Sunday, September 10, 2006

You Little Bastards!

Lung flukes are parasites that live in the lungs. An example of a lung fluke is paragonimus westermani.

Paragonimiasis is a disease caused by parasites called flukes, most commonly Paragonimus westermani. There are other Paragonimus species that can cause disease in humans. The major forms of disease are pulmonary (lung) and extrapulmonary (outside of the lung, such as in the abdomen or brain).

Lung fluke infection can be a serious illness in humans, but it is not transmitted from person-to-person. Symptoms of lung fluke infection can include cough, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and hives. The parasite, Paragonimus, can migrate from the lungs to other organs, and infection can last for years. Medication is available to treat the infection.

When Paragonimus eggs hatch in fresh water, the miracidium enters different snails and develops into cercaria, which infect freshwater crabs and crayfish, where they form cysts in gills and muscles. When freshwater crabs are eaten raw, the parasite penetrates the gut wall, migrates through the abdominal cavity and passes the diaphragm, where it develops into adult worms. The classical symptoms of a fully developed infection is bloody sputum in which Paragonimus eggs can be demonstrated, and Paragonimus is, therefore, an important differential diagnosis to tuberculosis. In the migratory phase, elevated eosinophils and IgE are common.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lung_fluke

All of these things, and there are still those who advocate a return to primitivism. Not that it matters. Not that it can be any other way. Man is not "with" machine. Man is "of" machine.

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