寄生虫星球

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• When a fertilized egg tumbles down into the uterus and tries to implant itself, it encounters an army of macrophages and other immune cells. The new embryo doesn’t have the same proteins on its cells as its mother, which ought to trigger the immune cells to destroy it. The fetus faces the same troubles as a tapeworm or a blood fluke, and it evades its mother’s immune system in much the same way. The first cells that differentiate in a human embryo, known as trophoblasts, form a protective shield around the rest of its body. They fend off attacking immune cells and complement molecules, and they can send out signals that make the surrounding immune system sluggish. Strangely enough, there’s some evidence that these suppressing signals are made in the trophoblasts by some of the viruses that... (查看原文)

  Le Flaneur 2赞 2025-03-29 22:17:14

• 寄生虫能在没有光线的迷宫中找到方向，能轻而易举地穿过皮肤和软骨，能毫发无损地游过胃这口熔炉。它们能把宿主身体里的几乎每一个器官变成栖息地，无论那是耳咽管、鳃、大脑、膀胱还是跟腱。它们能为了自己的舒适生活而改造宿主的部分身体。它们能以任何东西为食：血液、肠壁、肝脏、鼻涕。它们能命令宿主的身体给它们带来食物。 寄生虫学家需要耗费几年甚至几十年来解析这些适应现象。而无法只花上一个夏天跟踪一个猴群，或者给一群狼戴上无线电项圈。寄生虫生活在肉眼不可见的地方，寄生虫学家通常只能在杀死并解剖宿主后才能看见寄生虫的所作所为。这些光怪陆离的快照逐渐积累，终于成了一部自然历史。 (查看原文)

  流涧宜 Joey 1 回复 2赞 2022-03-10 16:09:51

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