area, diarrhea, greasy stools, stomach pain or cramps, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. The infection can be diagnosed through blood and stool culture and can be treated with anti-parasitic medications.