2024-01-24 20:24:20
Today it is estimated that almost one in two living species is a parasite. By definition, it is a species that lives in a foreign organism on which it depends. In other words, a parasite takes from its host what it needs to survive. The vast majority of them play an essential role in the regulation of ecosystems, and several scientists pleaded so that the means are mobilized to ensure the proper conservation of parasites.
But it happens that the cohabitation between a parasite and a human body takes place in a much less pleasant way. Their often exotic names are sometimes surprisingly explicit and revealing. This is particularly the case of the brain-eating amoeba or even the great liver fluke. Discover Magazine has drawn up the portraits of two other particularly disgusting parasites, which often prove to be much more dangerous than the very classic lice and bedbugs.
Which is more dangerous?
It is commonly accepted that Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest of all. It is the worst of the five plasmodia responsible for malaria. If it is indeed mosquitoes that transmit malaria, they are in fact just one host among others in the eyes of P. falciparum. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO)malaria affects more than 200 million people and kills more than 600,000. Young children are most exposed to the fatal risks of malaria.
Which is the biggest?
Diphyllobothrium broad is considered the largest parasite that can reside in human hosts. This tapeworm can grow up to 30 feet long and make your intestines its home. To illustrate what 9 meters represents, imagine that the French basketball player Victor Wembanyama is duplicated and placed end to end four times. As a tapeworm, D. latum has no trouble settling in and moving through the human gastrointestinal tract.
Even if none of the characteristics mentioned above portend any relief at the idea of being inhabited by this parasite, it remains largely less dangerous than P. falciparum. Most often, the symptoms of D. latum are unpleasant but remain fairly harmless, limited to nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. However, it can be much more dangerous if it leaves your intestinal tract and heads to your liver, eyes or brain.
To avoid this disaster scenario, the best thing is to make sure you never let this parasite inhabit you. As with other tapeworms, you must especially ensure that the meat and fish you eat are properly cooked and kept cool. Seen from another angle, this may be the ultimate reason to convince you to adopt a vegetarian diet.
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