Disease Dynamics in a Specialized Parasite of Ant Societies

Coevolution between ant colonies and their rare specialized parasites are intriguing, because lethal infections of workers may correspond to tolerable chronic diseases of colonies, but the parasite adaptations that allow stable coexistence with ants are virtually unknown. We explore the trade-offs experienced by Ophiocordyceps parasites manipulating ants into dying in nearby graveyards. We used field data from Brazil and Thailand to parameterize and fit a model for the growth rate of graveyards. We show that parasite pressure is much lower than the abundance of ant cadavers suggests and that hyperparasites often castrate Ophiocordyceps. However, once fruiting bodies become sexually mature they appear robust. Such parasite life-history traits are consistent with iteroparity– a reproductive strategy rarely considered in fungi. We discuss how tropical habitats with high biodiversity of hyperparasites and high spore mortality has likely been crucial for the evolution and maintenance of iteroparity in parasites with low dispersal potential

Excessive hirsutism in pregnancy because of Krukenberg tumor

Krukenberg tumor is an ovarian metastatic tumor which may rarely develop during pregnancy. The diagnosis of this tumor is often overlooked by the signs and symptoms of pregnancy and therefore delayed. The prognosis is universally poor and most patients die within one year of diagnosis.We present a case of a pregnant woman who was admitted for threatened premature birth and diagnosed with Krukenberg tumor. Virilization symptoms initiated clinical and laboratory investigation and eventually the diagnosis of Krukenberg tumor was confirmed. The woman delivered a healthy infant and after that she received palliative treatment. © 2012 Informa UK, Ltd