Showing posts with label egg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label egg. Show all posts

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Botflies in Mexico

This is the larvae of course 

The fly is just a good sized ugly fly. Everyone said the eggs are transferred by mosquitoes but I see no reason why the fly itself couldn't inject the egg. I got mine in Belize and hear they drive all the grazing animals crazy. I don't doubt it at all as I went through the 6-8 week growth period with one in my scalp.

Went to one doctor in Seattle and he said it's just a little red. Went back and he said it's just a little bump. Went back again and my doctor had moved to another clinic. Another doctor and we started over. Neither had any idea and didn't ask about my travels. When the larvae get bigger they feel like someone is sticking pins in your skin .... usually at night making it hard to sleep. After 2 days with a hot towel it finally popped out. I took it to Swedish hospital  emergency and they had no clue. Mine was gray and not brown like above. That experience was unpleasant enough to make me hesitate to return to southern Mexico.

Botflies are obligate parasites of vertebrates: their larvae must undergo development inside a warm-blooded host. Epidemiology and Ecology: The distribution of Dermatobia hominis botfly includes Mexico, Central and South America. In the U.S., cases usually occur in travelers who have visited endemic areas


Saturday, November 16, 2013

Refrigerate Eggs - What?



Ever heard another Gringo ask why Mexico does not refrigerate eggs or has it crossed your mind.  It crossed mine but I think I accepted it as just the way it's done here and people don't get sick.   There's not much that doesn't get me searching the Internet if I don't understand but this one just didn't catch my attention. To my surprise I run across this article that generally explains the views of the rest of the world.  It seems the the USofA is one of the few countries that does refrigerate. I assume Mexico follows the principles of the rest of the world.

Partial article excerpt ....

The U.S. is one of the only countries on Earth that keeps chicken eggs in cold storage. But why?
In an elaborate automated process involving in-line conveyor belts, massive egg-scrubbing machinery, high-volume air-filtration systems and – last but not least – chlorine misters, American eggs are washed, rinsed, dried, and sanitized in an effort to remove as much dirt, poop and bacteria as possible, all while leaving the shells intact.
Or rather, almost intact. When a hen lays an egg, she coats it in a layer of liquid called the cuticle. It dries in just a few minutes, and is incredibly effective at protecting the egg from contamination, providing what European egg marketing regulations describe as "an effective barrier to bacterial ingress with an array of antimicrobial properties." America's egg-washing systems strip eggs of this natural protection. "Such damage," the EU guidelines note, "may favour trans-shell contamination with bacteria and moisture loss and thereby increase the risk to consumers, particularly if subsequent drying and storage conditions are not optimal."
Americans – why do you keep refrigerating your eggs? 
The construction of the house finished in April 2011 and I'm pretty much settled in. As of March 2014 I'm in preparation for rain mode for this coming summer. That includes sealing and painting things and dealing with drainage issues from last year.

Sparks Mexico Web
Manzanillo Information
House building in Pinal Villa

Archivo del blog

Expat.com

Expat Exchange