Our team treats parasitic infections common to the U.S. as well as those found in other countries. Providers at our Travelers Clinic can help you prepare for international travel with tips on preventing infections.

The Infectious Diseases team includes fellowship-trained specialists who received advanced training in detecting and treating parasitic diseases. Our experts are leaders in their field. They offer the highest level of patient care.

We work closely with other U.C. Davis Health specialists on complex infections that involve cancer or compromised immune systems. We also collaborate with physicians in community hospitals and clinics throughout the region.

The feces of infected animals or people can contaminate food or water with parasites. When you eat or drink contaminated substances, you can develop a parasitic infection such as giardiasis.

Insects like mosquitoes ingest blood from infected people or animals and transmit the parasite to your body when they bite you. Malaria is a common parasitic infection spread by insect bites.

Some parasites pass from one person to another during sexual intercourse. These infections can lead to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like trichomoniasis.

Untreated parasitic infections in pregnant women can cause birth anomalies. For example, toxoplasmosis can sometimes affect the eyes and central nervous system (brain) in infants.

Infection with toxocariasis, a parasite found in dogs and cats, can cause blindness.

Chagas disease, which infects your blood, can cause heart rhythm abnormalities and heart failure.

Some parasites cause infections in your brain. Untreated infections can lead to convulsions and epileptic seizures.