Parasitic infection articles from across Nature Portfolio

The widespread human parasite Schistosoma haematobium has a distinct, immunogenic glycan profile compared to S. mansoni, highlighting the role of glycans in species-specific parasite-host interactions and as diagnostic targets.

Multimodal spatial imaging of Leishmania donovani-induced hepatic granulomas reveals LPCAT2-mediated lipid membrane remodeling in myeloid cells as a key immunometabolic feature of granuloma formation and macrophage activation.

T. gondii infection leads to differential injury in distinct metabolic profile muscles. Physical endurance exercise protects both muscle and brain against T. gondii-induced damage.

Risk factors for hepatosplenic multimorbidity, particularly in chronic infection contexts, remain poorly understood. Here, the authors develop a Bayesian machine learning framework to jointly model 45 hepatosplenic conditions related to schistosomiasis in rural Uganda, identifying shared risk factors and condition dependencies, as well as improving prediction of severe multimorbidity.

Dixon et al. develop a mathematical model of onchocerciasis skin and ocular morbidity. The model captures age–prevalence patterns and, under simulated mass drug administration, reproduces declines in severe itch and irreversible skin disease.

Seasonal variations in plasma taurine concentrations may allow Plasmodium falciparum infections to avoid splenic clearance during the dry season.

Considering the enormous human and economic toll Chagas disease inflicts, investment in R&D of medical innovations such as diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and vaccines remains disproportionately low.

Neglected tropical diseases affect more than a billion people worldwide, cause ill health and perpetuate cycles of poverty. Behavioural change can help, particularly through hygiene. But to achieve this we first need to understand the complex circumstances that mean hygiene is not always prioritized.

Variation in inter-individual immune phenotypes can be influenced by both genetics and environmental factors. Using a range of different inbred strains of mice that were kept either indoors or in an outdoor enclosure — ‘rewilded’ — we found that both genetics and environment combine to dictate an individual’s immune profile and outcome to parasitic helminth infections.