Parasite (Part 2) Storm Knight

Microbial parasites – living organisms

The most typical example can be mentioned as the malaria parasite – a single-celled parasite with an extremely small size of only a few Micrometers, which must parasitize on the organism’s body to survive and develop.

Parasites of living organisms – living organisms

For example, Horse’s mane worms parasitize mainly invertebrates, especially some insects such as Crickets, Grasshoppers, Mantises, Cockroaches, etc. Horse’s mane worms are also known as Gordian worms. , as they are often twisted into a loose ball-shaped knot similar to the knot Gordius created in Greek mythology and called the Gordian knot.

Horsehair worms usually have two hosts. After hatching, the larvae of the horse’s mane worm seek out an initial host which is an insect, usually a fly of some kind. The larvae of the horse’s mane worm need the first host to leave the water, because the horse’s mane worm needs to be eaten by terrestrial insects. After penetrating into the host’s body, the foal’s mane worm will gradually grow in the host’s body and consider that host as a part of its own life and then take over the entire body cavity of that insect. When large enough, they secrete substances that can destroy the nervous system and disrupt and control the host’s mind, causing the host to crave water and then voluntarily jump into the water and drown.

Horseshoe worms not only settle in the host’s stomach like crickets and other insects, but will also absorb all the nutrients in the host’s body and then eat them while still alive, causing staggering movements, possibly can make insects more susceptible to falling into the water. Only when the host dies, the horse’s mane worm escapes from the host’s abdomen and begins a new life cycle, looking for the next victim host. Adult horsehair worms are not parasitic, so they will find water to continue creating the next generations.

Fortunately, Horse’s mane worms do not parasitize vertebrates.

Another example can be the worm Leucochloridium paradoxum that parasitizes snails. They enter the snail’s digestive system right from the larval stages and continue to multiply inside the snail’s body. When mature, they will gradually move to the head and eyes of infected snails and control nerve cells, making the host look prominent and easy to detect because they constantly move and wiggle in there. .

In addition, the hosts will continuously crawl to high places or open positions to attract the attention of birds of prey. From then on, this worm continued to reside in the stomachs of birds that accidentally ate infected snails and laid eggs there. Worm eggs are then released through the bird’s waste and hatch into larvae. The larvae then find a way to penetrate the snail’s digestive system to continue their life cycle.

There are countless parasites in humans, but the most common in our country are probably flukes – a specialty for those who like to eat blood pudding and fresh foods. Our ancestors have taught us, “Disease enters through the mouth and disaster comes out from the mouth”, eating cooked food and drinking boiled water is still the best policy.

When filming, this saying is still valid when parasitic creatures love this route of infection.

The Hidden 1987

Slither 2006

Alien – Facehugger

In the gaming world we also have equally scary parasites:

Grub – System Shock universe – was created from a race of alien creatures called Annelids with The Many organization – an organization of organisms that acts as the main brain that controls affiliated organisms through Grub parasite. After clinging to the host and implanting itself into the nervous system, it will take over the brain and spine, from here controlling the host’s entire body. At the same time, Grub will begin transmitting brain wave signals connecting to The Many, from now on the host will be completely controlled and become a soulless puppet serving the interests of The Many.

Headcrabs – Half-life universe – were born from giant living creatures called “Gonarchs” or Headcrabs but have fully evolved to become biological machines that produce giant mobile Headcrabs. giant on the planet Xen. After a jump and hit the victim’s head similar to Facehugger in the Alien universe, they will use their 4 limbs to cling tightly to the victim’s body along with their biting teeth on the scalp area in contact with the victim, forming lips. vacuum field and create such high air pressure that it is almost impossible to remove them. Headcrab will use their beak to punch a hole through the victim’s skull to directly access the brain, quickly take control of the victim’s entire body and then slowly completely transform the victim into a human. the “Headcrab Zombie”. During the transformation, Headcrab somehow keeps the victim awake and must “Experience” all those horrifying transformations one after another.

Las Plagas – Resident evil universe – an ancient parasitic life form now revived to become a new type of biological weapon. Unlike other parasites, Plagas need to rely on the help of a third party – that is, the person who directly implants Plaga into the target, through the digestive tract. Or, to put it less poetically, one would force the subject to swallow this terrible creature alive.

The Flood – Halo Universe – is a parasitic plague originating from the universe’s first creatures – the Precursors – but instead of being parasitic and living day by day through the host’s body like normal parasitic plagues. . They use the host’s body as a fuel source to create other Flood forms with the ultimate goal of creating a Gravemind – a collective life form that is the intellectual link of all Flood and has the ability to control them in real time. attack – aiming to devour the entire universe. They are the cause of the extinction of countless species in the Halo universe.