"How Parasites Changed the American Civil War" Topic

"Disease was a large part of a soldier's life (and death) during the Civil War. Parasites were common menaces and more than just mere annoyances. Upon taking a closer look, one can see that the war's tiniest participants may have served incredibly influential roles.

After the battle of Shiloh in early April of 1862, hundreds of stranded wounded soldiers remained on the battlefield clinging to life. Many lay unattended on the battlefield for up to two days. After extensive time sitting in cold mud, many of the soldiers' wounds began to glow a soft bluish-green. To their astonishment, surgeons documented that those who experienced these glowing wounds actually had a higher survival rate, a faster healing time, and less-visible scarring. There had to be a miracle-worker involved; but was it an angel, or a parasite?

Recent studies have discovered that parasitic worms, called nematodes, carry a glowing bacteria named Photorhabdus luminescens, or P. luminescens. P. luminescens is used by the nematode to kill their host (which includes plants, burrowing larva, or open flesh), and any surrounding microorganisms. Nematodes usually cannot survive the heat of the human body, however the soldiers' body temperatures were lowered from laying out in the cold, creating the perfect environment for the worms to thrive. Routinely, the nematode vomits the glowing bacteria into the wound upon entry, a process which kills their other microscopic hosts. In this instance, P. luminescens instead kills off all other bacteria in the wound, staying on the surface for some time. Naturally, the human body does not stay cold forever and upon reheating after rescue, the parasites die shortly after. The soldiers with "Angel's Glow" had a greater chance of surviving owing to Photorhabdus luminescens and most experienced a quick and healthy recovery, all from the elimination of infection-causing bacteria in the wounds…"
Main page
civilwarmed.org/parasites

Amicalement
Armand

Amazing!

Glad you enjoyed it my friend!. (smile)

Ammicalement
Armand

Like maggots these critters favoured dead meat. An infested wound looks horrific, but what they are doing is debridement of potentially gangrenous tissue. If anything more effectively than any surgeon of the time (short of amputation).

For a similar reason pus discharge from a wound was often termed "laudable pus". Counterintuitive but at least it was out and it meant a Staph infection, which tends to be localised. A bad smell and no discharge meant Strep, gangrene, necrotising fasciitis, toxic shock and a meeting with your Maker.

Thanks my good friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand