Parasite: “any organism living in or on any other living creature and deriving advantage from doing so, while causing disadvantage to the host”
Parasites are commonly acquired by eating contaminated meat, swallowing eggs on food, contaminating fingers with faecal material or through contact with infected water.
Scolex = part of tapeworm attached by suckers and hooks to gut wall of host; sometimes called head
Proglottides = segment-like units of the tapeworm body which, when mature, leave the gut of the primary host in the faeces; they are budded off from the scolex
| | Latin name | common name | symptoms | comments |
PA 1 | Ancylostoma Caninum | hookworm | damage to intestinal walls, anemia, itchy skin, dizziness, pneumonitis, anorexia | tropical parasite; usual host is dogs |
PA 2 | Ancylostoma, Egg | hookworm | | tropical parasite; picked up from working barefoot amongst faeces or eating contaminated food |
PA 3 | Ancylostoma, Female | hookworm | | tropical parasite; picked up from working barefoot amongst faeces or eating contaminated food |
PA 4 | Ascaris, Female | human roundworm | sometimes asymptomatic; urticaria; mild to acute colicky pain with distension; reduced appetite; larvae in lungs can provoke pneumonia | the most common worm infection world wide, particularly in developing countries; commonly found in dogs and cats |
PA 5 | Ascaris, Male | human roundworm commonly found in cats and dogs | sometimes asymptomatic; urticaria; mild to acute colicky pain with distension; reduced appetite; larvae in lungs can provoke pneumonia | the most common worm infection world wide, particularly in developing countries |
PA 6 | Cimex | bed bug | itchy, painful bites which can lead to bacterial infection | lives in plaster, walls, furniture, bed frames |
PA 7 | Clonorchis Sinensis | human oriental liver fluke | chronic liver disease; death if left untreated | widespread in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam; via domestic dogs and cats |
PA 8 | Culex Imago, Female | gnat/ mosquito | | |
PA 9 | Dipylidium, Scolex Mature & Gravid Proglottides | tapeworm | | grows in segments; the end can be uterus packed with eggs |
PA 10 | Echinococcus Granulosus | tapeworm | affects liver, lungs, brain and bones | from sheep and cattle |
PA 11 | Enterobius Vermicularis | threadworm | often cause itching of the anus; may provoke appendicitis | the most common worm infection in U.K. ; lives in upper part of large intestine; children particularly affected |
PA 12 | Fasciola | liver fluke | | |
PA 13 | Fasciola, Cercaria | liver fluke | | mainly lives in liver of sheep |
PA 14 | Fasciola, Egg | liver fluke | | mainly in liver of sheep |
PA 15 | Fasiola, Redia | liver fluke | | |
PA 16 | Necator Americanus, Eggs | hookworm | symptoms can include coughing and wheezing, but may be asymptomatic | common infection in the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Pacific |
PA 17 | Onchocerca Volvulus | filarial worm | Asymptomatic until worm dies when causes inflammation and itching | predominantly Africa, but also South America and Yemen |
PA 18 | Paragonimus Westermani, Eggs | lung fluke | coughing, chest pains, fever, night sweats | most important lung fluke affecting humans, widespread in the Far East and SE Asia |
PA 19 | Pediculus Humanus Capitis | lice | itching | can spread other diseases such as typhus and trench fever |
PA 20 | Schistosoma Mansoni, Adult Female | blood fluke | | common tropical fluke, responsible for bilharzia, found in Africa, parts of S. America, the Caribbean and Arabia |
PA 21 | Schistosoma Mansoni, Cercariae | blood fluke | | common tropical fluke, responsible for bilharzia, found in Africa, parts of S. America, the Caribbean and Arabia |
PA 22 | Schistosoma Mansoni, Egg | blood fluke | | common tropical fluke, responsible for bilharzia, found in Africa, parts of S. America, the Caribbean and Arabia |
PA 23 | Schistosoma Mansoni, Miracidia | blood fluke | | common tropical fluke, responsible for bilharzia, found in Africa, parts of S. America, the Caribbean and Arabia |
PA 24 | Taenia, Scolex | tapeworm | hunger, weakness, weight loss | from eating uncooked meat; common in tropical countries |
PA 25 | Taenia, Scolex Immature, Mature & Gravid Proglottids | tapeworm | hunger, weakness, weight loss | from eating uncooked meat; common in tropical countries |
PA 26 | Trichinella Spiralis, Encysted Larvae | intestinal nematode/ pork-worm | abdominal pain and diarrhoea followed by muscle and joint pain and fever | found in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and the Arctic, main sources are undercooked pork and wild meat |
PA 27 | Trichinella Spiralis, Female | intestinal nematode/ pork-worm | abdominal pain and diarrhoea followed by muscle and joint pain and fever | found in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and the Arctic, main sources are undercooked pork and wild meat |
PA 28 | Trichinella Spiralis, Male | intestinal nematode/ pork-worm | abdominal pain and diarrhoea followed by muscle and joint pain and fever | found in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and the Arctic, main sources are undercooked pork and wild meat |
PA 29 | Trichuris Trichiura | whipworm | asymptomatic but can cause dysentery-like illness | world-wide distribution |
PA 30 | Trichuris Trichiura, Egg | whipworm | asymptomatic but can cause dysentery-like illness | world-wide distribution |
PA 31 | Xenopsylla Cheopsis | rat flea | | transmits plague, typhus and two tape worms |
