Blood Parasite – a Potentially Dangerous Organism in the Human Body

Studies have shown that half of the US population is infected with one or two types of parasites. What’s surprising about this is that only a quarter of the infected population actually shows signs and symptoms of harboring parasites inside their bodies. In a way, you can call these organisms as flesh eating creatures, since it feeds off from the human cell.

The bad thing about these parasites is that while feeding off from cells is already harmful to the host’s body, the waste they excrete is equally dangerous as they can weaken the immune system. And when the immune system is weak, chronic diseases will soon follow.

Blood parasite is one of the most harmful parasites that could ever attack the human body. One of them is the Schistosoma specie. Sever cases of infection could lead to schistosomiasis, a chronic illness that can damage the internal organ of its human host. Children who suffer from this disease have impaired cognitive development and growth.

Bladder cancer can also develop among adults who suffer from schistosomiasis. While this has a relatively low mortality rate, the infection can still pose potential danger because it hampers the normal function of internal organs. Symptoms usually manifest after one or two weeks. In the initial stages, the person may have mild itching and popular dermatitis in various areas in the body, particularly the feet.

The penetration of schistosoma in the skin can also produce skin vesicles or bladder-like structure similar to that of chicken pox. This blood parasite mostly occupies the veins around the intestines where the female lays her eggs.

The most deadly blood parasite is from the plasmodium specie, the one responsible for the onset of malaria. Its life cycle is quite unique as it needs two hosts in order to survive: one is the anopheles mosquito which also acts as carrier; and the human body where it can multiply. Once inside the bloodstream, it will cause much of the damage as it invades the red blood cells. This is one of the reasons why malaria patients often suffer from leukemia.