mattscott.org » Parasite of the Week http://www.mattscott.org Matt's Blog Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:10:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Parasite of the Week: Ode to the Hookworm http://www.mattscott.org/index.php/2008/05/26/parasite-of-the-week-ode-to-the-hookworm/ http://www.mattscott.org/index.php/2008/05/26/parasite-of-the-week-ode-to-the-hookworm/#comments Mon, 26 May 2008 12:25:04 +0000 Matt Scott http://www.mattscott.org/index.php/2008/05/26/parasite-of-the-week-ode-to-the-hookworm/ So. I was doing some reading this weekend about parasitic worms. I do crazy things sometimes. I found the life cycle of the hookworm most interesting. Here's a worm whose larva can be absorbed right through your skin. Then they ride around in your blood and get stuck in your lungs. At this point their journey is just beginning. These little guys burst the capillaries in your lungs and then begin the long crawl. They worm their way up and out of your lungs and then down into your stomach. All of this happens without the host having any idea what's going on.

One in your small intestine their work is pretty much done. At this point they latch on, drink your blood and mate with each other. Just one great big hookworm party.

If you are interested, Google knows lots of stuff about the hookworm. If you don't feel like typing, click here http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=com.ubuntu:en-US:official&hs=c1G&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=hookworm+lungs&spell=1

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