Bluetongue disease is spreading in Europe
We have visited the effect of climate change on the spread of parasitic diseases in several recent blogs (including last week’s one), but the advance of this… Read more »
Editor at BugBitten
Hilary is Professor Emeritus of Parasitology at Keele University, UK, having retired at the end of 2013. Her research interests have revolved around parasites transmitted by insects and their interactions with their vectors. She was Director of the Centre for Applied Entomology and Parasitology at Keele for over ten years and served as President of the British Society for Parasitology.
Latest posts by Hilary Hurd (see all)
Immune-induced change in gut microbiota plays a role in pathology caused by Toxoplasma gondii infection
Inflammation of the intestinal epithelium caused by Toxoplasma gondii infection has been shown to be exacerbated by the host immune response and linked to… Read more »
Bioarcheologists investigate the origin of the malaria parasite infecting the Romans
Studies of ancient human remains are beginning to reveal details of the origin, evolution, and virulence of parasitic diseases, including malaria. A recent… Read more »
Female genital schistosomiasis needs more attention
It is now recognised that health studies and interventions have historically been male-biased, and female-related health issues less explored. The potential… Read more »
An Arbovirus new to Australia
The first-ever outbreak of Japanese encephalitis in temperate Australia is connected to the creation of extensive wetlands following excessively high rainfall.
Poor host diet affects mosquito life history traits
New research suggests the changing diet of populations in developing countries could alter the components of people's blood plasma and thereby affect the… Read more »
Horizontal gene transfer explains the origin of parasite molecules that manipulate host behaviour.
Mantids infected with horsehair worms exhibit dramatic changes in behaviour linked to the production of parasite manipulation molecules that are homologous to… Read more »
Happy 10th birthday to BugBitten
I find it hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the BugBitten blog was born. Initiated by board members of Parasites & Vectors and hosted by the… Read more »
New report of a bacterium that blocks malaria transmission
It is not often that malaria research makes it onto the BBC morning news, but it did so very recently, when the discovery of a naturally occurring bacterium… Read more »
The prospect of a better treatment for Chagas disease and human African sleeping sickness
The identification and discovery of the mode of action of a class of drugs, the cyanotriazoles, that poison trypanosomatids has recently been reported.