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Dangers of Human Parasites Cryptosporidium and Giardiasis are two of the most common parasites in the U.S. In Canada, Giardiasis is also called "beaver fever." They both cause diarrhea and can be spread by an unsafe water supply or handling food without washing your hands first. Some other parasitic infections that harm humans are far more dangerous. Itching around the anus, disturbed sleep, and irritability are common symptoms of the pinworm parasite. Pinworm is the most common worm infection in the United States. School-age children, followed by preschoolers, have the highest rates of infection. In some groups nearly 50% of children are infected. Infection often occurs in more than one family member. The Entamoeba histolytica parasite is found in 5% of the population. Ninety percent of those infected have no symptoms. It can cause diarrhea, GI distress and can invade the liver, lung and other sites by penetrating the intestinal mucosal barrier. It is often misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome. It is important to get the right diagnosis, since corticosteroids used to treat IBD can have dangerous effects in people carrying the parasite. Although parasitic infections are less prominent in the United States than bacterial and viral infections, the global impact of parasitic infections on health is tremendous. Infection with T. gondii, or toxoplasmosis, is perhaps most familiar to the general public from the recommendation that pregnant women avoid changing cat litter. Cats are commonly infected with the parasite, as are some livestock and wildlife. Humans can also become infected by eating undercooked meat or by drinking water contaminated with spores shed by cats. Epidemiologists estimate that as many as one in every four humans is infected with T. gondii. Infections are typically asymptomatic, only causing serious disease in patients with weakened immune systems. In some rare cases, though, infection in patients with healthy immune systems leads to serious eye or central nervous system disease, or congenital defects in the fetuses of pregnant women. The T. gondii parasite, most commonly spread through undercooked meat (and occasionally through cats), causes toxoplasmosis, which generally poses no problems in infected people, but can be life threatening in immune-compromised patients and cause severe birth defects in newborns from primary infections during pregnancy. T. gondii belongs to a family of parasites that include the human pathogens Cryptosporidium parvum, also a danger for immuno-compromised people and Plasmodium falciparum, a cause of virulent malaria. Epidemiological and neuropathological studies indicate some cases of schizophrenia may be associated with environmental factors, such as exposure to the parasite T. gondii. Malaria parasites are transmitted from one person to another by mosquitos. Approximately 300 million people worldwide are affected by malaria and over 2 million people die from it each year. In 1995, approximately 1,200 cases of malaria were reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not all of these cases of "imported" (acquired outside the U.S.); several were recent infections acquired within the U.S. following the bite of indigenous mosquitoes. More recently, cases of locally transmitted malaria have been appearing in regions as diverse as California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Michigan. Chagas’ disease threatens 100 million people in Central and South America, and is especially prevalent in children and young adults. The parasite causing it, Trypanosoma cruzi, is present in the feces of the bloodsucking ‘assassin’ bugs, which live in cracks in walls and come out at night to feed on humans, transmitting the parasite when their feces comes into contact with wounds and scratches on the skin or the delicate tissues of the nose and mouth. The presence of the parasite in the heart muscles and central nervous system results in serious inflammation and lesions, which can be fatal. Tiny parasitic worms that infect 250 million people worldwide and cause the debilitating disease schistosomiasis can thrive undetected in the blood for years. Research shows that the worms not only evade immune defenses but actively use molecules of the immune system to grow and reproduce. It's rarely fatal, but it reaches its most severe stages - with fatigue, some muscle wasting and slow destruction of the liver. The sleeping sickness parasite, Trypanosoma brucei, is a single-celled organism equipped with a whip-like tail or flagellum. The parasite initially lives in the bloodstream of the human host causing fever and headaches, but eventually crosses into the brain where it causes irreversible neurological damage. Without treatment, the disease is fatal. The disease threatens over 60 million people. Leishmaniasis is one of several names for various tropical diseases, which are caused by flagellates of the genus Leishmania. The parasites are transmitted by blood-sucking sandflies. The illness is predominantly found in tropical and subtropical zones, but is spreading to Spain, southern France, and Italy, reaching 88 countries world wide. Three hundred and fifty million people are currently living in endangered areas. Filariasis is often referred to as elephantiasis. It is transmitted by lymphatic filarial parasites, and it is estimated that 1 billion (20% of the world's population) are at risk of acquiring infection, with over 120 million infected worldwide. A thread-like filarial worm is passed from person to person through the bite of an infected mosquito. Ninety percent of these infections are caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, and most of the remainder by Brugia malayi. One of the clinical manifestations is a massive lymphoedema in the leg as part of the infection, and tragically once it gets to this stage there is nothing that can be done about it. If you have a dog or cat, you can reduce the risk of parasitic infection by eliminating parasites from your pets. Dispose of cat litter frequently. Wash your hands after using the toilet, especially after a bowel movement. If you are pregnant, avoid contact with cat feces. Have someone else change the litter box. Eating raw fish, meats or poultry may increase your risk of parasitic disease. Cook raw meat, poultry and seafood to safe internal temperatures. Meat should be well cooked in the center. Use a clean food thermometer to check. Be sure to wash fruit and fresh vegetables. Run plastic cutting boards through the dishwasher. Microwave wooden cutting boards for five minutes. Other important risk factors in getting parasites are drinking contaminated water, bathing in contaminated water and swimming in contaminated water. 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