Bullet ant ritual - awesome!

Dodging bullets

Dodging Bullets

Kingdom: Animalia

 

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera 

Family: Formicidae

Subfamily: Paraponerinae

 

Genus: Paraponera

Species: clavata

Distribution

            Ants are found on all continents except Antarctica, Iceland, Greenland, and parts of Polynesia. Ants are able to exploit a wide range of food resources. P. clavata is found in parts of Central America and South America. The colonies usually consist of several hundred ants and are located at the bases of trees. 

Defense Mechanism

 P. clavata, commonly known as the lesser giant hunting ant, or the bullet ant, is named for its sting. The bullet ant’s sting is so painful and potent, that scientists say the pain compares to being actually shot with a bullet. According to the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, the sting of the bullet ant is a 4+. The pain lasts for 24 hours and causes waves of burning, throbbing pain. The ant injects a neurotoxin in its venom. The toxin affects the voltage-dependent sodium ion channels and blocks synaptic transmission. The neurotoxin causes slow, but harsh contractions of muscles. Once the animal is stung it cannot control its own body and has to wait till the venom wears off.  

Works cited    

Steinua, Rick (2009). Bullet ant. Retrieved from http://www.asktheexterminator.com/ants/Bullet_Ant.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VarqiOM4-Fg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRLU3HpYoH8
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Cryptococcus gattii Deadly Fungus Spreads Killing-United States / Canada

Dangerous Fungus Among Us

Cryptococcus gattii

         C. gattii is an encapsulated, opportunistic yeast that affects immune-compromised and immune-competent patients. The yeast is a free living organism that is mainly associated with detritus from trees, such as the eucalyptus and almond found primarily in tropical and subtropical climates.  It is a filamentous fungus that belongs to the class tremellomycetes.

      The C. gattii fungus effects HIV-unaffected and sometimes the immune-competent patients nearly 99 percent of the time. As of 2010 a new strain of deadly hyper-virulent C. gattii fungus has been discovered in parts of the United States. Out of the 21 known cases the C. gattii outbreak has already claimed the lives of six people in Oregon. Scientists suggest that the fungus will creep into northern California, and so on. The first known strain of C. gattii found in North America was detected in British Columbia, Canada, in 1999.

        In conclusion, what makes C. gattii so unique is its ecology and biology.  Although non-transmittable from mammal to mammal, C. gattii is still making its way into the United States in a newer and deadlier shape. The new C. gattii strain maybe deadly because there are no current vaccines or medications, but physicians have taken some proper steps in preventing this new disease.

 

Leishmaniasis

       Imagine something as small as a fly causing a world of problems. The Forcipomya tuthilli, or sand fly, located mainly in sandy places is a carrier for the disease Leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is a rare infectious disease caused by any of the Leishmania species. Leishmaniasis

                                                                                                                                                                       

affects the skin and sometimes the mucus membranes. usually creating skin sores, and also decrease the number of disease fighting cells. Symptoms may include:

 

•Skin sores, which may become a skin ulcer that heals very slowly
•Ulcers and wearing away (erosion) in the mouth, tongue, gums, lips, nose, and inner nose
•Stuffy nose, runny nose, and nosebleeds
•Breathing difficulty
•Swallowing difficulty

The most common forms are cutaneous  leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, and visceral leishmaniasis, which affects some of the internal organs of the body (for example, spleen, liver, and bone marrow).

Who is at risk?

People of all ages are at risk for infection, if they live or travel where leishmaniasis is found. Leishmaniasis usually is more common in rural than in urban areas; but it is found in the outskirts of some cities. The risk is highest from dusk to dawn because this is when sand flies generally are the most active.