On page 96, the Guinea worm portrays parasitic activity. It's life cycle and reproductive instincts are highlighted. The danger and prevalence of the worm in relation to humans is a classic example of parasitism and relates to Big Idea 4 which highlights how biological systems require complex relationships between individuals. Also, the treatment done by ancient doctors were highlighted on the page. More recently, the Guinea worm has decreased in prevalence due to preventative measures by Jimmy Carter. This has come due to increased knowledge of the parasite's life cycle.
Research the legislation passed by Jimmy Carter during his presidency aimed at decreasing Guinea Worm. Also, highlight the extent to which the Guinea worm steals nutrients from its host and how. Relate this back to both the Guinea worm's reproductive techniques and Big Idea 4, the interactions between species.
Andrew Arceo
(ibanezrg120ftw@gmail.com)
There are three different types of symbiotic relationships: mutualism, parasitism, commensalism. Parasitism is the type of relationship the Guinea worms are. It is when two different kinds of organisms are in relation and one receives benefit from the other while causing damage to that organism. This deals with Big Idea 4 which states biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties. All of the relationships between organisms are different types of interactions that work to benefit or harm themselves. An example of parasitism other than the Guinea worm, is Tapeworms which are flatworms that attach to the insides of the intestines of animals. They benefit by eating the animal’s digested food and depriving the animal of nutrients, and the animal is harmed by the deprivation.
ReplyDeleteGuinea worm disease is one that can be most easily prevented. It is most commonly infects humans through water supplies. The Guinea worm is known as the Dracunculus medinensis parasite, and water fleas eat the Guinea worm. Once in the body, the water fleas die in the stomach acid and the worms move into the abdominal tissues and intestines, where they grow and mate. After 12 months from the initial infection, the flat white worm is about two or three feet and it begins to sear through the skin and emits toxins that causes burning blisters. In order to decrease the pain, victims of the disease will place their blisters in water which then causes the blisters to rupture and the water to be contaminated (as new larvae are released).This is a cycle and causes a contamination from individual to population to community and so forth. Especially in third world countries like Nigeria, people work long days in the farms and when they become infected, they aren’t able to work and thus lose much of their crop profit for the season. It leaves the homes and communities in terrible conditions as money isn’t made for family, and children that are infected cannot attend school.
In 1977, Jimmy Carter was elected president, and he worked on the Guinea worm project in 1986. President Carter began helping Ghana and Pakistan with their eradication programs which lead to the World Health Organization's global eradication effort. With the actions of Jimmy Carter, Guinea worm disease was aimed to be wiped out completely. Through Carters efforts the worldwide infections of Guinea worm had dropped from “3.5 million in 1986 to just 10,674 in 2005” (96, Moalem). In addition, multiple organizations of the Carters and others have raised money to help spread education programs and portable filters in the hopes of breaking the cycle of Guinea worm.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/carter-guinea-worm/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-guinea-worm-disease
Sigal Sasson (ssasson3@students.d125.org)