Parasite Life Cycles

by Dickson D. Despommier, John W. Karapelou

In a unique, visual approach to the depiction of parasite life cycles, this detailed atlas presents a clear, concise, and complete overview of the parasite/human host interrelationship. 75 life cycles include all the major protozoan and helminth pathogens of man with new and updated information on several organisms. The illustrations follow the route of infection from point of entry, through the developmental stages, to completion of the cycle as the parasite reinfects the next host. Precise biological anatomical and medical depiction provides reinforcement. Distinguished by its organization, continuity, and accuracy, this comprehensive work will be a valuable reference for students, clinicians and others interested in the field of parasitology.

139 pages, Paperback

First published December 11, 1987

About the author

Dickson Donald Despommier was an American academic, microbiologist and ecologist who was a professor of microbiology and Public Health at Columbia University. From 1971 to 2009, he conducted research on intracellular parasitism and taught courses on parasitic diseases, medical ecology and ecology. Despommier received media coverage for his ideas on vertical farming.

Reviews

[Smellsofbikes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rocked. It's not general interest -- I think only Christine and Michael, and maybe Marianne, would actually read it -- but it's pretty cool if you like parasitology. Thankfully it only has illustrations, not color photographs (I've taken that class, and I didn't want to eat anything but processed sugar and pickles for *months* afterwards) but it has a wealth of information about practically every parasite there is, from protozoans through nematodes, including complete lifecycle diagrams and descriptions and known host reservoirs. It's very depressing to see how many of these have humans as the only or a necessary reservoir (although I suppose I should be optimistic: maybe some day those will all be only encountered in history books.)