The horse hair worm causes a lot of fear in people. Yes, and how can a creature who is able to quietly sneak inside your body and get a job there for a long time not be afraid? Even imagine such a scary and very unpleasant.
"Horse hair" (worm) has another name - nematomorph or gordiacea. The “horse hair” worm is similar to ordinary roundworms, and in length it can reach from fifty to one hundred centimeters. There were times when this parasite reached sizes equal to two meters! And this despite the fact that the diameter of the worm "horse hair" is not more than one to three millimeters. These parasites live in places with high humidity, such as swamps, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc. Adult worms can live freely and do not need a carrier, but their larvae need it. They live on bugs, cockroaches, orthoptera, and insects. About three hundred and fifty varieties of this parasite are known, and it is believed that around two thousand freshwater species can still exist in the world.
The horsehair worm, getting under the skin, absorbs all nutrients. An interesting fact is that, getting into the body of a creature that swallowed its carrier, the larva can leave the body of an unexpected host. Another amazing fact is the way to "return home", that is, into the water, one of the types of "horse hair" called Spinochordodes tellinii. Its larvae parasitize on orthoptera. It is able to infect the victim’s brain, as a result of which it begins to fly in search of water, in which it drowns, returning the larva to its favorite habitat.
People previously told many terrible stories about this worm. The fact that it is revitalized horse hair, and this predator drills the skin of a person and eats away its insides. In addition, people believed that such worms could invade their skin while bathing, and they usually penetrate through the heel. After that, the worm eats up the insides of a person or "reaches the heart." In addition to all this, several years ago all the newspapers simply blew up the terrible news about the appearance of a strange and terrible disease called horse hair. His symptoms terrified everyone: the whole body of the infected person was constantly scratching, something was constantly stirring under the skin, and organic threads and other substances of unknown origin came out of the abscesses formed on the skin. The patient was terribly tormented, and the doctors simply shrugged, being powerless before the infection appeared. According to various reports, only rituals, conspiracies and various alternative medicine could heal unhappy martyrs. However, this parasite had nothing to do with it.
So after all this disgusting parasite of "horse hair", a worm, what is dangerous? Yes, nothing! (Ta-dam! That revealed a great secret and the main intrigue). This worm does not parasitize humans, and it does not care about you at all. Its larvae inhabit only insects, and their plans do not include settling in your warm and comfortable body. So you can relax and breathe calmly - horsehair will not affect your life span.
