BIOL 436 Lab Report Real PDF

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Course is taught by Dr. Neil Chilton. Included here is a sample/example of the first mandatory lab reports (worth a total of 5% of the course grade). Achieved a mark of 83....

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BIOL 436 – Animal Parasitology Laboratory Exercise 3: Parasite Games Jill Hueller (11138068) Date: Friday, October 5th, 2018 Part 1 – Parasites Unleashed Game Summary “Parasites Unleashed” is a quick, strategic card game in which players must develop the shortest possible life-cycle for a parasite as it travels from host to host, hatching and mating along the way. The game begins when each player suggests one hatch and one mate card. It is desirable at this point to obtain different colors of hatch and mate cards as this makes it easier for players to make connections between their characteristic and mutation cards, which players are dealt after hatch and made cards are selected. The characteristic and mutation-type cards are divided in the center, such that the beginning half of the card (left) is a different color from the end half (right). When building the life-cycle, this color-coding is important as it determines where you may place any of the cards you have picked up or will pick up in the future. The hatch and mate cards serve somewhat as a skeleton to build the cycle around, and these are color-coded as well to match the trait/characteristic cards. The life-cycle you build must contain both the hatch and mate cards you have received, as well as the smallest number of trait cards necessary for you to end on a color that matches the first half of your first card of the cycle. Whether or not the game sufficiently addresses all six essential steps in the life-cycles of all parasites is dependent on how each player completes the task at hand. It is possible to win the game having placed only 4 cards (both the hatch and mate cards and two trait cards) and thus this would not satisfy all six steps, as outlined below: 1. Locate a host. 2. Enter the host. 3. Overcome host defenses. 4. Derive nutrients from host. 5. Reproduce. 6. Disperse young to new hosts. The first step is satisfied by the “Change Hosts”, “Fool New Host”, and “Catch New Host” cards. It is important to differentiate between locating and entering hosts as these are two different steps. Several other cards satisfy step two, including the “Dig Into Host”, “Insect Eats Dung”, “Insect Host Eaten”, “Get Inhaled”, “Get Eaten”, and “Crawl Into Wound” cards. These show both passive and active forms of entry. Following step two, the parasite must locate an appropriate environment within/on the host. Step three does not fully encompass this aspect. Overcoming host defenses is indeed an important part of finding a suitable place to feed and derive nutrients, but migrating to the feeding location may be separate from evading the host immune system or other defense mechanisms. A number of cards address the parasite’s location after entry, including the “Move into Brain”, “Lodge in Liver”, “Bore through Gut”, and “Move into Gut” cards. Step three is directly alluded to by the “Immune System”, “Suppress Immune System”, and “Can’t Find Me” cards. The least mentioned step is the fourth step in which the parasite must derive nutrients from its host. The only card that mentions feeding is the “Kill Host and Eat It” card, and this is a mode re-uptake for the parasite due to the fact that its life cycle will not continue unless the

carcass of the host it killed is consumed. This step is where the game is lacking as it assumes the contestants understand when and where a parasite will feed – a knowledge only parasitology students would possess. Step five, the reproduction of more individuals, is displayed by the “Asexual” and “Live Birth” cards. Though this component may seem less addressed than others, this point is counteracted by the mandatory playing of the “mate” and “hatch” cards each player must play – though a player may be exempt from playing the “hatch” card if they play the “Live Birth” card. The “Live Birth” card indicates that the offspring of the parasite are born live and free from the confines of the egg many other parasites must use. The final step involves the dispersal of offspring to new hosts. A large number of cards address this step, including the “Swim out of Mouth”, “Leave Host in Dung”, “Leave Host in Mucus”, “Leave Host in Urine”, “Leave Host in Guts”, and “Leave Host in Eggs” cards. After this final step, the progeny are able to infect a new host (or intermediate host) and the life-cycle continues, except for in the game “Parasites Unleashed”, as one player is crowned the winner. Part 2 – Parasites Controlled A genetically modified and weaponized form of the already-lethal parasite Baylisascaris, which is typically found in raccoons, is allegedly set to be unleashed on the community. The raccoons, which tend to avoid human contact by practicing nocturnal lifestyles, have become particularly reckless and will now bite humans even when unprovoked (“Make Host Reckless” card). This may be due to the newly introduced mutation in Baylisascaris, allowing the parasite to manipulate its host therein. While the parasite retains its regular fecal-oral mode of transmission, samples of saliva from infected raccoons have been shown to contain the infective larval stage. This indicates that transmission of the parasite may occur via bite through an inflicted wound (“Crawl into Wound” card). Once the parasite has gained access to its human host, it may travel through the bloodstream into the brain (“Move into Brain” card), where it causes severe illness of the central nervous system, a result of eosinophilic meningitis. Infected humans, like infected raccoons, lose all inhibition and tend to wander far from their homes. Upon death, raccoons will feast on the carrion of the human and successfully infect themselves, thereby restarting the life cycle. The ongoing fear at this time is that an infected human may bite someone else, thereby creating a greater risk to the public. At this time, we strongly advise ensuring all garbage and disposal (especially that which contains food) be discarded in such a way that raccoons are unable to gain access. This will prevent raccoons from encroaching within city neighborhoods. The development of a vaccine to combat the Baylisascaris genus may be beneficial given that the antigens/markers of the weaponized parasite may cross-react within the immune system of the raccoon. Dispersal of the vaccine would be as simple as vaccine-inoculated food pellets being left for raccoons to consume. Finally, raccoons exhibiting strange behavior must be reported to both animal control and the CCDC. This is to ensure further transmission be prevented.

