With a history extending back millennia, with a biology that leads to permanent disability for tens of millions of people globally, and with a bacterial endosymbiont that may prove to be its Achilles heel, the filarial parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis are quite the complex creatures. In this episode, we explore the intricacies of this neglected tropical disease - also known as elephantiasis. We start by examining its complicated ecology involving many mosquito and parasite species, before moving on to its tricky biology where we finally answer the age-old question, “What is the lymphatic system anyway?”. Next, we move on to the convoluted history of lymphatic filariasis, where it holds the distinction of being the first disease recognized as mosquito-borne. We wrap up the episode with a look at its present global status, grappling with some current figures on the tremendous global burden of this disease and investigating some exciting treatment developments that will hopefully bring relief to the hundreds of millions of people at risk of developing this debilitating disease.
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Special Episode: Ed Yong & An Immense World
Ep 121 Tularemia: Hare today, gone tomorrow
Special Episode: Deborah Blum & The Poison Squad
Ep 120 Acetaminophen/Paracetamol: Pain. Killer.
Special Episode: Dr. Andrew Wehrman & The Contagion of Liberty
Ep 119 Marburg virus: Too fast, too furious
Special Episode: Dr. Steven Thrasher & The Viral Underclass
Ep 118 Asbestos: Corruption and cancer and corporate greed, oh my!
Special Episode: Mary Roach & Fuzz
Ep 117 Bedbugs: Bug-bitten and bedeviled
Special Episode: Dr. Kate Clancy & Period
Ep 116 It's never lupus (except this time)
Ep 115 Altitude Sickness: Balloons though?
Special Episode: Angela Saini & Superior
Ep 114 Listeria: It put dairy on the map
Special Episode: Sarah Everts & The Joy of Sweat
Ep 113 Vitamin D: The D stands for drama
Special Episode: David Quammen & Breathless
Ep 112 Epilepsy: It’s always the phlegm
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