Horsehair worm conspiracy?

This is just something I've been interested in since I found this lady's website where she claims she has been infested by horsehair worms. The scientists claim this is not possible. Is this a conspiracy? I dont know but its definitely weird. If someone knows the site I'm talking about where the lady has her whole story and the pictures of her worms let me know because I've lost the bookmark somewhere here.

So horsehair worms are somehow related to nematodes. According to the small amount of studies done on these worms and humans, it is not possible that they can infest humans. Usually they parasitize insects, snails etc. And make them have a compulsion to go toward water where they then exit the body somehow of the insect (science doesn't know how they get out of the host) and lay their eggs in the water.

Several contradictory claims are made about these worms in general. I will list some here. But somehow the consensus is that they can't infest humans.

First the NIH here and their "facts" and studies about horsehair worms. They state that

Apart from this life cycle, gordiids were several times found close to humans, raising the questions whether they are able to parasitize humans and whether they are dangerous to humans. The reported cases were reviewed by Schmidt-Rhaesa (Schmidt-Rhaesa, 2013), who came to the conclusion that, with the exception of very few unexplained cases, there was no true parasitism and the association between humans and gordiids was accidental. People with certain health complaints may assume that they have expelled the worms from their own body, which they bring to their doctor’s office for the confirmation that the worm has been the cause of their complaints. We report here a new record of a Spinochordodes bacescui (Căpuşe, 1965). As this specimen was found after urination, we discuss the often misinterpreted association with gordiids and humans.

Then they go on to profile the case of a man who found a horsehair worm in a bucket he had urinated in and brought it to the doctor. Their conclusion is that apparently even though it appears in your toilet after you pee, it didn't come out of you, it drew its host (an insect) to your toilet as a source of water and the insect host just went his own way after the worm emerged from it and that is why the worm is in the water and it definitely didn't come from humans. They did not emerge from the human urinary system. According to the NIH. Also according to the NIH in the above quote there are very few UNEXPLAINED cases and those are the exception of these worms in humans. So already, they're saying there are cases of these worms in humans they CAN'T EXPLAIN!

This behavior can transport gordiid worms to nearly any accumulation of water, including cattle troughs, drinking pots for pets, toilets and more. The host often survives the emergence of the parasite (Schmidt-Rhaesa 2013). Therefore, the most likely explanation for the occurrence of gordiids in toilets or equivalent containers after urinating is that they were released there from their host and did not emerge from the human urinary system.

Now they say that despite the fact several cases of horsehair worms "being near" humans, the worms do not infest humans.

In the past decade, the Parasitology Laboratory of the Public Health Institute in Niš received three samples (author’s unpublished data) found in a toilet, water tank and glass for water of a patient with pulmonary complaints, but these cases were not identified further.

There are several published case reports in which gordiids were found in patients urin immediately after urination (Schmidt-Rhae-sa, 2003; Burger, 1972). Clinical manifestations in humans were reported as well (in the form of vague pain in the lower abdomen) immediately before the release of parasites via urin (Burger, 1972; Carvalho, 1942). However, the potential symptoms and signs of infection have to be taken with caution, because unrelated health complaints and diseases might have been present. In order to establish the possible source

The NIH also says the host usually survives the parasite "emerging" but again they say they do not know how exactly the parasite emerges. Just that it definitely NEVER EVER comes from a human or human urine. Its all the crickets and beetles they DO infest that are just drawn to your toilet by the parasite, then because the host usually survives, the host insect I guess just scurries off leaving no evidence there was a host insect AT ALL, making you think YOU have the worm you see in your toilet after peeing. But you don't. IT'S ALL AN ILLUSION! according to the NIH.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

Why then, does the University of Minnesota claim that

•

It is not clear how immature horsehair worms infect hosts.

• When they infect their host, horsehair worms store up fats and food reserves.

• When the horsehair worm is mature and near water or damp soil, it emerges from its host.

• This process usually kills the host.

• Adults do not feed.

extension.umn.edu...

