Latest Parasitic worm Stories
Northern Rwandan inhabitants infected with more than two species of parasitic worm are more likely to be underweight than those with just one or with no infection, according to new research published September 15 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. The researchers, from the Rwanda Access Project, Imperial College London, and Columbia University, say this highlights the value of regular deworming for children.Parasitic worm infections "“ often with more than two...
An analysis has detailed the devastating toll neglected tropical diseases cause, with an estimated 500 million sub-Saharan Africans suffering such maladies. Researchers said helminth (parasitic worm) infections account for approximately 85 percent of the neglected tropical diseases, which overall might be equivalent to more than double that caused by tuberculosis and as much as half of the area's malaria disease burden. It is appalling that helminth infections and other (neglected tropical...
Schistosomiasis, one of the most important of the neglected tropical diseases, is caused by infection with parasitic helminths of the genus Schistosoma. These parasites are long lived (>10 years) and dwell within blood vessels, where they produce eggs that become the focus of intense, chronic inflammatory responses. In severe cases, this inflammation is associated with life-threatening liver disease.No vaccine is currently available to prevent schistosomiasis. Options for treating the...
 The coevolutionary struggle between a New Zealand snail and its worm parasite makes sex advantageous for the snail, whose females favor asexual reproduction in the absence of parasites, say Indiana University Bloomington and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology biologists in this week's Current Biology.The scientists' report represents direct experimental evidence for the "Red Queen Hypothesis" of sex, which suggests sexual reproduction allows host species to avoid infection...
Information could lead to new treatments for schistosomiasisTwo international research teams have determined the complete genetic sequences of two species of parasitic flatworms that cause schistosomiasis, a debilitating condition also known as snail fever. Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum are the first sequenced genomes of any organism in the large group called Lophotrochozoa, which includes other free-living and parasitic flatworms as well as segmented roundworms, such as the...
New findings by researchers UT Southwestern Medical Center are accelerating efforts to eradicate worm infections that afflict a third of the world's population.The new findings, available online and in an upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrate that a biochemical system that controls development and reproduction of Caenorhabditis elegans, a common research worm, also provides the same function in several parasitic nematodes, including hookworm.In...
The segmented worms that were studied by Christer Erséus, doctoral student Daniel Gustavsson and their American colleague, are identical in appearance. From the very first time that they were described, they have been treated as the same species, and they are also found together in freshwater environments in North America, Sweden and the rest of Europe. But when the researchers examined the worms using advanced methods for DNA analysis, they discovered that they were in fact two different...
An international team of biologists has discovered a new species of microsporidia, a single-celled parasite of animals, in a roundworm used in genetic laboratories around the world.The discovery, detailed in the current issue of the journal PLoS Biology, is a breakthrough for public health researchers who until now had been looking for a suitable laboratory model in which to study microsporidia"”a class of emerging pathogens that can cause significant illness in humans."Microsporidia...
A U.S. study of amphibians suggests diversity itself might lower the chances of developing parasitic infections. The University of Colorado at Boulder study showed American toads who lived with gray tree frogs reduced their chances of parasitic infections known to cause limb malformations. Researchers say their findings have strong implications for the benefits of biodiversity on emerging wildlife diseases. The scientists said their experiments showed when toad tadpoles were raised in...
By DIANA MARRERO By DIANA MARRERO Washington -- Nearly a year after dropping out of the presidential race, Tommy Thompson is turning his attention to worms. Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor who later served as the country's top health official, has teamed up with a nonprofit health organization to fight hookworm, whipworm and other tropical diseases that affect 1 billion of the world's poorest people. He says this type of "medical diplomacy" could help build support for...
Latest Parasitic worm Reference Libraries
The New World hookworm (Necator americanus) is a hookworm that can be found in the New World. This species, along with other species in the Nematode phylum, is a parasitic worm that is commonly found in cats, dogs, and humans. Infections from this species are known as Necatoriasis. However, there are two common species of hookworm that infest humans, known as the Old World hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale) and the New World hookworm, so infections are generally known as hookworm infections....
The dwarf tapeworm (Hymenolepis nana) is a species of tapeworm that is classified in the Platyhelminthes phylum. It once held three other scientific names including Vampirolepis nana and Taenia nana. It is found throughout the world but occurs most often in temperate regions. As its common name implies, the dwarf tapeworm is small, reaching an average body length of 1.5 inches. The head, or scolex, holds a retractable beak like organ that has twenty to thirty hooks and four string suckers,...
The Hydatid Worm (Echinococcus granulosus), also known as the Hyper Tape-Worm, is a species of cyclophyllid cestode that is found in the small intestine of adult canids (canine), but also is found in livestock and humans, which serve as intermediate hosts. This specimen causes Hydatid disease. The adult Hydatid worm is typically less than 0.25 inches in length and has three proglottids (segments) when intact: the immature proglottid, mature proglottid and gravid proglottid. This specimen,...
The Giant Thorny-headed Worm (Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus) is a species of acanthocephalan parasite found in the intestines of pigs and other hoofed animals, and can occasionally appear in humans and dogs. The eggs of this parasite are usually found in scarabaeoid or hydrophilid beetles and other similar insects. Worms of this species range in size from less than four-hundredths of an inch to over 15 inches. It causes enteritis, gastritis or peritonitis in affected hosts. While it...
