31/12/2021
Parasites: The World’s Most Undiagnosed Infection
What is a Parasite?
According to the CDC, “a parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. There are three main classes of parasites that can cause disease in humans: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites.”
For billions of years, parasites and their hosts have been competing with each other. The first strains of bacteria were parasitized by the first strains of viruses. When multicellular life began to form, microbes colonized them. So, parasites have continued to evolve into a collection of diverse and various forms that are crucial in the circle of life, however; in today’s age, parasites are a root cause of disease that is often overlooked.
Every aspect of the human body holds a defense mechanism to fight off invaders like parasites. Our largest defense is our skin which provides a barricade for the millions of microbes that occupy the surface. Our eyes contain and release tears by using a flushing system when attacked by intruders. Our ears are populated with hairs to keep out invaders. Our mouth contains enzymes that break down microbes. Our nose has a process for shielding pathogens from penetrating the body. If these intruders invade the body and pass these systems, our niche organs initiate their own defense systems. For example, our stomach holds hydrochloric acid (HCL) that diminishes pathogens and protects the gut from microscopic invaders. If our body does not have sufficient HCL, the risk of getting a bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection is at a higher risk.
With such advanced biological processes you would expect humans to come out victorious most of the time and be unbothered by parasites. Unfortunately that is false. Parasites are extremely complex beings with highly intelligent skill sets that are exponentially more advanced than previously thought. A parasite’s goal is to live a life undetected by the immune system and medical testing… and most of the time they succeed.