Latest Nematodes Stories
Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) at the University of Birmingham have discovered that a gene called DAF-16 is strongly involved in determining the rate of ageing and average lifespan of the laboratory worm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and its close evolutionary cousins. DAF-16 is found in many other animals, including humans. It is possible that this knowledge could open up new avenues for altering ageing, immunity and resistance...
Researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) at the University of Illinois have discovered widespread occurrence of plant-parasitic nematodes in the first reported nematode survey of Miscanthus and switchgrass plants used for biofuels.Lead researcher Tesfamariam Mekete, a U of I post-doctoral research associate, said the team's first step was to identify potential pathogenic nematodes of these top two energy-yielding cellulosic-ethanol feedstock plants."Nematodes are a part of...
A new combination drug treatment for parasitic intestinal roundworms shows promise in a test on a common laboratory species.Several drugs currently in use or in development control parasitic worms in the same way. That concerns health workers In developing countries where reinfestations often require repeated treatments. If worms develop resistance to one drug, the other treatments would likely fail as well.Raffi Aroian's research group at the University of California, San Diego recently...
Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered that a protein from a soil bacterium used to kill insects naturally on organic crops is a highly effective treatment for intestinal parasitic roundworms. These parasites, which include hookworms and whipworms, infect about two billion people in underdeveloped tropical regions and are cumulatively one of the leading causes of debilitation worldwide.The scientists report in the March 2 issue of the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases,...
A common pasture plant could help foraging ruminants ward off damaging gastrointestinal nematodes that can cause illness and death, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists report.Animal scientist Joan Burke at the ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville, Ark., along with colleagues at several universities, has patented formulations of Sericea lespedeza, commonly referred to as Chinese bush clover. The plant was introduced in the United States in the 1930s to minimize...
URBANA - Illinois farmers know corn nematodes are a problem. Nearly 80 percent of attendees at the Illinois Corn & Soybean Classics agreed this was true in surveys conducted across the state by U of I Extension Nematologist Terry Niblack. However, fewer than 20 percent plan to do anything about it."Farmers think corn nematodes are a big problem, but they're someone else's problem," Niblack said. "Nematodes are the most frequently overlooked cause of disease in Illinois...
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a potential new use for the drug closantel, currently the standard treatment for sheep and cattle infected with liver fluke. The new research suggests that the drug may be useful in combating river blindness, a tropical disease that is the world's second leading infectious cause of blindness for humans.The study is scheduled for publication in an advance, online Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of...
Microscopic nematode worms can be a potent organic insecticide, killing crop-raiding bugs without harming plants or beneficial insects and without the environmental side effects of chemicals. But when the worms are mass-bred for agricultural purposes, they tend to, as Byron Adams says, "wimp out," and are not as deadly as their cousins that grow in the wild.The Brigham Young University biology professor and his students analyzed the genetic changes in lab-raised worms that make them less...
Researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Georgia have developed an improved, more efficient method to test for the most serious of the parasitic worms in sheep, a problem that causes hundreds of millions of dollars in losses every year to the global sheep and wool industry.This technology is now available, and will allow a faster, easier and less expensive way to test for the presence and quantity of Haemonchus contortus, or "barber pole" worms, a species that is very...
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A regional initiative launched in the 1990s to eliminate onchocerciasis (river blindness) in the Americas has substantially reduced the prevalence of the disease in recent years, as evidenced by a 31% decrease in the number of individuals requiring mass drug administration in six endemic countries. Results were reported today at the 58th annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH). The reported progress...
Latest Nematodes Reference Libraries
Trichinella spiralis, sometimes known as the pork worm, is a parasite within the Nematoda class. It can be found in pigs, rats, humans, and bears. This worm causes trichinosis in humans, most often from consuming undercooked pork. This species is the smallest within its class, reaching an average body length of .16 centimeters. Females are twice as large as males, displaying a sexual dimorphism. The reproductive organs of females are unique to the species in that the front end holds developed...
The soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) is a parasitic worm that infects soybean plants, and other legumes, across the world. It is thought to be native to Asia, but was found in the United States in 1954 and in Colombia in the 1980’s. It can be found in Italy and Iran and its most recent sightings have occurred in Brazil and Argentina, two major areas where soybeans are grown. These worms are highly damaging to American soybean crops, costing the industry as much as 500 thousand...
The giant roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides) is a parasitic worm within the Nematoda phylum. This species can be found throughout the world, but occurs in higher numbers in tropical and subtropical areas. It causes the disease known as ascariasis in its human hosts and infects about one quarter of the entire world’s human population. It displays a sexual dimorphism, with females growing larger than males. Females reach an average body length between 7.8 and 19.2 inches, while males reach a...
The common root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita), also known as the southern root-knot nematode, is a species of roundworm that infects plants. It can be found across the world and infects a number of different hosts. It resides in the root system of the host plant, creating gnarled roots and galls. This species travels through more shallow temperature gradients than other organisms. This is known as thermotaxis and is thought to be the system in which these worms locate the best soil...
The eye-worm (Loa loa) is a species of roundworm within the Nematoda phylum. It can be found in India and Africa, among other areas. This species causes a disease known as Loa loa filariasis and is one of three species that can cause subcutaneous filariasis in humans. Females are larger than males, reaching an average body length of up to 2.7 inches, with males reaching an average body length of up to 1.3 inches. The first stage of life for the eye-worm begins when an adult worm, which is...
