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Finding a live brain worm is rare. 4 ways to protect yourself from more common parasites

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vincent-ho-141549">Vincent Ho</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/aug/28/live-worm-living-womans-brain-australia-depression-forgetfulness">News reports</a> this morning describe how shocked doctors removed a live worm from a woman’s brain in a Canberra hospital last year. The woman had previously been admitted to hospital with stomach symptoms, dry cough and night sweats and months later experienced depression and forgetfulness that led to a brain scan. In the <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/29/9/23-0351_article">case study</a> published in Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, doctors describe removing the live 8cm-long nematode (roundworm) from the brain of the 64-year-old woman who was immunosuppressed. The worm was identified as O. robertsi which is native to Australia, where it lives on carpet pythons. The woman may have come into contact with worm eggs via snake faeces while foraging for Warrigal greens to eat. It’s important to note this is an extremely rare event and headlines about brain worms can be alarming. But there are more common parasites which can infect your body and brain. And there are ways you can minimise your risks of being infected with one. <h2>Common parasites and how they get in</h2> Parasitic infection is extremely common. Arguably the most widespread type is pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis also called threadworm), which is thought to be present in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6522669/">over a billion people</a> worldwide, especially children. Pinworms grow to around 1cm in length and are specific to human hosts. They cause intense bottom itching and get passed from person-to-person. It’s a myth that you can get it from pets. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/pathogen.html#:%7E:text=Giardia%20duodenalis%20is%20a%20protozoan,Giard%20of%20Paris%20and%20Dr.">Giardia</a> (Giardia duodenalis) is also very common and can contaminate food, water and surfaces. This water-borne parasite is associated with poor sanitation and causes stomach symptoms like diarrhoea, cramps, bloating, nausea and fatigue. Giardia cysts (little sacs of immature parasite) spread disease and are passed out in faeces, where they can remain viable in the environment for months before being consumed by someone else. They can also be ingested via foods (such as sheep meat) that is raw or undercooked. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/hookworm/index.html">Two types</a> of hookworm – Necator americanis and Ancylostoma duadonale – are found in soil. Only Ancylostoma duodenale is an issue in Australia and is typically found in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/hookworm/index.html">remote communities</a>. When a person is infected (usually via barefeet or contaminated footwear) these worms enter the bloodstream and then hit the lungs. From the bronchi in the upper lungs, they are swallowed with secretions. Once in the gut and small bowel they can <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/soil-transmitted-helminth-infections#:%7E:text=Transmission,these%20eggs%20contaminate%20the%20soil.">cause anaemia</a> (low iron). This is because they are consuming nutrients and affecting iron absorption. They also release an anticoagulant that stops the human host’s blood clotting and causes tiny amounts of blood loss. Fortunately, these very common parasites do not infect the brain. Across the world, it’s estimated <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22491772/">30–50% of people</a> are infected with Toxoplasma. Most people will be asymptomatic but many carry the <a href="https://theconversation.com/one-in-three-people-are-infected-with-toxoplasma-parasite-and-the-clue-could-be-in-our-eyes-182418">signs of infection</a>. The parasites can remain in the body for years as tiny tissue cysts. These cysts can be found in brain, heart and muscle. Infants can be born with serious eye or