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Monsters Inside Me

Premieres: Southeast Asia on Feb 4 at 10:00 pm; North Asia on Feb 22 at 10:00 pm; Australasia on Mar 22 at 8:30 pm

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UNSUSPECTING VICTIMS GET A VISIT FROM UNWANTED GUESTS ON ANIMAL PLANET'S MONSTERS INSIDE ME

Why do people mysteriously fall ill without warning or obvious symptoms? What happens when humans fall prey to parasitic activity? MONSTERS INSIDE ME reveals the drama and stories of people whose lives were forever altered by an encounter with a parasite. This six-part series explores the shocking, gruesome and sometimes deadly details of a parasitic infection. Every episode is a constant battle for life as doctors and scientists attempt to unravel each case before it is too late. Find out what kind of parasites lurk within when MONSTERS INSIDE ME premieres this month.

A ten-year-old boy mysteriously spikes a high fever after swimming in a warm fresh water lake. An 11-month-old becomes lethargic and unresponsive, and brain scans reveal something is methodically destroying his brain. A group of medical students returns from spring break in the islands, and all develop terrible headaches and meningitis-like symptoms. Family and friends are shocked and worried. Doctors race to unlock the mysteries before it is too late. What do all these cases have in common?

Parasites. They are ruthless, single-minded and above all, devious. In fact, some of the most deadly organisms in the world are invisible to the human eye. Using size to their advantage, microscopic parasites quietly invade their hosts without fear of inhibition or detection. Once inside, these creatures lurk unnoticed for months, or sometimes years, before striking - all the while, silently feeding off their victims. Witness the effects of mysterious illnesses caused by stealthy, cunning creatures who have taken up residence in their unsuspecting hosts parasites.

From isolated cases to massive outbreaks, catch the gripping real-life battles between modern medicine and evolution as these patients fight off their unseen and most unwelcome assailants in MONSTERS INSIDE ME.

MONSTERS INSIDE ME episode descriptions:

Sleeper Cells
These killers lie dormant, waiting for the right time to strike. 11-month-old Garrett Richardson ingests the eggs of a worm, and within days, the creature travels to his brain and feeds on its tissue. A Vietnam veteran survived the enemy attacks on the front lines, but back at home a killer is stealthily working its way through his body, laying waste to his organs and lymph system. John Figge and many of his family members live for six years with unwanted hitchhikers from Africa traveling around in their bodies. Only when one of these creatures begins to attack John's brain are they discovered. Can the family get rid of these deadly parasites before the damage is critical?  

Outbreak
Across the United States, doctors and scientists are fighting a war against some of nature's deadliest creatures - parasites. It is a race against time when a mysterious organism strikes a mid-western city causing the worst parasitic outbreak in the history of the United States. Before the culprit is contained, 100 innocent people have died. In Chicago, doctors must track down a hidden killer that attacks a group of students on a spring break trip and a flesh-eating monster is on the loose in a Texas community.

Sex Maniacs
Perfecting the art of reproduction has made parasites the most successful life form on the planet. There are some that are violent, manipulative and have taken sex to the extreme. These parasites are Sex Maniacs. Part of the reason for their success is the males' aggressive approach to sex, a method known as "traumatic insemination". A New Jersey woman finds her apartment infested with one of the most ubiquitous parasites on earth - bed bugs. A cyclist from Colorado discovers that the insect bites on his head are from botflies. In Oklahoma, a chemical sprayer's cough turns out to be the result of parasitic worms that multiply in the human lung.

Masters of Disguise
To become the most prolific life forms in the world takes a degree of cunning that others can only marvel at. Meet the most deceptive parasites on the planet, the Masters of Disguise. Teenager Mallorie Greiner has Acanthamoeba keratitis, a parasite that is intent on eating her cornea. Initially, doctors think runner Rick DiMichele has cancer, then malaria; eventually, they discover he has a tick-borne disease called Babesiosis. And not until he is staring death in the face do Mohammed Meah's doctors find the real cause of his problem: a parasitic worm called Strongyloides that has been lurking undetected in his small intestine and living off the steroids he was taking to combat his colitis.

Living with the Enemy
Across the planet, a battle is raging between parasites and their hosts. There is hardly an organism on this planet that doesn't have parasites that are trying to get at it. Some parasites destroy their hosts with terrifying speed, while others have a more cunning strategy: they keep their host alive for as long as possible. In Virginia a young woman is attacked by an invincible brain-eating monster that threatens to take her life. A Midwestern farmer battles with a beast that cannot be killed. A New Yorker becomes infected with the deadliest parasite on the planet.

Hijackers
Nature is a war zone and parasites are the ultimate fighters. They are hungry, they are ruthless and they don't play by the rules. Parasites have evolved countless ways of hijacking their hosts' bodies: some steal food from inside the gut, others lurk in the blood sapping their host's nutrients and some even target their host's brain. These are some of the most horrific cases of parasitic infection in the United States. In Virginia, a vicious creature is on the rampage and its next victim is an innocent child. In Michigan, a brutal killer has invaded a traveller's blood. A summer day-out at a Florida lake turns into a nightmare when a ruthless monster attacks a young boy's brain.