Re: NANFA-- anchor worm in humans?

Irate Mormon (archimedes_at_bayspringstel.net)
Sun, 8 Feb 2004 10:23:23 -0500

I suspect that the animal in question (if in fact we're not being misled) is
some type of flatworm. Platyhelmithes often have free-swimming "nauplii" called
cercariae or metacercariae which can invade a host by various means, including
penetrating the skin (as in schistosomiasis). They then lodge in various parts
of the body, snarfing up precious bodily fluids and so on. Flatworms do not
reproduce inside the terminal host - there are typically one ot two intermediate
hosts required. Therefore, the severity of the patient's illness is dependent
upon the worm burden. If this guy picked up only one or two worms, then he
would prabably never know it.

Roundworms (aschelminthes) are another matter entirely. If schistosomiasis
sounds bad, well - these guys are _really_ nasty, and some can autoinfect the host.

Prost,

Martin
Jackson, MS

Quoting "Moontanman_at_aol.com" <Moontanman at aol.com>:

> Is it possible a leach is really the center of attention and not an anchor
> worm? I know that a person who ate sushi came down with an internal parasite
>
> that usually infects marine mammals once but that was a parasite that
> infected
> mammals and we are mammals. (Or at least Janet Jackson is;-)
>
> Moon
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