By Justyna Kruczalak Edited by Emily DeMichele The lone star tick species displays sexual dimorphism, the female is well characterized by the white dot on the scutum of the tick. © Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC-BY). The Lone Star Tick and Alpha-gal Tickborne illnesses have been increasing within the past decades as temperatures rise in regions that were previously characterized by cooler temperatures. Ticks are venturing into new areas due to their hosts shifting their native range, which are typically deer, rodents, and migratory birds. The ectoparasite Lone Star tick (Ablyomma amer ..read more

By Claire Kamaliddin, PharmD, PhD Edited by Emily DeMichele As a parasite enthusiast, I sought online communities to discuss science, particularly parasitology. While social media such as Twitter, Mastodon, Blusky, or even Reddit offer virtual communities of scientists, other venues such as Facebook or Instagram might be full of surprises. Recently, I found a Facebook group sharing information about parasites and self-diagnosing for parasitic infection (mainly by self-stool examination and asking the community for feedback on uploaded pictures). Other alt-med advocates on Instagram actively ta ..read more

A brief and incomplete history of bloody and mucusy poop By Ariel Kim Edited by Emily DeMichele Imagine you are minding your business (#2) when you look down and to your shock, find blood mixed in with your waste. These days, you can go to the doctor and take various tests to figure out what’s causing it and if you should be alarmed. After all, blood in your poop doesn’t necessarily mean you have a serious problem. Bloody diarrhea can be caused by various culprits including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), bacterial infections, parasitic infections, anal fissures, hemorrhoids, ischemic coliti ..read more

By Dimitri Desmonts de Lamache Edited by Emily DeMichele The integration and standardization of computing and omics technologies in research has facilitated the generation and analysis of increasingly larger datasets, enabling a deeper understanding of complex biological processes. As research becomes more intricate and interdisciplinary, scientists face the daunting task of sifting through an ever-growing body of scientific literature. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI), with its ability to handle large datasets and identify complex patterns can offer invaluable support. Machine le ..read more

By Parker Volk Edited by Emily DeMichele Imagine for a moment that you are an American marine, tramping through the jungle and vegetation of some Pacific island (or, an Indian, African, Australian, Briton, or other Allied nationality in some other theatre of the Pacific or Italy). Absentmindedly you look to your exposed arm and see a mosquito. You quickly flick it away, but it has already left its irritating bite. Two weeks later you start to feel chills and your temperature spikes as a fever develops. You find yourself incapable of performing your basic duties and are taken to a field hospita ..read more

By Aparna Mariyam Thomas Edited by Emily DeMichele Caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus spp.) are keystone wildlife species in arctic and sub-arctic areas. They play a central role in the day-to-day lives of Indigenous People as cultural icons, as well as providing them with food, shelter, and warm clothing. Hence, the health and well-being of Rangifer is directly linked to that of the Indigenous People in the Arctic and the sub-arctic. Global climatic change is affecting the habitat, flora, and fauna of the Arctic much faster in this region compared to other parts of the world [1]. Higher ..read more

By Viraj Muthye The early-morning drive to Kananaskis was wonderful. Fall is my favorite season in North America and the brilliant Alberta Fall colors did not disappoint. Along with other members of my lab, I was heading to the HPI Bootcamp organized at the Barrier Lake Field Station. As a certified introvert, I was a little apprehensive about this big two-day event involving so many people. But I was excited to spend time with people from my lab outside of work and network with other parasitologists. I was also quite thrilled to go near the mountains again. Based on my experience with HPI, I ..read more

By Emily Huff, Historically, large strongyles, such as Strongylus vulgaris were the most prevalent parasitic nematodes of horses, but widespread use of anthelmintic drugs has greatly diminished this threat (Love et al., 1999). In their place, cyathostomins (small strongyles) in the subfamily Strongyloidea are now an increasing cause for concern due to their pathogenicity in young and mature horses (Love et al., 1999) and ability to develop resistance to certain anthelmintic medications, such as fenbendazole and pyrantel pamoate (Tarigo-Martinie et al., 2001). Infections are most commonly found ..read more

By Raelynn Horner Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most well known parasites to the general public because it infects around one third of the human population and is a widespread, common infection of domestic and wild animals (Sanchez & Besteiro, 2021). It is one of the most well studied parasites for this reason. The evolutionary arms race between T. gondii and warm-blooded animals has been going on for millions of years, so the parasite has had a long time to evolve the mechanisms to facilitate the complex generalist strategies that make it so successful (USDA/Agricultural Research Servic ..read more

A look into how Glyptapanteles wasps provide insight on the Usurpation Hypothesis and the not-so fictional world of parasitic mind control. By Emma Forrester Source: National Geographic. Body invaders | national geographic – youtube. (2009). Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch/vMG-LWyNcAs In Robert A. Heinlein’s 1951 sci-fi novel, The Puppet Masters, mind-controlling parasites from outer space invade earth and slowly take control of humans by ravaging the nervous system. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Ceti eels travel through the ears of humans until they reach th ..read more