The new edition of this textbook provides an up-to-date overview of the most important parasites in humans and their potential vectors. Climate change and globalization steadily favor the opportunities for parasites to thrive. These challenges call for the latest information on pathogen transmission routes and timely preventive measures. For each parasite, this book offers a concise summary in eleven sections: 1. Naming 2. Geographic distribution and epidemiology 3. Morphology, biology and life cycle 4. Disease symptoms 5. Diagnosis 6. Infection pathways 7. Prophylaxis 8. Incubation period 9. Prepatency 10. Patency 11. Therapeutic options Numerous tables, diagrams and over 200 colorful illustrations highlight the main aspects of parasitic infestations and present suitable control measures. Moreover, 60 questions help to test readers’ theoretical knowledge of the field. Readers can additionally download the free Springer Nature Flashcards App and benefit from the digital study questions. In short, this work is highly recommended for anyone looking to delve into the field of human parasitology. It is intended for students of biology and human medicine, medical doctors, pharmacists and laboratory staff alike. Furthermore, persons who plan to visit or live longer in endemic regions will find essential information on necessary preventive and control measurements.

This textbook provides an up-to-date overview of the most important parasites in humans and their potential vectors. For each parasite, the book offers a concise summary including its distribution, epidemiology, life cycle, morphology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, prophylaxis and therapeutic measures. Numerous tables, diagrams and over 200 colorful illustrations highlight the main aspects of parasitic infestations and present suitable control measures. 60 questions help to test readers’ theoretical knowledge of the field. In short, the book is highly recommended for anyone looking to delve into the field of human parasitology. It is intended for students of biology and human medicine, medical doctors, pharmacists and laboratory staff alike. Furthermore, persons who plan to visit or live longer in endemic regions will find essential information on necessary preventive and control measurements.

This open access book analyzes the evidence linking Toxoplasma gondii to the increasing incidence of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in the United States. Initially establishing that infectious agents are regularly transmitted from animals to humans, lead to human disease, and that infectious agents can cause psychosis, it then examines the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii in detail. Infecting 40 million Americans, Toxoplasma gondii is known to cause congenital infections, eye disease, and encephalitis for individuals who are immunosuppressed. It has also been shown to change the behavior of nonhuman mammals, as well as to alter some personality traits in humans. After discussing the clinical evidence linking Toxoplasma gondii to human psychosis, the book elucidates the epidemiological evidence further supporting this linkage; including the proportional increase in incidence of human psychosis as cats transitioned to domestication over 800 years. Finally, the book assesses the magnitude of the problem and suggests solutions. Parasites, Pussycats and Psychosis: The Unknown Dangers of Human Toxoplasmosis provides a comprehensive review of the evidence linking human psychosis in the United States to infections of Toxoplasma gondii. It will be of interest to infectious disease specialists, general practitioners, scientists, historians, and cat-lovers.

This book presents the latest information on canine parasites with zoonotic potential, to help avoid human infections. Compiled by international specialists, it covers protozoa, ectoparasites and helminth species of clinical importance in dogs, as well as the state of the art in diagnosis, preventive measures and potentially necessary treatment schemes. Dogs are commonly kept in families around the world and can predispose their human companions to disease. Updating and deepening insights from other specialist literature, the book is intended for practitioners and scientists alike. It also offers practical guidance for veterinary and human physicians and highlights unexplored research areas, making it a valuable resource for students and educated non-experts with an interest in parasitology, infectiology and zoonotic pet diseases.

Opportunistic pathogens in the immunocompromised and immunosuppressed, exotic food, and travel to tropical regions, have all increased the number and types of rare parasites now frequently seen in practice. Identifying these organisms can be challenging. To help accurately identify them and diagnose their related diseases, Parasites in Human Tissues provides complete microanatomic descriptions of more than 70 parasites that can appear in human tissue. More than 700 diagnostic and clinical images, almost 600 in full color, illustrate anatomic and morphologic details for each organism. Parasites in Human Tissues summarizes the biology and life histories of these organisms as well as their clinical presentation and pathology. Among the etiologic agents covered are protozoa, nematoda, trematoda, cestoda, acanthocephala, pseudoparasites, pentastoma, and arthropods. Pathologists, research scientists, and anyone working in clinical and diagnostic settings will find Parasites In Human Tissues a comprehensive and useful guide to this increasingly important issue.

The evolution and life history of parasites, their role in shaping human history, as well as future threats posed by them.

The fear of parasites - with their power to invade, infest, and transform the self - writhes and wriggles through cultures and religions across the globe, reflecting a very human revulsion of being invaded and consumed by both internal and external forces. However, in ancient China, the parasitic wasp and the worm illuminate the relationship between the sage and his pupil. On the Indian sub-continent, Hindu cultures worship Nagas, entities who protect sources of drinking water from parasitic contamination, and the reciprocal relationship between parasite and host is a recurring theme in Vedic literature and ayurvedic texts. In medieval Europe, worms are symbols of both corruption through sin and redemption through Christ. In traditional African American culture, disease is attributed to infestation by supernatural spiders, bugs, and worms, while in the rainforests of southern Argentina, parasitologists fight against very real parasitic invaders. The worm represents our Jungian shadow, and we fear their bodies for they are our own - soft and vulnerable, powerfully destructive, mindlessly living off the corpses of others, and feeding on the corpse of the world. This book gathers together scholarly research from diverse disciplines, including anthropology, the health sciences, history, literature, the medical humanities, parasitology, sociology, and religious studies.