Maryland, My Maryland

Reuters, U.S. confirms nation's first travel-associated human screwworm case connected to Central American outbreak 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday reported the first human case in the United States of travel-associated New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, from an outbreak-affected country.

The case, investigated by the Maryland Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was confirmed by the CDC as New World screwworm on August 4, and involved a patient who returned from travel to El Salvador, HHS spokesman Andrew G. Nixon said in an email to Reuters.

Earlier, Reuters reported that beef industry sources said last week that the CDC had confirmed a case of New World screwworm in a person in Maryland who had traveled to the United States from Guatemala. Nixon did not address the discrepancy on the source of the human case.

"The risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low," he said.
The U.S. government has not confirmed any cases in animals this year.

The differing accounts from the U.S. government and industry sources on the human case are likely to further rattle an industry of cattle ranchers, beef producers and livestock traders already on high alert for potential U.S. infestations as screwworm has moved northward from Central America and southern Mexico.

The government's confirmation of a screwworm case comes just over a week after U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins traveled to Texas to announce plans to build a sterile fly facility there as part of efforts to combat the pest.

The USDA has estimated a screwworm outbreak could cost the economy in Texas, the biggest U.S. cattle-producing state, about $1.8 billion in livestock deaths, labor costs and medication expenses.

Whatever you do, do not google images of screwworm infestations. I'm familiar with Botfly occurrences in squirrels, and have heard of rare cases in human. Our dear departed cat Felicity once got a warble in Oregon. Gross, but multiply that by a 100 or more for Screwworms.

I'm just going to hazard a guess that the "Maryland Man" with the Screwworm was anything but a Maryland man, which would explain the confusion between El Salvador and Guatemala. 

Scientists Appreciate Oyster Parasites

WYPR News, These parasites are a good thing… especially if you’re a Chesapeake Bay oyster reef

Fat mollusks, rockfish and even parasites can be found thriving at oyster sanctuaries in three Chesapeake Bay tributaries, leading scientists to believe that current oyster restoration techniques are working.

Those findings are detailed in a newly released study from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which found more wildlife diversity at sanctuaries than nearby unprotected harvest sites.

One indication of that — two native parasites: the boring sponge and mud blister worm.

They win their names easily enough. The boring sponge drills or “bores” through the shell to make a home while the mud blister worm burrows into the inner shell causing the oyster to form darkened, muddy-looking patches around the worm in self-defense.

“I think a knee jerk reaction for people is to be like, ‘Oh, that's bad, right?’” said lead report author Zofia Beck Anchondo. “But parasitism is the most common ecological relationship and that means that if there are more parasites, that is suggestive that there are more of other things.”

Essentially, they’re a sign of good ecosystem health.

And in their research, which was conducted over the summer of 2019, scientists did find more wildlife like blue crabs, rockfish and summer flounder at the sanctuaries than at unprotected harvest sites. They also found fewer parasites at the harvest sites.

Anchondo and her co-hort say those findings are an indication that the sanctuary restoration projects are working to improve oyster health and numbers. Oysters are the “backbone” of the Chesapeake Bay, they say, as they both filter water and support marine life as a food source and habitat. Due to overharvesting, pollution and disease, the oyster population in the Bay is likely around 1% of its historic levels.

Researchers collected samples from three Chesapeake tributaries: the Choptank River, the Great Wicomico River and the James River. Each site had both an oyster sanctuary and nearby harvest site, where the mollusks can be freely taken, for comparison.

The results aren’t surprising for Matt Ogburn, a co-author and senior scientist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, but they are reassuring.

“For the first time since the science of ecology was founded, we have oyster reefs that are relatively large scale to study,” he said. “ It's really exciting to be able to see now, using data, that the restored reefs are performing the way that we think they should with larger numbers of oysters, better habitat and more species and animals living on them.”

The presence of the parasites are remarkable for a few reasons. While they take a toll on the energy of the individual oyster, they do not kill it.

“They’re not preventing high oyster densities,” said Matt Ogburn, and while more research is necessary, there’s even a possibility that the parasites are good for the oysters’ long-term evolution, he added.

