A parasite is an organism that obtains its nutrition from another organism, the host, to the detriment of that organism. Parasites need a host to grow and multiply, and this relationship often causes damage to the host organism.
It cannot be said otherwise: parasites have no stone with their victims. His conquest strategies are noteworthy; from entering and devouring the host from inside the host, others replace the victim’s tongue with their own body, others cause blindness, some conquer the brain of their host by controlling their movements and modifying their behavior in a suicidal way, there are even parasites that can trigger facial paralysis …
Its effect on nature is not to be overlooked. Parasites dramatically impact our world in more ways than one, affecting host populations and even the biodiversity of an area. They also affect hundreds of millions of people around the world each year, devastating communities on several continents.
Although it is one of the most common “lifestyles” on Earth (scientists estimate it to be found at an average of 60:40 in nature), parasites are unavoidable. For humans, there are at least 100 of them that are specific to humans. They are called scary because they are usually small and most do not realize that a parasite has infected them until it is too late.
They can also transmit diseases. Furthermore, many of the major diseases that plague the tropics around the world are the result of parasitic infections. One of the most common parasites, malaria, kills between 1.5 and 2.7 million people each year, and this number is expected to increase as the planet warms, creating new breeding grounds for the carrier. of the parasite, the Anopheles mosquito.
And as we know they do not only affect humans. Parasites also infect other animals, insects, and plants. And yes, there is a good chance that you have been infected by a parasite at some point.
We find them of different sizes: from tiny single-celled organisms to worms visible to the human eye. We review them.
