Parasites

• Eukaryotic single- or multi-cellular organisms

Single-celled (protozoa)

• Amoebae
  • Obligate parasites
    • Entamoeba histolytica
    • Non-pathogenic: other Entamoeba species
  • Facultative parasites (that are also free-living)
    • Naegleria fowleri: causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis
    • Balamuthia mandrillaris: causes granulomatous amoebic encephalitis
    • Acanthamoeba species: causes granulomatous amoebic encephalitis and amoebic keratitis
• Flagellates
  • Non-kinetoplastic gut flagellates
    • Pathogenic: Giardia lamblia and Dientamoeba fragilis
    • Non-pathogenic: Chilomastix mesnili
  • Non-kinetoplastic blood and tissue flagellates
    • Pathogenic: Trichomonas vaginalis
    • Non-pathogenic: Trichomonas tenax and Pentatrichomonas hominis
  • Kinetoplastic flagellates: flagellated protozoa with DNA inside large mitochondria at one end
    • Trypanosoma species
      • Trypanosoma cruzii: causes American trypanosomiasis
      • Trypanosoma brucei: causes human African trypanosomiasis
        • Trypanosoma brucei subsp. gambiense: causes West African trypanosomiasis
        • Trypanosoma brucei subsp. rhodesiense: causes East African trypanosomiasis
        • Other subspecies have case reports of causing human disease
    • Leishmania species
      • Old World, visceralizing: L. infantum, L. donovani (in India)
      • Old World, tegumentary: L. infantum, L. donovani (Sri Lanka), L. major, L. tropica
      • New World, visceralizing: L. chagasi (genetically identical to L. infantum)
      • New World, tegumentary:
        • Viannia group (should be treated systemically): L. braziliensis, L. panamensis, L. guyanensis
        • Leishmania group (may need only local treatment): L. mexicana
• Apicomplexa (sexual reproduction)
  • Hemosporidia
    • Plasmodium species
    • Babesia species
  • Coccidia (not a microbiologically-sound category)
    • Blood and tissue: Toxoplasma gondii
    • Gut: Cryptosporidium species, Cyclospora species, Cystoisopora species
    • Both: Sarcocystis species
• Ciliates
  • Balantidium coli

Multicellular (helminths)

• Nematodes (roundworms)
  • Filarial/filariasis
    • Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis)
      • Wuchereria bancrofti
      • Brugia malayi
      • Brugia timori
    • Subsutaneous/tissue
      • Onchocerca volvulus
      • Loa loa
    • Serous
      • Mansonella perstans
      • Mansonella ozzardi
  • Non-filarial
    • Soil-transmitted
      • Ascaris lumbricoides (great roundworm)
      • Trichuris trichiura (whipworm)
      • Hookworm
        • Ancylostoma duodenale (Old World hookworm)
        • Necator americanus (New World hookworm)
      • Strongyloides stercoralis (threadworm)
    • Non-soil-transmitted
      • Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm)
      • Trichinella spiralis
      • Balisascaris procyonis
      • Dracunculus medinensis (Guinea worm)
      • Angiostrongylus cantonensis
      • Anisakis (herring worm)
      • Gnathostoma
• Cestodes (tapeworms)
  • Taenia saginata
  • Taenia solium
    • Adult worm
    • Neurocysticercosis
  • Echinococcus
  • Diphyllobothrium
• Trematodes (flatworms/flukes)
  • Lung
    • Paragonimus
  • Liver
    • Fasciola hepatica
    • Opisthorchis viverrini & Clonorchis sinensis
  • Intestinal
    • Fasciolopsis
  • Schistosoma
    • Schistosoma haematobium
    • Schistosoma mansoni

Ectoparasites

• Fleas
• Lice
  • Body lice
  • Head lice
  • Pubic lice
• Scabies
• Myiasis
  • Dermatobia hominis (human botfly)
  • Cordylobia anthropophaga (tumbu fly)
  • Cochliomyia hominivorax (New World screwworm fly)
  • Chrysomya bezziana (Old World screwworm fly)
• Tungiasis
  • Tunga penetrants