A parasite is ... Parasites: examples, names, photos

The living world of our planet is extremely diverse and unique. It's hard to think of something more beautiful, perfect and amazing. Plants, animals, mushrooms, bacteria - all of them adapt differently to existence, have their own distinctive features. Each organism strives to occupy its ecological niche, to become part of the general circle of life. Therefore, it is arranged as it can, using all means available for this purpose.

Ecological groups of organisms by types of coexistence

Naturally, living in one territory and often having a similar source of food, all living beings are forced to interact with each other. In total, there are 9 types of coexistence of organisms:

1. Neutralism - the species do not depend on each other and are not related by any interaction.
2. Competition - interspecific and intraspecific. A healthy source of natural reduction in the number of species, the seizure of territories by certain species of plants and animals.
3. Mutualism, or symbiosis - a type of relationship in which species mutually beneficial cooperate with each other. In this case, the benefits are obvious to both sides. Example: mycorrhiza and tree roots, nitrogen fixing bacteria and plants, etc.
4. Interspecific mutual assistance. The type of relationship in which representatives of different species unite against one enemy, relieve each other of parasites, and so on.
5. Commensalism and foresia - the life of a larger host is a source of shelter or nourishment for another, smaller species. Harm does not get neither one nor the other, the benefit is one-sided.
6. Amensalism - the life of one organism disrupts the normal existence of another. Example: a tree and grass under it, not getting enough light.
7. Parasitism, when one species is the master, the other is the guest, which causes great harm to the health and life of the organism. The class of parasites is quite extensive. Evolutionarily such organisms have gone on the path of regression. Among them there are representatives of all the kingdoms of living nature.
8. Predation is the eating of stronger types of weaker ones. The main importance is the regulation of the number of species and purification from sick and weak representatives.
9. Allelopathy - chemical oppression by some species of plants of others.

One of the most serious forms of interaction of organisms affecting a person and his health is parasitism. Let's consider it in more detail.

A parasite is who?

If you translate the term verbatim, it means "near food", "next to food". This already explains to a great extent what kind of creatures these are. Parasites are organisms existing at the expense of the host's activity, settling inside or outside and consuming the products of vital activity. They cause great harm, often fatal.

A parasite is one who lives at someone else's expense in all senses and relationships. There are representatives who settle in man, animals, plants. Cause a lot of diseases, lead to poisoning and intoxication, slowly kill the host's body from the inside. On the external appearance and internal structure are very diverse parasites. Photos of many of them can be seen in the article. Representatives themselves can refer to the following organisms:

1. Plants-parasites.
2. Insects are parasites.
3. Protozoa.
4. Animals.
5. Mushrooms.
6. Bacteria.

It is obvious that such forms of life exist among representatives of each kingdom. Let's look at some of them, consider the way of life, the features of the structure and the harm to the owners.

Single-celled parasites

The smallest representatives of this ecological group of organisms. Often completely indistinguishable to the naked eye. Have features in the structure:

• The shape of the body can be constant, and can change due to the absence of the shell and turgor;
• Reproduce both sexually and asexually (depending on environmental conditions);
• Contain special substances that do not allow them to digest in the host's body;
• Can for a long time be in a state of frozen processes of vital activity, a kind of sleep (cysts);
• Breathe the entire surface of the body;
• Move with the help of cilia or flagella, pseudopods.

Types of parasitic protozoa

A single-celled parasite is a dangerous creature that is transmitted from person to animal and back, causing a number of serious and dangerous diseases in its owner. Typical examples are:

• Leishmania;
• Trypanosomes;
• Malarial plasmodium;
• Dysentery amoeba;
• Toxoplasma;
• Babesia;
• Gregarines, etc.

Parasites, whose names are listed above, cause the diseases of the same name in humans and animals, the consequences of which remain terrible even after treatment. Wounds on the skin that have a very unpleasant appearance, affected areas of external and internal organs, deterioration of the general physiological state, sleep disturbance, infertility and many others.

Leishmania

One of the most dangerous unicellular creatures for man and many animals are leishmanias. Such a parasite is a microscopic body that has a flagellum on one end of the body, and a blepharoplast on the other. The central part contains the core. Settled these creatures in the spleen, liver, bone marrow. They feed on the contents of cells, inhibiting their vital functions. They are able to multiply rapidly, after that they start to harm the owner. They are carried by insects, for example flies.

The disease that this simple parasite causes is called leishmaniasis. It can take two forms:

• dry;
• Wetting.

It appears in purulent wounds on the skin, very rapidly spreading over the entire surface of the body. The treatment is long, difficult, sometimes the time is up to a year. The main places of spread and infection by the parasite are India, Italy, China, Iran.

