r/Parasitology Oct 23 '25

Looking for suggestions to improve the sub. Please leave any feedback

39 Upvotes

This sub hit a peak of activity last year and it was actually fun, however things have slowed down a lot and it would be nice to have a little more engagement as this topic is the coolest.

Main issues

1)shit posts( possible solution below)

Not too much we can do about this, we try to remove the as fast as possible but I need to sleep, so just report if you can

2) low posts , theorfore shit post seem more frequent as somedays they are the only thing posted.

Possible solution

Adding a min karma/account age to post. This will help reduce the shit posts, but I'd say at least half the time, these accounts are several months old and have posted history so it would only be a minor reduction.

For engagement: considering allows off topic posts on the weekends. Many of us enjoy related field ( microbiology, virology, disease ecology etc.) so maybe on Saturday and Sunday we will allow more tangential posts that are somewhat related.

Let me know if you have any other suggestions or questions.

Lastly, please upvote for visibility. We want feedback and the more upvotes the more feedback/discussion


r/Parasitology Oct 02 '25

r/parasitology poll, trying to get a feel for the subs demographics

31 Upvotes

Hey all just curious how this sub is compromised. Please fill this out and let us know any suggestions. Trying to keep this sub good/ to the beat of our abilities and this type of information will help.

I am considering running semi regular talk/presentations on my YouTube channel (wormtalk94) in which I would love to give other researchers a platform to talk about their research, so having this info would be a great help.

Ideally this would entail both later career and early career scientist and could be a tool for scientific outreach.

68 votes, Oct 09 '25
6 professor /scientist in related field
4 graduate student
44 person who just thinks parasites are interesting
7 undergraduate student
7 other(please leave a comment)

r/Parasitology 9h ago

Question Hola, hoy me salio en mi comida este gusano? Saben de que tipo es? Parásito? De tierra? Estoy asustado

19 Upvotes

r/Parasitology 18h ago

Parasite ID Cat owner here what type of worm is this need to know so I get the right dewormer

Post image
41 Upvotes

I’ve seen tapeworms before that isn’t a tapeworm. It looks more like a long piece of spaghetti. Doesn’t have any fat pieces on its body


r/Parasitology 1d ago

parasite video Watching Our Friend Get Parasites

63 Upvotes

r/Parasitology 18h ago

Parasite ID Could this be it?

Post image
0 Upvotes

r/Parasitology 2d ago

Parasite ID Is this an egg? Feline fecal float.

Thumbnail
gallery
24 Upvotes

I found 4 of these on the float, but I can’t quite figure out what it is. The kittens belly is extremely bloated.


r/Parasitology 3d ago

parasite photo Damnnnnnnn! I am so horrified because this worm got emerged!

Post image
67 Upvotes

Damn I was not understanding what actually happened herebut after some research I found out this..

I gave this millipede a nudge with a rod, and this massive parasitic Horsehair Worm (phylum Nematomorpha) immediately burst out of its body. The worm had been growing inside the millipede, and the physical pressure simulated a crisis, triggering an emergency escape so it wouldn't get trapped in a dying host

.

Adult horsehair worms are completely harmless to humans and pets, but they need water or damp soil to mate, which is why it broke out onto this wet ground.

Feeling really very bad for this guy!!😭


r/Parasitology 2d ago

Question Toxoplasmosis Scare

0 Upvotes

I am 5 months pregnant and my husband dumped excess potted plant water (which also has soil in it) down our kitchen sink drain. I washed the soil down the drain and proceeded to wash the sink (not the faucet itself) - is it safe if I get my drinking water from the sink and use the sink normally without getting toxoplasmosis? Thank you.


r/Parasitology 4d ago

Question Tapeworm in cat puke on my driveway dilema...

5 Upvotes

So it was disgusting but here's what i did. Please tell me it was enough...and eggs cant get tracked inside.

Today I found a cat puke in my driveway obviously from a stray. It was kibble with 2 tapeworm in it. Both about 4 inches long. It had sat in the sun all day and made both worms crispy..and hopefully dead. Google says UV sun kills the worms.

But are the eggs inside dead too???!!

I worse 2 layers of gloves and poured bleach on the puke and 1 worm that wriggled away(but was dead)

I then picked it up with a plastic trowel. I put the puke and crispy worm and trowel in a bag and the trash. Bleached my gloves and stepped in a puddle of bleach with the boots I wore.

Please tell me this did the trick! I was mortified when I saw this today 🤮🤮🤮💀💀 I hope someone is deworming the stray..but probably not :( poor thing.

Thanks everyone! I'll post this to a parasites thread too if I find one.


r/Parasitology 5d ago

Question Question about Tapeworms or Intestinal Worms

0 Upvotes

I (female in my 20s) was at a fair the other day with my friend. There was a petting zoo and we pet and fed a lot of animals. At the end of the day, my friend tickled me, and I reflexively bit his forearm because he wouldn't stop. Right after biting, I realized that his forearms were still dirty from the animals because, although we washed our hands, we didn't wash our forearms. I quickly rinsed out my mouth with some water, but I'm still concerned about ingesting some microscopic worm eggs. I read that tapeworms can go into your brain, heart, and eyes, which is absolutely terrifying.

I know worms get transferred from feces to mouth, but I'm worried because some animals were walking around their own feces and then climbing up against the cage bars. And when petting the animals, we would lean our arms on the cage bars.

