Food Parasites

Food parasites are a potential side effect from eating certain goods raw. Items posing this risk include uncooked meats and bones (foods with the "parasites" property in the game data files). Fruits, vegetables, and unpurified water do not act as a vector for parasites.

Contracting parasites is not mentioned in the action log or character statistics page, but instead will cause symptoms for the player depending on the type of parasite contracted, of which there are four:

• Intestinal parasites: May cause minor unexplained pain, but are most noteworthy for their tendency to drain food resources. A character who is hungry more frequently than normal, in the absence of any fast metabolism traits may have these.  @ : Your bowels ache.
• Intramuscular parasites: May cause minor unexplained pain, and descriptive text commenting on the player's joints aching.  @ : Your muscles feel like they're knotted and tired.
• Brain parasites: The most obvious of the four. It causes some pain, occasional messages commenting on the player's head aching, and occasional, unmistakable visual distortions in the absence of Schizophrenic, Chemical Imbalance, or mind-altering drugs.  @ : Your head aches faintly.
• Bloodworms: Increases thirst rate, may cause mild (-10) damage to random body part, can induce coughing.  @ : Your veins itch.

All four can be cured (causing temporary discomfort to the player and a clear success message in the presence of parasites) by taking a dose of antiparasitic drugs.