This Week in Parasitism

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson update the multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, discuss the avian malaria parasite P. lophurae, and review protection against malaria by intravenous immunization with a nonreplicating sporozoite vaccine.

• Cyclosporiasis outbreak in US (CDC)
• Extraordinary history of REV (PLoS Biology)
• Avian malaria (Ann NY Acad Sci)
• P. lophurae (J Parasitol)
• TWiP infects TWiV (TWiV 248)
• Intravenous malaria vaccine (Science)
• Unconventional malaria vaccine (Science)
• Image of apicomplexan structure: Wikipedia
• Letters read on TWiP 59

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Guest: Cali Despommier

Vincent and Dickson update the multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, and Dickson reads a chapter from his new book.

• Dickson and Cali (jpg)
• Cyclosporiasis keeps spreading (ProMedMail)
• Cyclosporiasis is not a virus! (Gawker)
• Cyclosporiasis is not a virus! (Yahoo)
• The Global Dispatch
• People, Parasites, and Plowshares by Dickson Despommier
• Letters read on TWiP 58

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson review a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis caused by the single-celled coccidian parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis.

The day after recording this episode, ProMedMail reported that the outbreak of cyclosporiasis had spread to Texas.

• Cyclosporiasis (CDC)
• Cyclospora life cycle (CDC)
• Cyclosporiasis (Wikipedia)
• Cyclosporiasis outbreak, US (one, two, three) (ProMedMail)
• Cyclosporiasis outbreak moves to Texas (ProMedMail)
• Notifiable diseases, US, 2011 (CDC)
• Federal funding for science research (virology blog)
• Oculus of Singapore (YouTube)
• Dickson recording TWiP 57 (jpg)
• Dickson's stuff (jpg)
• People, Parasites, and Plowshares by Dickson Despommier
• Letters read on TWiP 57

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

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss Myxobolus cerebralis, the parasite that causes whirling disease of salmonids.

Links for this episode:

• Myxobolus cerebralis (Wikipedia)
• Fish migration (Wikipedia)
• Trout with whirling disease (YouTube)
• Letters read on TWiP 55

Amanda - Pandemic: On the Brink

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson reveal how invasive harlequin ladybirds use biological weapons against their competitors.

• Invasive Harlequin Ladybirds' biological weapon (Science)
• Immunity an invasive success (Science)
• Invading ladybugs carry bioweapons (C&EN)
• Ladybird Ladybird (Wikipedia)
• G. Evelyn Hutchinson (Wikipedia)
• Letters read on TWiP 55

An Inordinate Fondess for Beetles by Arthur V. Evans, Charles L. Bellamy

Jessie - Pandemic, the board game

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson consider a case history of a young man with Blastocystis hominis - is it causing his disease?

• Blastocystis (Wikipedia)
• Blastocystis review (Trends Parasitol)
• Letters read on TWiP 54

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss the finding that immunity to a sandfly salivary protein protects against fatal visceral leishmaniasis in hamsters.

• Immunity to a salivary protein protects against leishmaniasis (PNAS)
• Image of blood-fed Lutzomyia longipalpis (right) credit
• Short history of Leishmania vaccines
• Leishmania on TWiP #14
• Letters read on TWiP 53

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson review the life cycle and pathogenesis of the giant kidney worm, Dioctophyme renale.

• Dioctophymiasis (CDC)
• Dioctophyme renale (Wikipedia)
• Fatal bilateral dioctophymiasis (J Parasitol)
• Clinical Parasitology by Paul C. Beaver
• D. renale in a dog (Vet. Parasitol.)
• Surgical removal of D. renale (YouTube)
• Letters read on TWiP 52

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

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Guest: Anthony A. James

Special guest Anthony A. James joins Vincent and Dickson to discuss how mosquitoes can be genetically modified to control infectious diseases.

• Field cage studies of modified mosquitoes (PLoS NTD)
• Flightless mosquitoes (PNAS)
• When mutant mosquitoes attack (NY Times)

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

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson reveal how malaria parasites avoid lysis by complement in the mosquito.

• Malaria parasites co-opt factor H (Cell Host Microbe)
• Complement system (Wikipedia)
• Letters read on TWiP 50

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