“Restoring the oyster reefs is likely to be helping the oyster population become more resilient to the parasites that are out there now, compared to what would be possible if everything was harvested all the time.”

Evidence of these native parasites go back hundreds of years, Anchondo pointed out. Previous studies on Chesapeake-area shell middens, which are essentially trash dumps from earlier humans, indicate the presence of those parasites, particularly the boring sponge.

I'm sure if you looked hard enough you could find fossil oyster shell beds dating prior to human occupation of the North America that would show boring sponge and mud blister worm signs. 

The Wombat makes up time with Rule 5 Sunday: Hangar Queen Double-Scoop Sunday! 

Flotsam and Jetsam - RFK Jr. Brain Worm Edition

Stephen Kruiser at PJM, The Morning Briefing: Weird—I Did Have 'RFK Jr Brain Worm' on My Bingo Card R A W S A L E R T S@rawsalerts " #BREAKING : Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign told the press and announced that the worm that ate part of his brain would not affect his ability to serve as president." Ace, RFKJr. Told a Court During His Divorce Proceedings That a Worm Had Eaten Part of His Brain and Died Inside of His Skull, Giving Him "Cognitive Problems". "That reads like a juiced headlinebut it's actually 100% accurate. At Althouse, Small worm the size of a large worm. "RFK Jr. is my presumptive choice for President, so I'm keeping track of what the mainstream media has to say about him. They seem to be heightening the scrutiny, so let's take a look:" The Babylon Bee is on it, The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee,  "Dead Worm Found In RFK Jr.’s Brain Already Polling Higher Than Biden In 11 States https://buff.ly/44z10kA" Insty, MORE NEUROLOGICAL ACTIVITY, TOO: Althouse's feelings hurt by "The grandson of President John F. Kennedy this week savaged his presidential-candidate cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in a series of mocking, meant-to-be-funny videos..."

Breitbart touts an AARP Poll: Trump Leads in Pennsylvania. Dave Strom at Hat Hair, AARP: Trump Winning Pennsylvania Decisively. I guess they need to find more dead voters in Philadelphia. Roll Call whines about a Rating change: Nevada a Toss-up in presidential race. "Biden’s challenge in Nevada is similar to struggles across the Sun Belt and South." At Hat Hair, Capt. Ed adds "Real Clear Politics' aggregate average for Nevada has Trump up by 4.5 points. The gap was as wide as eight-plus back in February, but Biden narrowed it a bit in April. And here's the real problem for Biden: he hasn't led a poll in the Silver State since the war in Gaza began seven months ago." 'Bonchie' at RedState thinks Joe Biden's Insane Interview With Erin Burnett Should Be the Final Straw for American Voters. At Twitchy, 'Look at His Face'! Biden STUNNED (and Furious) As CNN Host Rattles Off List of BAD Economic Data. 

CNN is done carrying water for Biden. pic.twitter.com/YnctSfgsgD

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) May 8, 2024

Nick Arama at RedState notices Biden Has Big Trouble Boarding Air Force One, Embarrassingly Garbles Title of AFL-CIO President. TNP, Biden’s Attorney General, Merrick Garland, To Be Held in Contempt for not providing the audio recording of Biden's interview with Special Prosecutor Hur when subpoenaed. 

From Breitbart, Joe Biden Calls Illegal Aliens ‘Model Citizens’ While Promoting Amnesty. At Da Fetched, Biden Slips up During Interview, Admits Real Reason Illegals Are Flooding U.S. and Tucker Carlson Exposes Hidden Loophole Allowing Illegal Immigrants to Vote  At Hat Hair, KT sees the Chicago Mayor Attempts to Play Hide-the-Illegal-Aliens From Democrat Convention, Jazz Shaw reports Illegal Migrants Send List of 'Demands' to Denver Mayor and John Sexton cites the Washington Post's Opinion: Biden Is Doing a Great Job on Immigration.  

