Abstract Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) is a disease caused by infection with parasitic flatworms known as blood flukes , belonging to the genus Schistosoma . According to the World Health Organization (WHO), schistosomiasis transmission has been reported from 78 countries, and it…
Abstract Food-borne trematodes (FBTs) are a group of liver, lung, and intestinal flukes that typically infect humans through the ingestion of freshwater fish, crustaceans, and plants contaminated by encysted forms of the parasites. FBTs are prevalent throughout the world, with…
Abstract Cysticercosis is infection caused by the larval stage of the cestode Taenia solium , the pork tapeworm. The clinically significant helminthic invasion to central nervous system (CNS) structures and the resulting spectrum of neurologic illness define neurocysticercosis (NCC). With…
Abstract The relationship between humans and intestinal cestodes (tapeworms) goes well beyond the essential biologic interaction between host and parasite. Over time, tapeworms and tapeworm stories have contributed to human culture, literature, and dietary practices. In the late nineteenth century,…
Abstract Infections with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) affect the health of around 1.5 billion people around the world. Individuals of all ages may be infected with the common roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides) , whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) , hookworm ( Ancylostoma duodenale and…
Abstract Giardia and Cryptosporidium are the two most common protozoan pathogens in the human intestine; in low-income countries, they also rank as leading causes of diarrhea in children under 5. Giardia duodenalis (previously G. lamblia or G. intestinalis ), was…
Acknowledgments The authors would like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of the late Dr. Martin S. Wolfe to this chapter. Abstract Infection with Entamoeba histolytica is a leading parasitic cause of morbidity and mortality in developing nations and is an…
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Abstract Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is an acute, progressive, and usually fatal condition caused by the free-living ameba Naegleria fowleri . Commonly referred to as the “brain-eating ameba,” N. fowleri is naturally found in warm freshwater (e.g., lakes, rivers, and…
Abstract Leptospirosis is the most common zoonosis worldwide and has recently emerged as an important travel-related infection, particularly in adventure travelers to the tropics and subtropics. Characteristic symptoms may include fever, headache, myalgias, jaundice, and conjunctival suffusion, but this disease…