News by Subject Biology

Taenia solium -- also called pork tapeworm -- is a parasite which causes disease around the world, particularly in very poor communities with deficient sanitation and where pigs roam free. Researchers have now analyzed the efficacy and adverse effects of three chemotherapeutics against T. solium and report their results in a review published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Genetically engineered mosquitoes are resistant to multiple types of dengue virus (DENV), according to a study published Jan. 16 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Prasad Paradkar of the Australian Animal Health Laboratory, and Omar Akbari of the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues. As noted by the authors, this is the first engineered approach that targets all types of DENV, which is crucial for effective disease suppression.

Parasitic weeds are among the world's most economically damaging agricultural pests. They use an organ called the haustorium to build connections with host plants and draw nutrients from them. While the majority of research on parasitic plant biology and control of root parasitic weeds has been heavily focused on seed germination, scientists at UC Davis focused on the development of haustorium and published their findings in Phytopathology.

Parasites in the genus Plasmodium, which cause malaria, are transmitted to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes. The parasites manage to acclimatize to these two completely different hosts because the plasticity of their genome enables them to adapt as necessary. Scientists decided to investigate the epigenetic mechanisms behind this plasticity, in particular DNA methylation. They identified molecules capable of inhibiting DNA methylation and effectively killing even the most resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites.

The combined use of 2 commercially available rapid diagnostic tests is effective for accurately diagnosing chronic Chagas disease in the field, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by 'la Caixa,' in collaboration with CEADES and Mundo Sano. The performance observed indicates that these tests could be used to diagnose chronic Chagas in highly endemic regions with poorly equipped laboratories.