brain damage if their mothers are infected during pregnancy. People with compromised immunity – such as from AIDS or cancer treatment – are also at risk of illness from infection via pet cats or uncooked meat. <h2>Then there are tapeworms and amoebas</h2> Tapeworms can infect different parts of the body including the brain. This is called <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/resources/pdf/npis_in_us_neurocysticercosis.pdf">neurocysticercosis</a> and is the leading cause of epilepsy worldwide. Neurocysticercosis is uncommon in the Western world and infection is usually via eating pork that is uncooked or prepared by someone who is infected with tapeworm (Taenia solium). It is more likely in locations where pigs have contact with human faeces via sewerage or waterways. <figure class="align-right zoomable"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> Tapeworm larvae can infect muscle and soft tissue. Brain tissue can provide a home for larvae because it is soft and easy to get to via blood vessels. Brain infection can cause headaches, dizziness, seizures, cognitive impairment and even dementia, due to an increase in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/cysticercosis/gen_info/faqs.html">cerebral spinal fluid pressure</a>. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/general.html">Naegleria fowleri</a> is an amoeba found in lakes, rivers and springs in warm climates including <a href="https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/public+health/water+quality/naegleria+fowleri#:%7E:text=How%20common%20are%20Naegleria%20fowleri,frequently%20found%20in%20the%20environment.">in Australia</a>. People swimming in infected waters can have the parasite enter their body through the nose. It then travels to the brain and destroys brain tissue. The condition is <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/general.html#:%7E:text=Top%20of%20Page-,What%20is%20the%20death%20rate%20for%20an%20infected%20person%20who,States%20from%201962%20to%202022.">almost always fatal</a>. <h2>Yikes! 4 ways to avoid parasitic infection</h2> That all sounds very scary. And we know being infected by a snake parasite is very rare – finding one alive in someone’s brain is even rarer. But parasites are all around us. To minimise your risk of infection you can: 1. avoid undercooked or raw pork. Freezing meat first may reduce risks (though home freezers <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/prevent.html">may not get cold enough</a>) and it must be cooked to a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224418301560#:%7E:text=and%20time%20conditions.-,Cooking%20at%20core%20temperature%2060%E2%80%9375%20%C2%B0C%20for%2015,relied%20upon%20in%20home%20situations.">high internal temperature</a>. Avoid pork if you are travelling in places with poor sanitation 2. avoid jumping or diving into warm fresh bodies of water, especially if they are known to carry Naegleria fowleri. Although only a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/graphs.html">handful of cases</a> are reported each year, you should assume it’s present 3. practise good <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html#:%7E:text=Follow%20Five%20Steps%20to%20Wash%20Your%20Hands%20the%20Right%20Way&text=Wet%20your%20hands%20with%20clean,for%20at%20least%2020%20seconds.">hand hygiene</a> to reduce the risk of rare and common infections. That means washing hands thoroughly and often, using soap, scrubbing for at least 20 seconds, rinsing and drying well. Clip and clean under fingernails regularly 4. to avoid soil-borne parasites wear shoes outside, especially in rural and remote regions, wash shoes and leave them outside.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212437/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vincent-ho-141549">Vincent Ho</a>, Associate Professor and clinical academic gastroenterologist, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> Image credits: Canberra Health This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/finding-a-live-brain-worm-is-rare-4-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-more-common-parasites-212437">original article</a>.

