A remarkable wasp parasite
A seven-year study has resulted in a new understanding of the life history of a parasitic insect that infects the paper wasp.
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)
A new lease of life for bednets
Resistance to pyrethroid based insecticides is spreading rapidly, giving rise to concern that bednets treated with these formulation are becoming less… Read more »
Switching on the production of malaria sexual stages
A new study sheds further light on the transcription factor that acts as a master switch that turns on the production of sexual stages in the malaria life… Read more »
Trematode soldiers
Larval stages of some flukes produce a soldier caste that helps to protect the colony if another species of fluke invades their snail host. New work shows this… Read more »
Dog poo could cause abortions in cattle
Dog faeces left on fields containing cattle could expose cows to a parasitic infection that may result in early abortions or leave calves infected with the… Read more »
Barriers to trypanosome transmission by tsetse flies
Exciting new research uncovers some reasons why very few tsetse flies develop salivary gland infections.
The importance of community commitment to tsetse control
A tsetse control project conducted in Burkina Faso reveals the importance of the engagement of local communities.
Are parasite-induced behavioural changes and sterility linked?
Parasitic infections can cause multiple changes to occur to their hosts. Are these changes all initiated by the same mechanism or are several causes involved?… Read more »
Vivax malaria: another key to red blood cell invasion
The parasites causing vivax malaria is known to preferentially invade immature red blood cells by attaching to Duffy antigens on the cell surface. An… Read more »
Where does West Nile virus go in winter?
Sporadic epidemics of West Nile Fever occur in Europe in the summer months when the mosquito vector of West Nile virus is biting. Do new introductions occur… Read more »