Chris Jacobs at Da Fed describes how Biden’s Student Loan Bailout Sends Taxpayer Funds To On-Campus Mobs.  at PJM Lincoln Brown is concerned about Biden's National Guard Power Grab. "Calling it a "power grab," Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) has expressed his opposition to the Biden administration's proposal to transfer members of the Air National Guard to the Space Force without the permission of state or territorial governors," (it makes sense, if you're planning on using F-35s against your domestic opponent) and Bob Spencer thinks the Biden Regime Makes It Unmistakable: We’re On Hamas’ Side Now. At NYPo, Biden Iran envoy put classified documents on hacked personal email, phone: GOP lawmakers. Capt. Ed snarks "Who does Rob Malley think he is -- Hillary Clinton? Needless to say, this is much worse (if true) in terms of a security breach than anything Trump allegedly did. Given the DoJ's insistence on prosecuting Trump for those actions, why are they dragging their feet on Malley? Or is that the only issue with Malley?"

At Hat Hair VIP, KT is disgusted with Psaki: Some Republicans Support Trump Because Maybe He Will Die. Projection. TNP reports This Town is Persecuting a Property Owner For Painting ‘TRUMP 2024’ on His Roof, Lake Worth Beach, Florida. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, I Don't Want to Hear Noem-Or 'VP' Talk About These Two, M'kay? TNP says J.D. Vance Wins National Pulse Reader VP Straw Poll. Maybe not the worst choice. 

Lincoln Brown at PJM reports on Michelle's Dinner With MAGA "As it went on, my friends and I realized we were surrounded by otherwise carefully closeted MAGAts. It's funny how the extremist or just wrong beliefs can't help but leak out, even when you least expect them, and from people you least expect. They are out there." I&I calls Democrats The Party Of ‘Death To America’. To be fair, it's only about half of them. 

TNP reports from Fulton County, Georgia, BOMBSHELL Investigation Reports ‘Improper’ 2020 Recount Procedures, THOUSANDS of Ballot Images MISSING. "The inquiry was prompted by a complaint lodged on July 8, 2022, alleging the inappropriate count of 17,852 ballots. The investigation revealed not only duplicate ballot images, implying probable multiple scanning of some ballots, but also thousands of ballot images missing." At Hat Hair, Fulton County Vindication, Master Plan Falling Apart, Democrats in Shambles! George@BehizyTweets "BREAKING: The Georgia State Election Board is considering evidence that Fulton County double counted thousands of ballots in the 2020 election If the board finds that Fulton County violated Georgia election law then they will impose fines, issue a reprimand and refer the allegations to the Attorney General's office for prosecution The board could also takeover elections in Fulton County."

 At Da Fed, Brianna Lyman, A Democrat Bill To Process Mail Ballots Before Election Day Is Headed To Pennsylvania’s GOP-Run Senate and MD Kittle, South Carolina Agency: The Feds Force Us To Give Voter Registration To Foreign Nationals  South Carolina Agency: The Feds Force Us To Give Voter Registration To Foreign Nationals. From ET, RNC, Pennsylvania GOP Seek to Intervene in Mail-In Ballot Case. The RNC and Republican Party of Pennsylvania are trying to enter a case filed by the ACLU of Pennsylvania on behalf of two voters.