Body

Mistletoe – famous for stolen holiday kisses – is a parasite that steals water and nutrients from other plants

A parasitic plant with potentially poisonous berries might not sound like something that would boost your Christmas decorations to the next level. But, botanically speaking, that’s what mistletoe is. There are some <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/not-just-kissing-mistletoe-and-birds-bees-and-other-beasts">1,300 species of this evergreen plant worldwide</a>. They’re all parasitic or semiparasitic, meaning they can <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801443718/diseases-of-trees-and-shrubs/#bookTabs=1">survive only on a host plant</a>. Rather than being rooted in the ground, they live on the branches of other trees and shrubs. Just <a href="http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/forestry/docs/assistance/pests/fidls/147.pdf">two types are native to North America</a>. Twelve species of the American mistletoe can be found distributed largely across the southern half of the U.S., mostly affecting deciduous trees in the East as well as some evergreens in the West. Sixteen species of the leafless dwarf mistletoe infect only trees in the pine family and are mostly found along the West Coast. The American mistletoe, the one used at Christmas in the U.S., is in the genus Phoradendron, which means “<a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/not-just-kissing-mistletoe-and-birds-bees-and-other-beasts">thief of the tree</a>” in Greek. It has green leaves and is capable of photosynthesis and so produces much of its own food. But American mistletoe also sucks water and other nutrients out of its host plant by sending rootlike structures <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-226865-2/00145-0">called haustoria</a> into the vascular tissue just under the bark of branches and twigs. These invading structures can live for many years inside a tree even if the mistletoe plant itself is removed. Mistletoes are what botanists call dioecious, meaning these plants have <a href="https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2009/2-4/monoecious.html">separate male and female versions</a>. The females produce the fruits, called berries, which are generally white, but can be pink or reddish depending on the species. Birds widely distribute the seeds after eating the berries. Seeds of some species can also be <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_1996_hawksworth_f001.pdf">shot out of the fruit</a> like a cannonball at up to 60 mph (100 kph) to a distance as far as 50 feet (15 meters). A sticky substance on the seeds helps them attach to any tree they land on until they germinate and begin to grow. In general, mistletoe won’t kill a tree unless it is heavily infested. Even then the tree doesn’t usually die from the mistletoe; most often death is an indirect effect of attacks from diseases or insects that take advantage of the stressed tree. Mistletoe’s parasitic ways can cause significant economic damage to forests industrially harvested for lumber. For a homeowner, though, it’s usually not necessary to control mistletoe – which is good, since getting rid of it can be difficult and takes patience and persistence. You can prune it out, being sure to get all those spreading haustoria under the host’s bark, or try chemical controls like the plant growth regulator ethephon. Maybe you’ll want to trim a sprig to decorate with during Christmastime. One of the most common traditions associated with mistletoe, <a href="https://time.com/5471873/mistletoe-kiss-christmas/">dating back at least to the 1700s</a>, is that anyone lingering beneath it would welcome a holiday kiss. Here in my home state of Oklahoma, mistletoe is our state floral emblem, apparently because it was the <a href="https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=MI047">only greenery available to put on graves</a> during the particularly hard winter of 1889. In other parts of the world, mistletoe is considered to bestow life and fertility, <a href="https://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/history/mistletoe.htm">serve as a peace offering</a> and protect against poison. About poison: Mistletoe has a reputation as a poisonous plant. While the European species <a href="https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2012.8.12572">Viscum album is reportedly toxic</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3109/15563659609013810">American mistletoe is not deadly</a>. Better to keep it away from little kids and pets, though, and if you are concerned, stick with artificial mistletoe for decorative purposes. Mistletoe is an important part of the ecosystem in the places where it grows in North America. Lots of birds rely on mistletoe berries as a food source, as do elk, deer, squirrels, chipmunks and even porcupines, which will also eat the leaves when other fresh foliage is scarce. Tangled clumps of mistletoe, traditionally referred to as witches’ brooms, provide nesting sites for birds, including spotted owls and Cooper’s hawks, and other animals. Three kinds of butterflies in the U.S. are entirely dependent on mistletoes. And it’s also an important nectar and pollen plant for honey bees and other native bees. So this parasitic plant plays a valuable role in both ecosystems and human traditions. If it grows near you, enjoy it because you probably wouldn’t be able to completely get rid of it anyway. And at Christmastime, it just may come in handy. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/mistletoe-famous-for-stolen-holiday-kisses-is-a-parasite-that-steals-water-and-nutrients-from-other-plants-173555" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Home & Garden

Bong Joon-ho: The secret of the man behind Parasite

For film enthusiasts around the world, there is no reason for Bong Joon-ho not to celebrate. His hit thriller Parasite has continued to break records – with honours from the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards – and is now a top contender for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. But the man himself said he is just doing what he can to “survive”. In an interview with <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/01/oscar-special-2020-bong-joon-ho">Vanity Fair</a>, Bong said he struggled with anxiety. “I don’t think people around me can feel it, but I do have a lot of anxiety,” he said, mentioning his fear over appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “[Sometimes] I feel like a baseball player who’s forced to go up on the mound.” The Okja director and co-writer said movies saved his life. “A psychiatrist actually told me that I have severe anxiety, and I have severe compulsive tendencies to the point where it would be impossible for me to have a social life,” he said. “But thanks to filmmaking, I’ve been able to survive.” When asked whether he would take on a big studio film or a superhero franchise to reduce his anxiety, Bong rejected the idea with a laugh. “It would make me much, much, much more anxious. If I do something like that, I think I will suffocate to death,” the 50-year-old said. “For me to feel safe, I have to start the project, build everything up, one by one, and see it to the complete finish. I really admire directors who can easily do superhero movies and big-budget films.” The director is currently in talks to make a six-hour for HBO limited series of Parasite. “I just couldn’t include all those ideas in the two-hour running time of the film, so they’re all stored in my iPad and my goal with this limited series is to create a six-hour-long film,” Bong told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman. The estimated release date for the limited series is yet to be announced.

