What’s a parasite? Is a foetus a parasite? These are just some of the questions you’ll hear answered on this week’s Futureproof when we present a sound story of a parasite called Toxoplasma Gondii which quite literally has a mind of its own.
Here are a few other scary parasites...
The Guinea Worm
The Guinea Worm is one of the world’s oldest parasites, or at least one of the oldest documented having been mentioned in ancient Greek texts.
It can affect just about anyone and anything. It usually enters the body through infected water. The worm then stays in a human for around a year and then creates a blister on the infected person and bursts through exposing the worm!
Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis: Zombie Ants
This sounds like the stuff of science and indeed Horror Fiction but this parasite causes an ant to leave its tree and climb a plant and die. But the parasite continues to grow and beams like a flag pole out of the ants head.
Blood Flukes
Schistosome, is more commonly known as blood flukes. It lives in the veins of the human body. When people come into contact with water infected with the parasite, it can puncture their skin, cause inflammation and damage the human organs – especially the liver. It is one of the most pervasive parasites, second only to Malaria
The Human Bot-Fly
This parasite basically deposits larvae in the flesh of humans. Although not initially a problem over time, the larvae grows and eventually you will have you very own pet maggots.
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But we’ll have the story of Toxoplasma Gondii on Futureproof this Saturday. It’s all part of a new series of sound stories called ‘Adventures in Science’ produced in association with Bayer.
