The parasite, derided by Victorians but appreciated by a growing number of ecologists as a driving force in evolution. Here's a selection of photos capturing some of the most bizarre, creepy and gruesome ways in which a creature embeds itself into a host, from brain worms to tongue-replacers. You might want to finish that sandwich first.
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1. The Tongue-Replacing Louse. Cymothoa exigua is a parasitic crustacean, and the only known parasite that actually replaces a host organ. The young louse attaches itself to the base of the tongue of Rose Snappers, extracting blood through its claws. Eventually the tongue, deprived of blood, atrophies and withers away. The parasite then attaches its body to the muscles of the tongue stub, allowing the fish to use it as a functioning tongue.
2. Brain Worms These small, thread like worms actually live peacefully inside the skulls of white-tailed deer in North America, causing no problems for the host. Unfortunately they are sometimes picked up by other animals such as moose, where they can cause extensive brain damage.
3. Eye Worms. The Indian Journal of Opthalmology has published dozens of papers on worm infestation of the eye, one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. The photo below shows the surgical removal of one example.
4. The Penis Fish (Candiru). The picture below doesn't look too scary until you realize where this small eel has just been extracted from - the urethra of a man's penis. While fishing for piranha in the Amazon last year I was reliably informed that the Candiru - a small, translucent eel that normally invades fish gills - is the most feared creature in the Amazon.
5. Brainwashing Ant Fungus. This Carpenter Ant has fallen victim to a parasitic fungus of the genus Cordyceps. Having infiltrated the ant's body, the fungus penetrates the brain, manipulating the ant into climbing a plant to find a suitable position to release spores. You can read a fuller, gorier account at
Neurophilosophy .
6. The Tapeworm. Tapeworms infect the gut right? Not always. In some cases the eggs of the worm - which you can pick up by eating under-cooked pork - can enter the blood-stream and end up all over the body, including the infested brain of this unfortunate 9-year-old girl. Since the 80s, infections like this can be diagnosed with a CAT scan and cleared with drugs.
7. The Guinea Worm. Picked up from dirty water, the meter-long Guinea worm is much less of a threat these days thanks to the availability of cheap filters. The adult worms can be removed by gradually winding them onto a stick, as this photo demonstrates - a process that has to be performed tediously slowly, often taking weeks.
8. The Human Bot Fly Maggot - Breast. This photo shows what is medically described as
"Furuncular myiasis of the breast caused by the larvae of the Tumbu fly". The fly lays eggs in clothing from which the larvae hatch and burrow under the skin. Fully developed, they reemerge. Remarkably, once the maggots were removed, this woman's breast completely healed in a week or so.
9. The Human Bot Fly Maggot - Eye. If the last image wasn't grim enough, here's a shot taken from a paper titled Anterior Orbital Myiasis Caused by Human Botfly in the Archives of Ophthalmology, detailed the growth of a bot-fly maggot within this unlucky 5-year-old's eye orbit. Doctors removed the creature under a general anaesthetic.
10. Parasitic Wasp. Just to show that humans don't have it so bad really, here's an unfortunate caterpillar being gradually eaten alive by parasitic wasps. As revolting as they seem, many species of parasitic wasp play an important role in agricultural pest control.
Enjoy your lunch!
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This hairworm (also discussed in your Neurophilosophy link to the brainwashing ant fungus) deserves at least an honorable mention:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/06/science/06hopp.html
Your Neurophilosophy link also discusses the hairworm and has marvellous videos of a hairworm-infected grasshopper jumping into a swimming pool and the hairworm emerging. Theres also a tasty video of a hairworm emerging from the mouth of a frog that ate an infected insect.
Here's the link again: http://neurophilosophy.wordpress.com/2006/11/20/brainwashed-by-a-parasite
Your point about parasitism being a driving force in evolution is a good one. While it may seem grotesque, parasitism is closely allied with mutualism, where both organisms benefit from the relationship. Indeed mutualism may evolve from parasitism in some cases, and mutualism may in turn lead to total fusion into a single organism - witness mitochondria, our cells' "power plants", which still have their own DNA.
