Parasitism and its Parallels
After entirely too much time spent reading and worrying about the likes of phylum platyhelminthes and phylum nematoda, and phylum apicomplexa, I have begun making comparisons between the natural world (in which parasites often thrive) and the abstract man-made realms which have yet to enumerate or adequately model evolved organisms (which is not to say that there are not already analogous slimy things which thrive).
I have encountered a constant stream of tangential ideas while studying these parasites (particularly parasitic worms), and I doubt that I will cover them all in this post.
My sincere thanks to Ovamed for adding unforeseen complexity to this issue by offering “mastery over parasitism”. Snopes remains ever doubtful, though it seems no surprise that the specious history of tapeworms as a patent medicine trend should re-emerge into the Zeitgeist as a pharma product.
The parasite’s infection vectors are many, though each species is confined to a seemingly-delicate lifecycle which requires multiple hosts to infect. Hardly delicate, though. This is a numbers game. The number of hosts which may be infected notwithstanding, the species requires only one successful gestation cycle to multiply its numbers dramatically.
The parasite’s infection/attack vector is often the path of least resistance. Being eaten allows immediate access to the host and the host’s ever-so-palatable internals, a remarkable (if oftentimes microscopic) Trojan Horse. Many species appear to use the host as both feeding and breeding ground, paralleling the activity of a viral agent, siphoning off the host’s resources to reproduce.
Interestingly enough, the parasite is often taking advantage of its host’s evolutionary advantage to further its own ends - upon being eaten, the parasitic organism awaits the consumption of its host to climb up a rung on the food chain, as is notably observed in the Taenia solium and Echinococcus granulosus species.
There is apparently no controversy over whether the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii actually influences its hosts to expose them to greater likelihood of being eaten.
T. gondii infections have the ability to change the behavior of rats and mice, making them drawn to rather than fearful of the scent of cats. This effect is advantageous to the parasite, which will be able to sexually reproduce if its host is eaten by a cat. The infection is almost surgical in its precision, as it does not affect a rat’s other fears such as the fear of open spaces or of unfamiliar smelling food. There has been speculation that human behavior may also be affected in some ways, and correlations have been found between latent Toxoplasma infections and various characteristics such as decreased novelty-seeking behavior, slower reactions, feelings of insecurity, and neuroticism.
Whether or not parasitic infections play any interesting cat-and-mouse games with human hosts remains a matter of conjecture and study. I would not be surprised if this influence is far more common than present science can readily understand.
Whether or not parasitic infections play the immune system of the host against each other … I expect that this behavior would be the logical result of evolutionary war games.
Groups of people are particularly vulnerable to parasitic behavior. Consider those who, lacking any impairment, beg for money by feigning disability.
Richard Dawkins posited that ideas replicate in a manner not unlike genetic material. The dissemination of propaganda (and the effectiveness of propaganda saturation on many individuals) has grown as propaganda has disguised itself with increasing effectiveness to mimic the face value and usefulness of factual information. (Consider the manipulation of the host species by Toxoplasma gondii)
How many opinions do we hold which have no value to ourselves? Were these opinions spread for the purpose of enriching others?
Does it not benefit the industry which sells food if each consumer carries a small cache of tapeworms?
This topic has certainly captured my interest … there will doubtless be more of this parasite drivel later.