So we don't know: A. How they enter the host. B. How they are excreted from the host. C. No consensus on whether or not the emergence of the worm kills the host.

But we can just totally confidently say they don't affect humans and the worms found in people's water and toilets came from random bugs going in your glass of water or toilet because the worm controlled them to go toward water.

I want to know HOW they can say these things don't affect humans with such certainty when it seems there is more evidence they do than dont. And nobody seems certain of anything related to these worms other than "they don't affect humans".

Or its all just a coincidence. It could be. Some Sunday food for thought.

a reply to: Shoshanna
Hey that was an interesting read, and I'm hoping they don't ever infect humans, because "protein building" in the host, causing behavioural changes like jumping into water so it can exit the host and reproduce...omfg I've always disliked parasites, but this one would be nasty for humans to catch!😱

a reply to: AdultMaleHumanUK

I agree! I'm still trying to find this gal's site she made about her worms. She went into great detail about all her many symptoms and had pictures of the worms I mean like.....a lot! Of worms. And samples she was keeping some preserved in jars and doctors keep telling her she's basically nuts and that the worms aren't coming from her body.

I had it bookmarked but I can't find it now. It just reminded me of how doctors said Lyme disease was psychosomatic or whatever but its real. Doctors aren't always right.

The study was paid for by a horsehair worm collective so that humans wouldn’t firebomb them on sight.

But yeah. Odd conclusions seem to have been drawn here.

What I want to know is if other worms CAN infect humans, what would make this one not able to.

For a long time I suffered from delusional parasitosis. It’s a thing. But I came across a couple of studies in which athletes when they quit their sport, have muscle atrophy, especially in the legs and it is uncomfortable and unnerving if you don’t know this at the time, to say the least. Besides depression and a crap lifestyle, I came to understand this is what I was experiencing in my extremities rather than my personal belief and self-diagnosis.

But yeah. I have a serious violent aversion to things that live on and in people, otherwise I’m a pretty gentle soul.

a reply to: Shoshanna

I remember reading about 2 people having these

Two Human Cases Infected by the Horsehair Worm, Parachordodes sp. (Nematomorpha: Chordodidae), in Japan - LINK

The present study was performed to describe 2 human cases infected by the horsehair worm, Parachordodes sp., in Japan. Two gordiid worms were collected in the vomit and excreta of an 80-year-old woman in November 2009 in Kyoto city, and in the mouth of 1-year-old boy in December 2009 in Nara city, Japan, respectively. Both worms were males having bifurcated posterior ends and male gonads in cross sectional specimens. They were identified as Parachordodes sp

Not sure if this is the lady you are talking about....but have seen many YT videos of her talking about parasites LINK


Her Blog - LINK

This oddly reminds me of Morgellons Disease and the argument that it’s mental health disorder, or something not medically identified yet.

I’m assuming Horsehair worms are those parasite videos I’ve seen on YouTube where they dip a praying mantis in water and then it crawls out of the mantis’s rear.

If it’s attracted to water wouldn’t it also come out our rear? Would you notice before you flushed? I also assume when we bath it would draw them out.

I'd believe the University of Minnesota over the NIH after the pandemic. This just proves to me even more that they are liars.

originally posted by: Shoshanna
a reply to: AdultMaleHumanUK

I agree! I'm still trying to find this gal's site she made about her worms. She went into great detail about all her many symptoms and had pictures of the worms I mean like.....a lot! Of worms. And samples she was keeping some preserved in jars and doctors keep telling her she's basically nuts and that the worms aren't coming from her body.

I had it bookmarked but I can't find it now. It just reminded me of how doctors said Lyme disease was psychosomatic or whatever but its real. Doctors aren't always right.

I worked àt a medical teaching establishment where they kept lots of those jars of formaldehyde with things in them that would give people nightmares especially worms of all descriptions while a construction worker years ago .

Even my local vet had some interesting examples of tape worms that were removed from animals ànd as a member above mentioned the video of the mantis being dipped in water and all the parasites leaving it is HORRIFIC to watch .