Parasitology, Microbiology and Infection Control

Blood Parasites

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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).