Jordan Boyd at Da Fed, Trump Trial Judge Censors Federalist Writer, Former FEC Chairman From Testifying Key Defense Facts. Guy Benson at TownHall wonders (rhetorically), Why Is the Judge in Trump's New York Trial Muzzling a Key Defense Witness? Insty answers BECAUSE IT’S A KANGAROO COURT RUN BY AN IN-THE-TANK JUDGE? At NYPO, Jonathan Turley is outraged that the Judge allows Stormy Daniels to give irrelevant, salacious testimony just to humiliate Trump. The Dersh says Trump’s trial is a stupendous legal catastrophe. Capt. Ed adds "That's clearly the intent of Alvin Bragg and Judge Merchan as well." Byron York at Front Page decries The Insanity at the Heart of the Trump Trial "The fundamental insult to basic principles of justice."  Jason Cohen at Da Caller catches CNN Legal Analysts Worrying Trump Defense’s ‘Searing Cross-Examination’ Of Stormy Daniels Could Turn Jury Against Her. At TNP, Stormy Daniels’s Lawyer Michael Avenatti Says She’s Falsifying Records & Committing Fraud to Avoid Paying Trump! Dave Strom, YGTBFKM: O'Donnell Says Stormy Daniels Has 'The Modesty of a Nun'. Jacob Sullum at Reason says Stormy Daniels' 'Credibility Issues' Reflect a Broader Problem With Key Witnesses Against Trump. "New York prosecutors are relying on testimony from several people who do not seem trustworthy." Capt. Ed, "Not to mention all the perjury, too. Bragg has stretched a maybe-misdemeanor regarding ledger entries into dozens of felonies on the gossamer web of testimony from ... [checks notes] ... a porn performer who keeps changing her story, a convicted perjurer, and a gossip-rag publisher who admits making stuff up for fun and profit. The question isn't "reasonable doubt" so much as trying to figure out why anyone would believe any of these witnesses." Simon Ateba@simonateba "BREAKING - SHOCKING - YOUR REACTION: Judge Juan Merchan claimed Trump might have violated his gag order by shaking his head inside the courtroom while Stormy Daniels was testifying. The judge claimed that by shaking his head and reportedly 'audibly cursing', Trump might have intimidated the witness. This was said privately to Trump's lawyer and was not captured loudly during the testimony." Althouse cites Trump ""It is a really bad feeling to have your Constitutional Right to Free Speech, such a big part of life in our Country, so unfairly taken from you..." "... especially when all of the sleazebags, lowlifes, and grifters that you oppose are allowed to say absolutely anything that they want. It is hard to sit back and listen to lies and false statements be made against you knowing that if you respond, even in the most modest fashion, you are told by a Corrupt and Highly Conflicted Judge that you will be PUT IN PRISON, maybe for a long period of time. This Fascist mindset is all coming from D.C. It is a sophisticated hit job on Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME!. Judges Engoron and Kaplan, also of New York, are equally Corrupt, only in different ways. What these THUGS are doing is AN ATTACK ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, AND OUR ONCE GREAT NATION ITSELF. OUR FIRST AMENDMENT MUST STAND, FREE AND STRONG. 'GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!'"

Bryan Jung at PJM, Legislator Who Backed N.Y. Bill Used Against Trump Now Opposes It After The Tables Turned on Him. "A New York State Senator who supported a sex crimes bill that allowed E. Jean Carroll to go after former president Donald Trump now calls the legislation unconstitutional after a former colleague accused him of rape, reported the New York Post."

Don Surber foresees Trump Triumphing Over Evil "The Raid on Mar-A-Lago likely gets him re-elected. (By the way, today's poll is terrific.)" Ace, Judge Delays Trump's Florida Documents Trial to Investigate the FBI's Mishandling of Evidence; Georgia Court Agrees to Hear Trump's Appeal to Disqualify Fani Willis "This isn't even about the FBI falsifying the evidence by photographing documents inside of "CLASSIFIED" folders that they brought to the crime scene and put the documents in. This is about Jack Smith's own misrepresenations to the court about his sloppy evidence handling." 

At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.08.24 (Abbreviated Punditocracy Edition), Twitchy notes, Rep. Adam Schiff Has a Meltdown as Another Donald Trump Trial Faces a Delay. Adam Schiff@RepAdamSchiff, "First, the Supreme Court delays Trump’s Jan 6 prosecution. Then Trump-appointed Judge Cannon postpones his trial in Florida. Now this in Georgia. The courts are deliberately delaying justice — and effectively denying it." Also, EBL MAGA Indefinite Postponment of the Trump Classified Document Case. Mia Cathell at TownHall, Georgia Court of Appeals Just Delivered Some Bad News for Fani Willis. Dave Strom, Appeals Court Considering Removing Fani Willis.

