Candiru

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The candirú or canero (Vandellia cirrhosa) or toothpick fish is a freshwater fish in the group commonly called the catfishes. It is found in the Amazon River and has a reputation among the natives as the most feared fish in its waters, even over the piranha. The species grows only to a size of an inch in length and is eel shaped and translucent, making it almost impossible to see in the water. The candiru is a parasite. It swims into the gill cavities of other fishes, erects a spine to hold itself in place, and feeds on the blood in the gills, earning it a nickname as the "vampire fish of Brazil".

It is feared by the natives because it is attracted to urine or blood, and if the bather is nude it will swim into an orifice (the anus or vagina, or even in the case of smaller specimens the penis - and perhaps deep into the urethra). It then erects its spine and begins to feed on the blood and body tissue just as it would from the gills of a fish. The candiru is then almost impossible to remove except through an operation. As the fish locates its host by following the water flow from the gills to its source, urinating while bathing increases the chance of a candiru "homing in" on a human urethra.

A traditional option is the use of two plants, the Xagua plant (Genipa americana) and the Buitach apple which are inserted (or their extract in the case of tight spaces) into the affected area. These two plants together will kill and then dissolve the fish. More often, infection causes shock and death in the victim before the candirú can be removed.

Cultural references

The author William Burroughs encountered stories about the candiru during his travels in South America, and referenced the creature in his book Naked Lunch. Candice Millard's The River of Doubt also presents rumors of attacks heard on Theodore Roosevelt's Amazon trip. The fish is also mentioned in several movies, such as "Gunmen" "Anaconda" and "The Rundown". Novelist Julian Barnes mentions the fish in his book A History of the World in 10½ Chapters.

References were also made in a season one episode of , A Single Life; the animated show "The Venture Bros.", where the trapped heroes are threatened with the "dreaded candirú"; and during an episode of UK medical drama Casualty, aired on 28 January 2006, when a patient is found to have such a fish inside him which apparently entered via his penis during a recent visit to the Amazon.

The mathcore band Candiria is named after the fish (plural).

Resources

Herman, John B, "Candiru: Urinophilic catfish—Its gift to urology", Urology 1(3):265-267 (1973).
Gudger, EW, "Bookshelf browsing on the Alleged Penetration of the Human Urethra by an Amazonian Catfish Called Candiru", Americal Journal of Surgery 8(1): 170-188, 443-457 (1930).
Spotte, Steven (2002). Candiru: Life and Legend of the Bloodsucking Catfishes. Creative Arts Book Company. ISBN 0887394698
Vinton, KW, Stickler, WH, "The Carnero, a fish parasite of man and possibly animals", Americal Journal of Surgery 54:511- (1941).

External links

[Candiru attacking human video]
["Straight Dope" article on Candiru]
[FishBase summary and pictures of Vandellia cirrhosa]
http://www.wemjournal.org/wmsonline/?request=get-abstract&issn=0953-9859&volume=002&issue=04&page=0304

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