This Week in Parasitism

TWiP solves the case of the male in his 20s from Hokkaido, Japan, who developed fatigue and rash, followed by fever and myalgia 6 days later, after eating a raw bear eyeball.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula
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Hero: Sir Nicholas White (1951 – 2026) (Guardian, Lancet)
Letters read on TWiP 278
TWiP study – information and survey
New Case
3 yo child who recently immigrated to the US from Central America is brought in to the ER with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain. The mother is concerned about the pain as well as nausea and vomiting. This is acute and the ER provider is concerned that this might be an acute surgical emergency. They order an US in this child and they are surprised to see a rather active serpiginous wormlike 'thing' wiggling away in the child's appendix.  I was sent the Ultrasound video which I really enjoyed. What to do?
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Music by Ronald Jenkees

TWiP 277: Rif-ing on river blindness
April 21, 2026 TWiP reviews the global, regional, and national burden of Chagas disease, and comparison of doxycycline and rifampicin for the treatment of onchocerciasis.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula
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Burden of Chagas' disease (Lancet Inf Dis)
Doxycycline vs rifampicin in treatment of river blindness (Open For Inf Dis)
The kissing bug by Daisy Hernandez
TWiP study – information and survey
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Music by Ronald Jenkees

TWiP solves the case of the man in his 60s experiencing weight loss, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula
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Hero: Bailey K. Ashford
Letters read on TWiP 276
TWiP study – information and survey
New Case
Male in his 20s from Hokkaido, Japan, developed fatigue and rash, followed by fever and myalgia 6 days later. He was a group of five individuals on a hunting trip prior to this and reports that 3 friends are just fine but one other individual developed similar symptoms.  He reports that they had been hunting the Ussuri brown bear, which is larger and more aggressive than the Asian black bear. They had been successful and all five of them had consumed well cooked bear meat. He does share that he is aware of infectious risk from eating bear and thus the meat was well cooked. He and the one fellow hunter who did get sick were unique in that they each ate one of the eye balls raw. This is a tradition that is felt to give the consumer the great vision that these animals are purported to have.
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Music by Ronald Jenkees

TWiP reviews the effectiveness of long-lasting spatial repellent emanators against malaria in humanitarian crisis settings in northern Nigeria, and Dengue suppression by male Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula
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Spatial emanators for malaria control (Lancet Inf Dis)
Dengue suppression with Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes (NEJM)
Singapore Environmental Health Institute (TWiV 630)
TWiP study – information and survey
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TWiP solves the case of the 40 year old male who travels to India and develops intestinal bloating and diarrhea.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula
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Hero: Glenn L. Hoffmann
Fish and seafood consumption (Our World in Data)
Wild fish vs aquaculture (Our World in Data)
TWiP study – information and survey
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Music by Ronald Jenkees