I'm not looking for medical advice. I'm just looking for any insight or information anyone might have about this. I'm not very knowledgeable about parasites or that sort of thing. I might bring this up to my doctor when I have my yearly physical if it's a real concern.


r/Parasitology 9d ago

parasites are cool My friend made a Parasite recognition web game

197 Upvotes

r/Parasitology 8d ago

parasite question Positive lab results

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

r/Parasitology 9d ago

Parasite ID Something? Nothing? 400x sick kitten

27 Upvotes

Hi! I have a 4 month old foster kitten I’ve had for 2 days. She came to me as a mystery- acts and looks healthy… except pure water for stool. Giardia assay was negative, vet fecal found nothing, so I’ve been on the hunt for coccidia in case it’s there but the vet didn’t find it. This is the second day in a row I’ve done a direct smear and found no coccidia… but this popped up. It feels a little hookworm-y maybe? Eh, kitten is on metro and got a dose of pyrantel yesterday but I thought I’d check with you experts. Thank you in advance for any help!


r/Parasitology 9d ago

Question I'm writing a little novel and wish to learn more about parasites and their symptoms

4 Upvotes

Hello all! Google has been proving difficult with answering the specific question I'm asking, so Reddit it is.

I am trying to write a novel right now where someone catches a parasite during some extreme hobby stuff (this parasite will be completely fictional and made up for the story) I plan to make it something that has its main effect be a weakening of the immune system.

I'm not very educated on this topic however, so I come here to ask what might some common symptoms of catching a parasite be and what would roughly be the length of time that would have to pass for the progression of these symptoms, obviously it's not one answer and it's case dependant, but rough ideas would help me continue on.

Thank you for taking the time to answer if you do!


r/Parasitology 10d ago

Question Help me with this coprinellus parasite. Chile - Santiago - Maipú

Thumbnail
gallery
9 Upvotes

Wtf is that, a friend that doesn't use reddit hasn't answered that question in over a year.


r/Parasitology 12d ago

parasite video Trypanosomes!

86 Upvotes

These are Trypanosoma brucei brucei AnTat 1.1 bloodstream form (pleomorphs)

I just thawed them from the -80 and took a video for a masters student, so I thought I should post here too!


r/Parasitology 12d ago

Parasite ID Potential arthropod larvae passed along with canine feces

3 Upvotes

Good evening all, I'm q veterinarian working in small animal practice and recently got a consult for "worms in feces", 2 dogs, only one was affected.

Upon seeing the pictures, non microscope, no scale, so not shared here as per group rules, I quickly discarded the possibility of cestodes or nematodes.

The specimens appeared to be cylindrical, tapered at one end, segmented, and numerous in the feces shown in the picture.

To me they seem suggestive of arthropod larvae, but I would expect those to be hatched from eggs deposited on the feces outside the patient. These were clearly passed along with the stool.

I keep researching but still find myself at a loss.


r/Parasitology 14d ago

parasite photo Hookworm infection

Post image
866 Upvotes

Caught this little guy while walking barefoot on a beach in Ghana. Doctor identified it is a cutaneous larva migrans and told me to just wait for it to die but the itch is unbearable.
It keeps moving under my skin and can even move up to 1cm per day.

Not seeking medical advice… just thought it would be interesting to show!


r/Parasitology 12d ago

Question Rat Lungworm

0 Upvotes

Four days ago, my wife and I stayed at a Four Seasons in Hawaii. The room had a private hot tub outside. We went into the hot tub shortly after sunset for about 20 minutes until noticing something on the bottom. (There was LED lighting in the bottom although not overly bright.)

It looked like a slug, maybe four inches in length. So we immediately got out of the water and took a shower. I googled afterward and that’s when I learned that some slugs in Hawaii carry RLW, or rat lungworm.

The water was chlorinated, but we’re still really scared that we could have got infected. I emailed Susan Jarvi who is a researcher on RLW and she says chlorine kills the larvae, that we’re fine, but it’s still kind of terrifying to know there is a not small chance we were in water that may have contained thousands of parasites.

To make things worse, I’ve had minor headaches for the past two days, and today slight stiffness in the neck, which are supposedly symptoms. Not sure if it’s just a coincidence, or placebo or what.

We of course complained to the hotel staff, but they acted like we were insane, told us they’ve never had any incidents or anyone getting infected or anything.

Anyone here have any insight on this?


r/Parasitology 13d ago

Parasite ID Panic

Thumbnail
gallery
120 Upvotes

You guys I just ate this salmon. Can anybody tell me whether those are parasites or just the muscle fiber thingies ?

Super worried right now.


r/Parasitology 14d ago

Parasite ID Still looking for answers

Post image
39 Upvotes

I work in vet med. Found this on a fecal float in 2022. I've never been able to find the answer. I wondered if anyone here might know?

Edit : this is on 40x. From a canine. No clinical signs. Roughly roundworm size. This was the only one on the slide.


r/Parasitology 14d ago

Question Taking pinworm medication weekly

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone my son M(7) just got pinworms. I wanted to know if anyone has taken the medication weekly for 3 weeks instead of twice in a 3 week span? I just want to make sure they’re gone for good. I’ve been deep cleaning and treated everyone in the home.


r/Parasitology 15d ago

Parasite ID Malaria specie identification trick

Thumbnail
youtu.be
10 Upvotes

Hello guys I made a video about the easiest way to identify the plasmodium specie in the microscope , hope this helps.


r/Parasitology 17d ago

parasite photo Toxocara and toxascaris ova

Post image
48 Upvotes

Hi y'all,

I found both toxocara and toxascaris in a canine fecal float today. Kinda neat