The TWiP-lets reveal Balamuthia infection in the Children from Peru, and discuss resistance to pyrethroids revealed by RNA sequencing of Anopheles mosquitoes.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Balamuthia (CDC)
• Pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles (Parasit Vectors)
• Voltage-gated sodium channels
• Pyrethroid (Wikipedia)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 98

Case study for TWiP 98

This week's case is a Professor clinician, teacher, researcher.  In his 50s, he presents with lesion on big toe, anterior portion, tip, nodular. No surrounding redness, area is itchy. Has a small central black area the size of pencil tip, concerned because feels is getting larger over last week. Spooky. Travels, last in Brasil, had been for a few weeks, noticed toe issue a week after returned. Spent time on beach, but wore flip flops. Different types of beaches, crowded and not crowded. Went with wife. Healthy man, no prior medical problems.

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The paratenic hosts reveal a case of scabies in the Traveling Salesman, and discuss a role for natural antibody in protection from infection with Plasmodium.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Parasite Nobel Prizes 2015
• Ivermectin story (Nat Rev Micro)
• Ivermectin target (Brain Res)
• Gut microbiota and Plasmodium protection (Cell)
• Natural antibody (virology blog)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 97

Case study for TWiP 97

Daniel has two cases this week. Two people with similar presentations. A 12 yo girl in Peru presented for care with painless dark brown area on right knee. Has brothers and sisters, often play together. No trauma, but area is expanding. Months later develops cognitive changes. Second case is a 5 yo boy from the coastal region of Peru brought in by Mother, has red swollen area on face. Mom says while playing scratched nose, swelling right cheek, eye, nasal obstruction, no response to antibiotics. MRI of both show infiltrating process. Girl, left side of brain, middle cerebral artery territory. Boy in frontal region, midline area. Thus both skin lesions associated with infiltrating process in brain. Came into clinic months after lesions started, and lesions still present.

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The TWiPanosomes solve the case about the Young Woman who Went to Belize, and relate how sandfly saliva skews the immune response and increases risk of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Sandfly exposure and risk of cutaneous leishmaniasis (J Inf Dis)
• TWiP 14: Leishmania
• Image is L. longipalpis (credit)
• Letters read on TWiP 96

Case study for TWiP 96

Daniel's patient for this week is male patient referred for consultation by OB-GYN: his wife is pregnant, has been admitted and is about the give birth. It is her first pregnancy. There are concerns about the husband's skin problem and whether it is a threat to his pregnant wife. No lesions on woman, husband recently developed itchy skin problem on his hands. Bilateral. Small papules on webs of fingers, brown lines, blood clots at ends, has clearly scratched the lesions. Skin between fingers is involved. Travels, often stays in cheap hotels. Beds not clean. Last trip 1 month before symptoms.  Midwest travel. Family history of heart disease. Sales occupation. No animal exposure. Travels to medium to large cities. 

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel solve the case about the 33 year old Chinese male with watery diarrhea, and discuss whether arsenic in drinking water might lead to treatment failures for Leishmania infections.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• TWiP 17: Entamoeba histolytica
• Arsenic exposure and Leishmania treatment outcomes (PLoS NTD)
• TWiP 14: Leishmania
• Letters read on TWiP 95

This episode is sponsored by ASMGAP.

Case study for TWiP 95

Daniel's patient for this week is a 28 yo single female, returns from beach vacation with new boyfriend. Two weeks in Central America (Belize). Often found secluded beaches. Good health, noticed upon her return had small nodules/papules on front of thighs. Thought were insect bites, became very itchy. Noticed serpiginous red lines forming, radiating out from bumps. Felt things moving in her skin. Benadryl did not help. Daniel say something similar occurs in Lima. Healthy, no allergies, surgeries, no relevant family history, using barrier contraception, sexually active. Only drinks alcohol socially. Boyfriend did not report symptoms. She did lie on sand, used thin fabric. Stayed in hotel. There were wild dogs on beach. During her stay she ate ceviche. No intestinal symptoms.

