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.
‘Worm’ is really a catchall term for a huge variety of animals with different characteristics that span the tree of life. They hold clues about our own origins as well as hints about human health.
Scientists have recreated the mutant gene that causes a rare cancer called phaeochromocytoma in a millimetre-sized worm.
University of Dundee
A new discovery fuses science, serendipity and a millimetre-sized worm that is hundreds of millions of years old to help develop a treatment for phaeochromocytoma.
Pink blood, green blood, or no blood at all – when it comes to what’s inside a worm’s body, the answer is more complicated – and fascinating – than you’d think.
Amaga expatria, a spectacular species, has just been reported in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Pierre & Claude Guezennec
Several species of flatworms have invaded the West Indies, and some are spectacular. We take stock of the situation with a study published at the same time as this article.
When cats were introduced to Australia, they brought several diseases with them. These diseases are taking a big toll on human health and the economy — but there are things we can do.
Parasites do very well for themselves, which is why they are so common in the animal kingdom.
Geoffrey Read
The predatory flatworm Obama nungara travelled in potted plants from Argentina to Europe, where it’s distrupting soil ecosystems. Now, citizen-scientists are helping map their distribution.
Giardia is an example of a parasite you don’t want to catch. Symptoms can include diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, fatigue, weakness and weight loss.
From shutterstock.com
The short answer is that leeches need blood to grow and reproduce. But it’s in their interests to do it carefully, without causing too much pain, and in spots that are hard to find.
Floods of traffic can clog up an internet server and the wires connecting it to other systems.
BeeBright/Shutterstock.com
The very first cyberattack clogged up the nascent internet, halting digital communications. Now much bigger, the internet is still largely open to – and suffering regularly from – similar attacks.
Down House: the home (and garden) of Charles Darwin.
Shutterstock
Was Darwin inspired by the tropical wildlife of his travels to discover natural selection? Actually, pigeons, worms and barnacles were far more prominent in his thinking.
The “hammerhead” of Diversibipalium multilineatum. This species can reach 40 centimeters (16 inches) in length.
Pierre Gros
Several giant terrestrial Plathelminth species have invaded France and its overseas territories, threatening biodiversity. Thanks to participatory science, the invasion is finally recognized.
Caregivers need to be educated on the importance of routine nutrition screening and interventions.
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