Question: What is the most deadly parasite (or disease) you have treated or discovered?

Marisol Collins answered on 11 Nov 2016:

Hi Boran, Good question! I have never discovered a new deadly parasite, but I have treated animals with some pretty nasty diseases and parasites! I’ll tell you something really gross (so make sure you are not eating your dinner right now!).
Something we see in our pet animals during the summer time is called ‘fly strike’. Say for example, on a warm day, flies will lay their eggs on a rabbit with a dirty bottom that lives in a hutch outside. Flies are attracted by smelly things, like our rubbish, but also things like poo. The eggs hatch into maggots and start to feed on anything around them, and if a rabbit has poo stuck around it’s bottom, that can include the skin of the poor rabbit itself! I warned you this was really gross! It happens a lot with sheep too when they are in the fields and there are flies buzzing around. The poor animals can’t stop it from happening, and if it’s left too late, the maggots can actually kill the animal. It’s like a horror film! Thankfully, there are ways that we can advise pet owners and farmers to prevent fly strike in their animals 🙂 Cool story, but please don’t have nightmares! 😉