Patient Resources
Get Healthy!
Results for search "Parasites: Misc.".
Health News Results - 26
A Tropical Skin Infection Spread by Sand Flies Is Spreading in the U.S.
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- October 20, 2023
- Full Page
Climate change is bringing diseases once considered tropical afflictions to the United States, and new research warns that a parasite spread by sand flies may be the latest to join this growing list.
The Leishmania parasite causes several forms of the disease le...
Rat-Borne Parasite That Can Cause Brain Disease Spreading in Southern U.S.
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- September 20, 2023
- Full Page
Brown rats found and analyzed near Atlanta now carry rat lungworm, researchers report.
It's a parasite that can trigger a dangerous brain encephalitis in both people and pets, and which now threatens a wide area of the U.S. Southeast.
Researchers in Georgia say the...
Doctors Pulled Live Worm From Australian Woman's Brain
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 29, 2023
- Full Page
Doctors plucked a wriggling roundworm from the brain of an Australian woman in the world's first-known case of human infection with a parasite common in some pythons.
The woman, who had been experiencing worsening symptoms for at least a year, is believed to have gotten ...
Parasites Plagued Ancient Reptiles 200 Million Years Ago
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 10, 2023
- Full Page
Scientists have found evidence of ancient parasites preserved in the dung of an aquatic predator from more than 200 million years ago.
The ancient predator -- believed to be an extinct crocodile-like reptile called a phytosaur -- was infected with nematodes and multiple ...
New Malaria Case Reported in Florida Brings National Total to 8
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- July 19, 2023
- Full Page
The United States now has had eight reported cases of malaria, seven of them in Florida, state health officials reported Tuesday.
Considered a public health emergency, these cases are the first in two decades to be acquired within this country's borders, not reported by ...
Ticks May Be Spreading 'Wasting Disease' Among Wisconsin Deer
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- July 14, 2023
- Full Page
Ticks may be responsible for the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Wisconsin's deer population, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that ticks can harbor transmissible amounts of the protein particle that cause...
Stray Cats Shed Toxoplasmosis Parasites in Cities, Especially in Warm Weather
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 22, 2023
- Full Page
Wild and feral cats appear to release more toxoplasmosis parasites in places densely populated with people, new research suggests.
These cats also "shed" more when the temperature is warmer, a significant finding given climate change, according to the report published o...
New Parasite Is Killing Sea Otters, and Might Pose Threat to People
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- March 23, 2023
- Full Page
A rare strain of the parasite Toxoplasma has killed four sea otters along the California coast, raising concerns about a potential public health risk.
“The appearance of this lethal type of Toxoplasma in coastal California is concerning for two main ...
What Is Heartworm and How Can You Protect Your Pet From It?
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- January 28, 2023
- Full Page
It's possible to prevent heartworms in many of your furry friends — dogs, cats and ferrets, specifically.
Heading off a severe and sometimes deadly illness simply requires regular, year-round preventive treatment through a pill, injection or topical medication, accordi...
Two Veterinary Meds Show Promise Against a Tough Foe: Bed Bugs
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- December 1, 2022
- Full Page
Two common drugs that veterinarians use to kill parasites on pets could be the solution to getting rid of bed bugs.
Both fluralaner and ivermectin, which are used to kill fleas and ticks on household pets, could also kill bed bugs. The newer, longer-lasting fluralaner sh...
Dangerous Parasite That Can Infect People Now Found in U.S. Foxes
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- November 17, 2022
- Full Page
A rare parasitic disease that has long been documented in Europe seems to have taken root in the United States.
Researchers in Vermont are reporting on two human cases of the disease, called alveolar echinococcosis (AE), which were caused by a European strain of the para...
Pious Parasites: Medieval Monks Battled Nasty Gut Germs
- By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 19, 2022
- Full Page
Medieval monks were much more wormy than average folks, a new archaeological analysis has revealed.
Those living in medieval Cambridge were nearly twice as likely to be infected by
Monoclonal Antibody Might Help Prevent Malaria
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- August 4, 2022
- Full Page
Researchers are reporting early but encouraging findings on a potential new way to prevent malaria — an old foe that still ranks as a major killer worldwide.
In a small trial of heal...
Tiny Mites Are Feeding on Your Skin, But for How Long?
