Science: The Persistent Parasites

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Dr. Heyneman studies all the variations of tapeworm life, but most of his professional time goes to Hymenolepsis nana, the dwarf mouse tapeworm that infects between 1% and 2% of the population of U.S. Southern states. Its intermediate host is the flour beetle, which may be ground with grain and eaten by humans. It can also be carried to man by mouse droppings that get into the food. A person infected by H. nana soon develops immunity, ejects the established worms and does not acquire new ones for several years at least. Dr. Heyneman hopes to discover the mechanism of this immunity. The knowledge should be useful against more dangerous kinds of tapeworm.

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