Movies

Parasite: The global rise of South Korean film

The international success of Parasite, the black comedy thriller by Bong Joon-ho, has been rather spectacular. It started with a slew of early season awards, including the prestigious <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/25/bong-joon-hos-parasite-wins-palme-dor-at-cannes-film-festival">Palme d'Or</a> (by unanimous vote) at Cannes. It has now won <a href="https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/korea-celebrates-parasite-golden-globes-win-1203457949/">Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language at the Golden Globes</a>, multiple <a href="http://www.bafta.org/film/awards/ee-british-academy-film-awards-nominees-winners-2020">nominations at the Baftas</a>, and <a href="https://oscar.go.com/news/nominations/oscar-nominations-2020-list-nominees-by-category">six Oscar nominations</a>, including in some of the most distinguished categories (film, director and screen play). If it wins an Oscar, it would be the first Korean film to do so and a testament to the rising popularity and success of the Korean film industry internationally. <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/859817/south-korea-movie-export-value/">The estimated export value</a> of the Korean film industry in 2018 was US$41.6 million (£32 million). South Korea is the <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20190530000661">fifth leading film market</a> by gross box office revenue after the US, China, Japan and the UK. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/isOGD_7hNIY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Rooted in the 90s South Korea has come a long way since the damaging effects of <a href="https://www.history.com/news/japan-colonization-korea">Japanese occupation</a> (1910 to 1945) and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Korean-War">Korean War</a>, which ended with a ceasefire agreement in 1953. Experiencing monumental growth between 1960 and 1990, the country became one of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2019/12/05/after-half-a-century-of-success-the-asian-tigers-must-reinvent-themselves">Four Asian Tigers</a> and is now the continent’s fourth largest economy. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1HRTy26s4hw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> In the late 80s, as Korea emerged from a period of censorship, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1225545?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">restrictions</a> that had previously limited the influx of foreign films were lifted. This led to an increased appetite for Hollywood blockbusters and a decline in Korean cinema. To protect the country’s arts industries and counter the effects of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Asian-financial-crisis">Asian economic crisis of the late 90s</a>, the government mounted several policies with a strong focus on promoting Korean culture abroad. Central to this was the <a href="https://wipolex.wipo.int/en/text/441192">Framework Act on the Promotion of Cultural Industries in 1999</a>, which said: <blockquote> The purpose of this Act is to lay the groundwork for the development of cultural industries and enhance the competitiveness thereof, thereby contributing to the improvement of the quality of national cultural life and development of the national economy, by providing for matters necessary for supporting and fostering cultural industries. </blockquote> As a result, <a href="https://martinroll.com/resources/articles/asia/korean-wave-hallyu-the-rise-of-koreas-cultural-economy-pop-culture/">South Korean culture has grown globally</a> in recent years. <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/16/16915672/what-is-kpop-history-explained">K-pop</a>, K-drama, K-beauty, and K-cuisine have all found new international audiences, initially in China and later in wider Asia and the west. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xwWgp1bqVwE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> The “<a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/13916-the-korean-new-wave-and-the-anxieties-of-south-korean-cinema">Korean New Wave”</a>, the international fascination with Korean entertainment and film industry, began in the <a href="http://kultscene.com/introduction-to-the-korean-new-wave-of-cinema/">1990s</a>. This phenomenon, known as <a href="http://www.korea.net/AboutKorea/Culture-and-the-Arts/Hallyu">Hallyu</a>, centres around the work of directors <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0661791/">Park Chan-wook</a> (Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, The Handmaiden), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0094435/">Bong Joon-ho</a> (Memories of Murder, Host, Okja and Parasite) and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0453518/">Kim Jee-woon</a> (A Tale of Two Sisters and I saw the Devil). Distinctly Korean Korean cinema is <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=vYSgpD1yWQ4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=korean+cinema&ots=Jr0EGwPX4V&sig=GkUhIuE6ALUYbsGgi6qWKghSZgw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=korean%20cinema&f=false">deeply embedded in the Korean experience</a>, eschewing Hollywoodisation and producing an oeuvre that makes a Korean film distinctive to international audiences. Korean society has a reverence for tradition and at once extraordinarily modern, and its cinema embodies these qualities proudly. Korean cinema has become known for often exploring the dark side of human experience. The films can be unsettling, often mixing dark humour with elements of extreme violence, sumptuous cinematography and high production values. Many of them feature passionate revenge stories (Oldboy, 2003, or I Saw The Devil, 2010), captivating crime investigations (Memories of Murder, 2004), or unusual friendships (Joint Security Area, 2000, or The Handmaiden, 2016). Not shying away from controversial topics or challenging its audience, Korean films dare to tread in places western films are sometimes scared of. It is not surprising, then, that they have attracted the attention of a wider public and the admiration of filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino – who has compared Joon-ho to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/quentin-tarantino-koreas-bong-joon-647767">Steven Spielberg in his prime</a>. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w4UUGIIZxFU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> The Oldboy official trailer. Parasite has amassed a <a href="https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=5300&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword=">box office revenue</a> of US$137 million (£105 million) globally, and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbean/2020/01/07/box-office-bong-joon-hosparasite-positioned-for-big-pre-oscars-run/#44b52aa4c182">is set to rake in more with this slew of awards and nominations</a>. Exceeding everybody’s <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/news/parasite-bong-joon-ho-success-next-movies-marvel-netflix-1203408123/">expectations</a>, this subversive anti-capitalist film is winning over both critics and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/business/media/parasite-movie-studio-neon.html">audiences</a>. So much so, there is already a rumoured <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/bong-joon-hos-parasite-tv-show-expanded-film-not-remake.html">HBO series spin-off</a> in the works. Parasite’s accomplishments come off the back of Joon-ho’s previous <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/movies/review-okja-bong-joon-ho.html">critical success with the 2017 ecological fantasy Okja</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/bafta/status/965374939061735425?lang=en">Park Chan-wook’s 2018 film Handmaiden</a> (the first Korean film to be nominated for and win a Bafta) and <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/burning-oscar-snub">Lee Chang-dong’s 2018 film Burning</a> (the first Korean film to make it to shortlist for best foreign film at the Oscars). If this momentum is anything to go by, the “Korean Wave” is only set to get bigger.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128595/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/agata-lulkowska-439983">Agata Lulkowska</a>, Lecturer in Film Production, Staffordshire University, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/staffordshire-university-1381">Staffordshire University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-oscar-for-parasite-the-global-rise-of-south-korean-film-128595">original article</a>.

