Parasitic Diseases

The cause of an itchy beard can range from natural processes to a serious infection. Growing out your facial hair When you shave, you leave a sharp edge on the end of each hair inside its follicle, the tiny tube that contains and shields each hair. When the hair grows out, this sharp edge can scratch the follicle, causing it to itch. When you're growing out a beard after shaving for a long time, all of your follicles across your face can itch. Dry skin Dry skin, also called xerosis, can develop when the weather is dry or cold or due to genetic factors, the use of certain medications, and some diseases. Shampoos, soaps, and other facial products can also affect the skin's natural oils, drying your skin and making your beard itch. Dry skin with scaling and skin thickening might be due to ichthyosis. This family of skin conditions includes acquired and genetic types. Skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema can also make your skin dry, causing your beard to itch. Learn about othe...

There are three types of parasites that can cause disease in humans. Within these types are numerous species. Parasites are organisms that live in or on a living host of another species. They survive by taking nutrients from this host. In this article, we detail the different types of parasites and parasitic infections that can affect humans. There are three types of parasites that can cause diseases in humans. Protozoa: Protozoa parasites are single-celled organisms. Protozoa can only multiply, or divide, within the host. Helminths: These are worm parasites. They are typically visible to the naked eye at their adult stage. Unlike protozoa, they cannot multiply in humans. Ectoparasites: These live on rather than in their hosts. They include lice, fleas, and mosquitos. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , the following parasitic infections are common in the United States: Learn more about parasites in humans here. Many types of parasites can affect huma...

Summary Background Control efforts against soil-transmitted helminths focus on preventive chemotherapy with albendazole and mebendazole, however these drugs yield unsatisfactory results against Trichuris trichiura infections. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of moxidectin and albendazole compared with ivermectin and albendazole against T trichiura in adolescents living on Pemba Island, Tanzania. Methods This open-label, non-inferiority, randomised, controlled, phase 2/3 trial was done in four secondary schools (Kilindi, Kwale, Ndagoni [Chake Chake District], and Kiuyu [Wete District]) on Pemba Island, Tanzania. Adolescents aged 12–19 years who tested positive for T trichiura in at least two of four Kato-Katz slides with a mean infection intensity of 48 eggs per gram (EPG) of stool or higher were considered for inclusion. Participants were randomly assigned (21:21:2:2:8) to five treatment groups (8 mg moxidectin and 400 mg albendazole [group 1], 200 μg/kg ivermectin and 400...

Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz have made headlines everywhere with what they recently announced in an exclusive interview. And while America is applauding their creation, the pharmaceutical industry digging for a lawsuit. The renowned doctors announced a project they have been working on for years has finally come to fruition, and it's users could not be more excited about it. Here is what Dr. Oz said: "Most people have now heard of cannabinoid oil, commonly known as CBD. However, not everyone knows how it works. Some older men and women see CBD as having the hallucinogenic effects like 'pot' or 'weed.' This causes a negative stigma. CBD actually has no THC whatsoever, which means there are absolutely no hallucinogenic effects. It is completely different. But there was still a problem with the CBD on the market... Although current companies have been selling CBD, the type of CBD is not potent enough to h...

When people think of the diseases mosquitos carry, they often think of malaria. However, mosquitos can also transmit a range of viruses, such as the Zika virus. Mosquitos are common flying insects that belong to a group of animals called arthropods, along with flies, fleas, and ticks. Many arthropods can be hosts, or vectors, of pathogens that include : viruses bacteria parasites ectoparasites The term for viruses that mosquitos carry is arthropod-borne viruses or arboviruses. However, only female mosquitos transmit diseases since it is only the females that consume blood. Arboviruses use arthropods to transport viruses from one vertebrate to another. For example, a mosquito will acquire the virus when feeding on the blood of a host with the infection. It will then transfer the virus to a new host during its next feed. The following is a list of diseases that mosquitos can transmit to humans. Malaria Malaria is not a virus — a parasite causes this mosquito-borne disease. The parasite u...

Like many other viruses, monkeypox cannot be diagnosed by symptoms alone. Although infections are sometimes treated based on symptoms (typically in areas where an outbreak is occurring), lab testing is needed to confirm the diagnosis and ensure that monkeypox is the cause and not some other disease. Monkeypox is diagnosed with lab tests that detect genetic evidence of the virus from a swab of a skin sore. Blood tests and other lab tests may be used to rule out diseases that look similar to monkeypox, such as chicken pox or syphilis. This article walks you through what is involved in diagnosing monkeypox, including when monkeypox testing is recommended. Sebastian Condrea / Getty Images Self-Checks There are no at-home tests to diagnose monkeypox. While you may assume you have monkeypox because you've been in contact with someone who has it, the signs and symptoms can vary from one person to the next. In the early stages, there may ...