Animal Planet Premieres New Season of MONSTERS INSIDE ME Tonight

These days, we're faced with the atrocious fear of viruses like EBOLA because we've seen it cross our borders. But there's more than EBOLA out there. When MONSTERS INSIDE ME returns tonight, October 9, at 9 PM (ET/PT), prepare to be shocked, disgusted and afraid... very, very afraid. An organism could be inside you, feeding on you or infecting you at this very moment!

A parasitic, bacterial, viral or fungal attack is like a tumultuous roller coaster within the body that can take terrifying - sometimes deadly - twists and turns. MONSTERS INSIDE ME host/biologist Dan Riskin provides scientific perspective throughout this 10-part series that vividly recounts the stories of people tormented by sinister creatures that have invaded their bodies.

This season, the following real-life cases illustrate just how destructive parasitic, bacterial and viral infections can be and the many ways these microscopic beasts impact human health:

Could a teenage girl be losing her mind? Her family soon realizes it's not a psychiatrist she needs - she actually has a life-threatening inflammation of the brain. What could be causing this frightening condition?

When a contractor suffers a bump on his head while he is working, he thinks nothing of it. But days later, he finds himself in the ICU fighting for his life with something in his brain that defies all logic.

A new father suddenly realizes he can't move his legs and then quickly becomes totally incapacitated. What on Earth could have the power to take this man down in a matter of a few short hours?

And, a reality-television competitor in sunny California returns from a shoot in Fiji with a nasty souvenir. Does a microscopic monster have the ability to paralyze this amazing athlete?

This season, MONSTERS INSIDE ME highlights stories about people who are victims to teratoma, West Nile virus, rat lungworms, acanthamoeba keratitis and much, much worse. The season also reveals the rare but possible consequences of negligibly washed produce and little-known dangers of fungus.

There are tiny monsters patiently waiting to invade us at unsuspecting moments. Don't say we didn't warn you!

MONSTERS INSIDE ME is produced for Animal Planet by Optomen Productions. Nicola Moody and Dominic Stobart are the executive producers for Optomen. For Animal Planet, Erin Wanner is executive producer, and Hilary Tholen is associate producer. Charlie Foley developed this series for Animal Planet.