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Classifications of Human Parasites

A variety of parasites located within our environment can potentially cause serious and fatal health hazards. Found within a variety of environments around the world, these organisms affect different systems within the body. Health hazards can range from itching sensations to death. The four main categories of parasites that can harm the human body consist of protozoa, arthropods, trematodes and nematodes.

  1. Protozoa

    • Organisms belonging to the protozoa family are single-celled and highly motile. This motility makes it easy for them to travel through the body's oral cavity and settle in other organ systems. Most of the organisms associated with this family affect the intestinal tract and the blood system. Common parasites will use the body's intestines as their habitat and feed off the body. These organisms account for most human-related diseases. Organisms found within the protozoa family cause diseases such as malaria, sleeping sickness and trichomoniasis.

    Arthropods

    • Invertebrates that possess an exoskeleton belong to the arthropod family. Invertebrate arthropods also posses appendages that extend from their exoskeleton. Some arthropods such as a crab, shrimp, and lobster are harmless to humans and popular in American cuisine. The main health hazard involving arthropods is the transmission of disease. Arthropods act as vectors and can transmit disease, especially the blood-sucking arthropods that feed on blood. Blood-sucking arthropods infest livestock and are potentially fatal to other animals. Ticks, another arthropod species, may cause serious paralysis in humans. Other common symptoms of anthropoid parasite infection include fever, skin irritations and trouble breathing.

    Trematodes

    • Trematode parasites infect the intestinal and blood systems of the body. Upon infection, itching, swelling and pain will result. The main form of infection arises from contact with infected water. Upon exposure, the parasite will enter the body through skin lesions. Infection rates are higher for swimmers, so much so that the most common trematode infection is dermatitis, or swimmers itch. The reaction of the skin to the parasitic fecal matter and the eggs causes the itching sensation. Other common systems of trematode parasite infections include hematoma, diarrhea, and granuloma infections

    Nematodes

    • Nematodes consist of a group of roundworms that are so similar in appearance that it is hard to distinguish one worm for another. There are over 20,000 species identified as a nematode today. These worms attack the intestinal and circulatory systems as well as organ tissue. The parasites can attack animals and plant species. Some, such as the heartworm, attack the chambers of the heart.

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