Parasite biology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Analysis of Babesia divergens egress from host cells reveals druggable targets and identifies compounds for potential babesiosis treatment.

The PCRCR complex of Plasmodium spp. binds basigin on the erythrocyte surface. While Rh5 of the complex is restricted to P. falciparum, PTRAMP, CSS and Ripr orthologs are present across the genus, for which the authors report common features.

Using single-cell transcriptomics and functional analyses, the authors identify a specialized neural network in the male schistosome gynecophoric canal and show that lsamp maintains its integrity, enabling intersex communication and female reproductive maturation.

This study defines tissue- and sex-specific N- and O-glycoproteomes of adult Schistosoma mansoni, uncovers novel and HexA-modified glycans, shows glycosylation is essential for parasite survival, and reveals vaccine candidates as glycoproteins.

While the functions of non-parasite genome-encoded RNAs (ngRNAs) are largely uncharacterized, the authors systematically investigate their roles in blood flukes using an integrated approach of metatranscriptomics, scRNA-seq, RNAi, and molecular methods. They identify and characterize ngRNAs and then elucidate the mechanism through which they regulate key biological traits.

A key mutation conferring maduramicin resistance in Eimeria tenella is identified, and a field-ready molecular assay for rapid detection of ionophore resistance presented.

Fitsum Tadesse was infected with malaria as a young child in Ethiopia and faced challenges to access efficacious treatment during a time of widespread drug resistance. Today, as a scientist in Africa, the fight against Plasmodium falciparum is his prime research goal.

Loveridge and Sigala uncover a divalent metal transporter that is required for cellular iron metabolism in Plasmodium falciparum parasites.

Toxoplasma gondii, a eukaryotic brain parasite that infects one in three people worldwide, was engineered to deliver therapeutics to neurons in the mouse brain. This technology opens the door to deliver multiple large proteins that have been undeliverable with previous approaches. Further development, such as vector attenuation, will be necessary for many applications.

This study reports the identification of an inhibitor of a Toxoplasma gondii myosin motor protein that could be exploited to prevent or treat infections with T. gondii and other apicomplexan parasites.

In this study, Brown et al. show that nutrient deprivation increases Plasmodium falciparum survival and tolerance to the antimalarial drug artemisinin.