Scientists studying parasitic worms publish ‘An In-Depth Analysis of a Piece of Shit’

The best title on an academic paper you’ll see this month is, without a shadow of a doubt, “An In-Depth Analysis of a Piece of Shit.” Published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the paper digs deep into the stool of 222 Côte d’Ivoire residents for parasitic worm eggs.

Parasitic worms, like hookworms, feed on their hosts’ bodies, blocking nutrient absorption. This can be disastrous for one’s health, as you can imagine, and early detection is key for survival. These kinds of infections are mostly a tropical problem, but about 2 billion people are currently infected with some kind of parasitic worm, and about 5 billion people are at risk of infection via soil.

The authors feigned surprise at the interest taken in the paper.

“We are delighted to learn that our recently published article caught your attention,” one of the authors, Jürg Utzinger, told me over email. “Why, we have, of course, not the faintest idea…”

As for why the Swiss team embarked on the study of terrifying worms that live in poop, Utzinger said that parasitic worms are “our daily bread and butter!” Plus, “we live in a wormy world,” so the choice was obvious.

So the research team took their “Sausage-shaped-but-soft” stool samples, cut them into four pieces, and mapped where worm eggs were found. In case you were wondering, the end that comes out first is the front. (See the crudely-drawn diagram at top for clarification/mad MS Paint skillz.)

Anyway, they found that there was no clear pattern for the egg distribution for any of the worm species, which is too bad for diagnostic purposes. There’s plenty of work left to be done, as the authors mention.

“Despite its relevance for diagnosis, the spatial distribution of helminth eggs in entire stool samples, and the effect of storage, homogenization and time delays of FECs have been assessed only rudimentarily.”

The lead author, Stephanie Kruth, is now pursuing a PhD in epidemiology. Kudos on finishing that Master’s degree in style.

via:PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases image: Krauth et al.