#ascaris

The Scientific Research Notes of S. Sunkavally (years:2002-2011).

Le manifestazioni allergiche non sono appannaggio esclusivo delle classiche condizioni atopiche. Alcune infezioni da parassiti intestinali, in particolare gli elminti, possono mimare o scatenare vere e proprie risposte allergiche sistemiche o localizzate. Un aspetto spesso trascurato nella pratica clinica, soprattutto in pazienti con dermatiti ricorrenti, orticaria cronica o eosinofilia…

Ascaris

Here’s some extra material for your nightmares: In a case report out this week, a group of scientists say they’ve found a new species of roundworm that’s capable of infesting our brains—one that normally plagues snakes. The discovery was made when they extracted a living worm from an Australian woman’s head during surgery. Thankfully, the woman’s parasitic invasion appears to have been…

Field mushroom I foraged last week from a group growing beneath the shade of a hawthorn bush. Using a plant-identifier app and two field guides I identified it as a field mushroom (or “true” mushroom). Compared with the highly toxic forms of amanita that look like field mushrooms, this guy has pink to brown gills that are anchored at the cap, brown spores (checked via spore print), and no egg-like sac at the base. Compared with mushrooms of the same family (ascaris) that can cause stomach upset, it also doesn’t stain when you cut it and it has a earthy “mushroom” smell compared with a more medicinal, or phenol, smell.