Trematodes
With adult organisms found in the venous plexuses of the urinary bladder, this trematode is the only blood fluke that directly infects the urogenital tract of humans.
Schistosoma haematobium
Although its definitive hosts include members of family Felidae, this parasite can pass transplacentally to a fetus during acute infection of a pregnant human host.
Toxoplasma gondii
Internationally, this nematode is the most common intestinal roundworm, and a causative organism of Löffler's syndrome in humans.
Ascaris lumbricoides
Beware “the kiss” of this parasite, for chronic infection can result in dilated cardiomyopathy or megaesophagus.
Trypanosoma cruzi
Better to ingest the maturing larvae of this cestode and develop gastrointestinal disease; eating this parasite in its egg form, alternatively, may lead to migration of larvae into human brain tissue.
Taenia solium
Come one, come all! This tick is a vector for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus disease, among others.
Ixodes scapularis
No, this isn't "Helter Skelter": the eggs of this trematode have a characteristic lateral spine seen via microscopy.
Schistosoma mansoni
This parasite exists morphologically only within a trophozoite stage, often visualized in the laboratory as “pear-shaped.”
Trichomonas vaginalis
Along with Strongyloides, this parasite can penetrate skin, and transiently bypass the lungs.
Hookworm
The late-stage trophozoite of this parasite is viewed as a characteristic “band form” via microscopy.
Plasmodium malariae
Developing megaloblastic anemia after a vacation to Scandinavia may prompt concern for infection with this cestode.
Diphyllobothrium latum
You are unlikely to contract beef tapeworm from an undercooked Texas T-bone if you’ve previously developed an alpha-gal allergy from the saliva of this tick.
Amblyomma americanum
Often contracted through ingestion of freshwater crabs or crawfish, this trematode encysts within the lungs of its host.
Paragonimus
Found as a promastigote in the alimentary tract of sandflies, this parasite exists as an intracellular and nonmotile amastigote within the mononuclear phagocytes of infected humans.
Leishmania
Common in Central Africa and other tropical regions, the adult form of this nematode resides in afferent lymphatic channels and produces sheathed microfilariae that migrate in the peripheral blood.
Wuchereria bancrofti
The deadliest species of its genus, this parasite is recognizable as banana-shaped in its gametocyte form.
Plasmodium falciparum
Adult forms of this cestode are found in the feces of rats, which are then consumed by insects before infecting humans.
Hymenolepis
If you had the misfortune of developing both Tularemia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever while hiking the Appalachian trail, you most likely encountered this tick.
Dermacentor variabilis
Most common in China and the Philippines, this trematode deposits up to 3,000 circular-ovoid eggs per day in the intestinal wall vessels of its host.
Schistosoma japonicum
A thermophilic parasite, infective trophozoites of this entity transform into microbial cysts at temperatures below 50 °F.
Naegleria fowleri
Contrasted with the long buccal canal and absence of genital primordium in Hookworm, this nematode is notable for its short buccal canal and “prominent” genital primordium.
Strongyloides stercoralis
Transmitted by ticks of the family Ixodidae, the merozoite form of this parasite shares imagery with a Mediterranean republic.
Babesia
Development of hydatid cysts is a known complication of this “doggone” parasite.
Echinococcus granulosus
If you developed Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever after traversing the Rio Grande in New Mexico, it’s most likely you encountered this tick.
Rhipicephalus sanguineus
Parasitic infection by this trematode is correlated with an increased risk for the development of cholangiocarcinoma within its host.
Clonorchis sinensis
This parasite is a causative organism of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, entering the human body through abrasions in the skin or by inhalation into the upper respiratory tract.
Acanthamoeba
The barrel-shaped, symmetric eggs of this “whipping” nematode hatch in the human small intestine, while developed forms penetrate the mucosa of the large intestines, sometimes leading to rectal prolapse.
Trichuris trichiura
Don’t sleep on this parasite – throughout its life cycle, it remains extracellular and evades host antibody recognition through antigenic variation, causing fragmented sleep-wake cycles in later stages of infection.
Trypanosoma brucei
You will know to blame your undercooked filet mignon instead of your Grandmom’s pork chop because of the greater than 12 proglottids you counted for this parasite via microscopy.
Taenia saginata
Also known as the Gulf Coast Tick, this organism transmits Rickettsia parkeri--the etiologic agent of American tick bite fever/Tidewater spotted fever.
Amblyomma maculatum