There was a fish in the Amazon described as going up a man's urethra. Is that true?

Question

There was a fish in the Amazon described as going up a man's urethra. Is that true?

Answer 1

Yes.  It is called the Candiru.  What happens is that it normally feeds by latching onto the blood vessels in other fish's gills.  It can find those gills because the host fish give off waste products (kind of like urine) through their gills.  So, the Candiru looks for waste products in the water.  When it senses the urine, it swims right up the urethra.  It's a mistake for the Candiru and the guy peeing.

Answer 2

Yes, that is absolutely true.  This very tiny fish WILL swim up the urethra of a man or a woman.  When swimming or wading in the Amazon River you must "never" pee while in the water.  These fish detect the urine and will swim up into the body.  They have backward facing barbs on their fins and body and therefore make it impossible to remove them without surgery.  Nasty, nasty things.

These fish do this because it has something to do with their life cycle.  Can't remember exactly what, but it does.  They live in the bladder, or lay eggs there or whatever.

Answer 3

....is that the public swimming pool in Chicago?

....finally! (thank God!)

Answer 4

Yes....it is a fact.

Answer 5

Yes

its called the Candiru

More info:

Candiru or candirú (also canero or toothpick fish) refers to parasitic freshwater catfish of a number of genera in the family Trichomycteridae. They are found in the Amazon River and have a reputation among the natives as the most feared fish in its waters, even over the piranha.[1] They are eel-shaped and translucent, making them almost impossible to see in the water. Some species have been known to grow to a size of 6 inches (~15 cm) in length.

The definition of candiru differs between authors. The word has been used to refer to only Vandellia cirrhosa, the entire genus Vandellia, the subfamily Vandelliinae, or even the two subfamilies Vandelliinae and Stegophilinae

Candiru are parasites. Their ability to detect respiratory currents in the water allows them to swim into the gill openings of other aquatic species, where they feed on their prey's blood.

While the members of the subfamily Vandelliinae feed on blood, members of Stegophilinae may feed on scales, mucus, or carrion.[6]

The fish almost "hunts" for its prey. The Candirú lies in wait at the river's murky bottom, searching for its next host by sampling/sniffing the water for expelled chemicals, such as urea and ammonia from the gills of other fish. Once having detected a fish in the vicinity, with a burst of speed the Candirú darts towards the gill cavity and lodges itself in place with its spines. Then, with usually fatal consequences for its victim, the Candirú begins to gnaw a hole towards a major blood vessel and gorges itself for no more than a maximum of a few minutes. It will then dislodge itself and sink back to the river bed in order to digest its food and wait for its next meal. The latter are its preferred feeding targets, as when attacking a human, it is a self-destructive action. Once lodged in a person's uretha, the parasite's body will swell to a size often too large to allow itself to leave. The danger for the person lies more in the infection and shock that results from having the organism lodged there for an extended period of time than from physical damage done by the actual fish itself.

The most populated area by this fish is at the junction of the Amazon River and the Rio ***** ("Black River" so named for its apparent color) at Brazil's inland city of Manaos. Here they thrive as the low PH, brown, largely organic material based Amazon river churns with the conversely high PH (basic), oligotrophic (with very low nutrient content; ie organic material) tannin saturated flows of the Rio *****. This mixing point provides a rich diversity of sustained fauna.

This fish is feared to attack humans and animals and swim into an o*****e (the v***a, a**s, or even the penis—and deep into the urethra).[4] Because of spines protruding from the fish, it is almost impossible to remove except through surgery.[7] The fish locates its host by following a water flow to its source and thus urinating while bathing increases the chance of a candiru homing in on a human urethra. Natives have also been known to bathe facing the current, as doing so would decrease the chances of the organism lodging itself in the r****m.[citation needed] Other orifices such as the p***s or v****a are covered up with the use of hands.

Though there have been documented candiru attacks on humans,[8] there is no evidence the fish can survive once inside a human. A traditional cure involves the use of two plants, the Jagua plant (Genipa americana) and the Buitach apple which are inserted (or their extract in the case of tight spaces) into the affected area. In theory, these two plants together will kill and then dissolve the fish. More often, infection causes shock and death in the victim before the candiru can be removed.

A well-circulated myth is that the candiru is capable of swimming up the stream of urine in mid-air to a victim standing on shore or a boat. This is physically impossible as the maximum swimming velocity of the fish is opposed by the downward velocity of the urine stream, and the further impossible act of the 5–14 mm wide fish maintaining position and thrust within a 2–7 mm wide column of fluid. They are also probably not attracted to urine as commonly thought.[4] However they are capable of jumping and entering the urethra of a man standing thigh-deep in the water and urinating. They are also probably only able to enter a human urethra when it is expanded during urination

Answer 6

Yes, they had it on an episode of Grays Anatomy.

Answer 7

Don't pee in the water or on the 3rd rail....Lifes lessons.

Answer 8

yea it swims up there latches on and feeds off of any nutrients that come by

Answer 9

I am NEVER going down there to find out.  

Answer 10

It's true. It looks like glass and swims "up stream" when urinating in water (not peeing from the shore but when submerged in the water)