Parasites and Western Man

The purpose of this book is to provide a concise account of those parasites which affect man in developed countries. Other textbooks relate mainly to the tropics and subtropics where parasites by comparison are more common. It is widely believed that this difference in prevalence between tropical and temperate countries is due to differences in climatic conditions alone. Whilst it is true that certain vectors can only act as transmitters of disease under climatic conditions found in the tropics, there are many other instances where climate per se is not a decisive factor. More often parasitic disease is related to the poor standards of hygiene, sanitation and nutrition, which characterize many of these tropical and subtropical areas. The advent of more international travel has added a new dimension to the study of parasites, with the appearance of rare and exotic parasitic infections in the West. This book encompasses the entire field of parasites in developed countries with a brief reference to other parts of the world whenever appropriate for the sake of completeness. Each chapter provides basic information as well as recent advances and current thinking. Thus the book will serve as an excellent, comprehensive in troduction to those taking up a specialized interest in the subject, as well as those who may wish to obtain general information but are not actively working in the field. Although it is primarily written from a medical and veterinary stand point, it provides valuable material for other disciplines.