Articles written by Rosemary Drisdelle

Toxocara spp. intestinal roundworms of dogs and cats, can cause serious illness in humans. Children are at highest risk of infection.

Apr 23, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Low-e windows can help keep heat in when it's cold outside, or out when it's hot. Window energy efficiency ratings should fit the climate.

Apr 20, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Clonorchis sinensis is a successful parasite because of human cultural practices that support its complex life cycle.

Mar 19, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Clonorchis sinensis flukes reside in the bile ducts of the liver causing inflammation. Chronic infection may lead to cancer.

Mar 18, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

The Chinese liver fluke lives in the human bile ducts and has a complicated life cycle involving a mammal, a snail, and a freshwater fish.

Mar 18, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Good care of a septic tank and drainage field involves controlling what goes down the drain, care of system components, and regular inspection and pumping.

Mar 7, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Owners of real estate need lot surveys done for various reasons, but always to establish, in one way or another, what they own and what it looks like.

Feb 27, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Uranium is a common element found in rock and soil that can be present in drinking water. Consuming too much uranium has harmful health effects.

Feb 24, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Arsenic poisoning occurs when arsenic contaminates drinking water. Water supplies and private wells should be tested for this element.

Feb 22, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Domestic grey water reclamation involves separating grey water, treating it, and reusing it. Grey water systems save water and money.

Feb 9, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Earwigs are drawn to cool damp places and when they gain access to a well casing they can cause long term well water contamination.

Feb 6, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Septic systems use natural processes to treat gray water and sewage, making household wastewater clean enough to be returned to the environment.

Feb 1, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Enterobiasis persists because this intestinal worm has a life cycle that favors its success, and its presence doesn't result in lasting immunity.

Jan 29, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Restrictive covenants limit modification, construction, and activity on private property in particular areas or neighborhoods. They are legally enforceable.

Jan 26, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Before buying vacant land to build a solar home, think about exposure to the sun and whether the home design will work on the lot.

Jan 20, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

If you're planning to build a new house, there are lots of characteristics of a potential building lot that you should keep in mind.

Jan 11, 2011 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Drinking a couple of glasses of red wine daily has various health benefits that lower the risk of heart disease. For most, moderate drinking is good.

Dec 28, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Cholesterol, produced by animals, is associated with heart disease. Some forms of cholesterol are beneficial, as are the similar sterols produced by plants.

Dec 27, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Almonds lower LDL cholesterol and lower the risk of coronary heart disease. Almonds are nutritious and can replace other foods in a heart healthy diet.

Dec 16, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax, infests animals and people, causing dreadful illness, death, and economic hardship. Its extinction seems imminent.

Oct 25, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Resistance to antimalarial drugs appears on the borders of Thailand because of high rates of malaria infection and various socio-economic conditions.

Oct 15, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

A neurological autoimmune syndrome of dogs, coonhound paralysis follows a raccoon bite or other unidentified exposure to an infectious agent.

Sep 29, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

The common names of humanity's two hookworm species imply geographical origins, but one probably came from Asia and the other from Africa.

Sep 28, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Heirloom parasites of humans have been with us since early in our evolution. Souvenirs are those we've picked more recently.

Sep 17, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Parasitism began billions of years ago and gave rise to complex life on Earth. The parasitic lifestyle is common and efficient.

Sep 3, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Parasites live on and feed on other living things, both inside and outside. There are parasites of every description; some have complex life cycles.

Aug 23, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Codivergence occurs when two or more different but closely associated species evolve together. Parasites and their hosts often codiverge.

Jul 2, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Cyclospora cayetanensis, an intestinal parasite, can contaminate imported produce and cause diarrhea. A large May 2010 outbreak in Canada is typical.

Jun 4, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Scientists have debated for years whether climate change will spread malaria but, with evidence on both sides, the answer is still not clear.

May 24, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

On May 19, 2010, Abbott Diagnostics announced that they have received United States FDA approval for a new blood screening test for Chagas' disease.

May 20, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Trypanosoma cruzi, a blood and tissue parasite, is behind a rash of illnesses in the Venezuelan capital. Bug bites or contaminated food may be the source.

May 15, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

A parasite long thought to be of little significance, blastocystis is emerging as a possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Feb 4, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Blastocystis is often considered a protozoan parasite of little concern, but it may be related to algae and cause intestinal symptoms typical of irritable bowel syndrome.

Feb 4, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Malaria, a parasitic infection caused by Plasmodium spp., requires two hosts: a human and a mosquito. Mosquito bites transmit malaria to people.

Jan 6, 2010 - Rosemary Drisdelle

In some bedbug infestations, the bugs are so rare that they are hard to detect. Anyone can make a bedbug trap to prove the bugs are there, and even remove some of them.

Dec 3, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Though many people don't react to bedbug bites, a rash may be the first obvious sign of a bedbug infestation. Fortunately, bedbugs don't spread diseases.

Dec 3, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

The Great Blue Heron, often seen standing in shallow water, or hunting at a slow pace, is a common large bird of Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Nov 30, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Herons live and hunt anywhere where there's shallow water. Their beautiful plumage, feeding habits, and large rookeries make them conspicuous and familiar.

Nov 28, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Birds of America, a collection of 435 bird illustrations in seven volumes, was John James Audubon's finest work. It remains a classic in American Ornithology.

Nov 21, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

John James Audubon was a nineteenth century American with multiple talents. His greatest achievement was his book of bird artwork: Birds of America.

Nov 14, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Unique among hornbills, the Helmeted Hornbill has a casque of solid keratin called hornbill ivory, valued for carving jewelry and other small items.

Nov 7, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Like the familiar showy Great Hornbill, Ground Hornbill, and Rhinoceros Hornbill, most hornbills are black and white with bright bills, eyes, and skin patches.

Oct 31, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Opisthorchis viverrini, common in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, comes from raw fish and causes many deaths from liver cancer in Southeast Asia.

Oct 23, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

The male Ruff is a memorable sight in full showy breeding plumage, competing for females at the lek. Ruffs are more commonly seen during migration when males are plainer.

Oct 19, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

The threadworm, Strongyloides stercoralis, is a persistent parasite in warm climates and a significant cause of potentially fatal parasitic disease.

Oct 15, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

Common wading birds of beaches, estuaries, mud flats, and other wet lands, members of the sandpiper family migrate long distances to breed in the north.

Oct 15, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

A bird's nest is meant to be a safe place for eggs and young. Adult birds use location, camouflage, design, odor, deception, and renewal to ward off various threats.

Oct 9, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

In North America, a black bird with red wings - or at least red patches on its wings - perched on a cattail and singing is a red-winged blackbird.

Oct 2, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

We need to support renewable forms of energy like power generated by wind turbines, but can birds and wind power exist together? The evidence suggests they can.

Sep 25, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle

The Common Grackle prefers open spaces and is frequently seen foraging on the ground. It looks black but has beautiful shades of colour when seen from the right angle.

Sep 14, 2009 - Rosemary Drisdelle