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 22, 2022
- Full Page
It's an icky truth: Everyone has millions of tiny mites living and mating on their skin.
Not to worry, though -- Demodex folliculorum skin mites actually help keep your pores clean and your skin healthy, stressed Alejandra Perotti, an associate professor of inve...
Dangerous Germs Floating on Microplastics in Ocean Wind Up in Food, Water
- By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
- April 29, 2022
- Full Page
Land parasites that pose a risk to human and wildlife health can hitch rides on the millions of pounds of microplastics that float between oceans, a new study shows.
"It's easy for peopl...
'Dr. Chimp Will See You Now'? Primates Use Medicine, Study Suggests
- February 1, 2022
- Full Page
Chimpanzees aren't monkeying around when they catch insects and place them on open wounds, researchers report.
An ongoing study of about 45 chimps in Loango National Park in Gabon is the first to document via video that such "healing" behavior is occurring, according to ...
Insurance Often Covers Ivermectin for COVID, Even Though Drug Doesn't Work
- Robert Preidt
- January 17, 2022
- Full Page
U.S. insurers are paying millions of dollars a year to cover the cost of ivermectin for COVID-19 patients despite a lack of proof the anti-parasitic drug is effective against the virus, a new study finds.
Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Or...
In Ancient Times, Even the Rich Had Parasites
- Cara Murez
- January 12, 2022
- Full Page
In ancient times, intestinal parasites weren't just an affliction of the poor. Even the well-to-do had them.
Researchers studied the contents of a cesspit beneath a toilet in Jerusalem. They found the remains of several types of intestinal
Confusion, Seizures: People Hospitalized After Taking Veterinary Drug for COVID
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- October 21, 2021
- Full Page
It's a drug that's been supported by some conservative media figures, but taking ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19 might land you in the hospital, a new study warns.
Interest in the drug surged last summer as the highly contagious Delta variant took over the United...
Common Dog Parasite Now Resistant to Drug Treatments
- Steven Reinberg
- September 28, 2021
- Full Page
Hookworms -- a common parasite in animals -- have become resistant to multiple deworming drugs used to kill them, a new study finds.
Veterinarians typically use three types of drugs to kill hookworms, and all three have lost their effectiveness, researchers report.
Don't Use Veterinary Drug Ivermectin Against COVID, FDA Warns
- Robert Preidt
- March 9, 2021
- Full Page
Desperate for a treatment against COVID-19, some Americans have reached for an anti-parasitic drug aimed at animals, with serious consequences, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.
"Never use medications intended for animals on yourself. Ivermectin preparations f...
Toxin in Undercooked Meat Shows Links to Rare Brain Tumors
- Cara Murez
- January 12, 2021
- Full Page
A foodborne pathogen may be linked to a type of rare brain cancer in adults, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that people who have glioma are more likely to have antibodies to toxoplasma gondii than a similar group that was cancer-free. That indicates th...
Icky Prescription: Could Hookworms Help Ease MS?
- Dennis Thompson
- June 15, 2020
- Full Page
In a new trial there are hints, but no proof, that a wriggling intestinal parasite might help fight multiple sclerosis.
The lowly hookworm has for years been proposed as a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune disorders.
But t...
Your Sushi May Serve Up Parasitic Worms
- Robert Preidt
- April 13, 2020
- Full Page
You may get more than you bargained for when you eat sushi, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that since the 1970s, there's been a 283-fold increase in the abundance of a parasitic worm that can be transmitted to people who eat raw or undercooked seafood.
...
'Semi-Slug' Is Spreading a Lethal Parasite in Hawaii
- Alan Mozes
- July 8, 2019
- Full Page
A brain-invading killer parasite hides on a half-snail/half-slug creature before slipping into a salad, just waiting to be swallowed by hungry humans. Is it the plot of a B-movie or a real medical threat?
Unfortunately, the threat is real. Across the state of Hawaii,...
Bedbugs Date Back to T. Rex's Time
- Robert Preidt
- May 16, 2019
- Full Page
Bedbugs have a long history, all the way back to the dinosaur age, a new study says.
British researchers said bedbugs evolved more than 100 million years ago and were around when dinosaurs were in charge.
"To think that the pests that live in our beds toda...