Viruses are one of the most common infectious agents, causing disease in millions of people on a daily basis. We all get one or two viral infections in a year. The flu and common cold are frequently seen examples of infections caused by viruses. Most of us know that the flu and cold are not serious and rarely lead to >> Read More ...
The 2014 outbreak of Ebola has caused a global scare, but this viral disease is not new. It was first identified in 1976, and it most likely has existed for far longer. Since 2000, there has been an outbreak almost every year. However, the current outbreak seems to be a worldwide concern as it is far more widespread than >> Read More ...
Diarrheal illnesses due to infections are common throughout the world. Most are short-lived and do not lead to any serious complications. It may be caused by a number of different organisms, like viruses and bacteria. One of the most common of these organisms is a protozoan known as Giardia lamblia. However, many people >> Read More ...
Parasitic worms can infest just about any part of the body, and the skin is not immune to these organisms. The idea of a worm living in or under the skin may be scary but these parasites are not the typical worms found in the soil. Instead these skin worms are usually tiny organisms that reside in the body, either within >> Read More ...
Humans have co-existed with animals for millenia. Pets primarily provide companionship and the dog, cat and bird are by far the most common pets for these reasons. Despite the fact that we live so closely with these animals, it is not entirely without any health risk. There are several infectious diseases that humans can >> Read More ...
There are many different types of parasitic worms that can infect humans. Roundworms are one such type. There are some 500,000 species of roundworms and about 60 are known to infect humans. It can infect a number of different organs in the human body, not only the digestive tract as is often though. Most infections are not >> Read More ...
House flies are such a common insect that it is considered part of everyday life for humans. Most of us see it as just an irritation, buzzing around and trying to feed on any food it can access within the home but flies can also transmit diseases. In fact many common infections are transmitted by house flies. Some diseases >> Read More ...
The pesky mosquito is a nuisance to most of us but it can in fact be deadly. Mosquitoes cause more deaths globally than any other insect. However, this has to be put into context because it is not the mosquito itself that is so deadly but rather the parasites that it may spread through its bites. While many of these >> Read More ...
Of the scores of parasitic diseases that can afflict humans, schistosomiasis is among the most devastating. Yet it is still not a well known disease in developed nations despite global travel placing more people at risk than just residents of endemic areas. Schistosomiasis infects over 200 million people throughout the >> Read More ...
There are many types of parasitic worms that can infest the human body. Most of us know about worms that live in the gut and feed off nutrients in the food we eat. But there are parasitic worms that can even live within the organs in the body or bloodstream. Flatworms are one category of parasitic worms that live in the >> Read More ...
