So yes, horsehair worms can end up in humans, but they do not gestate or mature in humans, nor do they burst out of humans. Those that excreted the worms did so because the worms only came out of the infected insect host after consumption, thus naturally ending up in the intestinal tract. Those that vomited had this reaction because the worms got stuck in their throat upon bursting out of the infected insect host. It is important to note that the vomiting and defecation were not symptoms caused by the horsehair worms burrowing in the gut of the humans as they would with an insect. Eventually, they expelled the worms through vomit or faecal matter. Other than discomfort, they experienced no symptoms. One example of human ‘infection’ that the article discusses is the case of six people in Japan that accidentally ingested horsehair worms. “As for the invasion route, the present human cases may have accidentally swallowed insects, such as a cricket or a beetle which is an intermediate host.” Likewise, the National Center for Biotechnology Information has published an article titled “ ‘Two Human Cases Infected by the Horsehair Worm’“, in which they discuss “records of human accidental parasitism” of horsehair worms. The University of California’s Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program has a “ page on horsehair worms” in which they explain that “if humans ingest the worms, they may encounter some mild discomfort of the intestinal tract, but infection never occurs.” That is to say, that horsehair worms only end up in humans through consumption of an already-infected host (an insect or crustacean), but they do not seek out humans as hosts. Secondly, while we maintain the stance that horsehair worms do not purposely infect humans, we agree that they can indeed end up in humans, and we have research to back that up. To this we want to first say that we appreciate any and all feedback that our readers provide us, and we are more than happy to clear up this once and for all. We have received a lot of feedback on our articles about horsehair worms, in which we state that horsehair worms do not infect humans, stating that we should correct this, as there have been cases of humans becoming infected by horsehair worms. Now, besides the myth surrounding their name, that horsehair worms actually develop in the manes of horses and fall down when the horses feed, there is a lot of misinformation regarding the parasitization of humans. Once consumed, the cyst dissolves and the larva is free to burrow into the stomach of the insect and begin maturation. The catch is that the larva is covered by a cyst, thus protecting them from dying upon consumption. And it is in this body of water that the egg hatches, releasing a microscopic larva that will then eventually be consumed by an insect. In fact, the eggs of the horsehair worms are laid in bodies of water. When they are not inside a host though, they prefer aquatic environments. To start with, horsehair worms (Nematomorpha) are parasites of invertebrates: mostly insects, though they have been known to take crustaceans as hosts as well. We can guess-fairly accurately-that the park provides habitat for numerous other strange invertebrate animals that are yet to be studied.Photo of Horsehair Worm from Previous Article They are fascinating, but rarely encountered. Horsehair worms have also been seen in the caves of Carlsbad Caverns National Park and in streams in the Guadalupe Mountains. Occasionally, they are found after a cricket or cockroach is killed by someone crushing the insect, at which time the worm begins to wiggle out of the insect's body. When mature, it leaves the host insect to start the process again.Įmergence from the host occurs only when the host is near water. There, it digests and absorbs the surrounding tissue. If the cyst is eaten by a suitable insect, the protective covering dissolves and the released larva bores through the gut wall and into the body cavity of the host. After the eggs hatch, scientists believe that each larva forms a protective covering or cyst. The adult "worms" mate in water and females lay long gelatinous strings of eggs. These interesting creatures are not parasites of humans, livestock, or pets, and pose no public health threat. When mature, they leave the host to lay eggs. The immature stages are parasites in the bodies of grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, and some beetles. Horsehair worms are the aquatic adult phase of little-known invertebrate animals. A horsehair worm in the phylum Nematomorpha.
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