Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel explain how trypanolytic factor forms membrane channels to lyse trypanosomes, and present a new case study.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

• Human trypanolytic factor forms channels (PNAS)
• Human paragonimiasis (MMWR)
• Don't eat raw crawfish
• Daniel and Dickson in studio (jpg)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 85

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel consider the delivery of anti-trypanosome nanobodies to the tsetse fly via a bacterial symbiont, and present a new case study.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

• Delivery of a functional nanobody to tsetse flies (Microb Cell Fact)
• Nanobodies (Wikipedia)
• V.B. Wigglesworth (Wikipedia)
• VB Nimble, VB Quick
• Knott test
• Mazzotti reaction
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 84

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel present a new case study, and discuss the effect of chronic malaria infection on wild warbler life span and telomere degradation.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

• Effect of chronic malaria infection on wild warblers (Science)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 83

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel solve last week's case study, present a new one, and reveal how secreted proteins from a helminth prevent diabetes in mice.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

• Babesiosis (CDC)
• Babesiosis blood smear with Maltese cross (NEJM)
• Helminth proteins prevent diabetes in mice (PLoS One)
• Letters read on TWiP 82

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel provide the solution to last week's case study, present a new one, and discuss how immune suppression by nematodes increases tuberculosis fatality in African buffalo.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

• Consequences of living in a wormy world (Am Nat)
• Opposite effects of antihelminthic treatment on microbial infection (Science)
• Send your case study solutions to [email protected]
• Daniel's cufflinks (jpg)
• Daniel's TB bowtie (jpg)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 81

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Vincent and Dickson welcome new TWiP host Daniel to discuss the association of a new Mycoplasma with Trichomoniasis, and to introduce a new feature to the show, a case study.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

• Association of Mycoplasma with trichomoniasis (PLoS One)
• Biggest DNA genomes (Wikipedia)
• Send your case study solutions to [email protected]
• Letters read on TWiP 80

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Vincent and Dickson discuss the spread of P. knowlesi in Malaysia, and how Leishmania parasites protect the sandfly gut from bacterial infection.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

• Spread of P. knowlesi in Malaysia (NY Times)
• Climate change in Europe and vector transmitted disease (Infez Med)
• Colonisation resistance in the sandfly gut (Parasites & Vectors)
• Car Talk co-host dies
• Early Career Scientists Symposium
• Image credit: Anne Marie
• Letters read on TWiP 79

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Vincent and Dickson discuss how malaria parasites induce odors in their rodent hosts that attract mosquitoes.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

• Visceral Leishmaniasis, South Sudan (ProMedMail)
• Malaria-induced changes in host odors (PNAS)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 77

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Vincent and Dickson discuss the exchange of messenger RNAs between a parasitic plant and its hosts.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

• Exchange of mRNAs between parasite and plant (Science)
• White leaf rust (Wikipedia)
• Cuscuta (Wikipedia)
• Fungal haustoria (PNAS)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 77

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Vincent and Dickson discuss how infection of mice with helminths induces cytokines that reactivate a latent gamma-herpesvirus.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

• Helminths reactivate herpesvirus (Science)
• How helminths go viral (Science)
• Herpesvirus latency protects from bacterial infection (Nature)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 76

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