Parasites and Wellness – a beginner's guide

The following presentation is a beginner's guide to some of the most common parasites that cause disease. By knowing the "who, what, and where" of the parasite world, we can defend against parasites and prevent the diseases they cause!

Prevention, as they say, is the best cure.

Parasites and Wellness © 2026 by U. Nomi vs. Parasites, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Transcript

1. A presentation by Nomi, Spring of 2026 Parasites and Wellness Image credits: Blumenthal & Davis, 2005
2. 2 Parasites – what are they? • Pests that live in or on other animals and use them for food In: ⦾ Worms ⦾ Flukes ⦾ Amoeba “ ⦾ Protozoa” (single cells) On: ◦ Fleas ◦ Ticks ◦ Lice ◦ Mites Image credits: Harry Reese blog
3. roundworm egg hatching egg adult worm protist protist tapeworm tapeworm liver fluke amoeba
4. mite louse flea dog tick deer tick
5. bedbugs mite
6. 6 • Water – Lakes, rivers – Dirty wells – Broken pipes – After floods – Failure in water treatment plant Parasites – where are they? Image credits: lifecareus.com, stickerbrand.com, cnn.com, kayakingnation.com, oldcastleinfrastructure.com
8. tapeworm (wild dogs) (moose meat) (moose liver) tapeworm cysts
9. 9 Parasites – where are they? • Raw fruits and vegetables • Undercooked meat – Pork, beef, deer, poultry, seafood Image credits: stories.tamu.edu, globalhealthnow.org, lifecareus.com, wikitropica.org, sciencephoto.com, dailymail.com Toxoplasma larvae in muscle Cyclospora Cryptosporidia
10. tapeworm (adult) tapeworm (larvae)
11. roundworm
12. cyst cyst hatched larvae
13. 13 Parasites – what do they do? • Cause skin problems • Cause digestion problems • Cause brain damage • Give you another disease Image credits: alamy.com, netclipart.com, welovecatz.hu, med.news.am
14. 14 Parasites – how do we stop them? • Prevention! – Diagnosis can be hard – Treatment isn’t always available Image credits: omahaexploring.org, istockphoto.com
15. 15 Prevention – good hygiene • Wash hands for 20-30 seconds • Wash fruits & vegetables Image credits: metabetageek.com, scimoms.com
16. 16 Prevention – good hygiene • Cook meat thoroughly • Boil or filter water Image credits: narodnatribuna.info, alamy.com, bigberkeywaterfilters.com
17. 17 Prevention – good hygiene • Wash clothes & linens regularly • Keep body clean Image credits: vectorstock.com
18. 18 Prevention – handling pets • Clean up after pets • Wash hands after handling cat litter • Deworm pets regularly Image credits: dogpoopsigns.com, airtasker.com, 79pets.com
19. 19 • Get pets checked by a vet – Many parasites can spread from pets to humans – keep pets healthy! Prevention – medical professionals • If you think you have a parasite infection, tell a doctor! – Especially if you’ve been traveling Image credits: stock.adobe.com,
20. Bacteria: "Borrelia burgdorferi"
21. 21 Lyme Disease Prevention • Check for ticks after being outdoors! Image credits: CDC
22. 22 Lyme Disease Prevention • Recommended way to remove ticks: Image credits: CDC
23. 23 Caution!!! Cryptosporidia & Giardia • Wild animals poop outside and contaminate surface water. Image credits: CDC, alchetron.com, flickr.com • Symptoms: fever, gut pain, diarrhea, dehydration • No real treatment- illness clears on its own – Stay hydrated!
24. cryptosporidia giardia