Fungus, Bacteria, Viruses, And Other Parasites

There is a 660 ton fungus, a honey mushroom, in the state of Oregon that covers some 2000 acres making it the planet's largest known living organism. It grows at a rate of one to three feet per year, killing every tree in its path, which it has been doing for at least 2500 years, probably longer. Fungi are neither plant nor animal, occupying a gray area in between the two, betraying the arbitrariness of our human labels. 

But not all fungi kill trees. Indeed, most trees thrive in partnership with the right kinds of fungi, which penetrate, integrate, and expand their root systems so that they connect with the root systems of other trees. In his book The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben  writes, "This makes fungi something like the forest Internet," allowing trees to share information and nutrition via a network that operates through the so-called "mycelial web." There are specific fungi for specific types of trees; the wrong match will lead to the death of one or the other. But the right match creates a bond that is essential for life.

We live in a similar relationship with bacteria which are also neither animal nor plant. By now, most of us know that we live in a powerful symbiotic relationship with bacteria that, like fungi do with trees, make our lives possible. Our "gut microbiota" alone is made up of 250-1000 different species depending on the individual gut in question, comprising 2-4 pounds (1-2 kg) of our body weight. And that's just the bacteria in our digestive system. Overall, bacteria cells represent nearly a third of the cells the make up our body. But like fungi and trees, the wrong bacteria can kill you.

One of the most disturbing parts of this that our microbiota seem to influence how we behave and think. And it's not just bacteria. We tend to envision ourselves as individual and independent, but there are a whole host of bacteria, viruses, and other microscopic parasites living inside of our bodies that beg to differ.

A topical example is the impact of what we are calling "long Covid." This potentially deadly virus (also not plant or animal), even after it has been killed by our immune systems, can leave behind feelings of fatigue, trouble concentrating, general fogginess, and may have other cognitive impacts. Many are rightly concerned about the long term impact on our brains and nervous systems, especially in children. 

A particularly interesting example is Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan parasite capable of infecting any warm-blooded species, including humans. It is clearly to be avoided as it is one of the leading causes of death attributed to food-borne illnesses. That said, only about 200 Americans a year show symptoms serious enough to require medical treatment. Our immune system, which is as integrated with our microbiomes as fungi are with the root systems of trees, were long thought to be capable, in most cases, of effectively fighting back, but scientists have recently begun to take a closer look. Studies of rodents, chimps, hyenas, gray wolves, and humans have all shown that males infected with T. gondii were found to be more aggressive, less predictable, more likely to take risks, and less likely to seek out novelty. Human males with the T. gondii parasite are more likely to disregard rules, and more inclined toward suspicion, jealousy, and dogmatism. The presence of this same parasite in human women results in higher warmth and higher superego strength, suggesting that the parasite causes them to be more warm-hearted, outgoing, conscientious, persistent, and moralistic. To me this suggests that this is a beneficial parasite for some people while harmful for others.

In other words, it could be that there is a parasite at the bottom of toxic masculinity. It makes me think that we need to start taking a harder look at parasites when we are trying to understand bizarre and destructive behavior in humans. There is, for instance, some evidence that there is a parasitic component to everything from schizophrenia to chronic asthma.

The virus the causes Covid is obviously one to be avoided, but there are many others that seem to be beneficial to their hosts in a variety of ways, including cognitively, we are only just now beginning to understand. And, perhaps not coincidentally, viruses are also neither plant nor animal.

Round worms might make women more fertile, while certain types of hookworms have the opposite effect. On the other hand, there is some evidence that the presence of hookworms in a human body can reduce the incidence of environmental allergies and may ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. 

We've taught ourselves to resist being infected by fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other parasites, but the truth is that while the wrong ones can be deadly, the right ones make life as we know it possible.

When I watch a baby try to shove a fist full of mud into their mouth, I stop them, of course, both because I worry about choking and because it is "unsanitary." But, each time I do, I also can't help but wonder about the underlying instinct that causes most babies to explore the world with their mouths. It's a wonder that this urge has survived in our species even given the heightened risk of choking. Could it be that shoving mud in our mouths at a certain developmental stage is adaptive behavior?

The relationship we have with parasites is evidence to me that there is no boundary between our bodies and the rest of the universe. We are, without a doubt, fully woven into the rich tapestry of life, through our breath, the ability of our skin to absorb and expel, and through these tiny creatures that live within us, sometimes killing us, but also, more commonly, helping us to thrive.

As preschool teachers and parents, I often joked, pre-Covid, that we live in a pit of pink eye, a world in which fungus, bacteria, viruses, and other parasites thrive. During my first few years in the classroom, I was sick a lot, but for the past couple decades I've barely registered a sniffle. I'm not the only early childhood educator to experience this.

In the meantime, we continue to wash our hands and stop the babies from eating mud. Some of us wear masks. Some of us use bleach solutions an other disinfectants to sanitize surfaces. We take antibiotics which kill both harmful and beneficial bacteria. I've received all of my vaccinations. I'm not suggesting we stop doing these things, because they definitely protect us from deadly parasites, but at the same time our species has evolved to be integrated into the web of life and being home for parasites is a big part of it. We forget this at our own peril.

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"Teacher Tom, our caped hero of all things righteous in the early childhood world, inspires us to be heroic in our own work with young children, and reminds us that it is the children who are the heroes of the story as they embark on adventures of discovery, wonder, democracy, and play." ~Rusty Keeler

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