The Insect that Creeps in the Night

Bedbugs

Have you ever wonder why every time you wake up in the morning, you would find yourself having red spots and itching all over? Isn't this very frustrating? 

If you are facing this problem, one possiblity might be bedbugs.

A bedbug in comparison with a grain of rice
Source: click here

Bedbugs also known as Cimex lectularius, belong to the family of Cimicidae. They are actually small parasitic insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals.

Bed bugs are small and oval in shape bearing a darker brown when mature and reddish after feeding. Their lifespan varies from species to species and also from their feeding and they can grow up to 5mm in length and 3mm in width. They're able to crawl at a very fast pace to compensate not being able to fly.

Bedbugs dwell in areas of the home and as the name implies, they mostly inhabit in beds, including mattresses, bed frame etc. Bedbugs can survive in a wide range of conditions such as surviving at temperature as low as 16.1 degrees celsius or as high as 40 degrees celsius. They prefer feeding at night and hate the sunlight. However they will feed even in the day time when required. Bedbugs are attracted to to their hosts primarily by carbon dioxide (CO2), then by warmth. Bedbugs can live for up to a year without feeding but they will normally try to feed every few days unless conditions do not permit (making them able to survive in desolated areas).

After having some knowledge about the bedbugs, now let's talk about the symptoms of being bitten by them and the eradication of them.

Source: click here

When you are bitten, the bitten area will turn red and become swollen, often accompanied with intense itching (normally caused by the saliva of the bedbugs). It is similar to a mosquito bite, red, swollen and itchy making it difficult to distinguish. You're tend to be bitten by bed bugs in a roll, normally 2 to 3 bites in a row. The possible reason is that the bed bugs are disturbed while feeding (turning over,scratching etc) making the bed bugs have to leave its host before returning back again to feed and biting on a different area. Another reason might be that it is trying to find a vein where it can get lots of feed (blood) from, thus trying several attempts to find the right spot.

The common symptoms as mentioned would be redness, swelling and itching at the area of the bite. In some rare cases, anaphylatic reaction may occur such as causing an asthma attack.

So how do you eradicate these nasty bugs??

Pesticides, vaccuumming and also high heat. Pesticides can be a real help to remove those bedbugs that have not been expose to pesticides before (not often seen nowadays) as there have been an increasing resistance to pesticides. So more people are opting for vaccuuming where bed bugs are. By vaccuuming every single corner of the house which is possible for it to inhabit or using high heat (above 46 degrees celsius), it is possible to leave your house bedbug-free. High concentration of carbon dioxide has been proven to kill bedbugs too!

The Ultimate Body Invaders

In the world of Nature, every organisms are trying very hard to win the game of survival. In order to win the game, some come up with an extraordinary method---to invade another kind and manipulate the host to create a condition favoring the survival of the invaders, while putting the hosts in great danger. The following are 5 ultimate body invaders that adopt the unique mechanism to ensure the survival of their species. 

Cordyceps 

Cordyceps invaded host. 

Cordyceps are fungi from the genus ascomycete fungi, among which there are a lot of different species. The fungus parasites on insects and different species parasites on different hosts. As the cordyceps fungus infects an insect host, its mycelium (fungus part) replaces the host's body tissues. The fruiting body of the fungus will eventually puncture the host body and protrude out to allow the release of ascospores (spores). Many of the times, during the development stage, the fungus manipulate its host such as controlling the insect to climb up a plant and attaches itself there before it dies, ensuring optimal dispersal of the spores of the fungus. Some cordyceps genus are proven to have medicinal properties.  

Paragordius tricuspidatus

Parasitic worm emerging out of cricket.

Paragordius tricuspidatus is well-known for manipulating behaviour of its cricket host. The eggs of this parasitic worms are laid at the river edges where the crickets reside. The microscopic size eggs are ingested by accident by the crickets, and hatch within. The larvae of the worm get nourishment from the host and grow, eventually filling the entire body cavity of the cricket. They can grow up to 10 - 15cm in lengths.  Upon maturation, the parasitic worms are ready to exit the hosts, the worms will induce an abnormal behavior to the cricket hosts --- to jump into the water. Most of the crickets will drown, while some will survive and lead a normal life after the excision of the parasites. After which, the worms will slither out and find its mating partners. The manipulation in behaviours are believed to be cause by a release of proteins that affect the Central Nervous System (CNS) of the crickets.  

