parasitology

A little-known parasite is circulating in local wildlife. A parasite is spreading across the Puget Sound region, carried by coyotes and capable of causing a slow, devastating disease in both dogs and humans. It is circulating more widely than expected. A recent UW-led study found Echinococcus multilocularis—known as the fox tapeworm—in 37 of 100 coyotes tested around Puget Sound. The findings, pu…

Schistosomiasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Schistosoma japonicum infection, representing a significant public health concern for both animals and humans in China. A thorough understanding of the epidemiological features and diagnostic techniques associated with schistosomiasis is crucial for conducting prevention, control, and eradication strategies. This review provides a comprehe…

A seven-year study has resulted in a new understanding of the life history of a parasitic insect that infects the paper wasp.

Scientific Reports, Published online: 15 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-52729-8 Molecular characterization of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato genotypes circulating in small ruminants in north India

The life cycle of Plasmodium falciparum is complex, involving asexual and sexual reproduction in humans and mosquitoes, respectively. The parasite transmission from humans to mosquito vectors requires the formation of female and male gametes through gametogenesis. The MKT1 domain proteins are key molecules involved in posttranscriptional gene regulation and cellular differentiation in protozoans,…

Heartworm’s global spread likely stems from ancient canid hosts, not recent human activity. Findings may reshape treatment approaches. Research from the University of Sydney is changing how scientists understand one of the most common parasites affecting dogs. The findings suggest heartworm disease has a much older and more complex evolutionary history than previously thought, including [...]

The tropical disease known as sleeping sickness is caused by the African Trypanosoma brucei parasite....

A rare parasite case raises new questions about whether sheep bot flies can adapt to humans.

… after coopting viruses long ago to do its dirty work The post The Parasite That Chemically Castrates Its Moth Host appeared first on Nautilus .

A common parasite hiding in the brain turns out to be far more active and organized than anyone realized. A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has discovered that Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite estimated to infect up to one-third of the world’s population, is far more biologically complex than previously understood. Their [...]

A common parasite long thought to lie dormant is actually much more active and complex. Researchers found that Toxoplasma gondii cysts contain multiple parasite subtypes, not just one sleeping form. Some are primed to reactivate and cause disease, which helps explain why infections are so hard to treat. The discovery could reshape efforts to develop drugs that finally eliminate the parasite for g…

A new Harvard Chan School study can help scientists understand how malaria is transmitted from mosquitoes to people—and how it may be prevented.

Scientists have discovered a parasite that can sneak into your skin without you feeling a thing. The worm, Schistosoma mansoni, has evolved a way to switch off the body’s pain and itch signals, letting it invade undetected. By blocking certain nerve pathways, it avoids triggering the immune system’s alarms. This stealth tactic not only helps the worm survive, but could inspire new kinds of pain t…

A discovery by an INRS doctoral student sheds light on the survival strategies of a formidable parasite Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that affects up to 1 million people worldwide each year. It is caused by the protozoan Leishmania, transmitted through the bite of a sandfly. Once inside its host—human or animal—the parasite settles in […] The post Leishmania: A Parasite That Hijacks Our Ce…

Authors: Jeremy De Bonville, Emmanuelle Chrétien, Joëlle J. Guitard, Marie Barou Dagues. This blog post tells the #Storybehindthepaper for Few studies of wild animal performance account for parasite infections: A systematic review. What do we and wild animals all have in common? Parasites! As displeasing as this reality may sound, this fact is often overlooked by researchers conducting experiment…

Much like humans, plants, and bacteria, the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) uses calcium as a messenger to coordinate important cellular processes. But while the messenger is the same, the communication pathways that form around calcium differ significantly between organisms. “Since Toxoplasma parasites are so divergent from us, they have evolved their own sets of proteins th…

This blog post is provided by Priscila Salloum, Fátima Jorge and Robert Poulin and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the paper “Inter-individual variation in parasite manipulation of host phenotype: a role for parasite microbiomes?“, which was recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. They explore how differences in the microbiome of parasites might impact the way that those parasites…

The present work was conducted to study the pathogenicity of T.vivax (DRSS06) isolated from the tsetse belt in South Sudan in goats and sheep. Comparison was also made with regard to levels of parasitaemia, clinical, haematological and biochemical parameters.

Washington State’s Puget Sound, like most ecosystems on Earth, is crawling with parasites. Everything from sinuous tapeworms to fleshy flukes infect the sound’s crustaceans, fish, and marine mammals. Most are insidious, wriggling through a host’s intestines with no outward trace. ...