parasites

From manipulating host molecules to concealing their presence in the host’s body, microbes employ a wide range of tactics to dodge immune detection.

Leishmania parasites often cause puzzlingly painless lesions. Scientists are beginning to dig into the mechanisms underlying this pain-blocking effect.

Ever the resourceful parasite, Leishmania co-opts a natural antibody from blood to breed.

A method for culturing the infectious stage of the Plasmodium lifecycle could increase malaria vaccine production efficiency by tenfold, study authors say.

The parasite appears to make infected wolves less risk-averse, potentially influencing the behavior of packs.

Immune cells get a lot of shine when it comes to fighting infection, but it turns out that fat might be just as important for removing parasitic invaders.

Laboratory experiments find that Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia can congregate on microplastic beads and fibers, suggesting they might make their way into and around the world’s oceans by hitching rides on tiny bits of trash.

A study finds that a baculovirus that infects cotton bollworm larvae changes the expression of genes involved in light perception, driving them to seek heights that could favor viral transmission.

Her achievements included developing a roadmap to tackle neglected tropical diseases.

Several research groups have found that Toxoplasma gondii infection can ramp up antitumor immune responses in mice. Can the single-cell parasite be used to develop safe treatments for humans?

A recent sampling from two California streams found nearly all juvenile salmon were infected with deadly parasites, and conditions are expected to worsen.

When conservationists relocate species, they don’t always account for the pathogens hitching a ride, and the consequences of introducing them to a new environment.

The University of Washington parasite ecologist aims to understand how humans have changed the diversity and abundance of the enigmatic and misunderstood organisms.

View the top three winners of this year’s Nikon Small World in Motion Competition.

The parasite that causes malaria has evolved to evade many of the drugs that researchers have developed to fight the tropical disease.

James Kirkham Ramsbottom saved Britain’s daffodil industry from a devastating parasite, only to be forgotten.

Selected Images of the Day from the-scientist.com

The presence of aromatic greens in with other building materials increased the time birds sat on their eggs, improving the health of the hatchlings.

Certain lemurs in the forests of Madagascar eat millipedes to protect themselves from parasitic infections of the gut.