List of parasitic organisms

"This is an incomplete list of organisms that are true parasites upon other organisms. For more information on this topic, see main article:" Parasitism. "For information on parasitoids, see main article:" Parasitoid.

Endoparasites

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

Plants

* Rafflesia

Parasitic worms

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"
* "Toxocara canis" (dog roundworm)
* Trichinella
* Whipworm
*pop soli- a worm to receive blood from humans

Fungi

* Ringworm
* Gymnosporangium and other rusts
* Pyrenophora teres
* Cordyceps

Protists (Protozoa)

* "Balantidium coli" (the only ciliated protozoan to infect humans)
* "Giardia lamblia" (the most common intestinal protozoan in the United States)
* "Trichomonas vaginalis"
* "Naegleria fowleri" (facultative parasite causing amoebic meningitis)
* "Entamoeba histolytica" (causes Amebiasis, common in developing countries)
* Kinetoplastid protists of the "Trypanosoma" and "Leishmania" genera (sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmania)
* Apicomplexan parasites including "Plasmodium" (malaria), "Toxoplasma" (toxoplasmosis), and "Cryptosporidia" (cryptosporidiosis)

Ectoparasites

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

Plants

* Broomrape
* Cuscuta
* Mistletoe
* Strangler Fig
* Santalum, hemi-parasitic. (Sandalwoods and Quandongs)
* Toothwort
* The wood rose, "Dactylanthus taylorii"

Arthropoda

* Acarina (Ticks, some mites)
**Varroa destructor
* "Cymothoa exigua"
* Hippoboscoidea
** Tsetse fly
** Lipoptena
** Sheep Keds and relatives)
* Oestridae (bot flies)
** Human bot fly
* Phthiraptera (Lice)
** Body louse
** Crab louse
** Head louse
* Siphonaptera (Fleas)
* Tantulocarida

Annelids

* Hirudinea (some leeches)

Vertebrates

* Candiru (Vampire fish of Brazil, really a facultative parasite)
* Lampreys

Parasitic organisms in fiction

Fictional endoparasites

*Black Oil
*Facehuggers, the parasite laying stage in the lifecycle of xenomorphs
*The Flood, from the video game trilogy Halo
*Goa'uld, from the TV series Stargate SG-1
*Las Plagas, from the video game Resident Evil 4.
*Lavos
*X Parasites, from the Metroid Fusion video game
*Killer parasitic worms from "Slither".
*Yeerks
*Kraata
*"The Parasite" from the book Peeps (novel)
*Bone Leechs from Blood 2.
*Bulbmin from Pikmin 2.
*G.U.I.L.T. from .
*The Wirrn, from the BBC series Doctor Who.
*A parasite was found on a dodo bird on the BBC series Primevil

Fictional ectoparasites

*Unidentified Parasitic Species from the Movie Cloverfield
*Brain slugs from "Futurama".
*Larval Darkbreed from the movie Darkbreed
*Headcrabs from the "Half-Life" series or similar brainsuckers from "", though these species can be considered parasitoids rather than parasites.
*The Flood from "Halo". They come in three different forms: Infection Form, Combat Form, and Carrier Form.
*Krana from the LEGO Bionicle series.
*Nopal from the Jack Vance story Nopalgarth, also called The Brains of Earth.
* Puppet Masters from Robert A. Heinlein's 1951 novel "The Puppet Masters".
* Shovel-Creatures, which prey on free thought from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie.
*Venom from the Marvel Comics Universe.
*Metroids from the Metroid series video games
*Dementors from the Harry Potter series