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.
A dangerous parasite once eliminated in the United States has been detected in northern Mexico, close to the U.S. border.
Ecology
Sep 26, 2025
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58
Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease prevalent across 90 countries, affects approximately 12 million people worldwide, with 350 million more at risk of infection. Caused by unicellular parasites known as Leishmania ...
Biotechnology
Sep 24, 2025
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22
A parasitic fly whose maggots can infest living livestock, birds, pets and humans, could threaten California soon.
Plants & Animals
Sep 18, 2025
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27
Meet Heinrichiellus natgeo, a newly discovered species of parasitoid wasp. The species was described by Dr. Ranjith and Dr. Gavin R. Broad (The Natural History Museum, London, UK). Genetic data helped them determine the new ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 16, 2025
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123
A moose in Minnesota stumbles onto the road. She circles, confused and dazed, unable to orient herself or recognize the danger of an oncoming semitruck. What kills her is the impact of 13 tons of steel, but what causes her ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 15, 2025
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37
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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40
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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81
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?"
