Trends in parasitology最新文献

Skin-penetrating nematodes such as Strongyloides stercoralis depend on a suite of chemosensory cues to find their host. Banerjee et al. uncovered life-stage-specific behavioral preferences for CO₂ in S. stercoralis and revealed its distinct influence on navigation behaviors during the complex life cycle in this species.

Nematodes attacking plants and animals pose a global threat to agricultural industry and public health. Chemicals as long preferred tools for nematode management are facing challenges such as pest resistance and policy restrictions. Recent findings show that Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) produces rich components with excellent nematicidal competence and is a precious nonchemical resource for controlling a broad range of nematode parasites. Transgenic plants, microbial products, and nanoparticles efficiently deliver and protect Bt nematicidal activities. The combination of nematicidal elements with distinct modes of action can enhance the efficacy and sustainability of Bt-derived nematicidal products. Here we outline these advances, emphasize the promise of Bt in managing nematodes, and discuss issues concerning the optimization of field deployments of Bt-based nematode management.

Understanding the evolution of virulence, that is, the harm pathogens cause their hosts, has major and wide-spread repercussions. A central concept of virulence evolution is the so-called 'trade-off hypothesis', a seemingly straightforward relationship between virulence and transmission. However, substantial ambiguity in terminology related to this hypothesis threatens progress in the field. To address this, we apply a Hierarchy-of-Hypotheses approach to provide structured, visual representations of ideas linked to this hypothesis. We illustrate that the trade-off hypothesis is a complex set of many different hypotheses and trade-offs, and we clarify ambiguities and biases in commonly used terminology in the literature. Thereby, we hope to facilitate a more precise understanding of what the trade-off hypothesis means, enabling more targeted and precise hypothesis testing.

The impact of blood and its factors on vector-borne diseases is significant and multifaceted yet understudied. While blood is expected to play a central role in transmission, pathogen development, vector behavior, and vector competence, in experimental settings, most studies are developed in the frame of a single, infected blood meal. To effectively combat vector-borne diseases, we need to determine what is the influence of insect blood-feeding behavior on transmission and development of pathogens, toward translation to natural field settings. This review summarizes current findings, highlights key gaps, and outlines future research directions to enhance our understanding of the role of blood in vector-borne disease transmission.

Bioimaging has made tremendous advances in this century. Innovations in high- and super-resolution microscopy are well established, and live-cell imaging is extensively used to gain an overview of dynamic processes. But the combination of high spatial and temporal resolution necessary to capture intracellular dynamics is rarely achieved. Further, efficient software pipelines - that can handle the recorded data and allow comprehensive analyses - are being developed but lag behind other technical innovations in applicability for broad groups of researchers. Especially in parasites, which offer great potential for studying subcellular dynamics, the possibilities have only begun to be probed. In all cases, the complete description of dynamic molecular movement in 3D space remains a challenging necessity.

Giardia is the most common protozoan cause of diarrhoeal illness in humans worldwide. Despite this, our understanding of the zoonotic transmission of Giardia, and in particular the role of cattle as a zoonotic reservoir, is not well understood, due to the limitations of current typing systems and a recent taxonomic revision of the genus. Newly improved multilocus sequencing typing tools are not yet widely used and are not applicable to all species. However, data generated to date suggest that zoonotic transmission of Giardia of bovine origin is limited. Carefully designed epidemiological investigations using improved typing tools are essential to understand the extent of zoonotic transmission from cattle. Improved on-farm biosecurity measures are also needed to control the transmission of zoonotic Giardia in cattle.

Knowledge about the resistibility and targets of compounds critically informs antimalarial drug development. Luth et al. systematically analyzed the resistome of Plasmodium falciparum through in vitro evolution and whole-genome analysis of 724 clones resistant to 118 compounds, revealing novel drug targets, multidrug resistance loci, and key determinants of resistance.

Parasitic helminths are well known master regulators of host immune responses. Yet, the underlying molecular principles remain largely enigmatic. Recent work from Bohnacker et al. reveals that glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), a metabolic enzyme secreted by Heligmosomoides polygyrus, can suppress type 2 immunity by multimodal regulation of macrophage metabolism and epigenetics.