What came out of my BDFB?

[Elizabeth Marie]

I was observing my beetles and one of them started passing…this thing? I took a video, but it wasn’t a supported file so I took screenshots. it looks like a clear-ish string coming out, it does not look like poop nor any egg-laying behavior I know about. Afterwards the same beetle ate it. Anyone know what it was?

 

[pentapede]

Maybe a tapeworm?

 

[Tbone192]

Looks like some sort of parasite. I'd isolate the beetle and any others displaying similar symptoms. Maybe, if you can, collect one of the strings and have it sent to a lab for ID.

 

[Elizabeth Marie]

Looks like some sort of parasite. I'd isolate the beetle and any others displaying similar symptoms. Maybe, if you can, collect one of the strings and have it sent to a lab for ID.

I own 12 of the beetles, I’m not sure which one it was now that it’s been a minute! Will the others be in danger if she ate it?

 

[Tbone192]

It is hard to say with only limited information. Parasites are very diverse and have various modes of infecting, surviving, and reproducing within a host. If you're beetles seem mostly unaffected I wouldn't worry too much about it. I would definitely try collecting a sample to get it ID'd though. Keep an eye on them and write down observations, if you have the time and want to try documenting the phenomenon further. I will try looking into common parasites of BDFBs, if we can get it down to a family or even genus level, that will be very useful. Hopefully it is nothing too nefarious, best wishes and good health to you and your little pals.

Edit - it does appear to be some sort of nematode, that doesn't narrow it down enough unfortunately. But it does help narrow the search. I do know that people often acquire nematodes for their gardens as a natural form of pest control. Maybe one of your neighbours has been using some species of nematode and they infected your BDFBs? This might just be crazy, but asking couldn't hurt.

 

[The Snark]

I own 12 of the beetles, I’m not sure which one it was now that it’s been a minute! Will the others be in danger if she ate it?

Looks like a typical round worm and yes, all are in danger including yourself. The eggs are so small they can go airborne. This is the commonest infection in dogs transmitted by sniffing each other's butts.

 

[PoetaCorvi]

Looks like a typical round worm and yes, all are in danger including yourself. The eggs are so small they can go airborne. This is the commonest infection in dogs transmitted by sniffing each other's butts.

This is not correct. Round worms (nematodes) are not a single species, there are many thousands of species who will specialize in parasitizing a specific taxa. A round worm that infects a BDFB will not infect a person. Some parasites are somewhat flexible in their hosts, meaning they can parasitize relatives of the taxa they evolved to feed on. For example, some roundworms that parasitize dogs and cats can spread to humans. However, humans are very far removed from what a beetle parasite has evolved to parasitize. There are only a few select species that are known as capable of parasitizing humans. The majority of roundworm species are not parasitic at all! Please don't share info like this if you are not well researched on the topic, I don't say this to diss you but because incorrect statements like this can cause unneeded panic.

 

[The Snark]

@PoetaCorvi That's helpful! My knowledge comes from bygone days working as a vet assistant. We were warned to wear masks in that the eggs can go airborne. The common belief was dogs get infected from sniffing feces.
And yes, the term round worm is as specific as the word tree.
Perhaps you can help explain a very strange instance. At the hospital I worked at, over a 1 year period, we had 14 patients that were infected with intestinal parasites. An extremely unusual occurrence. The facilities were not available to determine which specific parasites they were though all were visually similar. And additionally, no common mechanism of infection was determined.
Seems a very odd one off instance. Thoughts and comments?

 

[Tbone192]

I'll take a stab...I guess. I have 0 practical medical experience although I dabble in recreational research and am currently studying biology. There are a lot of unknowns in this situation. Where did this occur? Symptoms? Were the 14 patients linked in any way; visited/live in same area, same type of pet, water source, restaurant or grocery store? Is there a description of the parasite, was a mode of reproduction found? It's like trying to solve the math equation A=$+? without critical specifics, speculation is all we can hope for. 14 cases in a year seems fairly uncommon but without location or population, who knows what those numbers signify. If they all occured within a similar time frame, all the cases may be linked to a single or a few events. Those are just my crazy thoughts on such a confusing situation. Very puzzling indeed .

 

[The Snark]

Where did this occur? Symptoms? Were the 14 patients linked in any way; visited/live in same area, same type of pet, water source, restaurant or grocery store?

North coast, Calif. Ahem. I did some amateur sleuthing, admittedly reprimand-able accidentally looking at patient records added to a little ordinary cop footwork and drew a blank. Only common denominator I came up with was potentially the same foods. From an isolated shut in out in the boonies to a truck driver mostly transient who lived in the bay area.
Checking with our resident pathologist he had a record of I believe 2.4 parasite infections yearly average over a 20 year period in that area.
Too broad an area of study. Just baffles me. Doc Jeff chided me with "Might be the 7-11 disease"

 

[Brewser]

If one Individual in the Community has a Parasite, the chances of Others in the Community being Infected are High.

 

[PoetaCorvi]

@PoetaCorvi That's helpful! My knowledge comes from bygone days working as a vet assistant. We were warned to wear masks in that the eggs can go airborne. The common belief was dogs get infected from sniffing feces.
And yes, the term round worm is as specific as the word tree.
Perhaps you can help explain a very strange instance. At the hospital I worked at, over a 1 year period, we had 14 patients that were infected with intestinal parasites. An extremely unusual occurrence. The facilities were not available to determine which specific parasites they were though all were visually similar. And additionally, no common mechanism of infection was determined.
Seems a very odd one off instance. Thoughts and comments?

Ahh makes sense! I can definitely see how the facts of contamination can get a bit misconstrued, since in a (non exotic) clinic you’re exclusively working with animals that can carry zoonotic illness/parasites.

Eggs going airborne is possible, but doesn’t occur the way a lot of people expect. They don’t use air as their main mode of transmission, but the eggs can go dormant for years, with the intent of eventually being ingested. However the feces they were dropped in can dry up and become dusty, allowing the wind to send the dormant and microscopic eggs into the air. Transmission is usually due to ingestion though. The eggs stay dormant long enough to still be around well after the feces has decomposed, and if food or water sources become contaminated with the soil particles the eggs could then be ingested. One way roundworms reach their canine hosts is by infesting prey animals, so dogs eating wild animals (or humans consuming undercooked infected meat) can cause infection.

It’s hard for me to say much about the scenario you shared without lots more information, but if I had to take a stab in the dark I would say it’s possible a local restaurant or something had a contamination issue.