Common name of organism or disease |
Latin name (sorted) |
Body parts affected |
Diagnostic specimen |
Prevalence |
Source/ Transmission (Reservoir/ Vector) |
Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis and Acanthamoeba keratitis (eye infection) |
Acanthamoeba spp. |
eye, brain, skin |
culture |
worldwide |
contact lenses cleaned with tap water |
Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (skin infection) |
Balamuthia mandrillaris |
brain, skin |
culture |
worldwide |
via respiratory tract or skin lesion |
Babesiosis |
Babesia B. divergens, B. bigemina, B. equi, B. microfti, B. duncani |
red blood cells |
Giemsa-stained thin blood smear |
New York, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket (different species have worldwide distribution) |
tick bites, e.g. Ixodes scapularis |
Balantidiasis |
Balantidium coli |
intestinal mucosa, may become invasive in some patients |
stool (diarrhea=ciliated trophozoite; solid stool=large cyst with horseshoe shaped nucleus) |
|
ingestion of cyst, zoonotic infection acquired from pigs (feces) |
Blastocystosis |
Blastocystis spp. |
intestinal |
direct microscopy of stool (PCR, anti body) |
• worldwide: one of the most common human parasites[1][2]
• United States: infected ~23% of the population during year 2000[1][3]
• Developing regions: infects 40–100% of the total populations[1][2][4] |
eating food contaminated with feces from an infected human or animal |
Cryptosporidiosis |
Cryptosporidium spp. |
intestines |
stool |
widespread |
ingestion of oocyst (sporulated), some species are zoonotic (e.g. bovine fecal contamination) |
Cyclosporiasis |
Cyclospora cayetanensis |
intestines |
stool |
United States |
ingestion of oocyst thru contaminated food |
Dientamoebiasis |
Dientamoeba fragilis |
intestines |
stool |
up to 10% in industrialized countries |
ingesting water or food contaminated with feces |
Amoebiasis |
Entamoeba histolytica |
Intestines (mainly Large, can go to extraintestinal sites) |
stool (fresh diarrheic stools have amoeba, solid stool has cyst) |
areas with poor sanitation, high population density and tropical regions |
fecal-oral transmission of cyst, not amoeba |
Giardiasis |
Giardia lamblia |
lumen of the small intestine |
stool |
widespread |
ingestion of cysts in fecal contaminated water or food, can be zoonotic (deer, beavers) |
Isosporiasis |
Isospora belli |
epithelial cells of small intestines |
stool |
worldwide - less common than Toxoplasma or Cryptosporidium |
fecal oral route - ingestion of sporulated oocyst |
Leishmaniasis |
Leishmania spp. |
cutaneous, mucocutaneous, or visceral |
visual identification of lesion or microscopic stain with Leishman's or Giemsa's stain |
Visceral leishmaniasis- Worldwide; Cutaneous leishmaniasis - Old World; Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis - New World |
Phlebotomus Lutzomyia- bite of several species of phlebotomine sandflies |
Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM)[5][6] |
Naegleria fowleri |
brain |
culture |
rare but deadly |
Nasal insufflation of contaminated warm fresh water, poorly chlorinated swimming pools, hot springs, soil |
Malaria |
Plasmodium falciparum (80% of cases), Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale curtisi, Plasmodium ovale wallikeri, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium knowlesi |
red blood cells, liver |
Blood film |
tropical - 250 million cases/year |
Anopheles mosquito, bites at night |
Rhinosporidiosis |
Rhinosporidium seeberi |
nose, nasopharynx |
biopsy |
India and Sri Lanka |
nasal mucosa came into contact with infected material through bathing in common ponds |
Sarcocystosis |
Sarcocystis bovihominis,Sarcocystis suihominis |
intestine, muscle |
muscle biopsy |
widespread |
ingestion of uncooked/undercooked beef/pork with Sarcocystis sarcocysts |
Toxoplasmosis (Acute and Latent) |
Toxoplasma gondii |
eyes, brain, heart, liver |
blood and PCR |
worldwide: one of the most common human parasites; estimated to infect between 30–50% of the global population.[7][8][9][10] |
ingestion of uncooked/undercooked pork/lamb/goat with Toxoplasma bradyzoites, ingestion of raw milk with Toxoplasma tachyzoites, ingestion of contaminated water food or soil with oocysts in cat feces that is more than one day old |
Trichomoniasis |
Trichomonas vaginalis |
female urogenital tract (males asymptomatic) |
microscopic examination of genital swab |
7.4 million Americans |
sexually transmitted infection - only trophozoite form (no cyst) |
Sleeping sickness |
Trypanosoma brucei |
blood lymph and central nervous systems |
microscopic examination of chancre fluid, lymph node aspirates, blood, bone marrow |
50,000 to 70,000 people |
tsetse fly, day biting fly of the genus Glossina |
Chagas disease |
Trypanosoma cruzi |
colon, esophagus, heart, nerves, muscle and blood |
Giemsa stain - blood |
Mexico, Central America, South America - 16-18 million |
Triatoma/Reduviidae - "Kissing bug" Insect Vector, feeds at night |
Common name of organism or disease |
Latin name (sorted) |
Body parts affected |
Diagnostic specimen |
Prevalence |
Transmission/Vector |
Tapeworm - Tapeworm infection |
Cestoda, Taenia multiceps |
intestine |
stool |
rare |
|
Diphyllobothriasis - tapeworm |
Diphyllobothrium latum |
intestines, blood |
stool (microscope) |
Europe, Japan, Uganda, Peru, Chile |
ingestion of raw fresh water fish |
Echinococcosis - tapeworm |
Echinococcus granulosus, Echinococcus multilocularis, E. vogeli, E. oligarthrus |
liver, lungs, kidney, spleen |
imaging of hydatid cysts in the liver, lungs, kidney and spleen |
Mediterranean countries |
as intermediate host, ingestion of material contaminated by feces from a carnivore; as definite host, ingestion of uncooked meat (offal) from a herbivore |
Hymenolepiasis[11] |
Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis diminuta |
|
|
|
ingestion of material contaminated by flour beetles, meal worms, cockroaches |
Beef tapeworm |
Taenia saginata |
Intestines |
stool |
worldwide distribution |
ingestion of undercooked beef |
Cysticercosis-Pork tapeworm |
Taenia solium |
Brain, muscle, Eye (Cysts in conjuntiva/anterior chamber/sub-retinal space) |
stool, blood |
Asia, Africa, South America, Southern Europe, North America. |
ingestion of undercooked pork |
Bertielliasis |
Bertiella mucronata, Bertiella studeri |
Intestines |
Stool |
Rare |
Contact with non human primates |
Sparganosis |
Spirometra erinaceieuropaei |
|
|
|
ingestion of material contaminated with infected dog or cat faeces (humans: dead-end host) |
Common name of organism or disease |
Latin name (sorted) |
Body parts affected |
Diagnostic specimen |
Prevalence |
Transmission/Vector |
Clonorchiasis |
Clonorchis sinensis; Clonorchis viverrini |
gall bladder ducts and inflammation of liver |
|
|
ingestion of under prepared fresh water fish |
Lancet liver fluke |
Dicrocoelium dendriticum |
gall bladder |
|
rare |
ingestion of ants |
Liver fluke - Fasciolosis[12] |
Fasciola hepatica, Fasciola gigantica |
liver, gall bladder |
stool |
Fasciola hepatica in Europe, Africa, Australia, the Americas and Oceania; Fasciola gigantica only in Africa and Asia, 2.4 million people infected by both species |
freshwater snails |
Fasciolopsiasis - intestinal fluke[13] |
Fasciolopsis buski |
intestines |
stool or vomitus (microscope) |
East Asia - 10 million people |
ingestion of infested water plants or water (intermediate host:amphibic snails) |
Gnathostomiasis[14] |
