2^nd International Conference on Parasitology August 01-03, 2016 Manchester, UK

Medical parasitology traditionally has included the study of three major groups of animals: parasitic protozoa,parasitic helminths (worms), and those arthropods that directly cause disease or act as vectors of various pathogens. A parasite is a pathogen that simultaneously injures and derives sustenance from its host. Some organisms called parasites are actually commensals, in that they neither benefit nor harm their host (for example, Entamoeba coli). Although parasitology had its origins in the zoologic sciences, it is today an interdisciplinary field, greatly influenced by microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, and other life sciences.A misconception about parasitic infections/worms is that they occur only in tropical areas. Although most parasitic infections are more prevalent in the tropics, many people in temperate and subtropical areas also become infected, and visitors to tropical countries may return with a parasite infection.

Worms are prolific little creatures.  They can release tens of thousands of eggs at a time and it's the eggs or the freshly hatched larvae that we inadvertently pick up as we walk barefoot or garden in infected soil.  Parasitic infection may spread through contaminated water, fruits, vegetables, grains, poultry, fish or meat.  Parasites, in addition, can be transferred from pet to owner.  Since children spend more time outdoors, they're more likely than adults to be exposed to parasites.

A variety of invertebrates bite or feed on or in the human skin, including flies, fleas, bedbugs, lice, mites and ticks.With a few exceptions, including larvae of a few flies, scabies mites and hard ticks, all these parasites bite, feed quickly, and leave. All of these skin parasites leave tell tale signs, including itchy, round, red papules (swellings). The majority of the bites last about two weeks if left alone. If scratched (something that is hard to resist) the itchiness and swellings could last up to two months. In addition, human fingernails are loaded with bacteria and scratching often leads to infections.

Tapeworms are flat segmented worms that live in the intestines of some animals. Animals can become infected with these parasites when grazing in pastures or drinking contaminated water.Six types of tapeworms are known to infect people. They are usually identified by the animals they come from -- for example Taenia saginata from beef, Taenia solium from pork, and Diphyllobothrium latum from fish.

Intestinal parasites cause significant morbidity and mortality. Diseases caused by Enterobius vermicularis, Giardia lamblia, Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus, and Entamoeba histolytica occur in the United States. E. vermicularis, or pinworm, causes irritation and sleep disturbances. Diagnosis can be made using the “cellophane tape test.” Treatment includes mebendazole and household sanitation. Giardia causes nausea, vomiting, malabsorption, diarrhea, and weight loss.

Antiparasitics are a class of medications which are indicated for the treatment of parasitic diseases such as those caused by endoparasites such as nematodes (roundworms), cestodes (tapeworms), trematodes (flatworms), and parasitic protozoa(the cause of malaria)and those diseases caused by ectoparasites such as lice, fleas, mites and ticks.

A. castellanii is a ubiquitous organism, found in many ecosystems worldwide. It is able to survive in harsh environmental circumstances – even in some contact lens solutions – and this is not the first occurrence of A. castellanii appearing in the eye. Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a neglected malady frequently associated with contact lens wear.

Acanthamoeba infection of the cornea causes severe inflammation, intense pain and impaired vision, which is blinding if left untreated. Infection begins when the parasite is at its active feeding trophozoite stage and sticks to the corneal tissue before penetrating the lower stromal layer. The resulting opacity leads to less sharp vision and eventually blindness.

In some parts of the world, brain infections may be due to worms or other parasites. These infections are more common in developing countries and rural areas. They are less common in the United States.The infection is treated with albendazole or praziquantel (drugs used to treat parasitic worm infections, called antihelminthic drugs). Corticosteroids are given to reduce the inflammation that occurs as the larvae die. Seizures are treated with anticonvulsants.

Some parasites can be bloodborne. This means:

• the parasite can be found in the bloodstream of infected people; and
• the parasite might be spread to other people through exposure to an infected person's blood (for example, by blood transfusion or by sharing needles or syringes contaminated with blood).

Examples of parasitic diseases that can be bloodborne include African trypanosomiasis, babesiosis, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, malaria, and toxoplasmosis. In nature, many bloodborne parasites are spread by insects (vectors), so they are also referred to as vector-borne diseases. Toxoplasma gondii is not transmitted by an insect (vector).

Dietary Adjustments– If you do have yeast or parasites, any sugars at all can feed an infestation and make removal very uncomfortable. If you are embarking on a natural treatment for Candida, fungi or parasites, remove all sources of natural sugar from you diet, including sources like honey and fruits. Some Stevia is ok once in a while, but avoid anything that gives the body a sugar source and feeds yeast or parasites. Consider also avoiding dairy for 1-2 weeks to give you body a boost.

