A Tropical Skin Infection Spread by Sand Flies Is Spreading in the U.S.

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• October 20, 2023
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 re...

What Is Heartworm and How Can You Protect Your Pet From It?

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• January 28, 2023
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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, accordin...

Two Veterinary Meds Show Promise Against a Tough Foe: Bed Bugs

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 1, 2022
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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
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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
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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
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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 healt...

Tiny Mites Are Feeding on Your Skin, But for How Long?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• June 22, 2022
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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