List of parasitic organisms

For parasitoids, see Parasitoid.

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

## Contents

* 1 Endoparasites
* 1.1 Plants
* 1.2 Parasitic worms
* 1.3 Protozoans
* 1.4 Fungi
* 1.5 Arthropods
* 2 Ectoparasites
* 2.1 Arthropoda
* 2.2 Annelids
* 2.3 Monogeneans
* 2.4 Mollusks
* 2.5 Chordates
* 2.6 Plants
* 2.7 Fungi
* 3 References
* 4 See also

## Endoparasites[edit | edit source]

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

### Plants[edit | edit source]

* Rafflesia
* Cuscuta
* Mistletoe

### Parasitic worms[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

* 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[edit | edit source]

* Gymnosporangium and other rusts
* Pyrenophora teres
* Cordyceps

### Arthropods[edit | edit source]

* Pentastomida

## Ectoparasites[edit | edit source]

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

### Arthropoda[edit | edit source]

* 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[edit | edit source]

* Hirudinea (some leeches)

### Monogeneans[edit | edit source]

Monogeneans are flatworms, generally ectoparasites on fish.

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

### Mollusks[edit | edit source]

* Cancellaria cooperii
* Glochidium
* Pyramidellidae
* †Platyceratidae

### Chordates[edit | edit source]

* 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[edit | edit source]

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

### Fungi[edit | edit source]

* Corn smut
* Certain mushrooms
* Asterotremella albida

## References[edit | edit source]

## See also[edit | edit source]

* List of fictional parasites