Exciting advances that promise to reduce parasitic disease have come from parasitologists’ basic research in the fields of molecular and cellular biology, genetics and physiology. Among the areas of research used are epidemiology (the scientific study of factors affecting the health and illness of individuals and populations), chemotherapy (the use of chemical substances to treat disease), immunology (a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms) and pathology (the study of the processes underlying disease and other forms of illness, harmful abnormality or dysfunction). Medical parasitologists use many approaches to combat parasites. Emerging diseases such as Lyme disease, transmitted by ticks, increasingly are recognized as significant to human health. Mosquitoes not only transmit malaria but spread yellow fever, encephalitis and other viral diseases and also are responsible for introducing into humans several species of filarial worms that cause some of the most horrific diseases in medical literature. Insect parasites such as fleas and lice are, at best, annoyances to humans, and as vectors of diseases such as the bubonic plague and typhus they have been responsible for a great deal of human mortality. Perhaps the best-known aspect of the significance of parasites is the role they play in causing human disease. The following are several of the broad areas in which parasitologists work: Medical Parasitology

Agriculture and aquaculture are dependent upon parasitologists to assist in providing plant and animal food for an increasing human population. Veterinary parasitologists play vital roles in controlling diseases of domestic animals. Rewarding careers await parasitologists with interests in medicine and public health. Many different career options exist within the field of parasitology because parasites affect the world in so many ways. As a result, parasitologists contribute significantly to our basic understanding of the way our biological world functions. Parasites and hosts are locked into a continuous struggle for survival, and understanding the mechanisms that each side in this battle use to gain advantage challenges parasitologists to understand biological phenomena at the cutting edge of a wide variety of scientific disciplines. Unlike the environment of free-living plants and animals, the environment of the parasite can fight back. Parasitism comprises an ecological relationship between two individuals of different species where the parasite’s environment is another living organism. Parasitology is a dynamic field because the relationships between parasites and their hosts constantly are changing. It is no wonder that parasitology is a diverse field. In the history of life on earth, the parasitic lifestyle has been incredibly successful in fact, the number of species of parasites exceeds the number of free-living species. The hosts provide the environment in which the parasite lives. Parasites are organisms that use other species of plants and animals as hosts. Parasitologists study parasites wherever they occur and whether they are viruses, bacteria, worms or insects. The ASP’s website offers a wealth of information for those interested in pursuing a career in parasitology. Founded in 1924, ASP members contribute to the development of parasitology as a discipline as well as to primary research in systematics, medicine, molecular biology, immunology, physiology, ecology and biochemistry. The American Society of Parasitologists is a diverse group of more than 1,500 scientists from industry, government and academia who are interested in the study and teaching of parasitology. $30,000 to $90,000/year Minimum Educationīachelor’s Degree (B.A.

Parasitologist Quick Facts Approximate Salary Range

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