Protozoan which two are Very Common in the U.S. and What Diseases do they cause?

The protozoan is a word that comes from two Greek words, the prefix pro meaning before and the word Zoe meaning life, together the meaning of protozoa is “before animals” which refers to unicellular eukaryotes. I am going to be talking about two types of protozoa that you may have heard of or even contracted at one time or another. They are very common in the United States and affect over 14 million people each year yet only affect a small percentage of those people.

Protozoa are primitive un-complex organisms, whose and based on the flagellated protozoan, which two of these organisms are most common in the U.S., and what diseases do they cause?

Protozoan parasites that are common in the U.S.

As you know, Protozoa are single-celled eukaryotic organisms that are too small to see without a microscope.

There are over 100,000 species of Protozoa, and they’re everywhere! Some kinds of these tiny critters can even live inside your body.

Of course, some types of Protozoa are more common than others. And some types cause diseases in humans.

Here are the two most common Protozoan parasites in humans:

Protozoan parasites are single-celled organisms that can cause disease in humans. There are many types of protozoan parasites, but only two are very common in the United States:

1. Giardia lamblia

2. Entamoeba histolytica.

Giardia lamblia :

This causes giardiasis, the most common parasitic disease in humans. The parasite is found in stool and water supplies worldwide, but it is particularly common in developing countries where sanitation is poor.

Symptoms include:

• Diarrhea,
• Bloating,
• Abdominal pain,
• Nausea,
• Weight loss.

If untreated, giardiasis can result in malabsorption of nutrients from food and vitamin deficiencies.

Entamoeba histolytica :

This causes amoebic dysentery and liver abscesses. It is found worldwide but is especially prevalent in tropical regions with poor sanitation; it’s also common among swimmers and other people who ingest contaminated water or food.

Symptoms include:

• Fever,
• Anemia (low red blood cell count),
• Abdominal pain,
• Bloody diarrhea (which may be tarry),
• Ulcers on the tongue or mouth tissue (difficult to heal),
• Fatigue (feeling tired),
• Weight loss (loss of appetite).