Parasites
Parasites
Parasites (/ˈpærəsaɪts/) are organisms that live on or in a host organism and get their food from or at the expense of their host. There are several different types of parasites, including protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. Parasites can cause disease in humans.
Etymology
The word "parasite" comes from the Greek παράσιτος (parasitos), "one who eats at the table of another" and that from παρά (para), "beside, by" + σῖτος (sitos), "wheat", hence "food".
Types of Parasites
- Protozoa are microscopic, one-celled organisms that can be free-living or parasitic in nature. They are able to multiply in humans, which contributes to their survival and also permits serious infections to develop from just a single organism.
- Helminths are large, multicellular organisms that are generally visible to the naked eye in their adult stages. They are more commonly known as worms and can be divided into three types: flatworms, thorny-headed worms, and roundworms.
- Ectoparasites are organisms that live on the skin of a host, rather than inside the body. They include ticks, fleas, lice, and mites.
Related Terms
- Host (biology) is an organism that harbors a parasitic, a mutualistic, or a commensalist guest (symbiont), the guest typically being provided with nourishment and shelter.
- Symbiosis is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic.
- Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life.
- Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Parasites
- Wikipedia's article - Parasites
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