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Signs & Symptoms of Foreign Parasites

Parasites, whether common or exotic, affect the daily lives of you, your pets and your children. Parasites are often the reason for recalls on vegetables or peanut butter; they are scanned for in school physicals and they are a constant threat to pet life. Worst of all, many symptoms of parasitic infection are indistinguishable from symptoms of other common illnesses, making parasites hard to spot.

  1. IBS

    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and related conditions are one sign of a possible parasitic infection. IBS is an inflammation of the bowels that causes the bowels to be extra sensitive to changes or movement. IBS causes abdominal pain along with many other symptoms including indigestion and constipation. While IBS can be caused by other stimuli, a common cause of IBS is parasitic infection. Types of parasites that infect the digestive tract include worms such as pinworms and hookworms, and single-cell parasites like giardia (the most common waterborne parasite in the United States) and coccidia.

    Skin Conditions

    • Rashes, itchiness, hives and other skin-related symptoms can sometimes have a parasitic origin. Roundworms, cestode (tapeworm) and sparganum all have varying effects on the skin. Skin conditions can be early warning signs for parasitic infection, as many of the conditions caused by parasites are caused while the parasites are in their larval or incubatory phase. The tapeworm embeds its eggs in the skin, causing lesions or hives to occur, while ringworm (a fungal infection and not actually a worm) infects the skin in round patches.

    Chronic Fatigue

    • Many intestinal or other parasites that are involved in the human digestive tract can also cause chronic fatigue and related symptoms like nervousness, headaches and even insomnia. These conditions can be caused simply by the disturbance of the normal digestive processes through abdominal pain or nausea, or they can be the sign of a depletion of nutrients by the parasite. Tapeworms, for example, will sap nutrients from the host body during normal digestion and grow larger (requiring more nutrients.) The largest tapeworm ever pulled from a human body was a fish tapeworm that measured 60 feet long.

    Weight Loss

    • While a drop in weight can occur during the early stages of a parasitic infection due to abdominal pain, nausea, constipation and other symptoms related to infection, unexplained weight loss usually occurs during advanced stages of infection, when the parasite begins its draining the host of nutrients. When this occurs, it is necessary to consult a physician, as ulcers and other long-term effects could occur without treatment.

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