Parasite of the Day

Student guest post time! One of the assessments that I set for students in my ZOOL329 Evolutionary Parasitology class is for them to write a...

A passing glance at the parasite in today's post might lead you to think that it is a worm, perhaps a nematode. But a closer look would ...

Apicomplexa  is a diverse phylum of single-celled parasites. They are found in a wide range of different animals, and includes some well-kno...

The fate of parasites are often inextricably linked to that of their hosts, and when there are changes in the host population, the effects c...

This is the seventh and final post in a series of blog posts written by students from my third year Evolutionary Parasitology unit (ZOOL329/...

This is the fifth post in a series of blog posts written by students from my third year Evolutionary Parasitology unit (ZOOL329/529) class o...

We have previously featured a number of coccidian parasites on this blog from birds ( here and here ),  alligators , and groundhogs . Today...

Today's parasite is Isospora plectrophenaxia . A few weeks ago, you met a related species - Isospora lesouefi - the coccidian parasite ...

Isospora lesouefi is a coccidian parasite which infects the Regent Honeyeater ( Xanthomyza phrygia ), an endangered species of bird found ...

In Christian lore, three wise men, the magi, traveled from the East bearing gifts for the baby Jesus. These gifts were gold, myrrh and fran...

The beautiful birds of Hawai'i have been battling with an invasive malaria parasite known as Plasmodium relictum , and several - perhaps...

This year, a particular octopus named Paul achieved fame and stardom due to some of his famous shenanigans relating to the World Cup. Howeve...

Isospora felis is a coccidian parasite of cats that typically has a direct life cycle, but may also pass through small rodents , which can ...

Originally confused with Toxoplasma gondii , Neospora caninum is a coccidian parasite that alternates between cattle hosts where it forms c...

Eimeria is a genus of apicomplexan parasites, but are coccidia, so unlike their cousins such as Plasmodium and Babesia , which alternate b...

Plasmodium malariae is another of the five species of Plasmodium that cause the disease malaria in humans, but this is the one you need to...

Dragonflies and damselfies are attractive creatures, yet they too have parasites! These include gregarines, which live in the intestine. Gre...

Recently, you met Babesia microti , an Apicomplexan parasite that is sometimes affectionately referred to as "Montauk malaria" bec...

Plasmodium mexicanum is, without a doubt, the best-studied species of lizard malaria parasite, and that is thanks to decades of work by Dr....

In January, you read about Plasmodium minuoviride , a malaria parasite of lizards, and learned that over 100 malaria parasites use lizard ho...