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel solve the case about the man from El Salvador, discuss the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors to treat onchocerciasis and filariasis.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Targeting filarial tyrosine kinases (J Inf Dis)
• Onchocerciasis on TWiP 24
• Filariasis on TWiP TWiP 25
• Image shows c-abl kinase bound to imatinib (red)
• Image credit
• What good are ticks?
• Letters read on TWiP 94

Case study for TWiP 94

Daniel's patient was seen in the clinic. He is a 33 yo chinese male, from Chinatown NYC, for several months on and off has had watery diarrhea, headaches. Tried reflexology, chiropractic therapy, with no results. Has traveled quite a bit, been in Chile (was there a few months before). Came to US when young. Grew up in the US. In Chile, has had many sexual partners, >50, of both sexes, also has done many drugs. Two years ago was diagnosed with chronic HIV, CD4 count 685, on ARVs triple therapy, virus loads are well controlled. Has had syphilis, nose job, no medication allergies. Lives with family. On exam, afebrile, looks well. Symptom onset a few months after last Chile visit. Is an addventurous eater.

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel solve their fishy tale, and present a new case study for your consumption.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Freezing and the quality of sushi (Clin Inf Dis)
• Anisakis biology (CDC)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 93

Case study for TWiP 92

April 2015 a 177 lb 5ft10in 39 yo man seen as outpatient in ID clinic, reports 2 y ago had issues with constipation on and off; throat hurts; feels closing when lies down. For several years has had skin irritation on upper chest and arms. Tried to donate blood, was rejected, told to see doctor.

Emigrated to US from El Salvador 2002, married, reports no extramarital sex, smokes 2-3 cigs/day, now quit; had drinking issue in past, no more; was agricultural worker in rural part of El Salvador; has history of asthma, on a number of medicines, including steriod nasal spray, inhaler, no visual problems, healthy appearing, not allergic to medicines. Family history: mother heart attack and diabetes; father peptic ulcer disease.

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel discuss how fluctuation in the price of guinea pig food could help transmission of the agent of Chagas disease, and present a new case study for your consumption.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Ascaris on TWiP 21
• Ascaris lumbricoides life cycle (jpg)
• Child with distended abdomen due to Ascaris (jpg)
• Bottlenecks and Chagas disease (Proc Biol Soc)
• Letters read on TWiP 92

Case study for TWiP 92

A 20 yo Japanese female student went to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. nausea, had vomited. Had just enjoyed homemade sushi an hour or two previuosly. She prepared the sushi: rice, salmon, tuna rolls. Salmon was local, caught by boyfriend. Tuna from store, sushi grade. No past medical history, mother with anemia. Takes oral contraceptives. No toxic habits. No travel. Monogamous. Temp 100.2, bp 140/90, hr high 90s, breathing upper teens. Physical exam normal except appears distressed in pain, belly extended, tender in left upper quadrant. Friends ate sushi but no one else got sick. All guests ate both types of fish.

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel review how Viagra might be used to block transmission of Plasmodium falciparum, and introduce a new case study.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Malaria life cycle (jpg)
• cAMP regulates gametocyte infected erythrocyte deformability (PLoS Path)
• P. falciparum in bone marrow (Blood)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 91

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel discuss identification of an erythrocyte protein essential for invasion of Plasmodium falciparum, and introduce a new case study.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Dermatobia hominis (Wikipedia)
• Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte invasion (Science)
• Plasmodium life cycle (TWiP #10)
• Letters read on TWiP 90

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel reveal last week's case study and introduce a new one concerning a patient who traveled to Belize.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Neurocysticercosis (TWiP 6)
• Cysticercosis (CDC)
• Sarah Lane's neurocysticercosis
• Letters read on TWiP 89

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel discuss how a secreted protein from the protozoan parasite Theileria transforms its host cells via a cellular proto-oncogene.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Leishmania (TWiP #14)
• Transformation by a prolyl isomerase (Nature)
• Theileria.org
• Prolyl isomerase (Wikipedia)
• Image from Transformation & Oncogenesis
• Letters read on TWiP 88

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel review new insight into antigenic variation in trypanosomes, reveal the difficult solution to the last case study, and present another mystery for your solving.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Pinworm (CDC)
• Pinworm on TWiP #19
• Dynamics of antigenic variation in T. brucei (Science)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 87

