i'm not a parisitologist but I love your site! Is this not a Nematomorph or Gordian worm? What was it doing inside a teenage human?Maybe it came from a Cockroach..
You may not be a parasitologist, but nevertheless you are right! This is indeed one of the Nematomorpha (also known as horsehair worms or Gordian worms). The small print in the case description tells us already that it wasn't actually vomited by the teenager (..."reportedly" vomited...) and was presumably already in the toilet, possibly because an infested cockroach or so drowned itself in there. The adults of the Nematomorphs are not parasitic (they live in water) but the larvae are parasitic and use terrestrial insects as their host. Once the larva inside the insect has matured (after several molts), the infested insect will have an irresistible urge to drown itself, thus bringing the adult worm back to water. Neat trick!
i'm not a parisitologist but I love your site! Is this not a Nematomorph or Gordian worm? What was it doing inside a teenage human?Maybe it came from a Cockroach..
ReplyDeleteYou may not be a parasitologist, but nevertheless you are right! This is indeed one of the Nematomorpha (also known as horsehair worms or Gordian worms). The small print in the case description tells us already that it wasn't actually vomited by the teenager (..."reportedly" vomited...) and was presumably already in the toilet, possibly because an infested cockroach or so drowned itself in there. The adults of the Nematomorphs are not parasitic (they live in water) but the larvae are parasitic and use terrestrial insects as their host. Once the larva inside the insect has matured (after several molts), the infested insect will have an irresistible urge to drown itself, thus bringing the adult worm back to water. Neat trick!
ReplyDeleteCredo sia un Nematomorfo
ReplyDeleteLooks like a Horsehair worm (Gordius, etc.), so not a human parasite.
ReplyDeleteWhat else can I say. The “equine chevelure” though not so “knotted “ is very livid?
ReplyDeleteFlorida Fan