Parasites are organisms that live in or on a host organism and obtain nutrients at the host’s expense, forming a specialized ecological and evolutionary interaction characterized by dependence and often high host specificity. They encompass diverse taxa, including protozoa, helminths, arthropods, fungi, and some plants, and exhibit complex life cycles that may involve multiple hosts and vectors. Research topics on parasites address host–parasite coevolution, immune evasion strategies, transmission dynamics, virulence evolution, and the population genetics and genomics of parasite species, as well as their roles in ecosystems, disease emergence, and the modulation of host physiology and behavior.
For decades, beekeepers have fought a tiny parasite called Varroa destructor, which has devastated honey-bee colonies around the world. But an even deadlier mite, Tropilaelaps mercedesae—or "tropi"—is on the march. Beekeepers ...
Ecology
Sep 10, 2025
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When University of Michigan researchers were looking at the effects of a parasite on a tiny freshwater crustacean, they found something unexpected.
Plants & Animals
Sep 8, 2025
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82
Babesiosis is an infectious disease that manifests like malaria and spreads like Lyme disease. Once rare in the United States, it is now becoming more prevalent, particularly in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Upper Midwest.
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 18, 2025
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26
When night falls in Panama's forests, the time of the opossums begins. The marsupials, which have spent the day sleeping in trees, climb down the trunks and search for fruit, frogs or eggs on the ground. The omnivores often ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 13, 2025
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25
When I tell people I study parasites that live inside ticks, I usually get one of two reactions: a shudder of disgust or a puzzled look that says, "Don't ticks already carry enough diseases?"
With summer comes mosquitoes, and with mosquitoes can come heartworms. Even one or two of these dangerous parasites can have serious consequences for pets, but the threat becomes even greater when there are enough to create ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 1, 2025
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19
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that affects up to 1 million people worldwide each year. It is caused by the protozoan Leishmania, transmitted through the bite of a sandfly. Once inside its host—human or animal—the parasite ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 31, 2025
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43
Researchers from the University of Adelaide, New Zealand's Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research and the University of Auckland have discovered that more than 80% of parasites detected in kākāpō poo prior to the 1990s are no longer ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 29, 2025
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135
The intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium is a vicious trespasser, hiding within the cells that line the gut and causing intestinal damage.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 23, 2025
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33
A new study has found that horses with higher parasitic loads also have worse coat conditions, thanks to the development of a novel tool with far-reaching impacts.
Veterinary medicine
Jul 23, 2025
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