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PARASITOLOGIST
Parasitologists study parasites wherever
they occur and whether they are viruses, bacteria, worms or insects.
Parasites are organisms that use other species of plants and animals
as hosts. The hosts provide the environment in which the parasite
lives. 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. It is no wonder that parasitology
is a diverse field.
Parasitology is a dynamic field because the relationships
between parasites and their hosts constantly are changing. Parasitism
comprises an ecological relationship between two individuals of
different species where the parasite’s environment is another
living organism. Unlike the environment of free-living plants and
animals, the environment of the parasite can fight back. 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.
As a result, parasitologists contribute significantly to our basic
understanding of the way our biological world functions.
Career Opportunities
Many different career options exist within the field of parasitology
because parasites affect the world in so many ways. Rewarding careers
await parasitologists with interests in medicine and public health.
Veterinary parasitologists play vital roles in controlling diseases
of domestic animals. Agriculture and aquaculture are dependent
upon parasitologists to assist in providing plant and animal food
for an increasing human population. The following are several of
the broad areas in which parasitologists work:
Medical Parasitology: Perhaps
the best-known aspect of the significance of parasites is the role
they play in causing human disease. 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. 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. Emerging diseases such as Lyme disease, transmitted
by ticks, increasingly are recognized as significant to human health.
Medical
parasitologists use many approaches to combat parasites. 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). 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. Promising breakthroughs
in the development of vaccines against disease-causing parasites
exist because of technological and conceptual advances in these fields
as well as in allied disciplines such as immunology and biochemistry.
The field of public health is allied closely with medical parasitology.
Public health practitioners are employed by national, state and local
governments and can work for international agencies such as the World
Health Organization. Private industry, philanthropic and charitable
organizations, military organizations and a variety of other institutions
also employ the services of public health workers.
Agriculture, Aquaculture
and Veterinary Parasitology: Human health not only is affected directly
by parasites that can infect humans but also is affected indirectly
by parasites that cause diseases in plants and animals that are used
as food for humans. The use of parasites as biological control agents
against crop insects holds much promise for increasing agricultural
production. Veterinary parasitologists care for domesticated animals
used for food and work; they also care for companion animals. Veterinarians
play an indirect role in human health when they control parasites
in nonhuman animals that are transmissible to humans. Animals used
by humans for sport and recreation also require the services of veterinary
parasitologists. Pharmaceutical companies are important sources of
employment for parasitologists. In this capacity, parasitologists
might work on the development of chemotherapeutic drugs to eliminate
animal parasites, which is of major economic significance. The discovery
of these antiparasitic drugs for domesticated animals not only has
benefited the agricultural industry but in some cases has aided humans
when the same chemotherapeutic agents have been demonstrated to be
effective in the treatment of disease-causing parasites.
Wildlife
and Fisheries Parasitology: Career opportunities exist for parasitologists
who can assist wildlife managers in developing programs designed
to protect animals in their natural environment. Parasitologists
working for government agencies, industry and universities survey
wild animals for parasites and disease and develop strategies to
reduce the negative impact of parasites on wildlife populations.
Conservation biologists especially are interested in parasitic diseases
of threatened and endangered species and use that information to
formulate management plans for their protection. Monitoring parasites
in wild animals that are capable of being transmitted to humans is
another important function of parasitologists. Fisheries biologists
need information on the role of parasites in causing fish disease
and the fish parasites humans can acquire from eating fish. These
scientists also might use parasite data to understand aspects of
natural fish populations. Alterations of natural environments such
as the damming of rivers, channelization of streams and cutting of
timber can affect important game species by altering parasite abundance,
and the advice of parasitologists often is sought before making such
decisions.
Ecological and Systematic Parasitology: These
exciting areas of parasitology are rooted in the study parasite evolution
and their interactions with the environment through their hosts.
These basic areas of inquiry often lead to breakthroughs in applied
areas of parasitology with direct or indirect benefits to humans.
The field of parasite taxonomy (the science of classifying living
things) and systematics (the study of the diversity of organism characteristics)
currently are experiencing a resurgence of activity because of new
methods that recently have been incorporated into the discipline.
Techniques developed by molecular biologists have been applied to
questions regarding relationships among taxonomic groups of parasites
and are providing powerful new insights. The study of ecological
aspects of host-parasite relationships has benefited greatly from
the use of computer technology, vastly increasing the ability of
parasitologists to quantify and analyze the dynamics of parasite
populations. The tools of molecular biology also are being assimilated
into the field of ecological parasitology, and the promise of new
discoveries regarding parasite life cycles, detection and identification
of parasites, patterns of parasite transmission and colonization
are extremely exciting.
