Justice Or Answers

The family, however, wanted justice or answers more than condolence which they believe they were not given. They didn’t have any idea what happened to his body in the last few days before he died. The family wanted to know the truth so that they could at least save someone else’s life. So what could have been the reason for David’s death was it just the infection or something else?

The Real Culprit

If the theories of the taxonomist would be considered they believe Spirometra tapeworm, a type of tapeworm that grows inside frogs, snakes, and lizards was the real culprit in David’s death. They are the types of worms that can grow up to four feet in length and reside inside the host body and might get lost while finding their way and end up in the brain or spinal cord.

Spirometra Tapeworm

They generally enter a host through the consumption of contaminated water or eating infected snakes, birds or animals. It can then affect any organ or tissues if they enter the body of the host. Their primary hosts are cats dogs or raccoons etc but if they enter the body of humans they cause a disease called sparganosis.

Their Life Cycle

The Spirometra has a life cycle of 3 hosts which is complex. Dogs, cats or some other mammals can become their definitive hosts in which they can survive up to 9 years in their small intestine. Inside the intestine, they produce many un-embryonated eggs that are passed through animal dung. As soon as they are in the freshwater they hatch to their larval stage.

The Host

They are then consumed by some aquatic animals which in turn are eaten by fishes or reptiles and hence they become their second host and the life cycle continues. Humans too can accidentally become their second host if they consume partially baked meat or contaminated water.

Reaching To The Roots

The same might have happened with David when he had swallowed the reptile to complete the dare at Christmas Party that night. Because otherwise, the possibility of being diagnosed by sparganosis is seldom in humans. It was extremely late and the stage of David’s had worsened before they could even realize what had actually happened.