The Parasite Chronicles PDF
Preview The Parasite Chronicles
Boo H. Kwa The Parasite Chronicles My Lifelong Odyssey Among the Parasites that Cause Human Disease The Parasite Chronicles Stillness in motion Dawn glows, and waking sky forsakes The fading star’s slow lingerings. Silent, misty, by the lakes, A white crane spreads its wings. The mighty pine dissolves in mist, Yielding, but rooted to stay. Branches relaxed, yet force resist - Inspiring the Ultimate Way. Half-moon floats o’er darkened eaves, Cat glides with silent paws. Tranquil, this night receives Insights to the Seven Stars. (By Ke Wuhe, a humble acolyte of Tai Chi Master Chen Li-tsun) Boo H. Kwa The Parasite Chronicles My Lifelong Odyssey Among the Parasites that Cause Human Disease BooH.Kwa CollegeofPublicHealth UniversityofSouthFlorida Tampa,Florida,USA ISBN978-3-319-74922-8 ISBN978-3-319-74923-5 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74923-5 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2018931171 ©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG,partofSpringerNature2017 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpartofthe materialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation, broadcasting,reproductiononmicrofilmsorinanyotherphysicalway,andtransmissionorinformation storageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodology nowknownorhereafterdeveloped. Theuseofgeneraldescriptivenames,registerednames,trademarks,servicemarks,etc.inthispublication doesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfromtherelevant protectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this bookarebelievedtobetrueandaccurateatthedateofpublication.Neitherthepublishernortheauthorsor theeditorsgiveawarranty,expressorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinorforany errorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeenmade.Thepublisherremainsneutralwithregardtojurisdictional claimsinpublishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations. Coverimagecredit:@toeytoey/Shutterstock Printedonacid-freepaper ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbytheregisteredcompanySpringerInternationalPublishingAGpartof SpringerNature. Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:Gewerbestrasse11,6330Cham,Switzerland To my parents whose sacrifices made this journey possible; to my wife whose loving companionship made this journey a joy; and tomydaughtersandgrandchildrenwhomade this journey worthwhile. Foreword by B. Kim Lee Sim I know why I cannot bring myself to eat raw fish. It is because of an incredibly charismatic and inspirational professor who delivered theatrical lectures, about intricate life cycles and the derivation of the complicated binomial nomenclature ofslewsofscientificnamesforweirdorganisms,pepperedwithdelightfullyghastly tales about these very icky creatures and what they could do to their human hosts. Dr. Kwa’s fabled parasitology course at the University of Malaya was the most popularcourseatouruniversity.IrememberclearlyDr.Kwa,withacrookedsmile, drylyrelatingayarnabouthowstudentswerefooledbytheirprofessorintodrinking pinwormeggsforthesakeofgoodexperimentalscience.Soitseemedmeanttobe thatIsoughtDr.KwatobemymentorforPhDstudiesattheUniversityofMalaya. Dr. Kwa has been a guiding force in my life for nearly four decades. I am not alone. He has mentored, lectured, and educated generations of scientists over the courseofhiscareeronbothsidesoftheglobe.Thisisinitselfalreadyexceptional, butyet,noonetellsatalelikeKwa. TheParasiteChroniclestakesusintoadimensionlesstraveled.Itisfilledwith stories,narratedwithawry,slylyevilsmile,aboutthecurious,complicatedparasites thathavebeenthefocusofhisscientificefforts.Thestoriesarewarmlyintoxicating and you will not be able to stop reading, because what lies on the next page could biteyou.Itisalsofilledwithvividdescriptionsofparasites,whicharesomeofthe world’smostintriguingcreatures,inquitedetailedscientificvoice.Dr.Kwaweaves