The philosophical argument could be made that mitochondria are both part of us and independent organisms, as indeed they once clearly were. If some mitochondria evolved to consume energy rather than supplying it, they would be considered parasites, and we would insist on their "separateness" from us once again. So are mitochondria part of our being or separate, discrete organisms living inside us? In a sense they are both at the same time. Perhaps the analogy can be expanded to include our planet. Are we discrete organisms living "on" planet Earth, or are we part of it?
PS Enjoyed our discussion on 9/11. No hard feelings, I hope.
Yes, you've probably read it by the sound of it, but if not I'd recommend the book Parasite Rex. Early life scientists were disgusted by the parasite, viewing it as a blight on the perfection of the rest of life, but now we know that in fact parasites play a critical role in ecosystem dynamics.
On the subject of mitochondria, my own area of expertise is in ecological complexity, and so I've spent a lot of time researching the concept of multicellular organisms like people being "colonies" in practical terms. Terms like "life" and "individual" and "organism" have very fuzzy meanings in the real world, where many creatures blur the boundaries between colony and organism. One of my favourite creatures is the Siphonophore - a jellyfish-like creature which consists of thousands of once independent animals fused together. I think you'll like this website on them: http://www.siphonophores.org/.
Apologies for not responding in the 9/11 thread recently, but I'm incredibly busy in real life - on top of my usual science stuff I'm looking for a new job at the moment so I've been away for interviews. The "Top Ten..." series of articles are intended to be a lighter, less rigorous look at things then a lot of the rest of the blog is, but I intend to write a bit more about 9/11 in the future, and will try and deal with all the points raised there in a more rigorous manner. With 160 comments left in that post, I'm sure you appreciate that replying to everything is a drain on my time that I can't really afford at the moment.
Glad you're enjoying the blog.
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Enjoyed the siphonophore site; I've long been fascinated by evolution, but beyond that, such organisms raise interesting philosophical questions.
I very much look forward to your future musings on 9/11. Pods, laser beams and similar silliness aside, to me the evidence strongly suggests US and Israeli government involvement, so I think it's an important subject that needs a thorough airing, no matter how discomfiting.
Why oh why did I look at this post before eating breakfast? Oh that's right, I saw a very interesting post (different from the normal bloggingzoom submissions) and just had to click thru. That will teach me. LOL
Rhonda
Creepy and definitely awesome list. Personally I think the tapeworm in the intestines is the grossest because it's like 10 feet or longer.
South Koreans rioted Against the sale of American beef in their hungry country! Why? What do they know that we have not been told? is the FDA and various other government controlled offices under-informed or are the Koreans a bunch of nuts?
I'm not sure how much you know about the world "Uncle", but South Korea isn't "hungry". It's a rich, first world nation. The riots are over a variety of issues not just beef, and where it concerns beef it has as much to do with anti-Americanism and protectionism promoted by militant trade unionists, as with any genuine concern about beef.
Meanwhile, I have to say it takes a particular kind of crazy to post this randomly on a month-old article unrelated to Mad Cow Disease.
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Although, I would rather have enjoyed my dinner. Brain worms always remind me of The Wrath of Khan.
agreed. pwned
Urp. >.< I lost my appetite due to this...
uhm the breast photo scared me
Yeah, that's actually the worst one there for me
Martin is the editor of layscience.net.
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I saw the same kind of disease on encyclopedia dramatica a few months ago and threw up. I had finally removed the image from my head though....
A contented mind is perpetual feast.
Actions speak louder than words.
Whelp, I'm not eating today.
LOL great post.
Wow... the Mc Donalds I just ate literally came back up. Thanks dude...
thats propably for the best.
I am so hard right now.
you forgot about headcrabs
Yes they forgot headcrabs!
Crowbar would help against headcrabs tho.
buen apetit :D
The ugliest one I ever saw was a huge "worm" inside the guts of a black bear; I cut the cut and it slithered out like a long, ugly snake. I'll never eat bear meat again! Sorry, I did not take a picture; I was too sick from looking at it. Next time maybe.