Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers at Anti Essays

Tapeworms or cyclophyllid cestodes are many of the hundreds of types of parasites that infect any organism that feeds. The worms are contagious and can infect simply by ingesting them. Tapeworms require certain conditions in order for them to survive; they require warm and wet areas. Once they are ingested into an organism’s digestive system the feed off the nutrients in which is taken by the organism and derive that organism of it nutrients.
Many chemicals have been introduced to control tapeworms. But because of natural resistance and selection, a small percentage survives from this intoxication and builds a natural resistance, which is the passed down through DNA, to their offspring’s.
Epronex is one of the many chemicals which have been introduced to control the parasites. After a period of time, natural selection made an immunity to the species and the species reproduced, having the offspring to be ‘resistant’ to this chemical. The tapeworm underwent a change in the environment which happens to be a chemical/biological change. The chemical killed only 98% of the parasite which left 2% of the infected population to have a natural immunity to the chemical. This population reproduced leaving offspring to become stronger and immune to this chemical.
This left a problem to scientists as they had to research a new chemical in order to kill off these resistant parasites. Darwin’s theory shows that we can never, 100% kill off a parasite or virus because of natural resistance. A change occurred within the specie where the 2% of the population that survived had developed the antibodies needed in order to survive. These antibodies are what gave the species its natural immunity.