This Week in Parasitism

Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel reveal last week's case study and introduce a new one concerning a patient who traveled to Belize.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

• Neurocysticercosis (TWiP 6)
• Cysticercosis (CDC)
• Sarah Lane's neurocysticercosis
• Letters read on TWiP 89

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel discuss how a secreted protein from the protozoan parasite Theileria transforms its host cells via a cellular proto-oncogene.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

• Leishmania (TWiP #14)
• Transformation by a prolyl isomerase (Nature)
• Theileria.org
• Prolyl isomerase (Wikipedia)
• Image from Transformation & Oncogenesis
• Letters read on TWiP 88

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel review new insight into antigenic variation in trypanosomes, reveal the difficult solution to the last case study, and present another mystery for your solving.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

• Pinworm (CDC)
• Pinworm on TWiP #19
• Dynamics of antigenic variation in T. brucei (Science)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 87

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel discuss how filarial infection modulates the immune response to mycobacterial infection, and reveal a new case study.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

• Filarial infection modulate immune response (J Immunol)
• Memory T cells (Wikipedia)
• Image: Loa loa microfilaria
• Letters read on TWiP 86

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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

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email