Prompt Cast
Gross Parasites: Leishmaniasis, Guinea Worm Disease, and Tapeworms
TLDR This podcast episode explores three gross parasites, including leishmaniasis, which can cause painful sores and eat away at the mucous membranes, Guinea worm disease, which can be slowly removed by wrapping the worm around gauze or a stick, and tapeworms, which can grow up to 65 feet long and cause various health issues if ingested.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This podcast episode discusses three gross parasites, including leishmaniasis, a flesh-eating parasite found in the tropics, subtropics, and southern Europe.
03:54
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that affects millions of people worldwide, with cases expected to increase due to climate change and military personnel bringing it back from the Middle East, and it can cause painful sores on the skin or even eat away at the mucous membranes on the face.
07:48
Visceral leishmaniasis is a dangerous parasite that attacks the liver and spleen, causing them to enlarge and potentially kill the infected person.
11:24
Water fleas infected with parasites can be ingested through unsanitary water, and once inside the body, the parasites grow to about two to three feet long in the intestine, eventually emerging through the skin and releasing millions of larvae into the water supply.
14:59
The Carter Center has been working to eradicate Guinea worm disease, which has seen a significant decrease in cases, but if you do contract the disease, you can slowly remove the worm by wrapping it around gauze or a stick over several weeks.
18:17
Tapeworms, specifically Tania Solium, can infect a broad range of hosts, including humans, dogs, and cows, and they have been around for about 2.7 million years.
22:04
Tapeworms can grow up to 65 feet long, each segment can contain up to 40,000 eggs, and the eggs can live for 25 years, causing various health issues if ingested.
25:53
The botfly uses mosquitoes to lay its eggs on, which then hatch into larvae and burrow under the skin of mammals, including humans, causing various health issues.
29:28
The hosts share a story about a Twinkie experiment they conducted at Michigan State University's student newspaper, where they watched Twinkies disintegrate into powder over three years without any visible mold.
Categories:
Society & Culture