the life of these parasites with his own life journey from Malaysia to Australia to MalaysiaandtotheUnitedStates.Thisisdefinitelyabooktobevoraciouslyreadby youngandold,particularlythosewhoseimaginationscanandwillrunwild. WhenIreadtheParasiteChronicles,Icaughtmybreath,becauseIwasreminded of deep, meaningful conversations Dr. Kwa and I had over the years. I was also reminded of how fortunate I was to have taken Dr. Kwa’s course and been his menteeasagraduatestudent,astheseinteractionslaunchedmeonawonderfuland joyous career filled with studying parasites. It has also allowed us to become colleagues and friends, a relationship that I treasure. Dr. Kwa and I both stepped out of Malaysia, making footsteps, each of us. I think it is important and poignant vii viii ForewordbyB.KimLeeSim thathehasmadeitsoclearthatweshouldnotexpectareturnforchallengesmetand overcome but just pure gratitude and satisfaction for our footsteps taken. We are happy because of the dreams we follow. Dr. Kwa’s joy in his professional and personallifeisevidentinthepagesofthisbook.Throughthislenshetakeshisreader onaremarkablejourneyusingparasitesasthevehicle. ProteinPotentialLLC,Rockville,MD, B.KimLeeSim USA SanariaInc.,Rockville,MD,USA Foreword by Stephen L. Hoffman We have had vaccines to prevent diseases like smallpox, typhoid fever, tetanus, diphtheria, rabies, polio, measles, mumps, and German measles for 50–200 years. Virusesandbacteriacausethesediseases.However,in2017wedonothaveasingle licensed and marketed human vaccine for diseases caused by parasites. These are diseases with exotic names like elephantiasis, river blindness, Baghdad boil, kala- azar, and bilharzia and diseases that are so common that we all know of them— malaria,tapeworm,andhookworm.Wedonothavevaccinesforparasites,because parasites are much more complex and larger than viruses and bacteria, making it muchmoredifficulttouseavaccinetotrainthehumanimmunesystemtoattackand destroythem. In the Parasite Chronicles, Professor B.H. Kwa takes the reader on his half- centuryodysseywithparasitesandintheprocessleavesuswithamuchclearersense oftheidentityandimpactofthesecomplicated,oftenweirdorganisms,andhowwe becomeinfectedwiththem.ThisisajourneythattookhimfromthetownofTaiping in the state of Perak in peninsular Malaysia to the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur to the Australian National University in Canberra back to Kuala Lumpur andthenontoHarvardandfinallyandcurrentlytotheUniversityofSouthFloridain Tampa. It is a journey that took him from parasitology to biomedical science and eventuallytopublichealthinthegeneralpopulationandultimatelytoglobalhealth. Itisastoryofhowasmall-townboyfromMalaysiaendedupasthefoundingchair andprofessorofGlobalHealthandassociatedeanatauniversityinFlorida.Inother words,itisthearchetypicalstoryofhowasmall-townboymakesgood,thestoryof howweareonlylimitedbyourvisionandworkethic,andhowmuchweneedour immediatefamily. However,atthecoreofthisnarrative,hevividlyandentertaininglyexplainstous about these often bizarre, sometimes romantic, but often deadly parasites, while intertwining his remarkable professional and personal journey. His riveting stories teachusoftheirimpactonNapoleon,JuliusCaesar,theancientChinese,andsadly the 500,000 children who died of malaria last year. As stated in the preface, “This bookisaimedatawideandeclecticaudience.”HavingreadtheParasiteChronicles, ix x ForewordbyStephenL.Hoffman I am sure that whoever reads this book, regardless of age or walk of life, will take withhimorheradeepsenseofandappreciationforthesephenomenalcreaturesand fortheman,BooHoeKwa,whohasweavedtogetherawonderfultaleofhimself,his family,andparasites. P.S.ImetBooHoeKwaandhisgraduatestudent,Betty“KimLee”Sim,onthe samedayatabiomedicalconferenceinKualaLumpur.Ihavealottothankhimfor, asKimLeeandIhavebeenmarriedfor29years. SanariaInc.,Rockville,MD,USA StephenL.Hoffman
The list of books you might like