Gnathostoma spinigerum, Gnathostoma hispidum |
subcutaneous tissues (under the skin) |
physical examination |
rare - Southeast Asia |
ingestion of raw or undercooked meat (e.g., freshwater fish, chicken, snails, frogs, pigs) or contaminated water |
Metagonimiasis - intestinal fluke |
Metagonimus yokogawai |
|
stool |
Siberia, Manchuria, Balkan states, Israel, Spain |
ingestion of undercooked or salted fish |
Metorchiasis |
Metorchis conjunctus |
|
|
Canada, USA, Greenland |
ingestion of raw fish |
Chinese Liver Fluke |
Opisthorchis viverrini, Opisthorchis felineus, Clonorchis sinensis |
bile duct |
|
1.5 million people in Russia |
consuming infected raw, slightly salted or frozen fish |
Paragonimiasis, Lung Fluke |
Paragonimus westermani; Paragonimus africanus; Paragonimus caliensis; Paragonimus kellicotti; Paragonimus skrjabini; Paragonimus uterobilateralis |
lungs |
sputum, feces |
East Asia |
ingestion of raw or undercooked freshwater crabs crayfishes or other crustaceans |
Schistosomiasis - bilharzia, bilharziosis or snail fever (all types) |
Schistosoma sp. |
|
|
Africa, Caribbean, eastern South America, east Asia, Middle East - 200 million people |
skin exposure to water contaminated with infected fresh water snails |
intestinal schistosomiasis |
Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma intercalatum |
intestine, liver, spleen, lungs, skin,rarely infects the brain |
stool |
Africa, Caribbean, South America, Asia, Middle East - 83 million people |
skin exposure to water contaminated with infected Biomphalaria fresh water snails |
urinary schistosomiasis |
Schistosoma haematobium |
kidney, bladder, ureters, lungs, skin |
urine |
Africa, Middle East |
skin exposure to water contaminated with infected Bulinus sp. snails |
Schistosomiasis by Schistosoma japonicum |
Schistosoma japonicum |
intestine, liver, spleen, lungs, skin |
stool |
China, East Asia, Philippines |
skin exposure to water contaminated with infected Oncomelania sp. snails |
Asian intestinal schistosomiasis |
Schistosoma mekongi - |
|
|
South East Asia |
skin exposure to water contaminated with infected Neotricula aperta - fresh water snails |
|
Echinostoma echinatum |
small intestine |
|
Far East |
ingestion of raw fish, mollusks, snails |
Swimmer's itch |
Trichobilharzia regenti, Schistosomatidae |
|
|
|
skin exposure to contaminated water (snails and vertebrates) |
Common name of organism or disease |
Latin name (sorted) |
Body parts affected |
Diagnostic specimen |
Prevalence |
Transmission/Vector |
Ancylostomiasis/Hookworm |
Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus |
lungs, small intestine, blood |
stool |
common in tropical, warm, moist climates |
penetration of skin by L3 larva |
Angiostrongyliasis |
Angiostrongylus costaricensis |
intestine |
stool |
|
ingestion of infected faeces or infected slugs |
Anisakiasis[15] |
Anisakis |
allergic reaction |
biopsy |
incidental host |
ingestion of raw fish, squid, cuttlefish, octopus |
Roundworm - Parasitic pneumonia |
Ascaris sp. Ascaris lumbricoides |
Intestines, liver, appendix, pancreas, lungs, Löffler's syndrome |
stool |
common in tropical and subtropical regions |
|
Roundworm - Baylisascariasis |
Baylisascaris procyonis |
Intestines, liver, lungs, brain, eye |
|
rare: North America |
stool from raccoons |
Roundworm-lymphatic filariasis |
Brugia malayi, Brugia timori |
lymph nodes |
blood samples |
tropical regions of Asia |
Arthropods |
Dioctophyme renalis infection |
Dioctophyme renale |
kidneys (typically the right) |
Urine |
Rare |
Ingestion of undercooked or raw freshwater fish |
Guinea worm - Dracunculiasis |
Dracunculus medinensis |
subcutaneous tissues, muscle |
skin blister/ulcer |
South Sudan (eradication ongoing) |