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel discuss how filarial infection modulates the immune response to mycobacterial infection, and reveal a new case study.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Filarial infection modulate immune response (J Immunol)
• Memory T cells (Wikipedia)
• Image: Loa loa microfilaria
• Letters read on TWiP 86

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel explain how trypanolytic factor forms membrane channels to lyse trypanosomes, and present a new case study.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Human trypanolytic factor forms channels (PNAS)
• Human paragonimiasis (MMWR)
• Don't eat raw crawfish
• Daniel and Dickson in studio (jpg)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 85

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel consider the delivery of anti-trypanosome nanobodies to the tsetse fly via a bacterial symbiont, and present a new case study.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Delivery of a functional nanobody to tsetse flies (Microb Cell Fact)
• Nanobodies (Wikipedia)
• V.B. Wigglesworth (Wikipedia)
• VB Nimble, VB Quick
• Knott test
• Mazzotti reaction
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 84

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel present a new case study, and discuss the effect of chronic malaria infection on wild warbler life span and telomere degradation.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Effect of chronic malaria infection on wild warblers (Science)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 83

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel solve last week's case study, present a new one, and reveal how secreted proteins from a helminth prevent diabetes in mice.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Babesiosis (CDC)
• Babesiosis blood smear with Maltese cross (NEJM)
• Helminth proteins prevent diabetes in mice (PLoS One)
• Letters read on TWiP 82

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Vincent, Dickson, and Daniel provide the solution to last week's case study, present a new one, and discuss how immune suppression by nematodes increases tuberculosis fatality in African buffalo.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Consequences of living in a wormy world (Am Nat)
• Opposite effects of antihelminthic treatment on microbial infection (Science)
• Send your case study solutions to twip@twiv.tv
• Daniel's cufflinks (jpg)
• Daniel's TB bowtie (jpg)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 81

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 Vincent and Dickson welcome new TWiP host Daniel to discuss the association of a new Mycoplasma with Trichomoniasis, and to introduce a new feature to the show, a case study.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

Links for this episode:

• Association of Mycoplasma with trichomoniasis (PLoS One)
• Biggest DNA genomes (Wikipedia)
• Send your case study solutions to twip@twiv.tv
• Letters read on TWiP 80

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Vincent and Dickson discuss the spread of P. knowlesi in Malaysia, and how Leishmania parasites protect the sandfly gut from bacterial infection.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Spread of P. knowlesi in Malaysia (NY Times)
• Climate change in Europe and vector transmitted disease (Infez Med)
• Colonisation resistance in the sandfly gut (Parasites & Vectors)
• Car Talk co-host dies
• Early Career Scientists Symposium
• Image credit: Anne Marie
• Letters read on TWiP 79

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Vincent and Dickson discuss how malaria parasites induce odors in their rodent hosts that attract mosquitoes.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Visceral Leishmaniasis, South Sudan (ProMedMail)
• Malaria-induced changes in host odors (PNAS)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 77

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Vincent and Dickson discuss the exchange of messenger RNAs between a parasitic plant and its hosts.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Exchange of mRNAs between parasite and plant (Science)
• White leaf rust (Wikipedia)
• Cuscuta (Wikipedia)
• Fungal haustoria (PNAS)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 77

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Vincent and Dickson discuss how infection of mice with helminths induces cytokines that reactivate a latent gamma-herpesvirus.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Helminths reactivate herpesvirus (Science)
• How helminths go viral (Science)
• Herpesvirus latency protects from bacterial infection (Nature)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 76

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Bobbi Pritt joins Vincent and Dickson to talk about directing a clinical parasitology laboratory and her weekly case reports at Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Guest: Bobbi Pritt

Links for this episode:

• Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites
• Letters read on TWiP 75

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Vincent and Dickson review a novel malaria vaccine candidate comprising a parasite protein involved in egress from red blood cells.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Egress protein a malaria vaccine candidate (Science)
• Human proteins (Wikipedia)
• Plasmodium genomics resource
• Image: P. falciparum ring forms and gametocytes in blood
• Letters read on TWiP 74