Sweat– As your body kills off parasites and yeast, their by-products must be removed from the body, along with the toxins that they might have bound to. Some of these are best removed through the sweat glands, so let your body sweat by exercising, taking cayenne supplements and getting in hot tubs or saunas during the healing process.

The majority of the fish parasites which cause disease in fish include protozoal parasites.  Typically, these parasites are present in large numbers either on the surface of the fish, within the gills, or both. When they are present in the gills, they cause problems with respiration and death will commonly occur when additional stressors are present in the aquatic environment.  

Globally, contaminated water is a serious problem that can cause severe pain, disability and even death. Common global water-related diseases caused by parasites include Guinea worm, schistosomiasis, amebiasis, cryptosporidiosis (Crypto), and giardiasis. People become infected with these diseases when they swallow or have contact with water that has been contaminated by certain parasites.

Parasites are responsible for major economic losses in food–producing animals and are important in companion animals. We are able to offer a wide range of services for the study of ectoparasites and endoparasites in both groups.

Immunoparasitology is "the study of the immunology of host-parasite relationships". Parasites are pathogens that simultaneously injure and derive sustenance from its host. They are skilled evaders of host immunity of host pathogen interactions. Parasites are the organisms that complete part or all of their life cycle within a host organism. Infections of humans caused by parasites number in billions and range from relatively innocuous to fatal. 

Structural parasitology is the study of structures of parasitic proteins.  Among protozoan parasites, the phylum of Apicomplexa includes organisms responsible for malaria, toxoplasmosis and cryptosporidiosis.  Trypanosoma and Leishmania parasites, belonging to the phylum of Kinetoplastida, cause Chagas disease, African Sleeping Disease and visceral leishmaniasis.  For some of these diseases, such as malaria, existing drugs face the threat of resistance.  For others, such as cryptosporidiosis, there is no effective chemotherapy.

Vector-borne diseases are parasitic infections transmitted by the bite of infected arthropod species, such as mosquitoes, ticks, triatomine bugs, sandflies, and blackflies. Arthropod vectors are cold-blooded (ectothermic) and thus especially sensitive to climatic factors. Weather influences survival and reproduction rates of vectors, in turn influencing habitat suitability, distribution and abundance; intensity and temporal pattern of vector activity (particularly biting rates) throughout the year; and rates of development, survival and reproduction of pathogens within vectors. 

Many infections and infestations that are classified as "tropical diseases" used to be endemic in countries located in the tropics. This includes widespread epidemics such as malaria, Ebola and hookworm infections as well as exceedingly rare diseases like lagochilascaris minor. Many of these diseases have been controlled or even eliminated from developed countries, as a result of improvements in housing, diet, sanitation, and personal hygiene.

Resistance to parasitic worms/protozoa appears to be similar to resistance against other infectious agents, although the mechanisms of resistance in protozoan infections are not yet as well understood. Resistance can be divided into two main groups of mechanisms: (1) nonspecific mechanism(s) or factor(s) such as the presence of a nonspecific serum component that is lethal to the parasite; and (2) specific mechanism(s) involving the immune system. Probably the best studied nonspecific mechanisms involved in parasite resistance are the ones that control the susceptibility of red blood cells to invasion or growth of plasmodia, the agents of malaria. 

The Malaria Centre brings together researchers from many disciplines to make innovative and thorough contributions to the advancement of knowledge on malaria. Some of the fundamental questions which need to be addressed if we are to reduce the impact of malaria can be answered using skills from single scientific disciplines such as immunology, parasite biology, epidemiology or clinical research. Many of the most important barriers to effective prevention and treatment of malaria, especially amongst the poorest and most vulnerable, can however only be overcome using research which cuts across traditional scientific boundaries. 

Control and eventual elimination of human parasitic diseases requires novel approaches, particularly in the areas of diagnostics, mathematical modelling, monitoring, evaluation, surveillance and public health response.Recent developments in new diagnostic tools, however, have opened new avenues for a vast improvement in parasite detection. Firstly, a number of newer serology-based assays that are highly specific and sensitive have emerged, such as the Falcon assay screening test ELISA (FAST-ELISA) , Dot-ELISA , rapid antigen detection system (RDTS) , and luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) . Secondly, molecular-based approaches such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) , real-time polymerase chain reaction , and Luminex  have shown a high potential for use in parasite diagnosis with increased specificity and sensitivity. Thirdly, proteomic technology has also been introduced for the discovery of biomarkers using tissues or biological fluids from the infected host.