Trends in parasitology最新文献

Grazing ruminants are commonly infected with gastrointestinal nematodes, and their negative impacts on animal health, welfare and production are intensified by increasing anthelmintic drug resistance. The goal of reducing anthelmintic use while preserving effective parasite control has motivated research on non-chemotherapeutic interventions, including those relevant to 'green'/organic ruminant production systems. However, 'green' control strategies are at varying levels of development, and an updated overview of the fragmented evidence is timely before they can be integrated with current parasite management. Here, we highlight recent scientific progress of selected non-chemotherapeutic tools for gastrointestinal nematode control in ruminants, existing knowledge gaps, and how novel research approaches and new technologies are contributing to their testing, further development and on-farm implementation, while advancing our understanding of host-parasite-environment interactions.

To maintain effective malaria control, endemic countries must reinforce their short-term commodity-based approaches with sustainable, longer-term strategies. In Africa, where only a few highly-efficient Anopheles vectors drive most malaria transmission, we propose a two-tier strategy to safeguard control gains. First, aggressively pursue an expanded interpretation of species sanitation by targeting ecological vulnerabilities of primary vectors to suppress or eliminate them. Second, gradually build structural resilience through improved housing and environmental management. Future innovations, like gene-drive mosquitoes and longer-lasting vaccines, could further amplify impact and enhance resilience in poor communities. This layered strategy must rest on human-centred policies, increased domestic funding, cross-sector partnerships and resilient health systems, anchored in longer-term planning beyond the usual 5-year cycles. Ultimately, countries could preserve control gains, despite limited external financing.

Links between genome organization and transcription have been extensively studied in model eukaryotes; however, recent application of state-of-the-art chromosome conformation capture techniques to kinetoplastid and Plasmodium parasites has revealed fascinating and divergent architectural mechanisms underlying gene regulation. Trypanosomes assemble nuclear compartments to fine-tune transcription and splicing of variant surface glycoprotein genes. Plasmodium utilizes specific protein complexes to cluster variant surface antigen genes for their epigenetic regulation and genetic diversity. Recent studies have also observed coalescence of genes transcribed by RNAPII in Trypanosoma brucei and active stage-specific genes in Plasmodium falciparum, which could facilitate bursts of transcription in the dynamic parasite life cycle. Thus, connections between genome architecture and gene regulation are emerging as crucial to parasite survival and pathogenesis.

Vector-borne diseases have a growing impact on human and animal health. Metagenomics has been largely used to characterize the microbiome and has highlighted the key role of the microbiota in modulating the vector competence of insects. Currently, an integrated approach combining vector control, vaccine prevention, and drug treatment is being developed to limit the transmission of insect-borne pathogens. This is more complex for tick-associated diseases, considering the biology of the tick and the possibility of modifications of its microbiota in vector control. Conversely, because the skin is an essential interface in tick-borne diseases, an in-depth study of the precise role of the tick and host microbiota during tick bite and pathogen inoculation opens up new prospects for controlling these diseases.

By localizing within the host nervous system, parasites gain a strategic foothold that facilitates precise manipulation of host behavior. Despite diverse mechanisms, unrelated metazoan taxa have convergently evolved to target similar neural pathways. Behavioral changes are sometimes dismissed as nonadaptive by-products of infection, particularly in understudied systems, making it difficult to identify true manipulation. However, growing evidence suggests that such by-products may serve as evolutionary precursors to adaptive strategies. In some groups, such as rhizocephalans, neural interaction appears fundamental to the evolution of the entire group. Recent advances are uncovering specific neural targets, molecular effectors, and precise timing of manipulation. As research moves beyond descriptive studies, parasite neuroscience promises new insights into brain function, evolutionary dynamics, and potential applications in bioengineering.

Vial et al. performed single-cell transcriptomics and metabolomics of Aedes aegypti midgut and fat body tissues after blood feeding, characterizing novel cell types and markers, transcriptomic and metabolic responses to feeding, and insect-specific virus infection dynamics. This analysis reveals an intricate cellular ecosystem driving digestion, metabolism, reproduction, and immunity.

Based on a particular biochemical model, the use of rhodoquinone (RQ) under hypoxic conditions has been linked to an alternative complex II in the electron transport chain in helminths. This model was derived from detailed studies on Ascaris suum and generalized for helminths. However, accumulated evidence warrants a critical model re-examination. RQ facilitates complex II to operate in reverse as a fumarate reductase when oxygen is unavailable, but this biochemical adaptation typically does not involve a dedicated alternative complex II. Based on recent genomic, biochemical, and pharmacological data, we argue that the Ascaris scenario cannot be extrapolated to other helminths. Complex II is a promising pharmacological target for helminths; thus, the revision of the model also has practical consequences.

Leishmania development in sand flies involves critical attachment steps to the midgut epithelium and the stomodeal valve, mediated by parasite- and vector-derived molecules. Initial midgut attachment prevents parasite loss during defecation and determines vector competence. In specific vectors like Phlebotomus papatasi, attachment involves galectins and Leishmania lipophosphoglycan, while in permissive species like Lutzomyia longipalpis, mucin adhesion dominates. Later, promastigotes adhere to the stomodeal valve, forming adhesion plaques, which in combination with the promastigote secretory gel (PSG) blocks the gut and promotes transmission. Recent studies identified three flagellar proteins (KIAP1-3) crucial for plaque formation. Knockouts of KIAPs prevented stomodeal valve colonization and PSG production, likely impacting parasite transmission. Thus, KIAPs are essential for late-stage Leishmania development in sand flies.