Movies

What are parasites and how do they make us sick?

A <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/about.html">parasite</a> is an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/about.html">Three main classes</a> of parasites can cause disease in humans: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. Protozoa and helminths largely affect the gut, while ectoparasites include lice and mites that can attach to or burrow into the skin, staying there for long periods of time. The majority of protozoa and helminths tend to be non-pathogenic (meaning they don’t cause disease) or result in very mild illness. Some, however, can cause severe disease in humans. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal%E2%80%93oral_route">Faecal-oral transmission</a>, where parasites found in the stool of one person end up being swallowed by another person, is the most common mode of transmission of parasitic protozoa and helminths. The initial symptoms tend to be gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhoea. When parasites invade the red blood cells or organs, the consequences can become more serious. <h2>Protozoa</h2> Protozoa are tiny single-celled organisms that multiply inside the human body. The protozoa giardia, for example, has a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC88984/">classic two-stage life cycle</a>. In the first stage, called trophozoite, the parasite swims around and consumes nutrients from the small bowel. In the second stage it develops into a non-moving cyst. Cysts excreted in faeces can contaminate the water supply, and ingesting contaminated food or water results in transmission. Close human to human contact and unsanitary living conditions can promote transmission. Symptoms of <a href="https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/ohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l%7Eohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l-ch1%7Eohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l-ch1.5">giardia</a> can include severe or chronic diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, fatigue, weakness and weight loss. Other important protozoa are the plasmodium species. Plasmodium develop in mosquitoes, and infected mosquitoes transmit the parasite to humans by biting them. Plasmodium destroys red blood cells which impacts organ function and causes a disease in humans known as malaria. Malaria causes the most deaths of all parasitic diseases. In 2017 it was estimated malaria resulted in <a href="https://www.who.int/gho/malaria/epidemic/deaths/en/">435,000 deaths globally</a>, most of them young children in sub-Saharan Africa. <h2>Helminths</h2> Helminths, often called worms, are large multicellular organisms usually visible to the naked eye in their adult stages. As a general rule, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/about.html">helminths cannot multiply</a> inside the human body. One major group of helminths are flatworms. Flatworms literally have <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/flatworm">flattened soft bodies</a>. Their digestive cavity has only one opening for both the ingestion and removal of food. It’s thought <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/flatworm">80% of flatworms</a> are parasitic. Tapeworms are one type of flatworm. The <a href="https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/ohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l%7Eohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l-ch1%7Eohp-enhealth-manual-atsi-cnt-l-ch1.5">most common human tapeworm</a> in Australia is the dwarf tapeworm. The prevalence of dwarf tapeworm in isolated communities in northwest Australia is estimated to be <a href="https://irjponline.com/admin/php/uploads/1625_pdf.pdf">around 55%</a>. Infestation in humans comes from ingesting dwarf tapeworm eggs. Transmission from <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hymenolepis/faqs.html">person to person</a> occurs via the faecal-oral route. As with other parasites, the major risk factors are poor sanitation and shared living quarters. Symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, weight loss and weakness. Another major group of helminths are nematodes, commonly known as roundworms. Nematodes are the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematode">most numerous</a> multicellular animals on earth and can be found in almost every environment. Unlike flatworms, they do have a digestive system that extends from the mouth to the anus. More than <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471492203002447">50% of the world’s population</a> are thought to be affected at one point during their life