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May 30, 2010

Consumption

The socialization and pathogenicity of mycobacterium, humans, and dairy cattle are suspiciously similar. All seek confinement, and further objectify themselves being used as a resource. Most importantly, however, all three beings act as significant reservoirs for tuberculosis. Humans transmit the bacteria through their sputum, the cow through its milk. The bactera are inhaled from aerosolized media and settle in the lungs or are consumed through unpasteurized cow's milk. The bacteria proceed to destory the lung tissue of the infected host insidiously, over time. Tuberculosis can also enter the blood stream and cause putrefaction of other organs, a generalized wasting away of the body.
In 1882, a German microbiologist, Robert Koch isolated the causative agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis . M. tuberculosis is a facultative parasite, able to live either intracellularly or extracellularly. Thus, M. tuberculosis is also considered an intracellular parasite, being readily phagocytized but not killed, nor killing the phagocyte. Instead, the mycobacterium can remain alive for long periods of time and even reproduce within the phagocyte. The very same cell-mediated immune response that confines the pathogen, also offers it a comfortable environment in which to survive and thrive when the time is right. A delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction results in the formation of aggregates of activated macrophages in the infected region and walling off of the lesion by fibrous tissue to form the tubercles, characteristic of tuberculosis. Within these tubercles, the mycobacterium can remain protected from the bodies immune system and lie dormant for years, becoming active and reproducing when the immune system of the host is compromised through poverty, stress or malnutrition. Renewed pulmonary infections in tuberculin-positive individuals are chronic infections that involve extensive destruction of lung tissue, followed by partial healing and a slow spread of the lesions within the lungs. Viable and infectious bacteria are only found in the sputum of those with extensive tissue destruction.
At one time, tuberculosis was the most significant social disease of mankind. It is estimated that up to 15% of all mortalities could be attributed to the disease in the pre-pharmaceutical era. Tuberculosis sanitoriums were once common in the countryside, as those infected sought the fresh air of a more rural setting according to doctor's order. Just as the bacteria isolate themselves in phagocytes, humans isolated themselves in sanitoriums. Quarantined for life.
Streptomycin was the first antibiotic discovered capable of controlling this dreaded infectious disease. The synthesis of isonicotinic acid hydrazide (isoniazid) was more significant, in that the drug was easy to administer orally, was absorbed efficiently into the blood stream, and had less side effects which were common to streptomycin. Isoniazid acts against infection by inhibiting mycolic acid production of the Mycobacterium which is necessary for the integrity of the mycobacterial cell wall.
Once upon ae time, humans were the the most significant socially transitted disease of the Earth. The goddess ignored the humans initially, confident her immune system would reconcile any problems. Frustrated at the resilience of the cosmic parasite, the Earth then turned its conscious intentionality upon the scourge of humanity. She employed antibiotics and red herrings which eventually suceeded in slowing the prurient swell of hominids.
In selfishly consuming all those resources available to us in our environment, we have suceeded only in hastening our extraction from the biosphere.
In the consumption the world, we have consumed ourselves.

Mort aux vaches.

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About May 2010

This page contains all entries posted to Apocalypse Porn in May 2010. They are listed from oldest to newest.

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