Body Bugs.Where do some of nature's creepiest critters live? On--and in--your body! On her twelfth birthday, Amy W. got the biggest surprise of her life. A bunch of uninvited crashers were partying away on her scalp. "My head was pretty itchy," says the teen from Brooklyn, New York. "Then one of my friends saw a louse louse, common name for members of either of two distinct orders of wingless, parasitic, disease-carrying insects. Lice of both groups are small and flattened with short legs adapted for clinging to the host. crawling on my head. We freaked!" Amy's mom called in a nurse on the spot. The nurse spent more than three hours combing through Amy's long brown hair, picking out sesame-seed-size insects and their tiny eggs, called nits. Many of Amy's friends were also infested in·fest tr.v. in·fest·ed, in·fest·ing, in·fests 1. To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious: . "It was a lice party!" Amy exclaims. While no official statistics are available, Amy and her friends aren't the only ones in a louse-y situation. One survey reports six million cases of lice in 1997, up almost 10 percent from 1995. Schools across the country are reporting lice infestations in rapidly increasing numbers. And health experts worry that some lice may have become resistant to the very chemical shampoos designed to wipe them out. Fortunately, the head louse--called pediculus capitis (peh-DIK-yoo-lus ka-PI-tis)--isn't harmful. It's simply one of dozens of parasites that call your body home. Parasites are living organisms that derive nourishment from often unsuspecting hosts--in this case, humans. Why are they picking on you? Over millions of years, parasites have developed adaptations, or survival strategies, to make the human body a perfect place to live. "Your hair provides shelter, the perfect temperature and humidity, and an endless supply of food," says Richard Pollack, a public health entomologist (bug scientist) at the Harvard School of Public Health The Harvard School of Public Health is (colloquially, HSPH) is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, next to Harvard Medical School and Cambridge, Massachusetts, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Head lice feature tiny mouthparts that dig into the scalp. "They hang out in your hair and sip a little blood every few hours," he says. Ewww!!! What other tiny gross-outs thrive on or in your body? Flip the page. RELATED ARTICLE: Where the Bug's Are Meet some critters that call your body home. FOLLICLE MITE SCIENTIFIC NAME: Demodex folliculorum (DE-muh-deks fo-LIK-yoo-LO-rum) CLASSIFICATION: Arachnid HABITAT: Follicles follicles, n the masses that are embedded in a meshwork of reticular fibers within the lobules of the thyroid gland. See also thyroid gland. (cavities surrounding each eyelash eyelash /eye·lash/ (-lash) cilium; one of the hairs growing on the edge of an eyelid. eye·lash n. 1. Any of the short hairs fringing the edge of the eyelid. Also called cilium. hair); pores on forehead and nose HOW IT GETS THERE: Most likely, human mom passes on mites to her children through close contact, like snuggling; sometimes transmitted through shared towels ACTUAL SIZE: 0.25 mm (0.01 in.) long, about one-quarter the size of the decimal point in 0.25 BODY COUNT*: Too many to count CREEPY FEATURES: Mouthparts pierce skin and feed on skin cells or oil from sweat glands. SYMPTOMS: Usually none; sometimes causes red, scaly, wrinkled skin TREATMENT: Don't bother. Out of sight, out of mind "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" was the 99th episode of the M*A*S*H television series, and the third episode of the fourth season. Written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs and directed by Gene Reynolds, it first aired on October 5, 1976 and was repeated December 28, 1976. . HEAD LOUSE SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pediculus capitis (peh-DIK-yoo-lus ka-PI-tis) CLASSIFICATIONS: Insect HABITAT: Human hair and scalp HOW IT GETS THERE: Hair-to-hair contact; sometimes through shared brushes, hair accessories, and hats ACTUAL SIZE: 3 mm (0.12 in.) long as adults BODY COUNT; From one to more than 100 CREEPY FEATURE: Six legs with claws to cling to human hair; mouthparts specialized for sucking human blood SYMPTOMS: Itching and irritation TREATMENT: Comb hair daily for more than two weeks with special louse or nit comb. Use over-the-counter pediculicides (lice-killing shampoos) for two treatments about 8 to 10 days apart; some lice may be resistant to shampoo chemicals. ITCH MITE SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sarcoptes scabiei (sar-KOP-tis SCAY-be-eye) CLASSIFICATION: Arachnid HABITAT: Burrows in skin, mostly between fingers, wrists, ankles, elbows, buttocks buttocks /but·tocks/ (but´oks) the two fleshy prominences formed by the gluteal muscles on the lower part of the back. , abdomen, and groin HOW IT GETS THERE: Sexual contact or other close human contact ACTUAL SIZE: Female grows to about 350 to 450 microns; males can reach 250 microns (1 micron = 1/0,000,000 meter) BODY COUNT: Few to hundreds CREEPY FEATURES: Skin-melting enzymes (proteins) help the mite burrow through top skin layers and irritate the area with feces and saliva. Female itch mite can move up to 2.5 cm (1 in.) in one minute. That's like a 6-ft-tall human running one mile in 1.67 minutes. SYMPTOMS: Causes an itchy, red, raised rash on skin (right). Intense itching about one month after infestation infestation /in·fes·ta·tion/ (-fes-ta´shun) parasitic attack or subsistence on the skin and/or its appendages, as by insects, mites, or ticks; sometimes used to denote parasitic invasion of the organs and tissues, as by helminths. ; scratching can worsen infection. TREATMENT: See dermatologist. Treat with lotions containing chemicals lindane lindane: see insecticides. (by prescription) or permethrin permethrin /per·meth·rin/ (per-meth´rin) a topical insecticide used in the treatment of infestations by Pediculus humanus capitis, Sarcoptes scabiei, or any of various ticks; also applied to objects such as furniture and bedding. (over-the-counter). TAPEWORM tapeworm, name for the parasitic flatworms forming the class Cestoda. All tapeworms spend the adult phase of their lives as parasites in the gut of a vertebrate animal (called the primary host). SCIENTIFIC NAME: Taenia Taenia /Tae·nia/ (te´ne-ah) a genus of tapeworms. Taenia echinococ´cus Echinococcus granulosus. echinococcus Echinococcus /Echi·no·coc·cus/ (e-ki?no-kok´us) a genus of small tapeworms, including E. granulo´sus, usually parasitic in dogs and wolves, whose larvae (hydatids) may develop in mammals, forming hydatid tumors or cysts chiefly in (TEE-nee-uh eh-kih-noh-KOH-kus) CLASSIFICATION: Flatworm flatworm: see Platyhelminthes; worm. flatworm or platyhelminth Any of a phylum (Platyhelminthes) of soft-bodied, usually much-flattened worms, including both free-living and parasitic species. HABITAT: Intestinal tract and liver HOW IT GETS THERE: Ingestion of egg-containing segment of tapeworm, usually from undercooked meat. When egg hatches, larva burrows into intestinal lining and forms a cyst (protective sac). Digestive juices stimulate growth. ACTUAL SIZE: 13 mm (0.5 in.) to 9 m (30 ft) long BODY COUNT: One or more CREEPY FEATURES: No mouth or digestive tract, tapeworms absorb digested food through their body surface. SYMPTOMS: Often, no symptoms; sometimes abdominal pain and swelling; nausea TREATMENT: Treat with niclosamide (ni-KLOH-sa-mide), a worm-killing chemical CRAB LOUSE SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pthirus pubis pubis /pu·bis/ (pu´bis) [L.] pubic bone. pu·bis n. pl. pu·bes 1. See pubic bone. 