Part 3 – Parasite Crossword References 1. Keymer, A.E., Behnke, J.M., Lewis, J.W. (1991) Heligmosomoides polygyrus or Nematospiroides dubius? Parasitology Today 7: 177-179. 2. Hadjinikolova, R.I., Genov, T., Biserkov, V.Y. (1998) Heligmosomoides glareoli Baylis, 1928 (Nematoda: Heligmosomidae): redescription and synonymy. Systematic Parasitology 41: 179-186. 3. Feliu, C., Mller-graf, C.D.M., Ocallaghan, C.J., Renaud, F., Santalla, F., Hugot, J.-p., Durand, P., Morand, S. (1999) Epidemiology and genetic variability of two species of nematodes (Heligmosomoides polygyrus and Syphacia stroma) of Apodemus spp. Parasitology 118: 425-432. 4. Douady, C.J., Nieberding, C., Michaux, J.R., Libois, R., Morand, S. (2005) Phylogeography of a nematode (Heligmosomoides polygyrus) in the western Palearctic region: persistence of northern cryptic populations during ice ages? Molecular Ecology 14: 765-779. 5. Behnke, J.M., Cable, J., Lewis, J.W., Harris, P.D. (2006) Molecular evidence that Heligmosomoides polygyrus from laboratory mice and wood mice are separate species. Parasitology 133: 111-122. 6. Menge, D.M., Noyes, H., Behnke, J.M. (2009) Heligomosomoides bakeri: a model for exploring the biology and genetics of resistance to chronic gastrointestinal nematode infections. Parasitology 136: 1565-1580. Questions for Crossword Puzzle 1. First species in the title of reference #3. Heligmosomoides polygyrus. 2. The second nematode referred to in the title of reference #3 belong to what genus? Syphacia. 3. What was the previous genus name for the first nematode referred to in the title of reference #3? Nematospiroides. 4. Where does the parasite discussed in reference #1 live? Intestine. 5. Who was responsible for creating the genus name Heligmosomoides (ref. #1)? Hall. 6. This nematode was given a different name because it did not match __________ polygyrus (ref. #1). Strongylus. 7. Heligmosomoides _______ is considered a synonym of Helignosomoides glareoli (ref. #2.). tatricus.

8. What country do all of the authors in reference #2 work? Bulgaria. 9. What is the name of the structure in female worms with longitudinal ridges? (ref. #2). Synlophe. 10. What is the genus name of the small mammal hosts for the nematodes (ref. #3). Apodemus. 11. The abbreviated name of an enzyme listed in table 3 in reference #3. ME. 12. What type of isoenzyme electrophoresis was used in reference #3? Starch. 13. What is the first name of the first author of reference #4? Caroline. 14. What country does S. Morand (in ref. #4) work in? France. 15. One of the keywords listed in reference #4. Gene 16. Country for where specimens in reference #5 were collected in April 1991. Portugal. 17. What was isolated from individual worms in reference #4? DNA. 18. Family name of first author in reference #6. Behnke. 19. Family name of second author in reference #6. Menge. 20. What state in the USA did Baylis isolate worms from house mice? (ref. #6). California. 21. In abstract of reference #6: “Other ______ for resistance traits . . .” QTI. 22. In the reference list of reference #6, who described the life cycle of the parasite in 1954? Ehrenford. 23. For reference #1, the length of the paper is ___ and a half pages. Two....