Burn baby burn!

One day and a half left for studying. Maybe two days - if I don't sleep... yes I am considering it but my body will most certainly not approve. My brain feels like it will undergo self-combustion any time now. My eyes are tired and dry. My vision is blurry from too much reading in one setting. AHH! And I can't scream because my landlord is sleeping and my roommate is on the phone. If I didn't pursue medicine, I'd probably be running my marathons right now. The only stress I'd be experiencing would be the physical stress from logging those miles while exercising my heart! One can dream... right?

The electron micrograph on the left is of Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic worm that can directly penetrate skin and cause what is called 'swimmer's itch'. It is also part of the reason why my brain is overloaded... Since I am wasting my time blogging, I am going to bore y'all with some of what I am trying to learn in the next 30hr. We had a lecture on parasitic worms and protozoans. Wish I took a class on Latin - that's all I can say...

Hermaphroditic flukes (Definitive host: mammals. 1st intermediate host: crabs. 2nd intermediate host: fish, crustaceans, aquatic plants/vegetables)
Paragonimus westermanii - in crab meat, infects the lungs, eggs found in sputum
Clonorchis sinenesis - in fish, infects the liver and bile duct, eggs found in feces
Fasciola hepatica - in aquatic plants, infects the liver
Fasciolopsis buski - in aquatic plants, infects the GI tract, eggs found in feces
Heterophyes heterophyes - found in fish, infects the GI tract

Schistosomes (aka. blood flukes, distinguished by presence/shape of spines on their eggs. Definitive host: mammals. Intermediate host: snails) Schistosoma mansoni - in contaminated water, intestinal - blood smear ID
Schistosoma japonicum - in contaminated water, intestinal - ID eggs in feces
Schistosoma hematobium - in contaminated water, urinary - ID eggs in urine
All the above listed are Trematodes (aka. flukes) and now all the species below are Cestodes (aka. tapeworms). Yes, those cute looking creatures... (staining photograph on the right is of Paragonimus westermanii).

Diphylobothrium latum - fish tapeworm
Taenia saginata - beef tapeworm
Taenia solium - pork tapeworm
Note: For Taenia spp. ID eggs and proglottids in feces. If ingest contaminated meat, intestinal disease develops. If ingest eggs (of T. solium only), will develop tissue disease -> Cysticercosis

There are still 3 more pages to go... but I think you are all falling asleep just like me. Good night!