Canine Flea

Most prolific parasite of the domestic dog

Fasciola hepatica

This is a picture of the oral sucker of Fasciola hepatica, a parasite. I took this during my Parasitology Laboratory class.:) Its common names are liver fluke or sheep liver fluke. It belongs to class Trematoda, phylum Platyhelminthes or the flat worms.

Malaria

Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Each year, there are approximately 515 million cases of malaria, killing between one and three million people, the majority of whom are young children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is commonly associated with poverty, but is also a cause of poverty and a major hindrance to economic development. Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases and an enormous public health problem. The disease is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Only four types of the plasmodium parasite can infect humans; the most serious forms of the disease are caused by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, but other related species (Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae) can also affect humans. This group of human-pathogenic Plasmodium species is usually referred to as malaria parasites. Malaria parasites are transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. The parasites multiply within red blood cells, causing symptoms that include symptoms of anemia (light headedness, shortness of breath, tachycardia etc.), as well as other general symptoms such as fever, chills, nausea, flu-like illness, and in severe cases, coma and death. Malaria transmission can be reduced by preventing mosquito bites with mosquito nets and insect repellents, or by mosquito control measures such as spraying insecticides inside houses and draining standing water where mosquitoes lay their eggs. Although some are under development, no vaccine is currently available for malaria; preventative drugs must be taken continuously to reduce the risk of infection. These prophylactic drug treatments are often too expensive for most people living in endemic areas. Most adults from endemic areas have a degree of long-term infection, which tends to recur and also possess partial immunity (resistance); the resistance reduces with time and such adults may become susceptible to severe malaria if they have spent a significant amount of time in non-endemic areas. They are strongly recommended to take full precautions if they return to an endemic area. Malaria infections are treated through the use of antimalarial drugs, such as quinine or artemisinin derivatives, although drug resistance is increasingly common.

Eucalyptus tree with some kid of parasite on it

Eucalyptus tree

Romeo's Blue Skies

ROMEO NO AOISORA is based on the novel FRATELLI NERI (THE BLACK BROTHERS) by Lisa Tetzner. Nippon Animation used the German translation, DIE SCHWARZEN BRUDER as the basis for the story; the novel has not been translated into English. Nippon Animation's official English title of ROMEO NO AOISORA is "ROMEO AND THE BLACK BROTHERS." The story begins in the Alps. Romeo and his family are poor, but they are happy, for they have each other. And, as corny as that sounds, that's enough for them. The family is prone to hardship, though, and all but one of its cornfields has withered and died under the drought. Their neighbors, unable to help because of their own impoverished positions, can only offer their condolences as they realize that Romeo's family is indeed the hardest hit by this run of bad weather and bad luck. For the most part, however, Romeo's family is happy, and content to subsist and survive as best they can. Their joy at being together makes all things bearable. Romeo has a decent life — a loving family, a would-be girlfriend, and a constant companion in Piccolo, his pet weasel. As if drought and crop failures weren't enough, the town is further plagued by the arrival of Luini, "the God of Death." He is a child broker, offering to buy children off of destitute families to go work as chimney sweeps in Milan. A parasite who makes his living at the expense of others' misfortunes, his presence makes the townspeople anxious. In the first several episodes, tragedy after tragedy befalls Romeo's family, and slowly their hope starts to erode. Romeo's father loses his temper with him at one point and Romeo runs away. After overhearing some women gossiping about the possibility of his family actually selling him, a heartbroken Romeo wanders the streets aimlessly. When his mother, a quiet and kind woman, finds him she reassures him that she would never sell any of her children. But Romeo's father is injured, and they have no money to pay for a doctor. Neither do any of the townspeople, Romeo discovers, as he offers to do odd jobs for them to earn the money necessary to restore his father's health. Romeo realizes that his father could very well die if he doesn't get medical attention. And of course, if his father dies, what will happen to his family? So, in true Romantic style, Romeo sells himself to the God of Death for 25 francs. Having sold himself to this strange and cruel man, what will become of him as he leaves his family and everything he loves behind and moves to a strange town to do a dirty, dangerous job? - http://www.ex.org/2.3/04-romeo1.html

Ticks

This is a diagram of different types of ticks.

Mosquito

Parasite, Sucking insect