John Green at Am Think wonders Will the Supreme Court Let This Crisis Go to Waste?

 

TNP notices the NYT Admits Jan. 6 National Guard Response Hampered by Military Concern Over Trump-Friendly ‘Optics’ & BLM Fallout. Hat Hair's KT sees Fire Alarm Puller Rep. Jamaal Bowman Loves Some Conspiracy Theories. Patrick Webb@RealPatrickWebb, "BREAKING: Newly obtained internal documents reveal that the Washington, DC, police have been paying for and using online surveillance tools to monitor citizens' social media activity and track geo-locations, as well as to collect data on individual users, their friend networks, and monitor public protests."

Dave Strom, NPR CEO Refuses to Testify Before Congress Today. Da Signal, NPR’s CEO Is a No-Show at Hearing Looking Into Bias at Taxpayer-Funded Network. Capt. Ed, "Note that Maher was invited to appear, not subpoenaed, and had not reached an agreement to do so. However, since NPR gets a significant amount of its funding directly and indirectly from Congress, showing up to defend NPR against a defunding effort would probably have been the wiser choice." Next time send a subpoena. 

Althouse, "But critics like me aren’t asking the Times to abandon its independence. We’re asking the Times to recognize that it isn’t living up to its own standards..." ""... of truth-telling and independence when it obfuscates the stakes of the 2024 election, covers up for Trump’s derangement, and goes out of its way to make Biden look weak." Writes Dan Froomkin, in "New York Times editor Joe Kahn says defending democracy is a partisan act and he won’t do it." (Press Watch)." From the Pipeline, The AP Leans Left on 'Climate Change.' No shit, Sherlock. At ET, Super PAC Backing RFK Jr. Says It Is Suing Meta for Censoring Documentary, "The film has been viewed over 12 million times on X, the social media platform now owned by Elon Musk, who vowed to restore free speech."

Tom Nickels at Front Page wonders Will Presidential Meddling With Title IX Be the End of Sports? "Biden places countless women and girls in uncomfortable -- and unsafe -- spaces." Larry Sand at Am Great, Undeniably Unentitled "The Title IX update is perverse, and many states are fighting." Mary Chastain at LI, National Women’s Law Center Seeks to Intervene in Defense of Males in Female College Sports. “Their attempts to exclude transgender women from NCAA sports actually hurt all women…”  From HE, Womanhood is erased, even as Big Pharma profits from women’s bodies. From Da Wire, School Enlists ‘Genderqueer’ Witch To Speak To Students About Dating, Survey Them About Their Sexuality. Virginia Kruta at Da Wire, Insane Leftists Frame Family Formation As Sinister Right-Wing Conspiracy. Fox, Boy Scouts of America making this big change to be more inclusive. "The rebranding will go into effect next year when it will become known as 'Scouting America'", but Girl Scout to retain one sex. 

At Da Caller, Parents Sue School Board After School Suspends Student For Saying ‘Illegal Aliens.’

Larry Elder at Front Page suggests for Campus Protests: Switch Out the Word ‘Jew’ and Replace it With ‘Black’. John Sexton notices A Historian's Take on Student Protests Leaves Out a Few Things. At Da Caller, Foolish College Antics Accelerate Downward Spiral Of Higher Education. Hey, foolish antics are what college is all about! 770 KTTH, UW professor assaulted at autonomous Liberated Zone as admin keeps cops away. Red Guards. At CJ, Liel Leibovitz begs My Kingdom for an Adult. "Amid the depressing dominance of childish and thuggish behavior on campuses, some public officials have emerged to show real leadership." 'Becca Downs at TownHall, These Democrats Refused to Stand by Israel in Face of Antisemitic College Protests. From Fox, Billionaire family bankrolling both anti-Israel groups and these battleground Democrats, "The wealthy Pritzker family has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democrats so far this election cycle." Capt. Ed, "Well, that's awkward. Or at least it should be. Let's hope that the RNC, NRCC, and the campaigns themselves make those connections clear to voters in these districts."

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: A Winning Week up and garnering clicks.

