BiologyLife in all varieties. What is it, and how does it evolve?
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when i am out and about i avoid touching my face or drinking water...stay as clean as possible. when i need water form the lakes and stuff (providing i have a metal container) i boil the piss out of the water first. beaver fever is the one i was always worried about! luckily have not got it.
fungal infections i fear most cause spores are often air borne. anything that spreads via air scares the crap out of me!
__________________ Stephen Robert Irwin: 22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006. Rest In Peace.
Life is not a problem to be solved, it is a mystery to be lived. -Kierkegaard
__________________ 'Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.' Stephen Hawking
'There are all kinds of interesting questions that come from a knowledge of science, which only adds to the excitement and mystery and awe of a flower.' Richard Feynman
I recently went through a bout with giardia (another amoeba) and am still reeling from the infection (doc says I may never fully recover ). It frustrates me because I love water, but feel hesitant to swim in a lake or river now. Some say the cases of infection are only going to rise as climate change occurs.
I meant to ask. Did you pick up the giardia simply by swimming in a lake, or did you drink untreated water?
__________________ 'Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.' Stephen Hawking
'There are all kinds of interesting questions that come from a knowledge of science, which only adds to the excitement and mystery and awe of a flower.' Richard Feynman
I meant to ask. Did you pick up the giardia simply by swimming in a lake, or did you drink untreated water?
I'm not certain. I had it for many months and my symptoms were mild enough that I didn't take action for a long time. I have drank from streams in north GA, but I knew the watershed was free of bovines. Apparently that doesn't matter! Also, I have a bad habit of biting my nails. It could have been that I was exposed to some contaminated water and unconsciously chewed on my nail and was infected that way. I wish I knew for sure.
I didn't even think of giardia as a possibility as my friends who have gotten it suffer terrible symptoms including dysentery and abdominal cramps. I eventually went to a gastroenterologist because I was having an abundance of watery stool...for a long time. He never took a stool sample and claimed that giardia is very hard to determine from stool samples as it is not present in all stools. I had my blood tested for food allergies and through talking to me, my doc determined that it was giardia. I took Flagyl, an antibiotic, for ten days and my symptoms got slightly better, but they are not gone. He said it usually takes weeks for the system to recover. A colleague of mine who has gotten it says that it took him six months to recover. And as I stated in my original post, my doc said some people are disrupted for life. In my case, only time will tell.
I've certainly learned my lesson though.
__________________ Hypography Science Forums Moderator
--- "There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan
"We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it." - Marie Curie
Is Flagyl the same stuff used for pinworms? i am fairly certain that is what i used with my reptiles to get rid of pin worms. Febenzenol or some funky chemist name lol.
how you feeling now? thats pretty rough
__________________ Stephen Robert Irwin: 22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006. Rest In Peace.
Life is not a problem to be solved, it is a mystery to be lived. -Kierkegaard
Is Flagyl the same stuff used for pinworms? i am fairly certain that is what i used with my reptiles to get rid of pin worms. Febenzenol or some funky chemist name lol.
I'm slightly better, but definitely not normal...especially for 29.
__________________ Hypography Science Forums Moderator
--- "There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan
"We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it." - Marie Curie
When a parasite, virus, or other pathogen attacks, animals typically fight back with their immune system. But a new study of rodents infected with malaria shows that animals have another option: They can evolve to live with their invaders. The findings, reported in the 2 November issue of Science, may help scientists understand the evolution and spread of infectious diseases, as well as allow them to create hardier livestock.
Plants have two strategies for dealing with parasites: They can resist them--developing a hardy defense like tough leaves--or they can tolerate them--minimizing the damage the invaders cause by, say, increasing photosynthesis to boost energy stores. Most do a little of both. Lars Råberg, an ecologist at the University of Edinburgh in the U.K., wondered if animals make similar choices.
__________________ Hypography Science Forums Moderator
--- "There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan
"We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it." - Marie Curie
ABC's local radio Sydney has Self Improvement wednesday.
It can be about almost any arcane subject
today it was about paracites.
I missed most of it but as a result of this thread have gone back to have another look.
They have a quiz after the talk
HERE- 702 Quiz
Lesson 80: The Pros and Cons of human parasites.
Our teacher this week is Martyn Robinson, Naturalist of the Australian Museum.
Martyn has worked at the Australian Museum for more than 20 years. He has published and illustrated scientific papers and notes on many animals and written natural history articles for popular magazines and books.
His interests range from protozoa, fungi and plants to invertebrates, reptiles and mammals. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Biology and currently works as a Naturalist promoting and explaining natural history and the work of the Museum's scientists.
Take the Self Improvement Quiz!
Why not subscribe to the regular podcast of Self Improvement Wednesday sessions. To subscribe, simply paste the following xml address into your podcasting application. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Tomorrow I will tell the story of the Hippy, the Herbalst , Tea Tree and Giardia.
Last edited by Michaelangelica; 11-07-2007 at 07:22 AM.
Reason: add podcast link ?
Tomorrow I will tell the story of the Hippy, the Herbalst , Tea Tree and Giardia.
I look forward to it!
__________________ Hypography Science Forums Moderator
--- "There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan
"We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it." - Marie Curie
I am grateful to not know the 6 that I didn't get right! The experience that I have had though are things closer to home than I would have suspected. An unnamed parasite of the malarial type (from mosquitos, nearby wetlands) and scabies (twice in one year!) from cow manure gotten at a local dairy. While researching the scabies I came across the magellons sites. These tiny little creatures wreak havoc with your neurological system and after you are exposed more than once the symptoms ramp up until you feel as if you are losing your mind. I can really sympathize with those who have advanced reactions to scabies and esp the magellons.
On the other side there are folks who can even think of doing this on purpose... How to cure your asthma or hayfever using hookworm - a practical guide || kuro5hin.org
). It frustrates me because I love water, but feel hesitant to swim in a lake or river now. Some say the cases of infection are only going to rise as climate change occurs.
Re: Parasites 
