Monsters Inside Me
Meet the deadly parasites from Monster Inside Me. See amazing pictures; learn about their life cycles and the infections they cause; see incredible, graphic video and more. Check back often for new parasites!
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THE BEDBUG
Like vampires, bedbugs suck blood from sleeping victims. They're attracted by our body heat and the carbon dioxide in our breath.
THE BOTFLY
Imagine an insect growing in your skin and feeding on your blood. Meet the botfly, a relatively harmless yet horrifying parasite.
THE BRAIN-EATING PARASITE
Watch your nose next time you get splashed, lest this nasty parasite gains entry, travels up your spinal cord and devours your brain.
THE "CAT POOP" PARASITE
Commonly picked up from kitty feces, this parasite can cause non-feline hosts to "lose their mind" (or their vision).
THE "CRYPTO" PARASITE
The parasite responsible for "crypto" is found in every region of the United States and throughout the world.
THE ELEPHANTIASIS PARASITE
This thread-like parasitic roundworm causes lymphatic filariasis, which at its most extreme can lead to elephantiasis.
THE EYE-EATING PARASITE
This single-celled parasite feeds on bacteria in the eye, but it doesn't stop there; it even feeds on the eye itself.
THE LUNG FLUKE
This nasty parasite camps out in — you guessed it — the lungs, where it lays eggs that are coughed up, then swallowed and passed out.
THE MALARIA PARASITE
Spread by blood-sucking mosquitos, the malaria parasite invades and breeds in blood cells once it finds a human host.
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THE PORK TAPEWORM
The horror of the pork tapeworm is that it doesn't stay put in the intestine. It can travel to the eye, spinal cord or brain...
THE PUPPY-BORNE PARASITE
New puppy on the horizon? Be extra careful around its stools if you don't want a case of Toxocariasis, which can lead to blindness.
THE RACCOON ROUNDWORM
Also called Baylisascaris procyonis, this brain-eating parasite is carried by 80 percent of raccoons in the United States.
THE RAT LUNGWORM
This parasite's life cycle includes infected rat phlegm, feces-eating snails and other gross stuff. Dying to know more?
THE SCREWWORM
The screwworm parasite, the larval stage of the "man-eater" fly, tears at flesh with its curved teeth and voracious appetite.
THE SKIN-EATING PARASITE
Carried by sand flies, this tiny parasite causes skin sores that can develop into severe ulcers and leave permanent scars.
THE SLEEPING SICKNESS PARASITE
Not as relaxing as it sounds, this parasite, carried by the tsetse fly, attacks the nervous system causing severe complications.
THE "SNAIL FEVER" PARASITE
Called a schistosome, this parasite passes from snails to humans, where it can live, breed and feed on blood for decades.
THE THREADWORM
Once inside you threadworms make their way to the small intestine, where they pump out babies and wreak havoc.
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