Twilight, Treponema, and Tuberculosis
The countdown has begin. Eight more days until "Twilight" opens in theaters.
I have to confess to being an avid fan of the Twilight book series, by Stephenie Meyer, about a love story between a vampire and a mortal girl. I read all four books of the series within a month and am now eagerly awaiting the film version of the book, which opens in theaters next Friday, November 21.
So what does Twilight have to do with infectious diseases?
Well, for one, there's the increased risk of catching some bug from hanging out at the mall at 4 am amidst thousands of screaming teenage girls wanting to get a glimpse of Twilight star, Robert Pattinson, during the prime of flu season (See news story).
But more interestingly, did you know that folklore associated vampirism with the infectious diseases syphilis (caused by the Treponema pallidum bacteria) and tuberculosis (caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria)? Back in the 18th century, symptoms of tuberculosis, such as red, swollen eyes, pale skin, light sensitivity, and coughing up blood, were mistaken as features of vampires.
Werewolves? Keep posted...
Comments
Thanks for the explanation… I was almost 99% sure that vampires don’t really exist. Now I know!
Hey Ingrid,
how do you explain a vampire’s aversion to garlic? is it because garlic improves your chances of fighting off diseases and vampires are just syphilics in disguise? I LOVE garlic!
Hi Ingrid,
These are really interesting articles! I haven’t heard of the tuberculosis theory but I studied a disease called porphyria in a biochemistry class. It is caused by an enzyme deficiency in the cellular metabolic pathway. One of the symptoms is skin rash that is brought on by exposure to light. In severe cases, the patient has to avoid sunlight altogether. Symptoms may include purple tinted urine, and purple fingernails and teeth! It’s one of the most bizarre diseases I’ve ever heard of. The patient’s photosensitivity links this disease to vampire lore.
Hey Ingrid!
I’m actually doing a DNA essay and we could pick any topic that concerns diseases and DNA, so I chose diseases associated with vapirism, and porphyria actually does speak of garlic as a way of stimulating the heme production in the hemeglobin, however it can make a mild case of porhyria and make it more severe and painful.
P.S. I