Slimeballs was a short lived middle-grade series of books by U. B. Gross, the pseudonym of Catherine Clark

Catherine Clark

Catherine Jane Clark is a Canadian television broadcaster, and the daughter of former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark and Maureen McTeer.-Life and career:Clark was born in Ottawa, Ontario...

.

They were generally humorous, in a similar vein to Grossology

Grossology

Grossology may refer to:* Grossology , a series of non-fictional children's books written by Sylvia Branzei* Grossology , a Canadian animated TV series...

, Barf-O-Rama

Barf-O-Rama

Barf-O-Rama is a series of children's novellas authored by Pat Pollari, the pseudonym of popular children's author, K.A. Applegate . The stories were humorous, with a strong emphasis on scatological humor and other generally repulsive themes...

, and the Gooflumps

Gooflumps

Gooflumps is the name given to a two-part parody series written in 1995 by Robert Hughes under the pseudonym of R. U. Slime.-Overview:The series consisted of two books that were parodies of the famous Goosebumps series, by R. L. Stine. Both books were released simultaneously in 1995 by Random...

parodies. The series is considered relatively obscure.

The lancet flukes (slimeballs) are important to grassland

Grassland

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...

s. To prevent infestation, cattle are kept away from patches of the greenest grass, which has been fertilized by manure

Manure

Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped by bacteria in the soil...

. The danger for them is not the feces itself, but rather the possibility that tiny ants might be at the tops of the blades, carrying the parasite. Therefore, those patches grow undisturbed as cows feed on the remaining grass, which is not enough for all of them. The cows are then forced to eat the green grass, and for a while the cow population rises. Eventually, the parasites infect the cows. Infected cows eat less and fail to reproduce as frequently. The cow population drops, allowing the grass to regrow. The cow population eventually recovers and returns to being wary of the greenest grass, completing the cycle.

Complete List & Book Descriptions

• Fun Gus and Polly Pus

When Gus gets athlete's foot, he bites off his fingernails to distract himself from the itching agony. Soon green fungus is growing up his arms as fast as white puffballs are exploding between his toes. At the doctor's office, he meets a fellow freak-a-zoid, Polly, who is dripping with pus from scratching her oozing poison ivy. These putrid pals are the grossest kids ever!

• Fun Gus Slimes the Bus

Nurse Gillette crashed and burned as school nurse, but now she's back as the gas-guzzling, bug-juice-slurping school bus driver. Her big foot planted firmly on the pedal, Gillette hijacks Gus's class for a joyride to Crudd Caverns...where the Rot rules. Rot's the scariest fungus ever!

• The Slithers Buy a Boa

Meet the Slithers -- a family with a bit of a slob prob! Raging rodents are lunching on leftovers in their dirty den, and the Slithers realize they need an exterminator. The solution? Bucky, a boa constrictor with a big appetite. But digesting mouse lumps causes snake slowdown, and for a while Bucky's the ultimate cage potato. Until the peckish pet needs a fresh supply. Time to visit the neighbors!