False tooth parasite

The False tooth parasite or Tooth shrimp (type genus Pseudodontoconcha sp.) is a kind of parasitic invertebrate native to the southern hemisphere.
The animal lodges itself into the host's jaw and, by digging its way into the bone, it will take the place of a real tooth; the parasite reproduces asexually and will slowly overtake the animal's mouth, feeding off of scraps of food that remain attached to the base of the conical shell they use to replace the tooth.
The parasite has seen quite the economic relevance in the food industry as it reportedly was very palatable; however, the industry has died down since the ban on cultivation due to unethical practices in installing the parasitic organism on hosts.

Transmission & Vectors

Transmission happens through vicinity between infected and healthy animals; the jouvenile members of the colony will swim from the current host to a nearby healthy animal to lodge in.
due to the heavy weight of the shell, these animals are only able to swim for very short distances.
Doesn't transmit to humans.

Symptoms

The parasite burrows inside the bone, uprooting the tooth they replace, causing great pain to the host.
Once inside the burrow it will start eating scraps of food it manages to recover from the animal.
Its reproductive cycle is bimonthly (every two months

Treatment

The parasite has to be surgically removed from the animal's mouth and the remaining holes covered in cement or with a prosthetic tooth.

Prognosis

The parasite's colonies will slowly replace all the animal's teeth if left untreated.
Some cases have been reported of animals having the jaw covered in these parasites, going far beyond the number of teeth the animal originally had.

Sequela

If for any number of reasons the parasite is removed in nature, it will leave the animal open to infections or other problems resulting from the open wound left in the mouth.
When treated, these holes are covered to avoid such complications.

Prevention

To avoid captive specimens from contracting these parasites, it is always recommended to check any animals coming in from this invertebrate's range.
If any are found they can be easily killed with a concentrated solution of water and salt; oce the parasite is dead it can be removed with great attention as to not harm the host.

Epidemiology

The parasite usually travels along the food chain through several carriers.
If needs be, the parasite can hitchyke a ride on different kinds of amphibians until they come across a possible host to infect, they will then start infecting the group.
Once there are no more animals left to infect in a single group, a new generation of soft shelled parasites will be born; these are capable of free swimming and will leave the group in search of a new carrier.

History

When first found, the parasite was named the "tooth shrimp", and would commonly be served as a side dish in many communities around the southern hemisphere; once the market for Tooth shrimps became big enough to get global attention, the cultivating of these animals started.
Throughout the first half of the 2400's the cultivation of these parasites was in full; these cultivations would see a stock of, usually inedible animals, be used as breeding grounds for the mass production of the shrimp, putting the hosts in indescribable pain for the whole duration of their life.
The parasites couldn't be killed before removal as the high concentration of salted solution would make the shrimp's body bloat, so they would extract them alive from the host, a very painful process for the animal subjected to it.
In 2463 the global ban on Tooth shrimp cultivation came into effect to the resounding cheer of many environmentalist parties around the globe.
Nowadays Tooth srhimps are only consumed by small insular populations, with the biggest remaining producer of tooth shrimps being the Leviathan Islands east of Irobia.

Cultural Reception

Once seen as a commodity, the market of Tooth shrimps is now seen in a bad light, much like the hunting of whales (†Megaptera novaeangliae) was seen on earth after the ban on whaling during the pre-Reshtu times.
The small communities still cultivating or even only harvesting Tooth shrimps for consumptions are often regarded as barbaric by environmentalists even though, for some of these little communities, it is not only tradition but also an important mean of substenance as food on the high seas can be scarce at times during the year.

Type

Parasitic

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Uncommon