|
Pinworm - Enterobiasis |
Enterobius vermicularis, Enterobius gregorii |
intestines, anus |
stool; tape test around anus |
widespread; temperate regions |
|
Halicephalobiasis |
Halicephalobus gingivalis |
brain |
|
|
soil contaminated wounds |
Loa loa filariasis, Calabar swellings |
Loa loa filaria |
Connective tissue, lungs, eye |
blood (Giemsa, haematoxylin, eosin stain) |
rain forest of West Africa - 12-13 million people |
Tabanidae - horse fly, bites in the day |
Mansonelliasis, Filariasis |
Mansonella streptocerca |
subcutaneous layer of skin |
|
|
insect |
River blindness, Onchocerciasis |
Onchocerca volvulus |
skin, eye, tissue |
bloodless skin snip |
Africa, Yemen, Central and South America near cool, fast flowing rivers |
Simulium/Black fly, bite during the day |
Strongyloidiasis - Parasitic pneumonia |
Strongyloides stercoralis |
Intestines, lungs, skin (Larva currens) |
stool, blood |
|
skin penetration |
Thelaziasis |
Thelazia californiensis, Thelazia callipaeda |
Eyes |
ocular examination |
Asia, Europe |
Amiota (Phortica) variegata, Phortica okadai |
Toxocariasis |
Toxocara canis, Toxocara cati |
liver, brain, eyes (Toxocara canis - Visceral larva migrans, Ocular larva migrans) |
blood, ocular examination |
worldwide distribution |
pica, unwashed food contamined with Toxocara eggs, undercooked livers of chicken |
Trichinosis |
Trichinella spiralis, Trichinella britovi, Trichinella nelsoni, Trichinella nativa |
muscle, periorbital region, small intestine |
blood |
more common in developing countries due to improved feeding practices in developed countries. |
ingestion of undercooked pork |
Whipworm |
Trichuris trichiura, Trichuris vulpis |
large intestine, anus |
stool (eggs) |
common worldwide |
accidental ingestion of eggs in dry goods such as beans, rice, and various grains or soil contaminated with human feces |
ElephantiasisLymphatic filariasis |
Wuchereria bancrofti |
lymphatic system |
thick blood smears stained with hematoxylin. |
Tropical and subtropical |
mosquito, bites at night |
Common name of organism or disease |
Latin name (sorted) |
Body parts affected |
Diagnostic specimen |
Prevalence |
Transmission/Vector |
Mite - Acariasis |
Acari |
skin |
Microscopy of the skin surface |
Worldwide |
Use of contaminated clothing and bedding or skin to skin contact |
Bedbug |
Cimicidae Cimex lectularius |
skin |
visual |
Worldwide |
sharing of clothing and bedding |
Head louse - Pediculosis |
Pediculus humanus |
hair follicles |
visual identification under magnification |
Common worldwide |
head-to-head contact |
Body louse - Pediculosis |
Pediculus humanus corporis |
|
visual identification under magnification (Vagabond's disease) |
Worldwide |
skin-to-skin contact such as sexual activity and via sharing clothing or bedding |
Crab louse - Pediculosis |
Pthirus pubis |
pubic area, eyelashes |
visual identification under magnification |
Worldwide |
skin-to-skin contact such as sexual activity and via sharing clothing or bedding |
Demodex - Demodicosis |
Demodex folliculorum/brevis/canis |
eyebrow, eyelashes |
Microscopy of eyelash or eyebrow hair follicle |
Pandemic, worldwide |
prolonged skin-to-skin contact |
Scabies |
Sarcoptes scabiei |
skin |
microscopy of surface scrapings |
Worldwide |
skin-to-skin contact such as sexual activity and via sharing clothing or bedding |
Screwworm, Cochliomyia |
Cochliomyia hominivorax |
skin and wounds |
visual |
North America (eradicated), Central America, North Africa |
direct contact with fly |
Flea, Siphonaptera |
Pulex irritans |
skin |
visual identification under magnification |
Worldwide |
environment |
Tick |
Arachnida Ixodidae and Argasidae |
skin |
visual |
Worldwide |
High grass, leaf liter, Weeds |