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Our Clinic was recently featured on BBC Radio and BBC TV
programme "Mastermind"
Coming soon "The Parasite Confusion" ebook
Welcome
The Parasite Clinic in London focusses on parasite research, testing and finally treatment.
We run the Parasite Clinic within the Immune Clinic London with a team of excellent practitioners covering: Microbiology/Parasitology, Nutrition, Body Therapy, Gastroenterology. The team focusses on Prevention & Management, Tests, Treatment and Aftercare.
We are specialists in testing and treating:
SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)
Gut parasites
Food Allergies and Intolerances
Histamine Intolerance
Tyramine Intolerance
Biogenic Amines
PFPS (Post Foodpoisoning Syndrome)
Chronic Fatigue
Dysbacteriosis
Viruses
Fungi
On this page
-DIRK BUDKA'S OTHER WEBSITES
- INTRODUCTION
- HOW DO HUMANS CONTRACT PARASITES
- STUDY THEM TO BEAT THEM
- THE TOP LIST OF PARASITIC PROTISTA
- LINKS
- LIST OF BIOLOGICAL AGENTS: PARASITES
To download the brochure THE BIG PARASITE SCARE CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE for MSML Laboratories
CLICK HERE for Laser Clinic London
CLICK HERE for Bacteria Clinic
CLICK HERE for Nutrition London
CLICK HERE for Immune Clinic London
CLICK HERE for STOP READY MEALS
CLICK HERE for IBS Forum
CLICK HERE for Histamine Information
INTRODUCTION
Definition: A parasite is an organism which lives off another organism (called a host). A parasite usually grows on or inside its host. It also often, but not always, feeds on it. A parasite does not help its host in any way. Parasite comes from the Greek word "Parasitos" meaning "one eats of the table of another".
"Every living thing has at least one parasite that lives inside it or on it. Many, like leopard frogs and humans, have many more. There's a parrot in Mexico with thirty different species of mites on its feathers alone. And the parasites themselves have parasites, and some of those parasites have parasites of their own...
Scientists have no idea just how many species of parasites there are, but they do know one dazzling thing: parasites make up the majority of species on Earth. According to one estimate, parasites may outnumber free-living species four to one. In other words, the study of life is, for the most part, parasitology."
This is how the science-journalist CARL ZIMMER writes about Parasites... And he takes it much further...
"Imagine a world where parasites control the minds of their hosts, sending them to their destruction.
Imagine a world where parasites are masters of chemical warfare and camouflage, able to cloak themselves with their hosts' own molecules.
Imagine a world where parasites steer the course of evolution, where the majority of species are parasites.
Welcome to earth.
Parasites are among the world's most successful and sophisticated organisms. They can transform the insides of other creatures into hospitable homes. They can evade the onslaught of the immune system and even make it serve them. They can even control the minds of their hosts and force them to do their bidding. And thanks to these skills, parasites may make up the majority of all species."
Very sensational indeed... but wait a minute!
MALARIA, caused by the parasite Plasmodium, has killed half of all men, women and children who have died on the planet!
The WHO estimates that 1 in 10 is infected by a tropical disease and that 1 in 4 harbours a parasite. This is an enormous toll on world health and of course on the global economy.
Pathogens are emerging and evolving rapidly.
picture: Ankylostoma duodenale (Hookworm) (Image Library CDC, Center for Disease Control And Prevention, Atlanta)
HOW DO HUMANS CONTRACT PARASITES?
- Drinking water
- Skin contact with contaminated water
- Food
- Insects
- Air
- Pets
- People
- Soil
STUDY THEM TO BEAT THEM
WHAT CAN BE DONE? WHAT CAN SCIENTISTS AND MEDICAL PRACTITIONER DO?
- We have to learn to live with them.
- We have to learn their biology, their novel pathways, membrane structure and function, antigenic variation, receptors, protein trafficking and sorting.
- How do they move, reproduce and feed?
- How are they made of?
- How do they cause infections?
- How do they live inside and outside humans?
- How can they withstand these diverse conditions?
- What is the benefit for parasites in killing their host?