Applications of basic research in parasite
systematics are likely to be forthcoming and will provide career
opportunities for parasitologists. Ecological parasitologists can
assist medical parasitologists in assessing the potential role of
global warming on public health by evaluating changes in patterns
of parasite distribution and colonization.
Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology of Parasites: Powerful technological advances have
revolutionized the study of biology at the subcellular level. The
promise of advances in parasitology from the application of these
tools is great and will lead to many new career opportunities. The
genetics of parasites can be explained at levels never before possible
using techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (a molecular
biology technique for enzymatically replicating DNA without
using a living organism such
as E. coli or yeast).
Many applications could come from enhanced knowledge of parasite
genetics, including the development of diagnostic tools for the detection
and specific diagnosis of parasites.
Immunoparasitology: Job opportunities
for immunologists who desire to work with parasites are likely to
increase because of new technical developments in the field and because
of new practical applications of that technology. One important thrust
in parasite research today is the development of vaccines against
parasites of human and domestic animals. The benefits of lifelong
immunity among individuals and the goal of imparting complete protection
to entire populations is an important driving force in the effort
to discover vaccines against parasites. In recent years, the development
of specific diagnostic tests for parasites has been one of the major
successful applications derived from basic research in immunoparasitology.
Clearly, further advances in basic research are on the horizon and
application of this new knowledge will benefit both medical and veterinary
parasitology.
Parasitology Educators: Academic careers
are intellectually rewarding, and parasitologists have played an
important role in the education of university students. One reason
for the success of parasitologists in the academic community is the
fact that parasitologists are among the most broadly trained of all
biologists. Because examples of parasites can be found throughout
the plant and animal kingdom, most parasitologists have a good working
knowledge of biological diversity. A university position offers individuals
a challenging and rewarding career that combines both teaching and
research. Research opportunities allow faculty to ask creative questions
and design studies to answer these questions. Teaching has many rewards,
including the satisfaction of seeing young people exposed to new
knowledge and watching students apply that knowledge to their own
scientific curiosity.
Parasitology is a broad and diverse field with
many career options. Most parasitologists are attracted to the field
because of their scientific curiosity. Parasitology represents a
great career for intelligent young people with inquisitive minds.
Research opportunities are virtually unlimited. The variety of basic
and applied research in fields from the molecular to the global level
are unsurpassed in other fields of biology.
Education/Training
A parasitologist’s university education should sharpen the
scientific curiosity and knowledge base begun in high school. Emphasis
should be placed on attainment of a broad-based education in biology
and chemistry. Overspecialization in one narrow field of the biological
sciences will not lead to the range of knowledge required by most
successful parasitologists. A good background in mathematics, computer
science and statistics will provide the computational skills that
are required in virtually all areas of parasitology. The development
of good writing and speaking skills is fundamental because all scientists
must be able to communicate their ideas and results to others. Job
opportunities in parasitology exist for people who attain a B.S.
degree; possible positions include jobs in the food, agriculture
and pharmaceutical industries. Positions in clinical laboratories,
environmental firms or universities might involve work with parasites.
Individuals
working on master’s degree in biology will have
the opportunity for research with a parasitologist as a research
advisor. Thesis research might involve laboratory or field study
of parasites. Master’s students should work toward conducting
a research project that can be published in a scientific journal.
Although most parasitologists attaining an M.S. degree continue towards
a doctoral degree, job opportunities that use the parasitology education
and skills attained at the master’s level are available. Examples
of jobs include the fields of wildlife management, fisheries biology,
aquaculture, animal husbandry and human health care.
Most parasitology
researchers hold either a Ph.D. or an M.D. Advantages of attaining
a doctoral degree are numerous. Most tenure-track university faculty
positions require a Ph.D., which greatly enhances opportunities to
conduct research and to gain funding to support research activities.
Salary
The salary range for parasitologists is highly dependent on experience
and the specific area of focus. In general, the entry-level salary
is about $31,250, the average salary is $51,020 and the maximum
salary is about $87,060.
Related Links
http://asp.unl.edu
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. 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 ASP’s Web site offers a wealth of information for those
interested in pursuing a career in parasitology.
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