A parasite is typically an organism-a living thing- that depends on another organism -the host – to get food and habitat by living in or on it.

The three common categories of parasites are:

• Protozoa
• Helminths
• Ectoparasite

Although parasites can live inside our bodies for years without causing symptoms , when they do they cause the following :

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Dysentery
• Gas or bloating
• Feeling tired or exhausted

Here are some tests that your HCP will require to know if you have a parasite infection or not .

• Physical examination: Your doctor will start by examining your body. They’ll look for any marked itching, bite marks or rashes.
• Stool Examination: This test is done to search for parasites that live in our intestine and cause diarrhea, watery stools, abdominal pain and cramps, flatulence  and other abdominal illness.
• Enteroscopy or colonoscopy: If the stool exam can’t detect what type of parasite you have, your doctor might ask for an enteroscopy or colonoscopy to reach diagnosis which is a little bit more invasive.
• Blood tests: Testing your blood can reveal the presence of specific parasitic infections.