The Second Parasitic Infection After Malaria

The earth’s tropical forests are major contributors to the treatment of diseases and the relief of suffering. Covering only 6% of the Earth's surface, tropical moist forests contain at least half of all species. Rainforest plants are the source of compounds useful for medicinal purposes. The abundant plant resources of tropical forests have already provided solid medical advances, yet only 1% of the known plant species have been thoroughly examined for their medicinal potentials. 70% of the 3000 plants identified by the United States National Cancer Institute as having potential anti-cancer properties are endemic to the rainforest.

In the film, Foul Water, Fiery Serpent, former president, Jimmy Carter shows his process of eradicating Guinea Worm disease. With the help of Director Gary Strieker, Carter educates viewers on how the disease forms, how it has spread throughout countries, and how it will soon be defeated. When Guinea worm first surfaced, there were 3.5 million cases in 20 countries worldwide. With the help of Jimmy Carter, his campaign members, and many more, they have managed to drop these cases down to 3,190 by the year 2009. With some statistical facts at the end of the documentary, Guinea worm is likely to be the next disease in the history of mankind to be eradicated from the earth, right after smallpox. It was also the first parasitic disease to be eradicated, and the first disease to be eradicated without the use of vaccines or medicines. With this campaign, reported cases went from 4,136 in 2007, to 242 cases by 2009 in Ghana alone. None of this would have been possible if it were not for the awareness in global health, and the mission to make the world a healthier, safer place to live.

(TCC) was occurred as result of the control of schistosomal infection , median age of

- Quinine, which helps cure malaria, is obtained from the bark of the cinchona tree found in South America.

Most parasitic diseases can not be contracted in the United States but when traveling, you can catch it. Luckily, you can take some precautions to avoid contracting them. There are some diseases contracted by consuming contaminated water and food. Some of the preventative measures that should be taken to avoid this is keeping away from drinking the water, swimming only in designated swimming areas, not swimming in freshwater and avoiding swallowing water when swimming, steer clear from cooked food from street vendors, raw vegetables, and unpasteurized dairy foods such as milk or cheese. You should also get specific vaccinations before entering different countries like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Influenza, Measles, Polio, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis

When evaluations of these biocontrols test positive for host specificity and their introduction into the field is successful, a lot of labor, time, and money can be directed towards other efforts. From this article I became aware of the Weed Risk Assessment Tool, which is used to evaluate imported plants for their potential to become invasive. The assessment utilizes forty-nine questions to score the plant where below zero is likely invasive, above six is potentially invasive, and zero to six is uncertain. I learned that the updated tool predicts approximately 95% of significant pests and 85% of

Another major risk in the jungle would be Schistosomiasis, or “snail fever”. It is a worm disease

Bt [proteins] have been tested against a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates including earthworms, collembola, daphnids, insect predators and parasites, spiders, and honeybees and have been shown to have a high degree of safety for these non-target organisms. In most cases, no adverse effects were observed even though test populations were exposed to levels of toxin in excess of 500-1,000-fold concentrations than they would be expected to encounter under field conditions.

When traveling to and from exotic locations, vacationers are warned about drinking untreated water, swimming in freshwater lakes and streams, and against eating certain foods. The risks for contracting a parasitic disease while abroad are pretty well defined and as a traveler you are made aware. Less known are the risks here at home. It is a fact however that parasitic diseases in the US are on the rise. According to Dr. Oz “approximately 1 in 3 Americans is infected with an intestinal parasite at any given time.” Specific statistic are not available because most Americans who are infected may be unaware. Often the symptoms of neglected parasitic infections are troublesome, however, vague. Therefore treatment is not immediately sought and even

Listed on the top 100 invasive species in the world. The Achatina fulica or Giant African Snail is an invasive species that is affecting many different areas of the world, predominantly in warmer climate areas. This giant snail is tremendously affecting the environment that it invades and here’s why. Essentially, since the giant African snail is primarily an herbivore it’s main effect on the environment is consuming the plant life. Generally speaking, It’s not so detrimental that it's eating lots of different plants (over 500) the part that’s more worrisome is the contagious pathogens the snail transmits after feeding on the plants. Once the plants or crops are infected, they cannot be sold, let alone be consumed. Along with abundant

rhodochrous’s success in white-nose syndrome prevention began as a research project on the conservation of edible fruit for maximum sustainability in agriculture. Researchers knew that the Rhodoccus genus of bacterium were particularly useful in preventing fungi to spread. To induce R. rhodochrous’s enzyme production, researchers allowed the bacterium to thrive in a perfect environment where the enzyme production would be at it’s peak, enabling the anti-fungal properties (Inman and LaTina 2014). The 6 volatile organic compounds discovered in total interact with P. destructans by inhibiting the growth of the hyphae, the filamentous structure that grows in fungi (Cornelison et. al). Inhibiting the source of growth for P. destructans slows down the destructive and painful spread of the disease, making it possible for bats to survive hibernation and for the fungi to disappear altogether. Despite the VOCs not killing P. destructans, it will eventually die on it’s own without any hyphae growth. [HOW DOES THE CURRENT TREATMENT OF BATS FOR THIS DISEASE WORK?] [HOW HAS IT BEEN SUCCESSFUL?] [WHY WAS IT SUCCESSFUL?] [SHORT DISCUSSION] A concern for both scientists and conservationists alike is the rapid spread of white-nose syndrome across the United States’ northeast region. Proactively using VOCs in bat caves that are affected with white-nose syndrome has not occurred yet, but doing so will defend those caves from the fungi

In the 90s scientists worked and created a new type of insecticide (Shetlar, 2008, p.78). At first they had the names chloro and thianicotinyls but, eventually those names were changed. When the new improved products were placed on the market for use, the results had varied and issues had arisen. The new pesticides/insecticides did not have a great affect in killing the insects and were causing different problems.

Achatina fulica, commonly known as the giant African snail, is an invasive species native to Africa, of very large, air-breathing land snails that can reach up to 20 cm in length and 10 cm in diameter. The United States Department of Agriculture considers the Giant African Snail to be one of the most damaging species for the agriculture and crops in the country. It consumes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and is known to eat at least 500 different types of plants. The giant African snail is becoming a significant agricultural pest in the U.S., and can pose a serious health risk to humans. Possession of this snail is illegal in many countries, including the continental United States. This snail is listed as one of the top 100 invasive species in the world and large colonies of this species can be accumulated from just one individual. (Vázquez, Sánchez, Martínez, and Alba 2016)

Not only are humans threatened by viral and bacterial infections, there are various parasites that also invade the human body. Parasitic infections are common in underdeveloped countries and are a prominent threat in rural areas. Though parasitic infections are known to happen in well-developed countries such as the United States. Contaminated water supplies, contact with infected animals, and improperly stored and cooked food can lead to parasitic infections. Parasites like tapeworms, protozoa, flukes, and nematodes can infect humans, causing serious health issues. These parasites enter through various parts of the body, and then live and reproduce in certain organs. Though there are many points of entry into the human body, most parasites enter

Malunggay, scientifically known as Moringa Oleifera, which is widely grown in the Philippines and is considered one the world's most useful plants, is found as a good source of Moringa oil. This oil is believed to be a biofuel source.