Contracted from infected mosquitos, malaria is one of the most successful human parasites. It travels from host-to-host through insects, destroying red blood cells as it multiplies.
Using your unwormed puppy as its host, the toxocara parasite enters the human digestive system in search of easy meals, but can spread out and end up feeding on your retina.
The trypanosoma parasite, which causes African sleeping sickness, is contracted through the tsetse fly. Trypanosomes feed off the body's red blood cells, destroying them and ultimately causing death.
Babesiosis is carried by ticks. It can cause extremely high fevers and even death! Common only in New England, every year it seems to show up further and further west.
The threadworm (aka Strongyloides) lives in soil contaminated by infected feces. It's attracted by chemicals in our feet. Once inside its host, it can spread quickly throughout the body.
Acanthamoeba keratitis is a single-celled parasite that feeds on bacteria. It can set up shop in the eye, feeding on bacteria found in the eye as well as the eye itself.
Leishmaniasis is a single-celled parasite that attacks the skin, causing terrible sores and permanent scarring. It's transmitted to humans through sand fly bites.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis manifests as painful sores that could, if infected, lead to death. It's caused by a flesh-eating parasite that may now be raging just outside of Dallas, Texas - a city of six million people.
One of the world's oldest and most notorious mass murderers, the bubonic plague, also known as the "Black Death," has leapt across the Atlantic Ocean to North America.
Summertime means being outside, and being outside means watching out for ticks. The bloodsucking parasites transmit illnesses like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Jorge Ribas gets tips on how to avoid them.
The candiru is attracted by urea, a compound found in both fish gill waste products and human urine. When this fish attacks a man's urethra, the results are both gruesome and shocking. Viewer discretion advised.