In a caste system similar to some social insects, larval stages of some parasitic trematodes are allocated to be soldiers to defend the colony when under invasion. A recent study reports on the dynamic processes underpinning solider allocation in trematodes.
The global trade in used tyres is a major factor responsible for introductions of Aedes invasive mosquitoes. Clare Strode tells us more about an idea for a low-cost, effective surveillance tool that her group came up with over a cup of tea, after a day carrying out vector surveillance at Liverpool Port.
Sparganosis is a parasitic disease affecting humans. A recent study in China investigated the prevalence and type of sparganum infection in a second intermediate host.
Dr. Louise Hamill tells us more about the progress she has witnessed in the fight to control, and eventually eliminate, river blindness, and how this is a clear example of the impact the intensified efforts are having on neglected tropical diseases.
New methods have been developed to better understand the impact parasites have on each other when they infect the same hosts.
Mosquitoes are infamous for the challenges they present biologists attempting to classify distinct taxonomic groups. In a recent article, researchers try to answer some challenging questions on the taxonomy of the Culex pipiens species complex.
Today, Riccardo Scotti and Cinzia Cantacessi discuss the ‘MICrobiome HELminth INteractions database’ (MICHELINdb), an online resource created to facilitate the mining of worm-microbiota interaction datasets. The database is described in full in their paper Scotti et al., published recently in Microbiome.