4 ms·

Guinea worm: Close to eradication? [video]

17 points by BruceM 12y ago

BruceM 12y ago
While horrifying, this was pretty interesting. The ability to interrupt the cycle of the worm with existing technology is inspiring.
ars 12y ago
They say eradication, but that's the same thing as extinction. Is this worm being preserved in any way? Perhaps as frozen eggs?
- presidentender 12y ago
  There's an organization which offers to allow volunteers to serve as hosts in order to preserve the species: http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/preservers.htm http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/preservers.htm
  - hnriot 12y ago
    are they serious? people really volunteer for that? while I'm with Douglas Adam's in that we should try to save the black rhino, I have no problem with a disgusting parasitic worm going extinct, since it has little to no effect on the earth's ecology since it only seems to enjoy humans as its host. that site really does show the diversity of the internet. what did these freaks do before the Well, AOL and now the web!
  - thaumasiotes 12y ago
    It's worth pointing out that Save the Guinea Worm Foundation is a joke site (and note that they specifically point out they're not accepting volunteers), while your parent comment appears, worryingly, to be serious. http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/truth.htm http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/truth.htm
    - ars 12y ago
      I don't want this thing in the wild!! (Or in a human volunteer for that matter. Assuming that site wasn't a joke would someone actually be crazy enough to do it?) But preserving eggs somehow in a lab seems worthwhile.
      - thaumasiotes 12y ago
        From Reason magazine's interview with Dave Barry (http://reason.com/archives/1994/12/01/all-i-think-is-that-its-stupid/1 http://reason.com/archives/1994/12/01/all-i-think-is-that-it...): > Reason: You've written in your columns about the strategic helium reserve the government keeps in case we have a sudden need for a fleet of dirigibles. > Barry: What bugs me when I write that is that I suspect 90 percent of my readers think I made it up. > Reason: What's something about the government that really pisses you off? > Barry: Well, that helium thing does. That's real money. All the tax money that I've ever, ever paid--and I've paid a lot of taxes--will not even begin to pay for one year of the strategic helium reserve.
        ars 12y ago
        Just because Dave Barry can't think of any use for helium doesn't mean everyone has that problem. And in fact 20 years later people got very worried about the ability to keep MRI machines running due to a (potential) lack of Helium. It's a good thing not everyone is as shortsighted as him. No one can think of a use for guina worms right now, but that doesn't mean no one ever will.
        tritium 12y ago
        The thing that bothers me is that, once you have the helium, it's not like it's a chore to maintain the stockpile. How much does it cost to hermetically seal a noble gas inside a durable container, and stow it in a warehouse?
- sigterm 12y ago
  Too bad you are being downvoted so heavily by asking a legitimate question. I think it does make sense to preserve as much genetic materials on earth as possible, regardless of what the species does to human. Considering we made sure to obtain the full genome sequence of smallpox virus before destroying all samples in labs, why can't we save some of the worm too. Maybe one day we might find a particular feature of the worm useful.
  - ForHackernews 12y ago
    We haven't actually destroyed all the smallpox virus samples, yet. There is one CDC lab in the US and one lab in Russia that have living samples: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-04/smallpox-destruction-debate-resurfaces-health-officials-prepare-annual-convention http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-04/smallpox-destr...
    - sigterm 12y ago
      Thanks for the correction! For some reason I have always been under the impression that we don't have any samples left...
ForHackernews 12y ago
This has been a major goal of Jimmy Carter and his foundation. Further evidence that he's our best ex-president.
healthenclave 12y ago
Guinea worm have been eradicated already from many developing countries for quite some time now. Eg: they were eradicated roughly in the 1970's from India. Mostly only some African countries still have endemic of Guinea worm. Step wells contributed a large part to the propagation of disease.

17 points by BruceM 12y ago

While horrifying, this was pretty interesting. The ability to interrupt the cycle of the worm with existing technology is inspiring.

ars 12y ago

They say eradication, but that's the same thing as extinction. Is this worm being preserved in any way? Perhaps as frozen eggs?

presidentender 12y ago
There's an organization which offers to allow volunteers to serve as hosts in order to preserve the species: http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/preservers.htm http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/preservers.htm
- hnriot 12y ago
  are they serious? people really volunteer for that? while I'm with Douglas Adam's in that we should try to save the black rhino, I have no problem with a disgusting parasitic worm going extinct, since it has little to no effect on the earth's ecology since it only seems to enjoy humans as its host. that site really does show the diversity of the internet. what did these freaks do before the Well, AOL and now the web!
- thaumasiotes 12y ago
  It's worth pointing out that Save the Guinea Worm Foundation is a joke site (and note that they specifically point out they're not accepting volunteers), while your parent comment appears, worryingly, to be serious. http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/truth.htm http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/truth.htm
  - ars 12y ago
    I don't want this thing in the wild!! (Or in a human volunteer for that matter. Assuming that site wasn't a joke would someone actually be crazy enough to do it?) But preserving eggs somehow in a lab seems worthwhile.
    - thaumasiotes 12y ago
      From Reason magazine's interview with Dave Barry (http://reason.com/archives/1994/12/01/all-i-think-is-that-its-stupid/1 http://reason.com/archives/1994/12/01/all-i-think-is-that-it...): > Reason: You've written in your columns about the strategic helium reserve the government keeps in case we have a sudden need for a fleet of dirigibles. > Barry: What bugs me when I write that is that I suspect 90 percent of my readers think I made it up. > Reason: What's something about the government that really pisses you off? > Barry: Well, that helium thing does. That's real money. All the tax money that I've ever, ever paid--and I've paid a lot of taxes--will not even begin to pay for one year of the strategic helium reserve.
      - ars 12y ago
        Just because Dave Barry can't think of any use for helium doesn't mean everyone has that problem. And in fact 20 years later people got very worried about the ability to keep MRI machines running due to a (potential) lack of Helium. It's a good thing not everyone is as shortsighted as him. No one can think of a use for guina worms right now, but that doesn't mean no one ever will.
        tritium 12y ago
        The thing that bothers me is that, once you have the helium, it's not like it's a chore to maintain the stockpile. How much does it cost to hermetically seal a noble gas inside a durable container, and stow it in a warehouse?
sigterm 12y ago
Too bad you are being downvoted so heavily by asking a legitimate question. I think it does make sense to preserve as much genetic materials on earth as possible, regardless of what the species does to human. Considering we made sure to obtain the full genome sequence of smallpox virus before destroying all samples in labs, why can't we save some of the worm too. Maybe one day we might find a particular feature of the worm useful.
- ForHackernews 12y ago
  We haven't actually destroyed all the smallpox virus samples, yet. There is one CDC lab in the US and one lab in Russia that have living samples: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-04/smallpox-destruction-debate-resurfaces-health-officials-prepare-annual-convention http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-04/smallpox-destr...
  - sigterm 12y ago
    Thanks for the correction! For some reason I have always been under the impression that we don't have any samples left...

ForHackernews 12y ago

This has been a major goal of Jimmy Carter and his foundation. Further evidence that he's our best ex-president.

healthenclave 12y ago

Guinea worm have been eradicated already from many developing countries for quite some time now. Eg: they were eradicated roughly in the 1970's from India. Mostly only some African countries still have endemic of Guinea worm. Step wells contributed a large part to the propagation of disease.