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TWiP 261: A case for Dr. Hickam

This Week in Parasitism

Release Date: 07/04/2025

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TWiP solves the case of the nonbinary patient in his 30s with a history HIV/AIDS presenting with 3 weeks of subjective fevers, chills, generalized weakness and voluminous ostomy output. Hosts: , , and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): , , ,  Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV  Parasite of the Month:  (the green-banded broodsac)  on TWiP 282 New Case 39-year-old man originally from Guatemala, who moved to one of the NYC boroughs in 2023 and currently lives with his siblings and cousins, presented with headaches. He reports headaches for several...

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TWiP reviews a phase 2 clinical trial of a recombinant vaccine against N. americanus glutathione S-transferase-1, an enzyme that performs a crucial enzymatic step in hookworm blood feeding. Hosts: , , and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): , , ,  Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV  Phase 2  clinical trial (Lancet Inf Dis) Phase 2  clinical trial (Vaccines) Become a  of TWiP  Send your questions and comments to  Music by 

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TWiP 278: Trichinella from eating bear eyeballs show art TWiP 278: Trichinella from eating bear eyeballs

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TWiP solves the case of the male in his 20s from Hokkaido, Japan, who developed fatigue and rash, followed by fever and myalgia 6 days later, after eating a raw bear eyeball. Hosts: , , and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): , , ,  Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV  Hero: Sir Nicholas White (1951 – 2026) (, )  on TWiP 278 New Case 3 yo child who recently immigrated to the US from Central America is brought in to the ER with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain. The mother is concerned about the pain as well as nausea and vomiting....

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TWiP 276: Travel history is the key show art TWiP 276: Travel history is the key

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TWiP solves the case of the man in his 60s experiencing weight loss, fatigue, and loss of appetite. Hosts: , , and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): , , ,  Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV  Hero:   on TWiP 276 New Case Male in his 20s from Hokkaido, Japan, developed fatigue and rash, followed by fever and myalgia 6 days later. He was a group of five individuals on a hunting trip prior to this and reports that 3 friends are just fine but one other individual developed similar symptoms.  He reports that they had been hunting the...

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TWiP 274: Four tablets for bloating show art TWiP 274: Four tablets for bloating

This Week in Parasitism

TWiP solves the case of the 40 year old male who travels to India and develops intestinal bloating and diarrhea. Hosts: , , and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): , , ,  Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV  Hero:  Fish and seafood  (Our World in Data) Wild  (Our World in Data) Become a  of TWiP  Send your questions and comments to  Music by 

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More Episodes

TWiP solves the case of the pregnant woman from Tanzania with dehydration and 3 weeks of bloody stool, a situation that would confuse Ockam but not Dr. Hickam.

Hosts: Vincent RacanielloDaniel Griffin, and Christina Naula

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New Case

I feel like the back section of our book has been a bit neglected. The new PD 8th Edition is posted on our website so please download a copy and extra points to anyone who can tell us what that is on the cover.

Three individuals are involved here with a rather impressive travel history. We have a mom, a daughter and a son who reach out for guidance. Initially one of them found something small dark and about the size of a poppy seed embedded in their skin. This led to a more involved investigation where they found that all three had similar findings but some of these were larger, some a bit larger, one was actually described as mobile. They all feel fine and report no skin rashes. They have a number of concerns about what these are, if they might carry disease, what to do about removing them and should there be testing or treatment. The interesting travel and exposure history. They report that just prior to this they spent a week on a remote island off the coast of Scotland with extensive hiking in tall grass and boggy areas with deer, rabbits, and lots of sheep. An Island called Harris and Lewis and then just that Saturday hiking in wooded areas around Loch Ness and in the Cairngorns. Sunday out hiking and running on Long Island and then Wednesday when these mystery objects were found they had just been hiking and going for a run in Cape Cod. They report on Cape Cod the trail they followed had a fallen tree and they had to crawl underneath it prompting this skin inspection.

-lots of questions here… 

What might these be and how do we identify them?
Is the travel history relevant?
Are there any timing issues that impact what we do?
Should we try to remove these and if so how?
Any testing or treatment indicated?

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Music by Ronald Jenkees