v in c h u c a s o b s e r v e da t L a S illa d u r in g th e la s t s u m \ue000 m e r, th e D ire c to r-G e n e ra lo fE S O a s k e d P ro f. H u g o S c h e n o n e ,

th e b lo o d th a t th e y g e t b y b itin g d iv e r s e a n im a ls s u c ha sm a m m a ls , b ir d s a n d r e p tile s , in c lu d in g h u m a n b e in g s .

le n g th ,in p ro te c te d p la c e s . T h e y o u n g th a t c o m e fro m th e e g g s a re c a lle d n y m p h s . D u rin g th e g r o w th p e rio d , th e y c h a n g e th e ir s k in

a na lte rn a tio n . T h e y o u n g o r n y m p h s a re e ith e r g re y is h o r b ro w n , th e c o lo u r o f e a rth .

b y a p r o to z o a n c a lle dT ry p a n o s o m a c ru z iw hic h c a nb e tra n s \ue000 m itte d b y in fe c te d v in c h u c a s . T h e v in c h u c a d o e s n o t in je c t th e p a ra s ite

e lim in a teT .c ru z ito g e th e rw ith th e d e \u00b7fe e a tio n . T h is d e fe c a tio n , w h ic h a p p e a r s lik e a d a r k e o ffe e c o lo u r e d liq u id d ro p , m a y b e c le a r ly v is ib le , a n d e a n c o n ta m in a te e ith e r th e w o u n d m a d e b y th e b ite o r s m a ll e r o s io n s o f th e s k in c a u s e d b y s c r a tc h in g , o rit e a nfa ll d ir e e lly in to th e o e u la r m u e o u s m e m b r a n e , lh u s s ta r tin g th e in fe e tio n .

o f th e illn e s s w h ic hise h a r a e le r iz e d b y s w e llin g a t th e p la e e o f th e b ite w h e re

b y g e n e ra l m a la is e ; v e ry e x c e p tio n a lly o n e m a y s u ffe r m y o e a rd itis a n d /o r m e n in g itis . A fte r s o m e w e e k s th e s e s y m p to m s d im in is h a n d

S ta rtin ginth e s ix th m o n th a fte r th e in itia l in fe e tio n th e illn e s s e n te r s its c h r o n ic p h a s e w h ic h ia s ts d u r in g th e w h o le life o f th e p e rs o n a n d d u rin g w h ic h s y m p to m s o f m y o e a rd ia l e ffe e ts , o f th e e s o p h a g u s o r th e c o lo n

O neo fth ev in c h u c a s th a tw e re s e n tto E u ro p e fo r a te s t s o m e y e a rs a g o .P h o to g ra p h e d b yO r.G . S c h a u bo fth e Z o o lo g ic a lln s titu teo fth e F re ib u rg U n iv e rs ity(F R G ).

b e e n fo u n d , a n d m o re o v e ritisn e c e s s a ry th a t th e y d e fe c a te a t th e m o m e n t o f b itin g .

isp u ttin g in to p r a c tic ea s e r ie s o f te c h n ic a l m e a s u r e s to c o n tro l th e v in c h u c a p ro b le m .Incase a p e rs o nisb itte n , th e a p p r o p r ia te b lo o d te s t w ill b e a rra n g e d . S o fa r th e s e te s ts h a v e a lw a y s h a d a n e g a tiv e re s u lt.

