What Are Intestinal Parasites?
Intestinal parasites are either one-cell organisms or intestinal worms that live in the human intestines (small or large) and use the stool or blood from intestinal wall as a source of the food.
1. One-Cell Parasites – Protozoa
One cell organisms like Giardia lamblia, also called Giardia duodenale (Picture 1), cryptosporidium (crypto) and cyclospora utilize nutrients from the stool are part of Protozoa (Greek protos = first, zoa = animals). They may cause inflammation of the small intestine thus reducing its absorption capacity. Entamoeba hystolytica predominantly lives in the colon.
Picture 1. Parasite giardia from a stool sample,
as seen under the electron microscope (actual size:~0.01 mm)
(source: phil.cdc.gov)
continue reading Human Intestinal Parasites – Symptoms and Treatment
