Parasitology

Mosquitoes carry a lot of parasites, many of which are global health concerns. Mosquito vectored diseases include protozoan diseases like malaria, filarial diseases, and viruses like dengue fever, encephalitis, West Nile and yellow fever. Perhaps the least-concerning creature you can get from a mosquito is Dermatobia hominis . But what it lacks in deadliness it makes up for in grossness. Dermatobia hominis , or the human botfly, is a fairly common looking species of fly native to Mexico and Central America. From its outer appearances, you wouldn't think anything bad of it. Like other flies, the botfly has a simple life cycle; eggs that ... Read Full Story

Yeah, those caterpillar mimicking trematodes were impressive. But we humans have our own trematodes which are pretty nasty, too. One group of trematodes which uses humans as a final host is the genus Schistosoma , like Schistosoma masonii on the right. Like other trematodes, Schistosoma spp. have very complex live cycles involving multiple hosts. Here's a quick overview image: So: the schistosome's life cycle. They start out as little eggs which leave the adult's host (humans) through the waste systems in urine or feces. These eggs then hatch into the first larval stage, which is called a miracidium. The miracidium seeks out a snail ... Read Full Story

It's that time of the year again... the temperature is dropping, pumpkins are being carved, and there's that creepy rustling in the woods as you walk by. All Hallow's Eve fast approaches, and with it come tales of mysterious disappearances, strange sightings, and all kinds of things that go bump in the night. So what better parasite to talk about than one that is sure to give you the heebie-jeebies? It's a parasite that you could have for years and not even know it, until one day you're in the hospital with seizures, headaches, nausea, vomiting, or even altered mental status. Of course, I'm ... Read Full Story

It's that time of the year again... the temperature is dropping, pumpkins are being carved, and there's that creepy rustling in the woods as you walk by. All Hallow's Eve fast approaches, and with it come tales of mysterious disappearances, strange sightings, and all kinds of things that go bump in the night. So what better parasite to talk about than one that is sure to give you the heebie-jeebies? It's a parasite that you could have for years and not even know it, until one day you're in the hospital with seizures, headaches, nausea, vomiting, or even altered mental status. Of course, I'm ... Read Full Story

This isn't the first time I've mentioned Parasitic Wasps . They're a rude sort of parasite, laying their eggs inside unwitting hosts to grow up and eat them from the inside out. While it sounds gross and, frankly, a little evil, it makes them also really good at one thing: biocontrol. When Sarah Palin made her off-putting remark about research on fruit flies, everyone assumed she meant the bio model Drosophila . But she was actually referring to research on the Olive Fruit Fly, Bactrocera oleae . The pest infiltrated Californian olive groves in the late 1990s, and has been wreaking havoc ever since. ... Read Full Story