a g a in s t th e lu m in o u s b a n d o f th e M ilk y W a y a re a n u m b e r o f s m a lI, is o la te d c o m p a c t c lo u d s , w h ic h o fte n e x h ib it a la r g e d e g r e e o f re g u la r\ue000 ity . T h e s e o b je c ts a re to d a y k n o w n a s B o k g lo b u le s , a fte r th e D u tc h -A m e ric a n a s tro n o m e r B a rt B o k , w h o m o re th a n 3 0 y e a rs a g a

d is ta n c e , a n d th u s th e d im e n s io n s , o f a g iv e n g lo b u le . M o s t k n o w n g lo b u le s a re c lo s e r th a n5 0 0p c ,s in c e th e y n o r m a lly a re fo u n d

g lo b u le s . W h e n c a r e fu lly a n d c o r r e c tly e x e c u te d , s ta r c o u n ts c a n p r o v id e m u c h v a lu a b le in fo r m a tio n ; b u t w ith th e a d v e n t o f m o le c u la r

g lo b u le s th u s a re n o la n g e r n e c e s s a r y to u n d e r s ta n d th e b u lk o f s ta r fo rm a tio nino u r g a la x y , itis n o le s s lik e ly th a t a g lo b u le c a n fo rm o n e o r a fe w s ta rs . T h e p r o b le m w ith th is id e aisju s t th a t n o n e w b o rn s ta rs h a d b e e n fo u n dina s s o c ia tio n w ith ab o n atid e B o k g lo b u le .

re c e n t d is c o v e ry o f a la r g e c o m p le x o f g lo b u le sinth e G u m N e b u la . T h e G u m N e b u la isa h u g e , fa in tly lu m in o u s H

d e g re e s o f th e s o u th e rn s k y . A t a d is ta n c e o f ro u g h ly4 5 0p c th is c o r r e s p o n d s to a ra d iu s o f a b o u t1 2 5p c ,m a k in g th e G u m N e b u la o n e o f th e la rg e s t s tru c tu re s k n o w nino u r g a la x y . N e a r it s

isa m a s s iv e b in a ry s y s te m c o n s is tin g o f a W o lf- R a y e t a n da n0 c o m p o n e n t, a s

P o in tin g to w a r d s th e s e o b je c ts a re a b o u t4 0" w in d s w e p t" o r " c o m e ta r y " g lo b u le s , w ith s h a rp e d g e s to w a rd s th e c e n te r o f th e G u m

s e v e r a l p a r s e c s lo n g , fa in tly lu m in o u s ta ils s tr e tc h in ginth e o p p o s ite d ir e c tio n . T h is a p p e a r a n c e c a n b e u n d e r s to o d a s th e e ro d in g e ffe c t o f th e u ltr a v io le t ra d ia tio n fro m

a sa p re -m a in -s e q u e n c e s ta r w h e nitfu lfils th e fo llo w in g fo u r c o n d itio n s :(1 ) T h e s ta ris a s s o c ia te d w ith n e b u lo s ity a n d d a r k c lo u d s ,(2 ) H ais s e e nin e m is s io nin its s p e c tr u m , (3 ) T h e s ta ris w e a k ly v a r ia b leina n ir r e g u la r m a n n e r,(4 ) T h e flu x d is tr ib u tio n o f th e s ta r s h o w sa n in fra re d e x c e s s . A ll th e s e c rite ria a re fu lfille d b y S e rn e s 1 3 5 . O b s e r v a tio n s w ith v a r io u s te le s c o p e so nL a S illa o v e r th e p a s t tw o y e a rs h a v e s h o w n th a t S e rn e s 1 3 5 h a s a p e c u lia r c o m p o \ue000 s ite e m is s io n /a b s o r p tio n

m a g n itu d e s h a v e b e e n c o n s ta n t o v e r n e a rly tw o y e a rs . T h e lu m in o s ity o f S e rn e s 1 3 5 d e riv e d fro m th e o b s e rv a tio n sisa lm o s t5 0~

a n d its e ffe c tiv e te m p e ra tu reisa b o u t 6 ,8 0 0K . C o m p a r e dto th e o re tic a l c a lc u la \ue000 tio n s o f th e e v o lu tio n o f p r e - m a in - s e q u e n c e s ta rs th is s u g g e s ts a m a s s o f r o u g h ly 2 .5M e !),a r a d iu s o f a b o u t 5R e !)a n da n a g e o f a b o u t o n e m illio n y e a r s .