Tag: "parasites" at biology news

Malaria parasites develop in lymph nodes

...rchers at the Pasteur Institute in Paris found the parasites developing in an unexpected place: the lymph nodes...ected with Plasmodium bites a mammal, the immature parasites travel to the animal's liver, which, until now, scientists thought was the only place they could dev...

Attractive birds more immune against bird flu

...dian collared flycatchers with few dangerous blood parasites have larger forehead spots. The new study shows that males that are vaccinated against Newcastle virus produce more antibodies if they have large forehead spots. "Thus it seems that the female uses the forehead spot as a health indicator. When she c...

Genomics-based vaccine could prevent deadly cattle disease

...rva , scientists may make advances against related parasites that cause malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases in which killer T cells also play a role in immunity. What's more, because T. parva launches a cancer-like illness inside the white blood cells of cattle, it may provide a model system for underst...

Extinctions linked to climate change

...austein. Until the potential impacts of pathogens, parasites and other types of disease transmission are factor...Arctic has modified the life cycle of the nematode parasites of musk oxen," the researchers said. "These worms can now complete their life cycle in one year, ins...

A new way of looking at molecular motors

...ove from one place to the other. Myosins also help parasites enter and infect hosts. Defects in the motors play...molecular motors enabled toxoplasmosis and malaria parasites to force their way into human cells. The researchers say that although their research is theoretic...

Worm hormone discovery may aid fight against parasitic disease

.... According to the World Health Organization, such parasites infect about 2 billion people worldwide and severely sicken some 300 million, at least 50 percent of whom are school-age children. In the infective state, parasitic nematodes, such as hookworms, remain in a larval, "resting" stage until they enter ...

Study reveals classic symbiotic relationship between ants, bacteria

...gardens of fungus have a secret weapon against the parasites that invade their crops: antibiotic-producing bact...-an indication that the ants, bacteria, fungus and parasites have likely been evolving together for tens of millions of years. "Every ant species [that we have ...

A Jekyll and Hyde of cytokines: IL-25 both promotes and limits inflammatory diseases

...e infected with Trichuris, a species of intestinal parasites known as whipworms, the researchers were able to d... helper cells that fight infection with intestinal parasites like Trichuris, " said Colby Zaph, a co-author and Irvington Research Fellow at Penn. "In industria...

Value of services performed by insects tops $57 billion in US

...her insects, calculated the losses if predators or parasites weren't going after their prey. For pollination, ... from eating the plants and attract more flies and parasites that would have to be controlled. They also calculated how much fertilizer would be needed to compen...

Silence of the amoebae

... it comes to amoebae, which are intestine-dwelling parasites that cause life-threatening dysentery in many parts of the world. Three years ago, scientists at the Weizmann Institute accidentally discovered a way to silence the expression of a key amoebic gene, one which codes for a toxic protein that kills huma...

Stanford snake venom study shows that certain cells may eliminate poison

...ponse to various triggers, often intruders such as parasites or bacteria. In people who have been sensitized (i.e., made allergic) by prior exposure to substances such as peanuts or certain pollens, mast cells also respond to those stimuli. When mast cells overreact to allergens, they contribute to the effects...

Parasitic worms used to fight bowel disease

...nal team of scientists investigating the role that parasites can play in treating inflammatory bowel disease, o...t would normally cause inflammation, but that worm parasites mount an anti-inflammatory defense that modulates it," said Mansfield, a professor of large animal c...

African parasite makes component of fat differently from all other organisms

...ing fatty acids. To the researchers' surprise, the parasites lacking elongases were unable to make the 14-unit myristate or other fatty acids. "A novel feature of the elongase pathway is that it contains four different enzymes that take turns in elongating fatty acids," says Lee. "This modular pathway allows...

Research reveals inner workings of immune system 'thermostat'

When bacteria, viruses or parasites attack, immune system cells unleash the soldiers. These "hot" protein compounds kill invaders ?but also trigger inflammation, which, if unchecked, can destroy tissue, induce shock and kill the host. So immune system cells let loose another protein co...

How healthy is that marsh? Biologists count parasites

...ther. These trematodes also stand apart from other parasites in that they cause negligible disease for their hi...r lifecycle," Lafferty said. "When we see a lot of parasites in an estuary, we know it is in good shape. For example, an estuary with high infection rates tells ...

Even a little cooling helps after cardiac arrest

...ther. These trematodes also stand apart from other parasites in that they cause negligible disease for their hi...r lifecycle," Lafferty said. "When we see a lot of parasites in an estuary, we know it is in good shape. For example, an estuary with high infection rates tells ...

Wild vs. lab rodent comparison supports hygiene hypothesis

...hile the IgE type is likely a key defender against parasites and has been implicated in allergic reactions in h..., since wild rodents would likely have encountered parasites that activated the production of antibodies as protection. However, the production of polyreactive, ...

Movie spies on malaria parasite's sneaky behavior

...s the Trojan horse, because it both transports the parasites and camouflages them," said Ménard. Like the ancie...nt hollow horse to gain entry to Troy, the malaria parasites wrap themselves in a structure made of liver cell membrane. This membrane cloak enables them to snea...

DNA to the defense

...enes. While the immune system attacks most of the parasites in a given host, some trypanosomes rapidly evolve and express new variants of VSG, thereby allowing the parasite to persist and spread through a population. In the current study, Sergio Callejas, a Marie Curie Research Fellow in Melville's laborat...

Choosy females make colourful males

...ghtly coloured males from both species carry fewer parasites and are thus in better condition. Moreover, both species are adapted to different infection risks, which are associated with a difference in water depth and food choice. It is therefore in the females' interest to mate with their own males. Red an...

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