Parasites abroad and while traveling: are they dangerous, where do you encounter them, where can you see them?
What are parasites?
- Parasites are life forms that survive at the expense of their host. The damage a parasite causes to its host can range from barely noticeable to life-threatening.
- Parasites can be animals, plants, fungi, single-celled organisms, and viruses, and virtually any life form can serve as a host. Only a fraction of all parasites are active on or in humans, yet many people quickly get the creeps at the thought of parasites.
- A parasite can live either internally (endoparasite) or externally (ectoparasite) on its host.
- Well-known endoparasites that you can contract while traveling abroad include: roundworms, tapeworms, malaria, sleeping sickness, schistosomiasis (formerly bilharzia), and giardiasis.
- Ectoparasites that travelers may encounter include: pubic lice, scabies, bed bugs, ticks, and fleas.
- When a host is certain to die at a specific stage in the life cycle, the organisms responsible are called parasitoids. This extreme form of parasitism is not really found in humans but mostly does occur in insects, where an infected insect is eaten from the inside out by the parasite.
Are parasites dangerous?
- Because most parasites benefit from keeping you alive, they have little interest in causing you severe harm quickly. However, they are often troublesome because your body mounts a defense response and the parasite does not leave easily. If the parasite multiplies inside your body, it becomes an increasingly serious health problem.
- Many parasites can now be killed quite easily with medication, and in Western countries parasites such as scabies mites, tapeworms, and fleas have become rare. In tropical countries, where clean drinking water may be less available, more parasites spread diseases among people.
- Some parasites are not dangerous themselves, but because they accidentally transmit diseases, the consequences of something like a tick bite can still be life-threatening.
- Some animals are considered dangerous even though they actually only serve as a host/carrier/vector for a parasite. Examples include freshwater snails, mosquitoes, rats, and tsetse flies.
Where can you contract parasites abroad?
- Because of the great variety of parasites, there are actually very few places where you cannot contract one.
- Due to the ideal living conditions, you need to be especially careful about parasitic infections in humid, tropical regions.
- The transmission of parasites is often associated with poor hygiene: dirty toilets, contaminated drinking water, unwashed food, food prepared with dirty hands, and poorly cleaned beds.
How can you prevent parasites?
- Washing your hands, ideally with soap, can reduce the risk of ingesting parasites.
- Avoid raw or undercooked meat dishes.
- Use clean drinking water, for example by using a water filter in areas without safe drinking water.
- Against some parasites, a physical barrier such as shoes, socks, long sleeves, or sleeping under a mosquito net is an effective solution.
Are there also beautiful parasites to see while traveling?
- Birds: Around the world, several cuckoo species have their eggs incubated by other bird species (brood parasitism).
- Plants: The largest flower on Earth is a parasite: *Rafflesia arnoldii*. This giant, foul-smelling flower, which smells like rotting meat and can grow up to 1 meter wide, can be found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Less spectacular but still a charming semi-parasite is mistletoe.
- Fungi: Some of the mushrooms you encounter abroad are parasitic.
Is my travel companion a parasite?
- The proverbial parasite: if you spend a long time with someone or travel together and the balance of advantages and disadvantages (financial or otherwise) clearly favors the other person, then that person is the parasite.
- Dealing with this type of parasite is usually best accomplished through a good conversation.
