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Parasites

They’re small, sneaky, and likely to make you sick. From viruses, to bacteria, to pesky protozoa, here are the latest findings on the parasites that live among (and on, and in) the creatures of the Earth.

Related Topics: Insects, Invasive Species

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The parasite <em>Cyclospora</em> can cause intestinal illness. Above, an image taken with a microscope showing <em>Cyclospora</em> eggs (red) in a stool sample.

Dozens Fall Ill in Texas Outbreak: What Is Cyclospora?

By Rachael Rettner

So far, Texas health officials have identified 56 illnesses due to Cyclospora since May.

An ocean wave over sand.

Beachgoers Beware? 5 Pathogens That Lurk In Sand

By Rachael Rettner

Beach sand can harbor a number of bacteria, parasites and fungi that are linked with diseases.

A woman in Russia found a lump on her face that turned out to be a parasitic worm crawling under her skin. The lump first appeared under the woman's eye (Panel A), and then moved above her eye (Panel B), before migrating to her upper lip (Panel C). Doctor

A Weird Lump on a Woman's Face Turned Out to Be a Worm Crawling Under Her Skin

By Rachael Rettner

When a woman in Russia noticed a small lump under her left eye, she snapped a selfie. Then, the lump moved.

See How Brain Worms Turn Ants into the Walking Dead

By Mindy Weisberger

Can you wrap your mind around the idea of an ant brain with a worm in it?

This parasitic ant, called <i>Megalomyrmex symmetochus</i>, crashes colonies of fungus-farming ants (<i>Sericomyrmex amabilis</i>), eating their crops and killing their babies.

Baby-Eating Ants Use Espionage, Chemical Warfare To Score Free Rent

By Brandon Specktor

Worst. Roommates. Ever.

An image of an adult whipworm, taken with a scanning electron microscope. New research finds that these parasites have their own gut bacteria.

These Gut Bugs Need Their Own Gut Bugs

By Rachael Rettner

It's a Russian nesting doll of sorts: Parasitic bugs that live in the human gut have their own set of gut bugs inside their intestines.

How Swallowing a Slug Left a Teen Paralyzed

By Mindy Weisberger

An Australian teenager who ate a garden slug on a dare was infected by a parasite that caused a debilitating brain disease, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.

An scanning electron microscope (SEM) scan showing an adult female (pink) and male (blue) <em>Schistosoma mansoni</em>. The female worm lies in a groove on the male's back.

Why 17 People Volunteered to Be Infected with Parasitic Worms

By Sara G. Miller

At a university hospital in the Netherlands, 17 students have a tropical parasitic disease.

A photo captured in 2017 shows the bulb of the flower.

Bizarre, Parasitic 'Fairy Lantern' Reappears in the Rainforest After 151 Years

By Rafi Letzter

A strange plant that needs no sunlight and sucks on underground fungi for nutrients has turned up in Borneo, Malaysia, 151 years after the last time a scientist found it.

Tick Bites Tick! Tiny Male Puts the Bite on an Engorged Female

By Mindy Weisberger

A tiny tick had an even tinier bloodsucking hitchhiker.

A woman in Oregon was infected with a type of eye worm never before seen in people. Above, an image of the woman's eye, with the parasitic worm (<em>Thelazia gulosa</em>) circled.

Weird Worm Crawling in Oregon Woman's Eye Has Only Been Seen in Cows

By Rachael Rettner

A 26-year-old woman in Oregon made a horrifying discovery: Her eyes were infected with small, translucent eye worms.

Ancylostoma braziliense, hookworm

Gross Souvenir: Caribbean Trip Lands Couple with Hookworm Feet

By Rachael Rettner

A Canadian couple is warning travelers about the risks of going shoeless on the beach after the pair returned from a Caribbean trip with hookworms in their feet.

giardia

This Parasite Uses Your Own Gut Bacteria Against You

By Brandon Specktor

If you've ever sipped some untreated tap water while you were abroad on vacation, you may have returned home with an unexpected souvenir: diarrhea.

Ancylostoma braziliense, hookworm

His and Her Hookworm: Same Rash Strikes Couple on the Rear

By Cari Nierenberg

A husband and wife returned home from a Caribbean cruise with identical souvenirs from their vacation: parasitic infections that caused itchy, red rashes on the couple's backsides.

sushi, japan, japanese food, diet

Surprise! California Man Finds Huge Tapeworm in His Gut

By Rachael Rettner

A California man pulled a shockingly large tapeworm from his body, which he may have contracted from eating sushi, according to his doctors.

norway rat, brown rat, rat

Rats May Not Be to Blame for Spreading the 'Black Death'

By Rachael Rettner

Rats get a bad rap for spreading the plague, or Black Death, that killed millions of people in medieval Europe. But they may not be to blame.

'Raw' Diet for Pets Not As Healthy As You Might Think

By Mindy Weisberger

A "raw" diet for pets carries risks of their exposure to parasites and bacteria.

Poop Proof: Ancient Greeks Suffered from Gut Parasites

By Mindy Weisberger

The proof is in the poo.

Feather-Gripping Tick Trapped in Amber Dined on Dinos

By Mindy Weisberger

A rare find in amber connects ancient ticks to feathered dinosaur hosts.

An image showing an egg of the parasitic worm Clonorchis sinensis, which is a type of liver fluke.

Many Vietnam Vets May Have Cancer-Causing Parasites: What Are Liver Flukes?

By Rachael Rettner

Hundreds of Vietnam War veterans may be infected with parasites called liver flukes, which can sometimes lead to cancer, recent research suggests.