Big Fish Have Little Bugs Upon Their Back to Bite Them

Chesapeake Bay Mag, Unknown Parasite Latching Onto Stripers, Other Fish

During the last few months, anglers have been catching fish in the Chesapeake with parasites attached to their bellies and fins. Striped bass and sheepshead are the most frequent hosts. One sheepshead was found carrying over 20 of the unsavory hitchhikers. Some on social media believe the parasites are simply sea lice, but that is not the case.

Hamish Small, an Associate Research Scientist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) who earned his doctorate in Marine Parasitology, reports that, “sea lice are parasitic copepods, and these (recent infestations) appear to be an iparasitic sopod (crustacean).” Small is sequencing the DNA of these crustaceans so he can determine exactly what they are. If he had to guess, Small believes they are Livoneca redmanii, which are known to be in the Chesapeake Bay. One particularly gross version of these parasites is Cymothoa exigua, which once inside the fish’s mouth attaches to the tongue of the host fish, and eventually replaces the tongue!

We do occasionally see the "tongue eating" parasite, more often in blue fish and Menhaden than Striped Bass.

According to Small, it is not unusual to find a fish that is carrying a few of these parasites. It is the recently discovered larger numbers of parasites on individual fish that is a cause for concern. “They usually are found in small numbers (single or a pair) within the buccal cavity (mouth) or in the gill chamber of the fish they parasitize, so the current finding of multiple (over 20) on the caudal fin (tail) and caudal peduncle (the narrow part of a fish forward of the tail) of the sheepshead is somewhat unusual. Likewise, another case indicated eight parasites attached to the pelvic fins of a striped bass,” he said.

 There are also small parasitic copepods that infect fish gill, especially Striped bass, in warmer and more brackish water. They can't be good, but they don't seem particularly associated with sick looking fish. Most fishermen don't even know they are there 

These parasites use hooks to hold onto their hosts. That cannot be comfortable, especially in the mouth. Heavy infections, such as on the sheepshead, can cause significant damage to the host fish. Can you eat an infected fish? VIMS said there is no harm to humans. Personally I would donate an infected fish to science and catch another for dinner.

“At this point we can’t really say whether this is something new.” said Small. If it is new, the scientists at VIMS don’t know the cause. If you are an angler, you can help by reporting any infected fish you catch. Try to get a photo, and call VIMS at 757 787-5834.

The fish we catch here in winter and early spring commonly have some kind of isopod on them, and most fisherman call them "sea-lice", which probably just reflects the problem with common names. Most fisherman also think that they are a sign that the fish has recently migrated in from the ocean, although Pete and me are starting to doubt that. Often, after having caught a few fish, the deck is littered with the things crawling around. They certainly wouldn't discourage me from eating the fish.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Dina Meyer up at The Other McCain, on time and under budget.

Cooties from Selfies?

Worth the risk?

Selfies could be linked to head lice

. . .Samples from 30 states, including Texas, found a gene mutation in lice that turns it into a superbug and resistant to over-the-counter chemicals.

If that's not bad enough, there is also a new way adults and teens are getting it: selfies.
Lice used to be a childhood problem eventually outgrown, like when youngsters bumped heads as they played together in tight quarters.

There used to be an old way of showing how radioactive contamination works. Put a fluorescent white powder on a sign in sheet at a radiation safety seminar. At the end of the session, break out a UV light.  A similar approach might work here.

Now, as adults and teenagers almost constantly put their heads together while taking selfies, they’re unknowingly giving lice a new host on which to feed.

Loren Hickman works at Hair Fairies in Dallas, which specializes in lice removal. She says it's impossible to pinpoint exactly where someone gets lice.

However, Hickman says she's seen an uptick in the number of teens with lice who don't have siblings.

“They're holding the phone up, putting their head close to their friend,” said Hickman. “It only takes a second.”

Damn jumping lice. . .

Picked up and linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup" and links. Thanks, Teach! Wombat-socho has "Rule 5 Sunday: Summertime Girls" ready at The Other McCain.