Trypanosomes

The simplest parasite that causes severe diseases. The most common is sleeping sickness. Trypanosomes exist in different forms. Places of penetration and lesions in the body:

• Lymph and blood;
• Head and spinal cord;
• Serous fluids.

The carrier of the disease is the Tsetse fly, bedbugs. It is distributed mainly in Africa. Symptoms of sleeping sickness:

• Blisters on the skin, inside which the parasites reproduce and develop;
• Dizziness;
• nausea;
• Loss of coordination;
• Neurological diseases;
• Mental retardation;
• High fatigue;
• Weakening of immunity, etc.

Perhaps the course in a more acute form, ends with a lethal outcome. Treatment is difficult, for several months and even years. It is best to conduct prophylaxis and to form immunity to this parasite by specially developed methods.

Parasites among insects

There are also a lot of them, they sometimes cause very dangerous and serious diseases. The most common insect parasites:

• Lice - external parasites of the body of mammals (including humans), can cause diseases such as typhus;
• Fleas - absorb the blood of warm-blooded creatures, cause plague;
• Various flies - feed on scum, organic and rotting remnants, cause diseases in animals and humans such as plague, dysentery, typhus, anthrax, tuberculosis, infect parasitic worms;
• Bed bugs - bite through the skin, feed on blood, cause infectious diseases, allergic;
• Malarial mosquitoes - intermediate hosts, carrying plasmodium, which causes the development of malaria;
• Flies and gadflies - drink the blood of animals, infecting them with various infectious diseases.

The listed parasites are examples of organisms from which you can easily wall yourself and your loved ones if you keep clean, personal hygiene and keep pets in order.

Ticks

The most dangerous among insects is the encephalitis mite. In fact, he is so called for the disease, the development of which he provokes. In fact, this insect is called "taiga" and "dog tick". The animal itself is small, only up to 4 mm in length. However, his bite is extremely dangerous. Together with saliva, the encephalitis virus enters the bloodstream. The further development of the disease will depend on the immunity of the victim. If it is strong enough, the disease will not develop. If not, the consequences can be quite severe. The most common consequences of encephalitis:

• fever;
• intoxication;
• Damage to the brain;
• meningitis;
• Neurological diseases;
• mental disorders;
• death.

It is obvious that such parasites are extremely dangerous and unpleasant for a person. The photo of the tick can be seen below.

Plants-parasites

All plants by the way autotrophs feed. So it is considered to be. However, it turns out that some of them feed heterotrophically, being either parasites or predators. The most common forms of living at the expense of the owner and causing him irreparable harm are:

• Broomrape;
• dodder;
• Gear;
• Mistletoe;
• The cellar is large;
• Representatives of the Rafflesian.

Settled on cultivated plant species, parasites, examples of which are given above, cause severe diseases, often leading to death and significantly reducing yields and crops. Therefore, the struggle with such organisms is very active.

Other forms do not settle on cultivated plants, but on any other - trees, shrubs, grasses and so on. And just as they cause various diseases in them, they take away nutrients and water, deprive them of life.

Mistletoe

Typical parasites on trees are mistletoe. The most common form is mistletoe stained. It looks rather magnificent and beautiful, but the owner, from which the vital juices are sucked, is very pale and dry. The roots of the mistletoe interweave in the crown of the tree and thus gain access to all mineral compounds and water.

Outwardly the mistletoe looks like an evergreen lushly flowering bush, located on the branches or crown of the owner. Which trees are most often affected by this parasite?

1. Fruit crops.
2. Birches.
3. Poplars.
4. Maples.
5. Pines.
6. And you.
7. Falsification.

In the common people it also has the names "bird's glue" and "oak berries".

Animals-parasites

Among animals, the parasitic lifestyle is predominantly worms: round, flat, and others. The lungs, heart, digestive organs, blood and lymphatic system, liver are affected. The worm adapts to life inside the body in such a way that no harm can be done to it by the master. The parasite has:

• A special shell, which protects against digestion by gastric juice;
• Hooks, hooks and other structures for holding and moving;
• Simplified organ systems;
• The ability to rapidly reproduce and lay off thousands of eggs at a time.

The most common worms that are recruited in humans are the following: lentets, tinnitus bull and dwarfish, ascaris, trichinella, dyrofilaria, loiasis, schistosoma, whipworm and others.

Often children are affected by parasitic worms, as games on the street neglect cleanliness. Also, the most popular sources of infection are meat, fish and other protein products that have undergone insufficient heat treatment.