List of parasitic organisms

For parasitoids, see Parasitoid.

This is an incomplete list of organisms that are true parasites upon other organisms.

Endoparasites

(endo = within; parasites that live inside their hosts)

Plants

• Rafflesia
• Cuscuta
• Mistletoe

Parasitic worms

These can be categorized into three groups; cestodes, nematodes and trematodes. Examples include:

• Acanthocephala
• Ascariasis (roundworms)
• Cestoda (tapeworms) including: Taenia saginata (human beef tapeworm), Taenia solium (human pork tapeworm), Diphyllobothrium latum (fish tapeworm) and Echinococcosis (hydatid tapeworm)
• Clonorchis sinensis (the Chinese liver fluke)
• Dracunculus medinensis (Guinea worm)
• Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm)
• Filariasis
• Hookworm
• Loa loa
• Onchocerciasis (river blindness)
• Schistosomiasis
• Strongyloides stercoralis
• Tapeworm
• Toxocara canis (dog roundworm)
• Trichinella
• Whipworm

Protozoans

• Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba coli - can cause Amoebiasis
• Acanthamoeba
• Balamuthia mandrillaris
• Giardia
• Cyclospora cayetanensis
• Cryptosporidium
• Toxoplasma gondii
• Leishmania - L. tropica, L. donovani, and L. mexicana are known to cause Leishmaniasis.
• Plasmodium - causes the fatal disease, Malaria. P. falciparum, P. vivax, and P. malariae are pathogenic to humans.
• Babesia

Fungi

• Gymnosporangium and other rusts
• Pyrenophora teres
• Cordyceps

Arthropods

• Pentastomida

Ectoparasites

(ecto = outside; parasites that live on but not within their hosts, for example, attached to their skin)

Arthropoda

• Acari
  • Varroa destructor
• Cymothoa exigua
• Bed bugs
• Culicidae (mosquitoes)
• Calyptra (moth) (vampire moths)
• Hippoboscoidea
  • Tsetse fly
  • Lipoptena
  • Melophagus ovinus, (sheep keds) and relatives
• Oestridae (bot flies)
  • Human botfly
  • Cuterebra fontinella (mouse botfly)
• Phlebotominae (sand flies)
• Phthiraptera (Lice)
  • Body louse
  • Crab louse
  • Head louse
• Siphonaptera (fleas)
• Tabanidae (horse flies)
• Tantulocarida
• Triatominae
• Pea crab
• Sacculina

Annelids

• Hirudinea (some leeches)

Monogeneans

Monogeneans are flatworms, generally ectoparasites on fish.

• Calydiscoides euzeti
• Lethacotyle vera
• Protocotyle euzetmaillardi
• Pseudorhabdosynochus spp.

Mollusks

• Cancellaria cooperii
• Glochidium
• Pyramidellidae
• †Platyceratidae

Chordates

• Cookiecutter shark
• Candiru (vampire fish of Brazil, a facultative parasite)
• Lampreys
• Male Deep sea anglers
• False cleanerfish
• Hood mockingbird
• Oxpeckers (cleaning symbiosis)
• Snubnosed eel
• Vampire bat
• Vampire finch
• Cuckoo (brood parasite)
• Cowbird (brood parasite)

Plants

• Mistletoe
• Monotropa uniflora
• Certain orchids
• Nuytsia
• Santalum album

Fungi

• Corn smut
• Certain mushrooms
• Asterotremella albida

See also

• List of fictional parasites