All Parasites articles
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NewsPlasmodium uses its own PI3K to suppress eat-me signal and evade host immune clearance
A study finds that Plasmodium PI3K actively suppresses the externalization of phosphatidylserine on the surface of infected erythrocytes. When the activity of parasite PI3K was chemically inhibited or genetically disrupted, phosphatidylserine exposure on infected red blood cells increased markedly.
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NewsSeparating signal from noise: How African biostatisticians are reshaping the fight against malaria
Biostatistics is unlocking smarter malaria solutions, linking parasite diversity, vaccines, and human behaviour to drive more effective prevention and protection.
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NewsComputational approach takes the guesswork out of drug development for Chagas disease
Researchers have established a computational protocol that could accelerate the development of more effective treatments for life-threatening parasitic infections such as Chagas disease, by enabling scientists to accurately identify reactions that can result in successful drug candidates without the need for trial and error.
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NewsHow scientists are breeding spinach to better withstand Pythium
Breeding efforts to improve spinach tolerance to a pathogen called Pythium will help both indoor and outdoor growers of the popular leafy green.
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NewsMalaria shaped distribution of early human populations
Scientists investigated whether Plasmodium falciparum induced malaria shaped human habitat choice between 74,000 and 5,000 years ago, finding that malaria influenced habitat choice by pushing human groups away from high-risk environments and separating populations across the landscape.
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NewsNasal spray could transform treatment of deadly cerebral malaria
Master’s student Taznita Kista is exploring whether a nano-enabled nasal spray could change how cerebral malaria is treated. Her work focuses on a nose-to-brain drug delivery system using niosomes.
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NewsResearchers combine polarized light and a magnetic field to spot malaria under the microscope
Researchers have developed a new microscopy method that uses a magnetic field and polarized light to provide quantitative measurements that could enable faster and more objective detection of malaria in blood.
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NewsSevere childhood malaria linked to cognitive impairment later in life
New findings suggest children who survive cases of cerebral malaria and severe malarial anemia experience cognitive and academic impairment that persists into adolescence.
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NewsGene sheds light on how parasites exit host cells
Researchers have elucidated the parasite exit process - known as egress - after identifying an essential gene, MIC11. To clearly explain egress, the behaviors of Toxoplasma gondii were assessed.
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NewsScientists solve 40-year-old biological mystery behind sleeping sickness
Scientists have cracked a 40-year-old biological cold case by revealing how the parasite that causes sleeping sickness stays one step ahead of the human immune system.
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NewsFirst Chagas disease conference on US soil highlights a turning point in national awareness
For the first time, a conference dedicated to Chagas disease research will be held on U.S. soil, marking a significant and symbolic moment for researchers, clinicians and public health leaders working to boost awareness of the disease in this country.
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NewsFluorescent imaging reveals how a global parasite develops, opening new paths for drug treatment
Researchers adapted a fluorescent imaging system typically used to study human cells, enabling real-time observation the parasite’s growth, a promising breakthrough against an organism that that infects both humans and animals.
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NewsStudy reveals immune blueprint for next-generation malaria vaccine
New research has uncovered how the human immune system fights Plasmodium vivax, paving the way for the first effective vaccine against the most widespread form of malaria. It provides critical evidence of how protective immunity to P. vivax works, identifying specific targets on the parasite.
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NewsA highly precise target for medications against tropical diseases
Researchers have discovered a critical vulnerability shared by the pathogens that cause African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. The PEX38 protein plays a crucial role in the formation of certain organelles of the trypanosomes that are essential for their energy supply.
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NewsAcoziborole Winthrop receives European Medicines Agency positive opinion as three-tablet, single-dose treatment for most common form of sleeping sickness
The European Medicines Agency has granted a positive opinion to Acoziborole Winthrop (acoziborole) as a single-dose oral treatment for both early- and advanced-stage gambiense sleeping sickness in adults as well as in adolescents 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kilograms.
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NewsScientists identify key protein that stops malaria parasite growth
An international team of scientists have identified a unique protein essential for the malaria parasite’s survival and transmission. Aurora-related kinase 1 (ARK1) acts as a ‘traffic controller’ during the parasite’s unusual cell division and growth process.
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NewsA parasitic origin for the ribosome?
Scientists propose that the ribosome first emerged from a proto-ribosome, likely a viral parasite, which began by taking advantage of proto-cells, and ended up being incorporated into cells, at some time before the last universal common ancestor.
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NewsThe hidden infections that refuse to go away: how household practices can stop deadly diseases
A 13-year study reveals why a deadly parasitic infection targeted for elimination in China persisted in some areas even after decades of control. The research investigated some of the last pockets of schistosomiasis in the country, finding that farming practices and unsafe sanitation contributed to disease spread.
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NewsAvian malaria widespread across Hawaiʻi bird communities, new study finds
A new study shows that avian malaria can be transmitted by nearly all forest bird species in Hawaiʻi, helping explain why the disease is present almost everywhere mosquitoes are found across the islands.
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NewsObesity linked to one in 10 infection deaths globally
Just over one in 10 deaths from a wide range of infectious diseases can be attributed to obesity worldwide, finds a major new study. People with obesity face a 70% higher risk of hospitalisation or death from an infection than those of a healthy weight.