Yumm-o topic, right? No?! What do you mean, "WHY am I talking about icky, yucky, gross, nasty parasites?" Goodness, people, you are certainly hard to please!
We've all got to eat and a branch of living organisms prefers to do it the easy way. Well, it certainly seems easy from our perspective (those of us living organisms that get munched on by parasites). Before we label parasites as simply YUCKY, let's take a closer look at them.
Maybe you'll realize they can actually be rather nifty instead.
No way, you say. I don't think that could possibly ever be the case!
Well, sit down and read on, ladies and gents. Maybe you'll be pleasantly (or grossly) surprised.
Firstly, let me say that there are myriads and myriads of parasites out there in our awesome world, but I'm going to focus on a few of the ones that particularly enjoy a little side dish of Homo sapiens.
Trichinella spiralis will be the first parasite placed under our investigative lens and this little guy (measuring in at about 200 to 250 um in length) finds a bit of muscle to be mighty attractive!
Hush now, guys! And don't hide your biceps. Sit back down and keep on reading.
T. spiralis is a helminth and that, my friends, is another name for a parasitic worm. When they're in their young larval stage, these helminths infect the muscle tissue. However, once an adult, they migrate to the intestine instead.
Here, gather around and take a gander at this guy!
What a beauty, huh?!
No?!
Oof, what a tough crowd. Alright, alright. Keep on reading and I'll tell you a bit more about Mr. T. spiralis, okay?
Inquiring minds might be wondering (if they're still reading) how a person manages to become the unlucky landlord to rent out space to this worm. And that, my dears, is a very good question.
This particular parasite is acquired by eating poorly prepared and undercooked meat, especially pork. Lesson #1 from our day with parasites is to cook your food until it reaches the proper temperature, right?
Want to know how the parasite gets from the ingested meat then to your muscles and THEN to your intestines? No? Well, hmph, I'm going to tell you anyway!
When ingested, the food progresses to the stomach and then the intestines in the process of digestion. Once within the intestines, the parasite leaves a capsule, penetrates the intestinal wall and then migrates via the blood stream to various sites in the body. It'll set up camp in the muscles for a month (leaving the infected person a bit achy) before curling up and encapsulating. Some die in the muscles and others will eventually make it back to the intestines.
Oh, lordy, you say. What symptoms does this person have?!
Well, I'll humor you and answer that. They might have a bit of diarrhea or abdominal pain, but the severity truly depends on the number of worms with which they're infested. Pleasant, eh? Sometimes there might be headache, tender muscles (of course!), weakness, or even fever as well.
Want to know how the doctor determines if you have this particular parasite?
No? You look a bit hesitant there.
In addition to basic tests to detect specific elevated white blood cells (eosinophils) that tend to rise in response to allergies or parasites, a muscle biopsy may have to be performed as well.
What did you say? "Yikes?! Why did you tell me that?"
Oh, sorry. I thought it was an interesting tidbit.
Perhaps we've had enough of T. spiralis, hm? Let's share the limelight with another parasite.
Enterobius vermicularis is our next guest and one I'm betting a lot of you out there have heard of or even had!
Are you shaking your head no? Well, the statistics don't lie, buckos. I'm sure some of you have run across these worms.
Here, I'll give you a hint...it's also known as the pinworm.
Picture time! Wait...are you squeezing your eyes shut?! Oh, geez.
Tada! I decided to be nice and show you a picture of the egg as opposed to the worm. See? I'm being considerate.
I WILL, however, tell you what the worms look like - white and 8 to 13 mm for females (millimeters, not micrometers like the T. spiralis. So these guys are a quite a bit bigger) in length with a pointy tail. The males are considerably smaller at 2 to 5 mm in length and their tail, unlike their female counterparts, is curved at the end.
Listen up, especially for those of you that may have children or happen to be around children. Our lovely pinworm is particularly prevalent in young children (as we all know, young children are not particularly hygienic of their own accord). Therefore, Lesson #2 in our day with parasites is as follows - wash your hands regularly and teach your children to do the same.
Studies show that nearly 30 million individuals or more in the United States are infected with pinworms - they're hardy little buggers and spread quickly in a family unit or those living in close quarters.
They reside in the intestines and the female exits the body at night to lay eggs. Do I really need to tell you which door she uses to leave?
Because the mama lays her eggs at night, that means careful washing of linens and clothing are a must when dealing with an infected individual in addition to medical treatment.
Lovely, you're saying. Just...lovely. So, what are the symptoms this time, you ask?
There are many and range from urinary tract infections, itching, salpingitis (pelvic inflammation) and even endometritis (uterine inflammation). Once again, the symptoms are going to vary in severity depending upon the number of worms.
Hmm, I was going to continue on with another intriguing guy by the name of Taenia saginata (found in beef) and his fellow Taenia solium (another pork tapeworm), but you're all looking a bit green around the gills. So, I think I'll leave it up to you to continue the research if you so choose to accept that mission.
Next time, we'll discuss something a little less invasive, yes? And perhaps something a bit more cute and cuddly.
