any disease caused by a parasite. Included among parasitic diseases are helminthiases, myiases, protozoan diseases (for example, malaria, amoebic dysentery, leishmaniasis, and sleeping sickness), and diseases that are caused by mites and ticks (for example, scabies). Fleas of the genus Tunga, which inhabit some tropical countries, penetrate the skin and produce a rash, itching, and suppuration. (For information on treatment and prevention of parasitic diseases, see entry under specific disease.)