News by Subject Biology

Public Release: 18-Oct-2018

Bug guts shed light on Central America Chagas disease

In Central America, Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is spread by the 'kissing bug' Triatoma dimidiata. By collecting DNA from the guts of these bugs, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have described patterns in the behavior of the bugs, the strain of parasite, and the communities of microbes that interact with the parasite.

Journal: PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Public Release: 17-Oct-2018

UNH researchers say winter ticks killing moose at alarming rate

University of New Hampshire

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found that the swell of infestations of winter ticks -- which attach themselves to moose during the fall and feed throughout the winter -- is the primary cause of an unprecedented 70 percent death rate of calves over a three-year period.

Journal: Canadian Journal of Zoology
Funder: New Hampshire Fish and Game and Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration, UNH, Safari Club International Foundation

Public Release: 15-Oct-2018

Parasites from medieval latrines unlock secrets of human history

University of Oxford

A radical new approach combining archaeology, genetics and microscopy can reveal long-forgotten secrets of human diet, sanitation and movement from studying parasites in ancient poo, according to new Oxford University research.

Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Public Release: 14-Oct-2018

Human and cattle decoys trap malaria mosquitoes outdoors

BioMed Central

Host decoy traps which mimic humans or cattle by combining odor, heat and a conspicuous visual stimulus could be effective at measuring and controlling outdoor-biting mosquitoes in malaria endemic regions, according to a study published in the open access journal Parasites & Vectors.

Journal: Parasites & Vectors

Public Release: 10-Oct-2018

Shrimp talent quest finds a winner

James Cook University

Shrimp help keep fish clean -- and scientists have identified the 'cleaner shrimp' with the most talent for reducing parasites and chemical use in farmed fish.

Journal: Scientific Reports

Public Release: 9-Oct-2018

Unseen infections harming world's children, research reveals

University of Virginia Health System

Children around the world are suffering from unnoticed infections that are stunting their growth and mental development, new research from an international coalition of scientists reveals.

Journal: The Lancet Global Health
Funder: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Foundation forthe National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center

Public Release: 9-Oct-2018

Increased cyto-adhesion of malaria parasites during fever uncovered

Singapore University of Technology and Design

A research team from Singapore demonstrated how the cyto-adhesion of plasmodium-infected red blood cells is enhanced at febrile temperatures. Through dual-micropipette step-pressure technique, they studied the interactions between P. falciparum-infected RBCs (iRBCs) and Chinese Hamster Ovary cells expressing Chondroitin sulfate A (CHO-CS), to discover that adhesion force and percentage are elevated at febrile temperature. The team also identified that significant increase of phosphatidyserine on iRBCs is the likely contributor to the elevated cyto-adhesion.

Journal: Scientific Reports

Public Release: 8-Oct-2018

Potential assay artefacts in anti-malarial screening documented

Singapore University of Technology and Design

A research group led by Assistant Professor Rajesh Chandramohanadas from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) documented the permissible limits of a number of chemicals that are often part of anti-malarial efficacy tests. Their results provide a previously undetermined dataset on drug reconstitution conditions at which both the red cell integrity and plasmodium growth and proliferation are not compromised.

Journal: Scientific Reports

Public Release: 8-Oct-2018

MIT, SMART and NTU scientists have discovered a potential treatment for severe malaria

Nanyang Technological University

Scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have discovered a potential treatment that could be effective against severe malaria and even drug-resistant malaria.

Journal: PLOS Pathogens

Public Release: 8-Oct-2018

Vaccinating humans to protect mosquitoes from malaria

University at Buffalo

For decades, scientists have been trying to develop a vaccine that prevents mosquitoes from spreading malaria among humans. This unique approach -- in which immunized humans transfer anti-malarial proteins to mosquitoes when bitten -- is called a transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV). A new biotech advancement moves us closer to this goal. If successful, it could help reduce the spread of the disease, which kills more than 400,000 people annually.

Journal: Nature Nanotechnology
Funder: PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

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