Is a Paramecium Harmful to Humans?
Although other similar creatures, such as amoebas, are known to cause illness, paramecia do not live inside humans and are not known to cause any diseases. Paramecia have even been observed attacking and consuming pathogens from the human body.
Paramecia are classed alongside amoebas as protozoans, or one-celled creatures that are neither animals nor plants. Amoeba are well-known for causing illnesses, such as dysentery and malaria, but they are parasites. Paramecia are free-living, meaning that they do not live as parasites inside other creatures. All known species of paramecia are only found outside the body, in a variety of aquatic environments.
Paramecia eat bacteria, unicellular fungi, and other creatures smaller than themselves. They have not been observed attacking or eating human body cells.
