Tuesday, April 25, 2006

A Wormy Weekend

(to be read in a rather dramatic tone, sort of like a soliloquy)

I have spent the last 48 hours staring at protozoans, trematodes, cestodes, and nematodes. The message “Don’t feed cysts to dogs” feverishly echoes in my mind. As I prepare dinner my eyes scale over the chicken, and I wonder if my body is laden with the bradyozoites of toxoplasma gondii. The eggplant reminds me of cysts filled with E. muliocularis protoscolises, will I be its next intermediate host? A person enters the room, turns and opens the refrigerator. I hope there are no proglottids under their fingernails. Nothing is safe. “Out damned spot” – I wash my hands as though I am Lady Macbeth. I notice a mosquito bite on my arm, I pray the Wucheria bancrofti has not invaded my lymphatics. Elephantiasis. Elephantiasis.

This is my friendly neighborhood reminder, reminding you to wash your hands, wash and cook your food properly, because damn, there are some nasty bugs out there.
PS. Now that the summer is coming don’t go to the bathroom outside, use the latrines.

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