Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 7, 2026
03:46
Author Spotlight: Coproparasitoscopic Examination of Dog Stools for Control and Prevention of Zoonotic Parasite Diseases
Published on: December 15, 2023
4.0K
Warm-region parasites invasion in temperate climate countries
Bartosz Kaszubski1, Aleksandra Sędzikowska2, Oskar Szymański1
1Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
Annals of Parasitology
|December 30, 2025
Summary
Climate change impacts global weather, affecting parasite spread and disease transmission. This study examines four species—Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Strongyloides stercoralis—and their links to environmental shifts.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Parasitology
- Public Health
Background:
- Climate change is altering global weather patterns, leading to extreme events like droughts and heatwaves.
- These environmental shifts significantly impact ecosystems, influencing the distribution and transmission dynamics of parasites and associated diseases.
- Parasite life cycles, vector activity periods, and geographic ranges are all susceptible to climate-induced alterations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the influence of climate change on the ecology and transmission of specific parasitic organisms.
- To provide an overview of four pathogenic species: Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Strongyloides stercoralis.
- To highlight the potential public health implications of climate-driven changes in parasitic diseases.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on the selected parasitic species and climate change.
- Analysis of the life cycles, habitats, and transmission routes of Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Strongyloides stercoralis.
- Correlation of environmental factors influenced by climate change with parasite behavior and disease prevalence.
Main Results:
- Balamuthia mandrillaris, a free-living amoeba, thrives in moist soil and freshwater, potentially causing cutaneous infections.
- Naegleria fowleri, another free-living amoeba, can cause fatal primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) through nasal entry.
- Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease via insect vectors, while Strongyloides stercoralis leads to strongyloidiasis through skin penetration.
Conclusions:
- Climate change poses a significant threat to public health by altering the epidemiology of parasitic diseases.
- Understanding the interplay between environmental changes and parasite dynamics is crucial for disease prevention and control.
- The described species represent diverse parasitic threats whose impact may be exacerbated by ongoing climate shifts.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:27Diversity of Protists II
745
Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
745
00:53Migration
8.7K
Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
8.7K
01:50Global Climate Change
28.6K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
28.6K
01:28Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
374
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
374
01:15Diversity of Protists I
804
Excavata is a diverse group of protists that includes both chemoorganotrophic and phototrophic species, with some thriving in anaerobic environments. Among the key groups within Excavata are diplomonads and parabasalids, which are flagellated protists that lack mitochondria and chloroplasts. These microorganisms typically inhabit anoxic environments, such as the intestines of animals, where they exist either symbiotically or as parasites, relying on fermentation for energy production. Some...
804
01:27Overview of Protists
1.3K
Protists are diverse eukaryotic microorganisms that lack the specialized tissues of plants and animals and the chitinous cell walls of fungi. Their early divergence within Eukarya resulted in structural, functional, and ecological diversity. They are classified into supergroups such as Archaeplastida, Excavata, Amoebozoa, Rhizaria, Alveolata, and Stramenopiles, determined through genetic analysis and structural similarities.Structural and Functional AdaptationsProtists have various adaptations...
1.3K