Case of the Week 400

Welcome to our 400th Parasite Case of the Week! To celebrate the 400th case, I thought I would dedicate this post to education in parasitology and share with you 5 of my favorite parasite teaching tools.1. Embed arthropods and worms in casting resin, using products purchased at your local arts and crafts store. I've used Castin' Craft in the past, but there are other options out there as well. Here is one of my creations - adult Ixodes scapularis ticks (in different stages of engorgement) in a small petri dish:Embedded arthropods are great for teaching because they are durable (e.g. their legs don't fall off from being manipulated over and over again), and you can easily examine both their dorsal and ventral aspects. If you're feeling really creative, then you can also make them into little works of art - or even jewelry (start a fun new trend). You can buy molds in every shape and size under the sun.2. Find some anisakids in frozen (or fresh) cod. I have the best luck with Atlantic cod; in every bag of 10 fillets, I usually find at least 1 worm. I let the fillets thaw in the refrigerator and then use blunt dissection to find the coiled larvae. I put the fish (with anisakid) on a plate for display in my teaching lab. It's a great way to get medical students, residents, techs, and clinicians interested in parasitology.For added fun, have a fish dissecting party! Here are some of my awesome pathology residents, who came up with this idea all on their own.3. Buy some medici...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs