T-Shirt Tangent

This has absolutely nothing to do with parasitology, but I'm avoiding studying radiology, so here's my most recent T-shirt design. I'd like to thank Emily, Sarah, Ashley, Andrew, and my unicorn-adoring class for the inspiration. :)

I'll get back to posting parasite life cycles after the radiology exam! :)

This is T-shirt another design Erik and Elizabeth helped me create. :)

Whipworms

Here's another one for Dr. Reeves. :)

Strongyloides

Yes, Dr. Reeves, we did study Strongyloides. :) I guess I should've used pigs instead of cattle.

Heartworms!

I heard second years are starting heartworms today. This simple picture does not outline the complexity of the heartworm infection... the rest of my heartworm study guide was a page and a half of just notes. Think about whether you would test a blood donor dog for heartworms before performing a blood transfusion. :)

Oxyuris and Dracunculus

Double parasites Monday!

This is the second life cycle I drew. It was more fun than the ascarid life cycle because I had a chance to give the victim a little personality (she's a cribber).

On to the FIERY SERPENT:

I don't think this life cycle does Dracunculus justice--it's way more exciting than I made it look. Firstly, it infects humans, too, and it's in the Bible! It's close to being eradicated, which I think is a big deal because that snakey thing on the stick in the medicine symbol is not a snake--it's Dracunculus. To treat this, you don't use dewormers. You have to pull this terrible creature out when it emerges from the patient's foot by wrapping it around a small stick, but you can't wrap more than a couple inches per day or it'll break and the rest of the thing will stay stuck in your patient. Bad nooz.

Dictyocaulus arnfieldi

I like that parasitology isn't one of those classes that you spend hours working on just to forget because it's not applicable to clinical medicine. My pathology group is writing an assignment on Dictyocaulus arnfieldi in horses for our lesson on respiratory pathology. It's really quite handy to have these mini study guides to review the pathogenesis and infectious stages for things like this.

Stomach worms!

Life is cumulative! I know the second years started Parasitology today, and the third years were reminded of the role of Physaloptera and roundworms in gastric disease in Small Animal Digestive. Oxyurids and Dracunculus are coming soon!