Toxoplasma gondii vs. Warm-Blooded Animals: An evolutionary arms race

By Raelynn Horner Edited by Kyle Lesack Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most well known parasites to the general public because it infects around one third of the human population and is a widespread, common infection of domestic and wild animals (Sanchez & Besteiro, 2021). It is one of the most well studied parasites …

Mind Control: A little more science than fiction

A look into how Glyptapanteles wasps provide insight on the Usurpation Hypothesis and the not-so fictional world of parasitic mind control. By Emma Forrester Edited by Kyle Lesack Source: National Geographic. Body invaders | national geographic - youtube. (2009). Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch/vMG-LWyNcAs In Robert A. Heinlein’s 1951 sci-fi novel, The Puppet Masters, …

An Introduction to the Myxozoans

By Viraj Muthye Edited by Kyle Lesack In 2016, the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks department in the USA closed access to over 180 miles of the Yellowstone River 1. Activities like fishing, swimming, floating, and boating were prohibited. This step was drastic because the river supports tourism, agriculture, industry, and recreation, with its fishery …

Worms allied against…cancer?

By Blanca Callejas Edited by Kyle Lesack For some people, worms can be gross and terrifying, but their incredible ability to modulate/regulate the host response to themselves is undeniable. This characteristic has been widely studied to treat inflammatory and immune-mediated human diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (1) but …

Host Switch: How a monkey malaria parasite (Plasmodium knowlesi) manages to become a new human parasite

By Rajnigandha Pushpker (Rajni) Supervisor: Dr. Ian Lewis Edited by Kyle Lesack As we try to navigate through our daily life challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I am sure the idea that the coronavirus emerged due to “host switch from bats”, must have grabbed everyone’s attention. But what is host switching? How can …

Examining the Freshwater Snails and Trematode Parasites of Northern Manitoba

By Nicola Odaisky Edited by Kyle Lesack Background Over the past summer I had the privilege of assisting Weston Family Northern Scientist and postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Olwyn Friesen in examining freshwater snails along with their trematode parasites in northern Manitoba.  My involvement in this research project was in fulfillment of the undergraduate course Molecular …

Educating the Public about Parasites with Guess Your Date!

By Emily DeMichele Edited by Kyle Lesack Public health education has never been as central in our lives as it has been through the past two years of the current pandemic.  However, we have also seen how easy it is for misinformation and fear to govern individual’s responses, shielding them from the scientific facts.  This …

Gall wasps: An overview of one of the world’s most incredible parasitic insects and its relationship with its host

By Allie Neill Edited by Kyle Lesack Lifecyle Gall wasps, among other gall-forming insects, possess one of the most interesting life strategies in the natural world. A ‘gall’ is an abnormal swelling or outgrowth of tissue. The name ‘gall wasp’ refers to a group of Hymenopterans from various families, the most notable of which is …

An in-depth look at the parasitic botfly: its perception and discussion in pop-culture

By Allie Neill Edited by Kyle Lesack In the previous blog post, basic botfly biology was described and an overview of the relevant scientific literature was summarized. Here, the depiction of botflies in pop culture is contrasted with the scientific literature. Summary of pop-culture             There is a moderate sized body of pop-culture sources published …

An in-depth look at the parasitic botfly: Discussions in scientific literature

By Allie Neill Edited by Kyle Lesack Introduction             If you’ve ever heard of botflies, you’ve probably seen them in gruesome videos or blog posts describing them as “human flesh-eating parasites”. Most of this is true. They are in fact flesh eating parasites. Humans, however, have little to do with it. Their parasitism of people …