Toxoplasma is a protozoan, a single-celled organism so small that it lodges inside the cells of animals (one in three humans) and modifies their behaviour.
The first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, was approved by the WHO in 2021.
Brian Ongoro/AFP via Getty Images
Jaishree Raman, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
For a malaria vaccine to have an impact, health promotion is key. Awareness campaigns must address safety concerns and emphasise expected positive impacts.
Red onion skin cells seen through a microscope.
Claudio Divizia/Shutterstock
Cell membranes are a basic structure common to most living organisms – but they can be hijacked.
Identified in boxer dogs in 1984, the parasite Neospora caninum is harmless to humans, yet has been shown to be effective against tumour cells in mice.
Shutterstock
Honey bees, wild and native bees face threats from parasites, pesticides and habitat loss. Shorter winters, more extreme weather and more habitat destruction won’t help.
Bed bugs are pretty much universally reviled. But a public health entomologist explains how – while potentially traumatizing to deal with – they aren’t likely to make you sick.
Parasitic wasps are body-snatchers — if you’re an insect. But these much-maligned creatures have saved millions of human lives by controlling the spread of the cassava mealybug.
Although there is no evidence yet that it affects COVID-19 vaccines, schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease, has been associated with lower vaccine immunity for several vaccines.
Emerald ash borer larva cut these feeding galleries on the trunk of a dead ash tree in Michigan.
corfoto via Getty Images
Biological control strategies curb pests using other species that attack the invader. A biologist explains why it can take more than a decade to develop an effective biological control program.
Black-legged ticks carry Lyme disease, which continues to spread widely across the United States.
CDC/Michael Levin
The amount of parasites on a host species has implications for the host population. Factors such as reproduction and consumption can be affected by the number of parasites and their types.