Horse hair (parasite, see photo below) has long been causing mystical horror in people. There are always a lot of rumors and conjectures around him. Conrad Gesner wrote back in the 16th century (the book Natural History): “It is believed that the horse hair parasite is real hair from the tail of a horse, revived in water. This is unlikely".
According to legend, a horse hair parasite is able to invade under the skin as soon as a person enters the water. Most often, he digs into the heel, and the victim in these seconds does not feel the slightest discomfort. It all starts later: the horse hair parasite rushes to the heart, eating all the insides of the owner on the way to the main goal.
The fear of this vile monster is really great. But is he justified? How dangerous is horse hair for us?
The parasite does not live in humans. For people swimming in a fresh water reservoir (it is there that hairs are found), there is no risk of infection. In order to understand this, it’s enough just to take a closer look at the worm and its reproduction cycle.
The parasite itself is often darker (usually brown, closer to black), rather thin (a large individual up to a millimeter wide), its size can reach half a meter (more often - up to 40 centimeters), without changes in thickness throughout the body. A tiny fork in the male filiform rigid body is barely noticeable. The worm is really incredibly similar to horse hair. This striking similarity influenced the name.
It is very interesting to observe the movements of the hairs. The horse hair parasite often creeps along the very bottom, slowly wriggling serpentine, sometimes twisting and forming tangles and bizarre loops (as if tied around itself).
Freshwater species like roundworms have several genera. Hairy - a parasite of insects. Initially, its larvae penetrate the embryos of mosquitoes, ground beetles, swimmers, mayflies, etc., where they turn into adult worms that enter the water. Nature created the parasite unable to swallow food, nutrition occurs due to the nutrients accumulated at the time when he lived in the insect. That is why he does not live long (up to 3 weeks).
A person who accidentally swallows horse hair while bathing is not in danger: a hairy will not develop in his body due to inappropriate conditions. The parasite can be found in the body of snails, crustaceans, in fish. However, careful heat treatment kills him.
Adult individuals living in fresh water bodies indicate the purity of the flora. They are absolutely harmless to homo sapiens.
However, there is another parasite, strongly reminiscent of hairy. This is a rishta, a resident of the tropics, the causative agent of dracunculiasis. The myths and stories attributed to horsehair refer more specifically to this representative of the parasites. However, in our latitudes dracunculiasis was not recorded.
Be that as it may, the mere thought of introducing some kind of parasite into our body causes a shudder. To protect yourself from accidents, swim only in authorized places and try not to swallow water (even if it seemed crystal clear to you). Wash fruits and berries that you intend to take at home (or take drinking water with you). Have a nice rest!