Dinocampus coccinellae

Paralyzed ladybug guarding cocoons

Dinocampus coccinellae is a species of wasp that parasites on Ladybug. The female wasp lays one egg in the soft abdomen of the ladybug. After the egg hatches, the larva starts to consume the ladybug's eggs, then the gonads and the body of their host. However the ladybug host is still alive. When the parasites are ready to emerge, they paralyze the ladybug and tunnel out of its body. Then the parasites pupate in a cocoon attaching to the leg of the living ladybug, The ladybug's occasional twitching ward off any potential preys of the parasites,  making the ladybug the "bodyguard" of its parasites. A few days later, the wasps will emerge from the coccoon. 1 out of 4 ladybugs will recover from the paralysis and come back to health after all the cocoons have emptied.  

Leucochloridium paradoxum

Snail with infection.

Leucochloridium paradoxum, a kind of parasitic flatworm, infects a snail and alters the original behaviors and appearance of the snail; after which increasing the chances of the snail being eaten by a bird which is the next and final host of the parasite. To do so, the parasite resides into the translucent eye-stalks (preferably left one) of the snail, altering the normal eye-stalks into yellow-greenish stripes, inducing caterpillar mimicry. Birds do not usually snack on snail, however the altered eye-stalks of the snail, resembling a caterpillar results in birds mistakenly consuming the infected snails. The parasites also cause the snail to be more visible to the birds by making the snails stay under the sunlight instead of hiding in the shade.   

Myrmeconema neotropicum

Normal ants.

Infected ant with red gaster raise up high to mimic wild-berries. 

Myrmeconema neotropicum is tetradonematid nematode parasite that induce berries mimicry in tropical ants. The parasites mate and lay eggs inside the gasters (the hindmost abdomen) of the ants. The infected ants will develop bright red, egg-filled gasters that resemble red berries available in tropical forest. The parasites also cause the weakening of the exoskeleton linking the gasters to the rest of the body of the infected ants. The infected ants will walk with their gasters raise up high, allowing birds to mistaken them as wild berries and pick up the gasters which detach easily from the ant.The parasite eggs will be passed in the birds' dropping and later collected by the tropical ants again.  

Buruli Ulcer - Infection that Consumes Skins

Buruli Ulcer is a disease caused by infection by the Mycobacterium ulcerans. It is one of the most neglected disease in the world, specifically in the developing countries. Mycobacterium (other bacteria of the same family) is also the bacteria that causes tuberculosis and leprosis; however, Buruli ulcer has received the least attention.

Infection of this disease occurs mainly in tropical areas such as Australia, West Africa, Southeast Asia and New Guinea. Among which, this disease has the largest impact in developing countries, mainly due to the lack of knowledge in the disease.

It has been reported that the mycobacteria strives within aquatic environments (such as small aquatic animals, biofilms). Transmission mode to humans is still under investigation. Thus, Buruli ulcers usually occurs near water sources, infecting children under 15 years mainly. There is no evidence that this disease can be transmitted from person to person.

A young boy with Buruli ulcers
Picture Source: click here

Symptoms in General

Buruli ulcer begins with a painless mobile swelling in the skin (any part of the body). The more severe infection can be painful. Buruli ulcer is a long term, necrotizing disease that slowly destroys the skin and soft tissue by the toxin secreted by the mycobacteria.Without treatment, massive ulcerations take place and if the bone is affected, gross deformities will be the consequence.  If the ulcers develop on the limbs, the movement of the patients will be greatly restricted; even after the lesions have healed, the massive scarring will affect the mobility of the patients. In more severe cases, lifetime disabilities are norm in the patients. Can you imagine the pain the patients are enduring?

Treatment And Prevention

The most efficient treatment of Buruli ulcer is the surgical removal of the ulcers. For disease in more advanced stage, prolonged treatment with skin grafting will be necessary. However, surgical practice is scarcely available in developing countries. A combination of antibiotics can be used to reduce the requirement for surgery.

Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination has been observed to provide short-term protection against the disease. Although only limited protection is available, it will still be useful by ensuring a complete coverage of this vaccine in the heavily affected regions. Once again, people in developing countries have very minor chances to receive such vaccination due to extreme poverty as well as lack of knowledge in diseases.

Noma - The Disease that Destroys Smiley Faces

There are many unfortunate people around the world, especially people in the developing countries. They do not even have the basic food and necessities to allow them to live healthily. Horrifying diseases roam, leaving the people in great agony. 

Gangrenous stomatitis, commonly known as Noma, is a condition whereby the mucous membrane of the mouth and other tissues of the patients are destroyed. This disorder usually occurs in developing countires where there is malnutrition and poor cleanliness. This is also more often seen in young, severely malnourished children of young age (2- to 5-year-old).  

Once infected, Noma causes rapid tissue destruction, the gums and cheeks become inflammed and ulcers develop. The ulcers and destroyed tissues lead to severe breath odor. Infection of the tissues then spread to the skin, lips and cheeks, eventually destroying the soft tissue and bone around the infected regions. The infection will lead to deformities and loss of teeth. The patients' facial features will be severely disfigured and the normal functions of the jaws will be greatly impaired. 

The actual cause of the disorder is still not known. However, it might be due to a type of bacteria. Antibiotics and improved nutrition can aid in controlling the disorder. The condition can be fatal in some cases if left untreated; on the other hand, the condition might heal eventually even without treatment. To treat the disorder, surgery might be required to remove the destroyed tissues, and plastic surgery will be required to reconstruct the facial bones. Patients recovered from the disorder will have horrifying scars on their faces. 

This might look horrifying to you, do bear in mind that this kid
do not have a choice, if he does, a life free of disease is all he desires.

To reduce the risk of Noma, it is important to improve hygiene level and nutrition. However, sad to say, these two basic preventions are often the hardest to fulfill in most of the developing countries. 

Monstrous Looking Sea-Creatures

We know that organisms living underwater are beautiful, such as the clownfish in Finding Nemo. However, we will not be discussing about these beautiful underwater creatures today; instead we will be discussing about the 5 ugliest fishes that exist which will definitely give you a real heart attack if you ever got the chance to run into one.

Blobfish


The Blobfish, also known as Psychrolutes marcidus, is a deep sea creature dwelling in the deep waters of Australia and Tasmania at a depth of 800m, thus it is rarely seen by humans.

Blobfish basically comprises of gelatinous mass (making them totally inedible). They have density lower than water, allowing them to float above the sea floor without needing to spend much energy. Their food sources comprise of any edible matters and living organisms such as crabs. Food sources that float around in  deep waters could be easily swallow down by the blobfish when they pass by it.


They may sound as though they are having a luxury life down in the sea, but in fact, the blobfish are facing a possible extinction. This is due to deep-sea fishing in Australia or Tasmania where the blobfish are caught in net as by-catch with other edible sea creatures such as crabs, lobsters etc.


These sad-looking creatures do have a sad life to begin with thus reflecting the big frown shown on their faces.

Lamprey

Lampreys, also known as lamprey eels, belong to the family of Petromyzontidae. The lampreys, the jawless fish, with circular mouth that acts as suction and teeth around the mouth and tongue; can be either parasitic (attaching to their hosts, mostly other larger fishes and sucking their blood) or non-parasitic.

Adult lampreys, ranging from 13 to 100cm, have no scales. The lamprey larvae, on the other hand, are blind and toothless. Most Lampreys inhabit around the coastal or fresh waters where the waters are cold or temperate, there are also some which live in the ocean. Some species such as the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), have been observed to migrate from the ocean to fresh waters to spawn.

Unlike the Blobfish, lampreys are edible. Yes, there are people out there who find lampreys a delicacy, such as the people in ancient Roman and the upper classes throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.

To be frank, this is an "EXOTIC dish" that I’ll NEVER try even if it is highly appreciated by others. 

Anglerfish


Anglerfish, a type of fish belonging to the family of Melanocetus, can be found throughout the globe. Some Anglerfish inhabit in the open water (Pelagic) while some dwell under the deep sea (Benthic).