Once we have answers to these questions, we can develop:
- NOVEL THERAPEUTICS
- NOVEL VACCCINES
- EFFECTIVE PREVENTION SCHEMES
Right now, the existing parasite medication is not very effective, creates even more drug resistance in parasites and many of these drugs have severe side-effects.
The parasite clinic London offers a unique service of parasite testing and parasite cleanse combining complementary and conventional methods.
Plants are a valuable source of natural products for maintaining human health and the use of plant compounds for pharmaceutical purposes has increased. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), medical plants would be the best source to obtain a variety of drugs.
THE TOP LIST OF PARASITIC PROTISTA:
Plasmodium spp.
... causes Malaria. The parasite is transmitted via insect bite, i.e. Anopheles mosquito. It infects liver endothelial cells and red blood cells. Plasmodium falciparum may even produce continous fever and results in death. Approx. 3 million people die each year from malaria.
Occurence: warm countries (mostly tropical and subtropical countries)
Trypanosoma brucei
... causes the African sleeping sickness (Trypanosomiasis). The parasite is transmitted via insect bite, i.e. Tsetse fly. The sub-species T. b. gambiense produces chronic disease. It invades the central nervous system and produce the typical symptoms: tremors, sleepiness, paralysis, and finally death within months. The sub-species T. b. rhodesiense causes acute disease and the host often dies even before the disease can develop.
Occurence: Africa
Trypanosoma cruzi
... causes the "Chagas Disease" (American Trypanosomiasis). The parasite is transmitted via insect bite, i.e. triatomid bugs. It defacates on the host while feeding. The faeces enter the human body through the bite wound and penetrates the myocardial fibers. The parasites multiply for several days and escape into the bloodstream. They invade liver, spleen, muscles, intestinal mucosa, which results in multiple organ failure, and finally death within months to years.
Occurence: South and Central America
Trichomonas vaginalis
... causes infections of the urogenital systems. The parasite is transmitted via sexual intercourse with infected individuals. It attaches to the epithelial cells and causes inflammation and swelling.
Occurence: worldwide
Giardia lamblia
...causes infections of the gut and diarrhoea. The parasite is transmitted via the faecal-oral route from contaminated water and food. It sticks to the intestinal epithelium, but does not destroy host cells. Pain, dehydration and weight loss might occur.
Occurence: worldwide
Cryptosporidium parvum
... causes cryptosporidiosis usually in immunocompromised patients. Often in HIV patients it infects intestinal epithelial cells causing watery diarrhoea which might last for several months. Bowel movements up to 30 per day is not unusual. Cryptosporidiosis is on the rise, but in immunecompetent persons it lasts a few days and is often self-limiting.
Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major
... causes cutaneous leishmaniasis, which is endemic to many parts of the world. The parasite is transmitted via insects, i.e. sandflies. There are 20 different species which can infect humans. Exposure to soil, mud and contaminated water may attribute to this fatal infection. At the time there is no recommended treatment. The infection is usually fatal.
Occurence: worldwide
Naegleria fowleri
... causes amoebic meningoencephalitis involving the central nervous system. The parasite is transmitted via contaminated water (swimming/diving). It enters the nasal passage and migrates along the olfactory nerves. Death occurs within days.
Occurence: worldwide
Blastocystis hominis
... causes blastocystosis, although it is not clear if this parasite is the cause of the disease and not other bacteria and fungi which always occur together with B. hominis. Symptoms like diarrhoea, anal itching, weight loss are symptomatic for many other bacteria, parasites, fungi. It is transmitted via the faecal-oral route through contaminated water and food.
Occurence: worldwide
Entamoebia histolytica
... causes diarrhoea, amoebic dysentery and liver abscesses. The parasite is transmitted via the oral-faecal route through contaminated water and food. It causes mucosal distruction in the gut with severe abdominal pain, cramps, vomiting and extensive scarring of the intestinal wall. Death can occur with gut perforation and liver abscesses.
Occurence: worldwide (more in warm countries)
Acantamoeba spp.
... causes blinding keratitis mostly associated with contact lense use. The parasite stick to the lense surface after washing lenses with tap water or home-made saline. Swimming with contact lenses and extensive wear are predisposing factors. Treatment takes many months and is difficult if keratitis is not diagnosed early enough. Severe pain increases the suicide rate of keratitis sufferers.
