Pulse by Eloise J. Knapp Read Free Book Online Page B

senses, but not quite. It's a parasitic nematode, so you’re right there. At first I thought it was a roundworm, but it’s actually of the genus Anisakis. The difference is that Ascaris lives in the intestines, whereas Anisakis can exist not only on the outside of organs, but in muscle and under the skin.”
    Adam racked his brain, looking back to a seminar he attended on parasitic infections for anything he could remember on Anisakis. “If I recall correctly, it sounds like a scary parasite but it can’t live in the host for very long. Neither can its larvae.”
    “Mhm, all true. But, although this looks like, and preliminary tests showed similar genetics to, it isn’t Anisakis,” Barry said.
    “Thanks for the fun lecture , but why am I looking at it? You know highest priority is identifying the virus in the North Dakota patients.”
    “That is why you’re looking at it. This is it. I’m calling it Anisakis Nova .”
    The name made it sound impressive, but at the end of the day it just meant ‘new Anisakis’ which didn’t mean much. Barry had a way of fancying things up. That thought was fleeting compared to the reality of what he just said. They were finding parasites in the bodies. Not a virus, but parasites.
    Adam shifted, getting a better look through the microscope. The worm-like figure wiggled. He magnified it further and noted the jagged teeth of its perfectly round mouth. He didn’t want to get ahead of himself, which was why the following question was out of hope more than anything else. “So this one victim happened to have a parasite and the virus. People eat raw or improperly handled fish all the time. Hell, no one should even be eating sushi in North Dakota.”
    He seemed to sense what Adam was going for. “Sorry, buddy. We’ve found Anisakis Nova in every sample sent so far. Some are in larvae stage, some bigger. But they’re there.”
    Adam caved. "Prelim tests showed similar genetics, but what?"
    "But there's sequencing in here that is way too co mplicated for a simple parasite, and definitely not related to Anisakis.” Barry spread pages of analysis on the desk in front of them, but Adam couldn’t take his eyes off the parasite. “Here’s the deal: we left it in a dish of human blood to see how it would react. Did a before and after analysis on the blood. It's using whatever host materials it has to synthesize a chemical compound that causes a response similar to encephalitis."
    "Encephalitis?" Adam repeated.
    “Acute inflammation of the brain.”
    He rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but grin in good nature. “I know what it is, Barry.”
    “Just keeping you in check, big man,” he said, returning the smile. He leaned back in his chair. "You're looking at fever, confusion, and headaches early on. Once it gets worse, a whole onslaught of physical and neurological problems. Hallucinations are common. Seizures, tremors. Memory loss, I think."
    "You said it uses host materials. Does that mean it isn't synthesizing now?"
    Barry nodded. "Right. As soon as you put it in the blood of a mammal it starts production. And fast . When removed from a source of sustenance it simply stops production and keeps on living."
    "How long can it last on its own like this?"
    "This one has been without a host since we extracted it from one of the hospital bodies."
    Adam felt his blood go cold. "It can live on a slide for a week?"
    "So far. It doesn't seem to show any signs of decay."
    It was a hyper aggressive parasite that was essentially foreign to his team, made people kill each other, and could live outside of any food source for a week. How was that possible?
    “God, what a nightmare,” Adam groaned. He gestured to the chemical analysis. “Those for me?”
    “Take them. I practically have them memorized by now.”
    Adam straightened the stack. “Keep at it. Whatever you need to continue analysis on these, you got it. We need everyone on this. Find as much information as you can on parasites