Anglerfish are generally dark gray to dark brown in color, having a huge head and enormous mouth with razor sharp, translucent teeth. They can range from three inches (7.5cm) to around four feet (120cm) in length, depending on the species and sex. They can be found throughout the world and inhabit at depths over 900m where sunlight is totally scarce and the water is freezing cold.


The distinctive feature owned only by the female anglerfish, is a dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouth like a fishing pole and having a luminous flesh (Esca) at the tip. Its purpose, to serve as a bait to lure preys close enough so that they can swallow them. What's more impressive is that the enormous mouth that they possess allow them to consume prey that is up to TWICE their own size!


The reproductive system of the Anglerfish is extraordinarily special. The male, which is much more smaller than the female has a completely different appearance. When a male angler matures, its digestive system will start to degenerate causing them to be unable to feed on their own. In order to survive, the male must search for a female or they would die due to starvation. Once the male has a found a female, it will bite into the her skin. Enzymes produce by the male angler will dissolve the skin of his mouth and that of the female's body, allowing them to fuse together. Once fused, the male will be part of the female's body (serves as a gonads) for the rest of its life like a parasite, getting all of his nutrients from her body. A female can have up to six males on her body at a time, allowing her to be ever-ready to spawn as the males on her serve as gonads to produce sperm.

Fangtooth

First look at it, I thought it was the anglerfish but actually it isn’t. Following closely behind at  the fourth place is the Fangtooth.

The fangtooth, belonging to the family of Anoplogastridae, can be found in temperate and tropical regions of the oceans. They inhabit in deep sea waters at depths of 200–2000m and can even go as deep as 5000m where the water is icy-cold. As food source is scarce in the deep waters where they live, fangtooths basically consume any food that floats around them.


Fangtooth, as the name implies, has sharp, fang-like teeth which encompass around its huge mouth. This allows the Fangtooth to swallow its preys with little chance for them to escape the deadly fangs. The difference between the Anglerfish and the Fangtooth is that the Anglerfish uses esca as a bait to lure its prey while the Fangtooth just wait for its prey to swim around it and take the chance to swallow them.


The spawning rate of the Fangtooths and the time taken for them to mature are actually uncertain. One thing for sure is that they are very slow growing and reside in the deep sea.
Given the ferocious-look, Fangtooth are actually harmless to humans due to their small size (grow up to a maximum length of only 16 centimetres). If so happen that you got a chance (which is usually rare) to run into one, don't worry, it will not swallow you, but it will definitely freak you out!

Frilled shark


Look at the fish at the right, is that an eel? 


The answer is NO! It’s a type of shark that has a body resembles to an eel. Here comes the Frilled Shark.


Frilled shark or Chlamydoselachus anguineus, belongs to the family of Chlamydoselachidae. It is distributed across the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, but most of the catches come from the Japanese waters. Like the other fishes mentioned above, the frilled sharks also inhabit in deep waters at a depth of between 120 to 1500m.


The frilled shark, having a dark brown, eel-like body is very flexible. It has long flexible jaws which allow them to swallow their preys whole. Within the jaws, there are many rolls of small needle-like teeth to grip firmly and prevent its preys from escaping. Its diet, usually small sharks, fishes and squids that can be found in the waters.


The frilled shark is an aplacental viviparous species and its reproduction occurs oviparous (the eggs hatch in the body of the mother and emerge as young Frilled Sharks). The gestation period/hatching of the eggs takes about one to two years usually and can even go up to three and a half years. It has the longest gestation period among vertebrates (organisms having backbones). Due to the low reproductive rate of this species, accidental catches may threaten its numbers causing them to deplete and face the risk of being extinct. 

Care For Your Pets - Roundworms in Dogs

Do you have a family dog at home? If your answer is yes, this is a post you might be interested to know more about parasites that might live within your dogs.

Roundworm is the most common kind of infectious parasite in puppies and dogs; if not treated, roundworm infection in puppies can be fatal.

The Dog Roundworm, Toxocara canis, lives within puppies and dogs and the adult worm is ranging from 9 to18cm (about 3.5 to 7 inches) in length. A female can lay about 200,000 eggs of microscopic size daily. The eggs are protected by thick cell wall and can survive for months in the soil. These make roundworm infection highly transmittable among dogs.

There are several ways puppies and dogs can get roundworm infection. For puppies, prenatal infection is the most common type, whereby the roundworm larvae from the mother dogs migrate into the placenta and infect the developing puppies before birth. On the other hand, puppies can get infected through ingestion of mother’s milk that contains roundworm eggs. Puppies and dogs can also get infected by ingesting eggs in the soil, this is the most frequent route of infection in adult dogs.

Life cycle of roundworm in puppies (of age up to 3 months):

• Step 1: Roundworm eggs ingested by the puppies (through milk or from soil) enter the stomach and then hatch in the small intestines.    
• Step 2: The larvae travel through the bloodstream and enter the lungs and liver of the pup.
• Step 3: After residing in the lungs, the larvae move their way up the windpipes and are swallowed by puppies. 
• Step 4: The larvae develop into adult worms in the intestines, completing their life-cycle. The adult worms mate pass eggs into the faeces of puppies. (Fortunate to mention that the eggs in the faeces will only become infective after 3 to 4 weeks of incubation in the soil)     

Roundworms in stools
Picture source: click here

For older dogs, they have developed immunity against the roundworm, therefore very few larvae will be able to complete their life cycle within the dog. If any larvae completed the life cycle, the adult worms will reside in various body tissues in the dog, and develop a tough shell (encyst) that protects them against the host’s immune system. At this stage, even the de-wormer might not be able to kill the worms. However, during pregnancy, the encysted worms get activated again and migrate to the placenta to infect the next generation.

In adult dogs, roundworm infection can be no symptom at all; while in puppies some symptoms might be vomiting, diarrhea, dull-coat and bloated belly. Worms might appear in the vomit and the feces, which look like white threads or white spaghetti strands that wriggle.
In general, an infection of roundworm can be gotten rid of with the use of de-wormers prescribed by vet, and your doggy will be back to health in no time! HOWEVER, severe infection in young puppies can be fatal, and roundworm infection is not only contagious among dogs, there are risks whereby roundworm transmits from dogs to human. Be warned!

For more information on roundworms in Human, click here: Roundworm in Human

Living with Elephant's Body Parts

The "Elephant-syndrome", elephantiasis, by the name of it, patients develop thickening of skin and and underlying tissues (resembling the elephant's trunks) in the body parts. The areas of thickening of skin and tissues can occur in face, legs and even male genitals. The disease results in the affected body parts to swell up to the size of a fist or head. The abnormalities triggered by the disease not only lead to great inconvenience in the patients' daily lives, and also agony in the patients.

Extreme case of lower limb swelling.

The disease is initiated by thread-like parasitic worms with Wuchereria bancrofti being the most common cause, and is transmitted by mosquitoes. As the mosquito sucks blood from a human, it introduces the larvae of the parasitic worms which will travel to the human lymphatic system and develop into adult worms to a length ranging 1 to 4 inches. The worms will be living within the infected person for years (usually about 7 years), the longest ever recorded is 40 years.

A woman with enlarged arms.

The sexually matured worms will mate and release millions of microscopic larvae into the blood stream. As the adult worms live within the lymphatic, obstruction of the vessels will lead to swelling, especially in the lower body especially the legs and the genital areas. Therefore, the parasites, as well as the body immune system, contribute to the development of elephantiasis which takes years to show. On the other hand, the disease may develop without being infected by the parasites.

Picture source: click here

The picture shows an enlarged scrotum, affected about 4% of the infected males.

It has been evident that if a pregnant woman got infected by W. bancrofti, her child will have the chance to be infected as well. This can be explained by the parasite's antigens being passed to the fetus' blood circulation. Another scenario will be the fetus becomes tolerant to the parasites' antigens. In future, parasite infection (of the same antigens as the one presented in fetus stage) will be able to evade the host immune system of that child and leading to the development of elephantiasis more easily.

Currently, the medication available is only able to kill the adult worms within the lymphatic system, while the larvae not responsive to treatment.