All Parasites articles
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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.
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NewsOysters play unexpected role in protecting blue crabs from disease
Oysters famously filter their surrounding water, but it turns out they are removing more than algae and excess nutrients. New research shows they can also reduce the spread of disease in nearby marine species, including Chesapeake Bay’s prized blue crabs.
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NewsMalaria: Newly identified ‘crown’ stage controls parasite reproduction
Researchers studying Plasmodium falciparum have found that the parasite relies on a brief but essential stage, nicknamed the “Crown” stage, to make sure a crucial internal structure is passed on correctly when it divides.
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NewsA rapid evolutionary process provides Sudanese Copts with resistance to malaria
An international study investigating the genomic diversity of the Sudanese population reveals that the Copts originating in Egypt –who settled in the country between the seventh and eleventh centuries– have acquired a genetic variant that protects them from contracting malaria.
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NewsSynthetic compound has the potential to treat malaria and prevent its transmission
Tests on cell cultures and rodents have shown that the new molecule acts on all three stages of the disease cycle, eliminating the parasite from human blood and liver and preventing transmission to mosquitoes.
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NewsA rapid test using a mobile phone will be able to identify the most severe cases of imported malaria within minutes
A new malaria tool uses a mobile phone to combine rapid diagnostic tests with video analysis and is capable not only of detecting the infection in under six minutes but also of predicting which patients may develop severe forms of malaria.
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NewsScientists find hidden diversity inside common brain parasite
Scientists have found that Toxoplasma gondii is far more complex than previously believed. Until now, cysts were believed to contain a single, uniform type of parasite lying dormant until reactivated, but have now been found to contain multiple distinct subtypes of parasites, each with different biological roles.
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NewsThe brain’s sneakiest houseguest: how a parasite rewrites neuron messages and alters neuroplasticity
A new study describes how Toxoplasma gondii manipulates the behaviour and brain function of its hosts. It explored a new angle by looking at nanoparticles called extracellular vesicles, which cells use to send messages to one another, and carry small regulatory molecules known as microRNAs.
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NewsCommon brain parasite can infect your immune cells. Here’s why that’s probably OK
Researchers have determined how our immune systems fight back against the parasite Toxoplasma gondii when it makes it inside the CD8+ T cells meant to destroy it.
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NewsHow the parasite that ‘gave up sex’ found more hosts – and why its victory won’t last
A study has revealed a genetic shortcut that may help Giardia duodenalis and many other parasites jump to new hosts at the cost of long-term survival. The findings may also help explain how parasites evolve drug resistance.
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NewsHigh levels of Chagas disease parasite found in bugs near US-Mexico border
Researchers have found unusually high levels of parasitic infection in the insects that transmit Chagas disease in the Borderlands. The bugs were collected near homes and natural areas along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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NewsScientists identify potential therapy and diagnostic markers for cerebral malaria
Researchers examined whether methylene blue could mitigate brain injury during severe malaria, and whether a practical set of blood biomarkers could help clinicians identify cerebral malaria early and track how patients respond to treatment.
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NewsNew antimalarial drug candidate shows potential for fighting resistance and reducing malaria transmission
Researchers have developed a new antimalarial drug candidate designed to address the growing challenge of drug resistance and potentially reduce malaria transmission.