Acanthamoeba spp. causes also granulomatous encephalitis involving the central nervous system, but is limited to patient with weak immune systems. The disease is usually fatal.
Occurence: worldwide
Balamuthia mandrillaris
... causes granulomatous encephalitis involving the central nervous system, but is not limited to patient with weak immune systems and attacks also immunocompetent patients. Exposure to mud and soil and swimming in contaminated water attribute to this fatal infection.
Occurence: worldwide
Toxoplasma gondii
... causes toxoplasmosis. This parasite is intracellular within the intestinal epithelial cells, macrophages and muscles cells. It attacks more often immunocompromised patients and causes fever, imflammation, swelling of the lymph nodes. It then attacks lung, liver, heart and brain and may cause death. Pregnant women with toxoplasmosis may pass it on to their child. The parasite is transmitted by eating raw or un/undercooked meat. The oocysts are also very often ingested through cat faeces.
The parasite clinic London offers a unique service of parasite testing and parasite cleanse combining complementary and conventional methods.
 Toxoplasma gondii cyst in brain tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin (100×, Zoom of Image. Image Library from the CDC, Center for Disease Control And Prevention, Atlanta)
top picture: a blood smear from a patient with African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei (Image Library CDC, Center for Disease Control And Prevention, Atlanta)
LINKS
for information about the tests at the Hale Clinic
Parasite Genome Internet Resources and Contacts
CDC Center for Disease Control and Prevention
To visit Nutrition London
To visit IBS-forum
to visit the Stop-Ready-Meals campaign
American Parasitology Website
LIST OF BIOLOGICAL AGENTS: PARASITES
Acanthamoeba castellanii
Acanthamoeba spp
Ancylostoma duodenale
Angiostrongylus cantonensis
Angiostrongylus costaricensis
Anisakis simplex
Ascaris lumbricoides
Ascaris suum
Babesia divergens
Babesia microti
Balantidium coli
Blastocystis hominis
Brugia malayi
Brugia pahangi
Brugia timori
Capillaria philippinensis
Capillaria spp
Clonorchis - see Opisthorchis
Contracaecum osculatum
Cryptosporidium parvum
Cryptosporidium spp
Cyclospora cayetanensis
Cyclospora spp
Dicrocoelium dendriticum
Dientamoeba fragilis
Dipetalonema - see Mansonella
Diphyllobothrium latum
Dracunculus medinensis
Echinococcus granulosus
Echinococcus multilocularis
Echinococcus vogeli
Entamoeba histolytica
Enterobius vermicularis
Enterocytozoon bieneusi
Fasciola gigantica
Fasciola hepatica
Fasciolopsis buski
Giardia lamblia (Giardia intestinalis)
Heterophyes spp
Hymenolepis diminuta
Hymenolepis nana
Isopora belli
Leishmania aethiopica
Leishmania brasiliensis
Leishmania donovani
Leishmania mexicana
Leishmania peruviana
Leishmania major
Leishmania tropica
Leishmania spp
Loa loa
Mansonella ozzardi
Mansonella perstans
Mansonella streptocerca
Metagonimus spp
Naegleria fowleri
Necator americanus
Onchocerca volvulus
Opisthorchis felineus
Opisthorchis sinensis (Clonorchis sinensis)
Opisthorchis viverrini (Clonorchis viverrini)
Opisthorchis spp
Paragonimus westermani
Paragonimus spp
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium spp (human & simian)
Pseudoterranova decipiens
Sarcocystis suihominis
Schistosoma haematobium
Schistosoma intercalatum
Schistosoma japonicum
Schistosoma mansoni
Schistosoma mekongi
Schistosoma spp
Strongyloides stercoralis
Strongyloides spp
Taenia saginata
Taenia solium
Toxocara canis
Toxocara cati
Toxoplasma gondii
Trichinella nativa
Trichinella nelsoni
Trichinella pseudospiralis
Trichinella spiralis
Trichomonas vaginalis
Trichostrongylus orientalis
Trichostrongylus spp
Trichuris trichiura
Trypanosoma brucei brucei
Trypanosoma brucei gambiense
Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense
Trypanosoma cruzi
Wuchereria bancrofti |
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