Parasite Patrol

1
Parasite Patrol

• Investigating Our Wormy Foes

2
Introduction

• Have you ever heard of schistosomiasis,
  trichinosis, or taeniasis? These are some pretty
  nasty diseases caused by parasitic worms.
• One parasitic worm, Necator, can live right here
  in the southeastern United States.
• Infections by parasitic worms are less common in
  the United States than in other parts of the
  world are usually far less serious when they do
  occur.
• In some parts of the world, infections by
  parasitic worms can reach epidemic proportions
  and can cause serious and sometimes fatal
  illnesses.

3
The Task

• You have been chosen to be a member of an expert
  team that will research and report on one
  parasitic worm. Each team will consist of four
  members and each member will be responsible for
  researching several important questions. Each
  team will develop a report of their findings and
  present this information to the class.
• Projects are due Thursday, February 26!
• Presentations are Wednesday, March 4!

4
The Process

• Each team member should choose one of the
  following roles
• Taxonomist
• Parasitologist
• Environmental Expert
• Physician

5
Taxonomist

• Your job is to research the classification of
  your worm. You should answer each of the
  following questions
• 1. What is the worms scientific name?
• 2. What is the common name?
• 3. Does its common name give any clues to its
  characteristics?
• 4. What is the worms classification (Kingdom,
  Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species)?
• 5. What is the basis for classification (body
  cavity, segmentation, etc.)?

6
Parasitologist

• Your job is to research the parasitic nature of
  your worm. You should answer the following
  questions
• What is the worms life cycle? (include
  information on primary intermediate hosts)
• What is the name of the disease caused by this
  worm who suffers from this disease?
• What are the symptoms of the disease?
• What treatments are available?

7
Environmental Expert

• Your job is to research the environmental factors
  of the infection. You should answer the following
  questions
• What is the geographical distribution of your
  worm?
• What is the natural habitat of your worm (outside
  of the host)?
• How is your worm adapted to its environment (body
  structures, etc.)?
• Can infection be prevented? If so, explain how.

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Physician

• Your job is to research the health implications
  of an infection. You should answer the following
  questions
• How do you test for infection?
• Describe the treatment available for those
  infected.
• What is the prognosis (outlook) for infected
  individuals with and without treatment?

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Research Presentations

• You will be given class time to do some laptop
  research.
• You can choose any news-type format for your
  presentation (newscast, 60 minutes, 20/20, press
  conference, symposium speech, etc.)
• Be creative!
• Each team member must clearly explain their
  findings. You should act like a professional and
  be an expert on your topic!
• You should also use correct pronunciations and
  understand the meaning of all terms used in your
  presentation.
• Use visual aids to help explain your findings and
  to add interest (pictures of your worm, habitat,
  infected individuals, etc.)
• You must have a visual to represent your worms
  lifecycle (you can act it out, make a model,
  overhead, etc.)
• Each team member must turn in a summary of their
  findings.
• On Thursday, February 26 you will turn in your
  TYPED research summaries (1 from each person) and
  a TYPED bibliography page.
• Peer evaluation will be part of your grade for
  this project.

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Conclusion

• Upon completion of this project you will have
  learned about a few parasitic worms, their life
  cycles, and their impact on humans. You should
  have an understanding of general prevention and
  situations that might increase the risk of
  infection.