by at least <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2517378/">one of six main classes</a> of nematodes. The eggs or larvae of these nematodes usually develop in soil before being transmitted to the human host. For this reason these nematodes are often called soil-transmitted helminths. A good example are hookworms which <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2517378/">infest humans</a> by penetrating the skin from contaminated soil. So wearing <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0003285">appropriate footwear</a> is an important way to prevent hookworm transmission. The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2517378/">pinworm</a> Enterobius vermicularis has a different life cycle to the other nematodes. Pinworm larvae develop in eggs on the skin near the anus or under the fingernails. Pinworm, also known as threadworm, is the <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/threadworms-pinworms">most common helminth parasite</a> in Australia. Itching around the anus is a major symptom of pinworm. Pinworms are easily passed from one person to another and it’s common for entire families to be infested. <h2>Ectoparasites</h2> The term <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/about.html">ectoparasites</a> generally refers to organisms such as ticks, fleas, lice and mites that can attach or burrow into the skin and remain there for long periods of time. <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/scabies">Scabies</a>, for example, a contagious skin disease marked by itching and small raised red spots, is caused by the human itch mite. Scabies usually is spread by direct, prolonged, skin-to-skin contact. <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/head-lice">Head lice</a> are small, wingless insects that live and breed in human hair and feed by sucking blood from the scalp. <h2>Prevention and treatment</h2> Some parasites can lie dormant for extended periods of time. This can make the diagnosis of parasitic infestation challenging as there may be no symptoms, or symptoms can be vague and non-specific. The good news is we have very good medications to treat many different kinds of parasites once they’ve been diagnosed. These medications do have side effects but on the whole are <a href="https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)60055-4/fulltext">very effective</a>. Treatment of parasites should be accompanied by preventative strategies such as improving sanitation and ensuring the availability of appropriate clothing and footwear in affected areas. The <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/soil-transmitted-helminth-infections">World Health Organisation</a> has recommended periodic medical treatment (deworming) to all at-risk people living in endemic areas, but widespread implementation remains challenging.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121489/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Vincent Ho, Senior Lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-parasites-and-how-do-they-make-us-sick-121489" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

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Woman's disgusting discovery after sleeping on SAME dirty pillowcase for 5 years

Whenever we get itchy eyes, we usually put it down to allergies or hayfever. But we’re sorry to tell you there’s another much more skin-crawling cause of irritated eyes, as one Chinese woman found out. The woman, known only as Ms Xu, told doctors in the central Chinese province of Hubei that she had been suffering from itchy, red eyes for two years and had no idea why. When doctors asked about her hygiene and housekeeping routine, it was revealed that she had been using the same unwashed pillowcase since 2012. Yes, five years of sleeping on a dirty pillowcase. Upon examining her eyes, doctors were shocked to find over 100 eyelash parasites on her eyelids. Horrifyingly, according to Chinese media, a colony of 10 mites was found in one single follicle. Aside from the woman’s filthy pillowcase, doctors said a lack of airflow in her bedroom contributed to creating the ultimate breeding ground for the disgusting parasites. In addition to the mites, the woman was also diagnosed with blepharitis and conjunctivitis. She was treated and made a full recovery. We have a feeling she’ll be a lot more diligent with washing her sheets from now on. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to wash my pillowcase and air out my bedroom.

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What are parasites and how do they make us sick?

Woman's disgusting discovery after sleeping on SAME dirty pillowcase for 5 years