2. The hair of the pubic region just above the external genitals. (THY-ruhs PYOO-bis) CLASSIFICATION: Insect HABITAT: Pubic region; occasionally on facial or armpit arm·pit n. The hollow under the upper part of the arm below the shoulder joint, bounded by the pectoralis major, the latissimus dorsi, the anterior serratus muscles, and the humerus, and containing the axillary artery and vein, the infraclavicular part hair HOW IT GETS THERE: Sexual contact or other close human contact; can be transmitted from toilet seat, towels, or other contaminated objects ACTUAL SIZE: 3 mm (about 0.13 in.) BODY COUNT: Less than a dozen or more CREEPY FEATURES: Crablike claws help it move through hair SYMPTOMS: Itching; sometimes causes bluish spots on skin TREATMENT: Pick off lice and eggs with hands or lice comb, Then treat with pediculicides (lice-killing shampoos). MICROSPORUM GYPSEUM (my-kroh-SPO-rum JIP-sih-um) CLASSIFICATION: Fungus HABITAT: Skin, scalp, nails, or forearms HOW IT GETS THERE: Transfers from soil to human; can be transmitted from infected pets to humans; occasionally passed through shared combs or brushes with infected person ACTUAL SIZE: Hyphae hy·pha n. pl. hy·phae Any of the threadlike filaments forming the mycelium of a fungus. [New Latin, from Greek huph (long filaments) are about 3 to 3.5 microns BODY COUNT: Thousands CREEPY FEATURES: Fungus can live on skin for years without symptoms, but stress could trigger an inflammation on skin. SYMPTOMS: Burning and itching; ringworm ringworm or tinea (tĭn`ēə), superficial eruption of the skin caused by a fungus, chiefly Microsporum, Trichophyton, or Epidermophyton. , a red eruption on skin that spreads out from the center as it heals (right) TREATMENT: Keep infected area clean and dry; use antifungal treatment, such as chlotrimazole (kloh-TRY-muh-zohl) HUMAN BOTFLY SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dermatobia hominis (der-ma-TOH-byuh HO-mih-nis) CLASSIFICATION: Insect HABITAT: Larva (young botfly botfly, common name for several families of hairy flies whose larvae live as parasites within the bodies of mammals. The horse botfly secretes an irritating substance that is used to attach its eggs to the body hairs of a horse, mule, or donkey. ) digs into skin HOW IT GETS THERE: Female botfly lays eggs on a mosquito's abdomen. When the mosquito sucks human blood, human body heat causes botfly eggs to hatch on skin. Larvae crawl into the fresh bite wound and mature. ACTUAL SIZE: 3 cm (1 in.) for a mature larva BODY COUNT: One or more CREEPY FEATURES: Rows of spines on larva help it lodge itself mouth-first into skin. As it matures, the larva wriggles under the skin. Adult botfly emerges and flies off. SYMPTOMS: Wriggling larvae cause pain under the skin. A boil-like lesion (above) forms at the site of infestation. TREATMENT: Covering area with mineral oil, turpentine turpentine, yellow to brown semifluid oleoresin exuded from the sapwood of pines, firs, and other conifers. It is made up of two principal components, an essential oil and a type of resin that is called rosin. , or alcohol may force larva to come out for air. ATHLETE'S FOOT FUNGUS SCIENTIFIC NAME: Trichophyton mentagrophytes (try-koh-FY-ton men-ta-GROH-fy-tis) CLASSIFICATION: Fungus HABITAT: Feet; in groin area, causes jock itch HOW IT GETS THERE: Walking barefoot on moist floors of bathroom and swimming areas; infected skin flakes in shared socks and shoes ACTUAL SIZE: Hyphae (long filaments) are about 3 to 3.5 macrons BODY COUNT: Thousands CREEPY FEATURES: Can grow to about an inch or two in 10 to 14 days SYMPTOMS: Reddish eruption followed by cracked skin (below) TREATMENT: Use antifungal treatment such as chiotrimazole [Amy's last name has been suppressed by Gale at her request to respect her privacy.] |
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