Trypanosomiasis Sunday, Jun 3 2007 

Parasitic healthcareinfo 6:48 am

Trypanosomiasis is the name of the several diseases in vertebrates caused by parasitic protozoan trypanosomes of the genus Trypanosoma. The disease may also be called trypanosomosis but there is no greater authority for either; both terms are widely used in publication. More than 66 million women, men, and children in 36 countries of sub- Saharan Africa suffer from human African trypanosomiasis. There are two forms of African sleeping sickness, caused by two related parasites:

* Trypanosoma brucei gambiense
* Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense

 

Trichomoniasis Sunday, Jun 3 2007 

Parasitic healthcareinfo 6:48 am

Trichomoniasis, sometimes referred to as “trich”, is a common sexually transmitted disease that affects 7.4 million previously unaffected Americans each year. It is caused by a single-celled protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. Trichomoniasis is primarily an infection of the genitourinary tract; the urethra is the most common site of infection in men, and the vagina is the most common site of infection in women.

 

Trichuriasis Sunday, Jun 3 2007 

Parasitic healthcareinfo 6:48 am

Trichuriasis is a parasitic disease caused by infection of the large intestine by a parasite whipworm (Trichuris trichiura).

 

Trichinosis Sunday, Jun 3 2007 

Parasitic healthcareinfo 6:47 am

Trichinosis, also called trichinellosis, or trichiniasis, is a parasitic disease caused by eating raw or undercooked pork and wild game products infected with the larvae of a species of roundworm Trichinella spiralis, commonly called the trichina worm. The few cases in the United States are mostly the result of eating undercooked game or home reared pigs. It is most common in the developing world and where pigs are commonly fed raw garbage.

 

Trichinosis Sunday, Jun 3 2007 

Parasitic healthcareinfo 6:47 am

Trichinosis, also called trichinellosis, or trichiniasis, is a parasitic disease caused by eating raw or undercooked pork and wild game products infected with the larvae of a species of roundworm Trichinella spiralis, commonly called the trichina worm. The few cases in the United States are mostly the result of eating undercooked game or home reared pigs. It is most common in the developing world and where pigs are commonly fed raw garbage.

 

Toxoplasmosis Sunday, Jun 3 2007 

Parasitic healthcareinfo 6:47 am

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite infects most warm-blooded animals, including humans, but the primary host is the felid (cat) family. Animals are infected by eating infected meat, by contact with cat feces, or by transmission from mother to fetus. The most common means of transmission to humans is raw or undercooked meat. The illness is usually minor and self-limited.

Up to one third of the world’s population is estimated to carry a Toxoplasma infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that overall seroprevalence in the United States as determined with specimens collected by the third National Health and Nutritional Assessment Survey (NHANES III) between 1988 and 1994 was found to be 22.5%, with seroprevalence among women of childbearing age (15 to 44 years) of 15%. During the first few weeks, the infection typically causes a mild flu-like illness or no illness. After the first few weeks of infection have passed, the parasite rarely causes any symptoms in otherwise healthy adults. However, people with a weakened immune system, such as those infected with HIV, may become seriously ill, and it can occasionally be fatal. The parasite can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and neurologic diseases and can affect the heart, liver, and eyes (chorioretinitis).

 

Toxocariasis Sunday, Jun 3 2007 

Parasitic healthcareinfo 6:46 am

Toxocariasis is an infection caused by the dog or cat roundworm, Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati, respectively. Ingestion of these worms causes the condition, visceral larval migrans (VLM).

 

Tapeworm infection Sunday, Jun 3 2007 

Parasitic healthcareinfo 6:46 am

Adult tapeworm infection is the infection of the digestive tract by parasitic flatworms called cestodes or Woods. Tapeworm larvae are sometimes ingested by consuming undercooked food. Once inside the digestive tract, the larva grows into an adult tapeworm, which can live for years and grow very large. Additionally, many tapeworm larvae cause symptoms in an intermediate host. For example, cysticercosis is a disease of humans involving larval tapeworms in the human body.

 

Schistosomiasis Sunday, Jun 3 2007 

Parasitic healthcareinfo 6:46 am

Schistosomiasis or bilharzia is a parasitic disease caused by several species of flatworm. The acute form of schistosomiasis is sometimes known as snail fever and cutaneous schistosomiasis is sometimes commonly called swimmer’s itch. The disease affects many people in developing countries, and in certain African communities the process of overcoming schistosomiasis is an important rite of passage. Although it has a low mortality rate, schistosomiasis can be very debilitating. Schistosomiasis is known as Bilharzia or bilharziosis in many countries, after Theodor Bilharz, who first described the cause of urinary schistosomiasis in 1851.

An often chronic illness that results from infection of the blood with a parasitic flatworm (schistosome). It causes debilitation and causes liver and intestinal damage. It is most commonly found in Asia, Africa, and South America, especially in areas with water that is contaminated with fresh water snails, which contain the parasite

 

Scabies Sunday, Jun 3 2007 

Parasitic healthcareinfo 6:45 am

Scabies is a transmissible ectoparasite skin infection characterized by superficial burrows, intense pruritus (itching) and secondary infection. The word scabies comes from the Latin word for “scratch” (scabere).