Showing papers in "Trends in Parasitology in 2021"

TL;DR: The story of ivermectin is told, describing its anthelmintic and insecticidal actions and recent studies that have sought to reposition iver mectin for the treatment of other diseases that are not caused by helminth and insect parasites.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss potential risks of illegal wildlife trade on the spreading and emergence of zoonotic pathogens and introduce exotic species of animals into new geographical areas, such as Africa and Asia.

TL;DR: Triple artemisinin-based combination therapies will provide one of the last remaining safe and effective treatments for falciparum malaria that can be deployed rapidly in the Greater Mekong Subregion, whereas their deployment beyond the GMS could delay or prevent the global emergence and spread of resistance to currently available drugs.

TL;DR: There is now sufficient evidence for ACTs, and in particular artesunate/pyronaridine, to support clinical studies for COVID-19 infections.

TL;DR: The Malaria Drug Accelerator (MalDA) as discussed by the authors is a consortium of 15 leading scientific laboratories that aims to improve and accelerate the early antimalarial drug discovery process by identifying new, essential, druggable targets.

TL;DR: The time is right to invest in new modalities such as parasitic vaccines or in environmentally friendly interventions, as well as new modes/mechanisms of action for antiparasitic agents.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a new strategy to assess resistance to antimalarial compounds as early as possible in preclinical development by leveraging tools to define the Plasmodium falciparum resistome, predict potential resistance risks of clinical failure for candidate therapeutics, and inform decisions to guide Antimalarial drug development.

TL;DR: In this article, a review highlights the challenges and examines avenues to understand the significance of the tick microbiome in tick biology, highlighting the technical difficulties in manipulating the microbiome and by biological variables related to the life cycle of Ixodid ticks.

TL;DR: Sampling and analytical frameworks are highlighted to address the gap in knowledge of how 'fast-lived' mammal species exhibiting greater fecundity and shorter lifespans tend to host more zoonoses and to better inform zoonotic reservoir prediction.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors synthesise the contribution of network analysis toward disentangling host-parasite processes and identify current trends in mainstream ecology and novel applications of network analyses that present opportunities for research on host and parasitology interactions.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined how Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes have led to significant decreases in dengue virus incidence via high levels of mosquito population suppression and replacement and assessed the prospects of using Wolabi to control other vectors and agricultural pest species.

TL;DR: It is argued that this 'cycle of discovery', where results from one species inform the design of experiments in the other, can use the complementary strengths of both to understand anthelmintic modes of action and mechanisms of resistance.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on recent work pertaining to the effect of gut microbiota, sand fly immunity, and changes in metacyclogenesis upon multiple blood meals, on Leishmania development and transmission.

TL;DR: It is proposed that the origin and optimisation of this differentiation program represents repurposing of a generic stress response to gain considerable gain-of-fitness associated with parasite transmission.

TL;DR: The approach to analyze the effect of the trematode Fasciola hepatica as a modulator of SARS-CoV-2 infection and of COVID-19 pathology is shared.

TL;DR: Satellite remote sensing provides a wealth of information about environmental factors that influence malaria transmission cycles and human populations at risk as discussed by the authors, and further collaboration between the malaria and remote sensing communities is needed to develop and implement useful geospatial data products that will support global efforts toward malaria control, elimination and eradication.

TL;DR: The impact of affordable and rapid genome sequencing systems increasingly being deployed in diagnostic settings and their potential to improve understanding of the unique biology of Giardia duodenalis are reviewed.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a sampling framework to enable robust conclusions from genomic data and associated metadata to uncover the spatial scales of transmission, demographics contributing to transmission patterns, and forecast epidemic trends.

TL;DR: Recent advances in identifying the factors shaping the evolution of Euglenozoa are discussed, focusing on ancestral features generally considered parasite-specific, suggesting that the presence of certain preconditions makes a significant lifestyle change more likely.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors combined information from large-scale genetic screens and targeted gene-disruption studies to tabulate all currently known Plasmodium falciparum exported proteins according to their likelihood of being essential.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed to use olfactory receptors in their antennal Olfactory receptor neurons to detect these compounds and further integrate with the senses of temperature and humidity, as well as vision, processed in the brain into a behavioral output, leading to host finding.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide recommendations for mitigating bias in A. albopictus feeding behavior and highlight design choices for host preference research, which can take many forms, and highlight their respective advantages for preference measurement.

TL;DR: Current knowledge on the biology and biochemistry of Fasciola hepatica juveniles and their molecular relationships with the host tissues are reviewed and the research needs and gaps to be covered are identified.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors synthesize these findings and classify swarming mosquito systems as polygynous, finding that male mating success is highly variable in swarms and evidence suggests that it is likely determined by both scramble competition between males and female choice.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors summarize the current data on development of monoxenous trypanosomatids and phytomonads in various insects and conclude that differences in the intestinal structure and biology of the host determine the variety of parasites' developmental and transmission strategies.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore recent data describing how Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite, associates with one of its most important natural mosquito hosts, Anopheles gambiae, and discuss the implications of these findings for parasite transmission and vector control strategies currently in development.

TL;DR: How an increased demand for animal-derived protein, combined with a lack of appropriate tools for detection of these events, is changing the status quo of these zoonotic parasites is highlighted.

TL;DR: The role of eggs in the nematode life cycle and the current knowledge on the hatching cascade, including the different inducing and contributing factors, are reviewed in this paper, highlighting specific areas of the field that remain unknown.

TL;DR: The mutualistic association between Wolbachia endosymbionts and their filarial nematode hosts has been exploited as a validated drug target delivering macrofilaricidal outcomes as mentioned in this paper.

TL;DR: The morphology and function of the flagellar pockets between different trypanosomatids, with their life cycles and ecological niches likely influencing these differences, are compared.