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Vincent and Dickson discuss how nibbling of human cells by Entamoeba histolytica, a process called amoebic trogocytosis, contributes to cell killing and tissue invasion.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Trogocytosis by E. histolytica (Nature)
• Trogocytosis
• Entamoeba histolytica (TWiP 17)
• Entamoeba histolytica life cycle (jpg)
• Image: E. histolytica nibbling a green cell (credit)
• Letters read on TWiP 73

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Vincent and Dickson discuss five ways that helminths manipulate host tissues to survive.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Wormholes in host defense (PLoS Path)
• Lung coin lesion (Wikipedia)
• Granuloma (Wikipedia)
• Jar that Dickson is holding (jpg)
• Letters read on TWiP 72

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson review the finding that urocanic acid in the skin is a chemoattractant for the parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis.

Download TWiP #71 (60 MB .mp3, 84 minutes).

Links for this episode:

• Strongyloides stercoralis (TWiP #71)
• Urocanic acid is a S. stercoralis chemoattractant (PNAS)
• Chemical trails of parasites (PNAS)
• Urocanic acid (Wikipedia)
• Candiru (Wikipedia)
• Your Inner Fish (PBS)
• Letters read on TWiP 71

Contact

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss the finding of Gnathostoma nematodes in Asian swamp eels from US live markets and wild populations.

Links for this episode:

• Guinea worm eradication at risk (Science)
• Gnathostomiasis (CDC)
• Asian swamp eel
• Gnathostoma in live swamp eels (EID)
• Interview with Rebecca Cole (YouTube)
• Letters read on TWiP 70

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss an increase in the altitude of malaria distribution in warmer years in the highlands of Colombia and Ethiopia.

Links for this episode:

• Altitudinal changes in malaria incidence (Science)
• El Niño (Wikipedia)
• NOAA El Niño page
• Image credit: Science
• Letters read on TWiP 69

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello Dickson Despommier, and Sagi Shapira

Vincent, Dickson, and Sagi discuss evidence that the pathogen Trypanosoma brucei undergoes meiosis and sexual reproduction.

Links for this episode:

• Meiosis and haploid gametes in T. brucei (Curr Biol)
• Meiosis (Wikipedia)
• Letters read on TWiP 68

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson explain the genetic and molecular basis of drug resistance in Schistosoma mansonii.

Links for this episode:

• Basis of resistance to oxamniquine (Science)
• Oxamniquine (Wikipedia)
• Letters read on TWiP 67

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss reversible inhibitors of cruzipain as new drugs for treating Chagas disease.

Links for this episode:

• Reversible cysteine protease inhibitors for Chagas (AAC)
• New drug candidates for Chagas (ScienceDaily)
• Pancake ice (YouTube)
• Letters read on TWiP 66

Contact

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson consider the effects of climate change on parasitic diseases.

Links for this episode:

• Climate change and infectious diseases (Science)
• The more parasites the better? (Science)
• Host and parasite control disease risk (PNAS)
• Parasites dominate food web links (PNAS)
• The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
• Image credit: PLoS One
• Letters read on TWiP 65

Dickson's Pick

Neglected by Shelly Xie (YouTube)

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson review three novel approaches to antimalarial chemotherapy.

Links for this episode:

• Targeting PI(4)K to eliminate malaria (Nature)
• Antimicrobial peptides to target sporogonic stages of malaria (PLoS Path)
• Small molecule blocks malaria invasion of mosquito (PLoS Path)
• Photo credit
• Letters read on TWiP 64

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss evidence that the malaria parasite originated in gorillas.

Links for this episode:

• Great apes and zoonoses (Science)
• Source of human malaria (PNAS)
• Origin of human malaria parasite in gorillas (Nature)
• Ape Plasmodium in Cameroon not infecting humans (PNAS)
• No Plasmodium in greater spot-nosed monkey (Int J Parasit)
• TWiP 13: Toxoplasmosis
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 62

Contact

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss the high diversity of malaria parasites in West African bats, and a vaccine against hookworm.

Links for this episode:

• High diversity of West African bat malaria parasites (PNAS)
• Human hookworm vaccine (Vaccine)
• Gongylonema infection in human (Am J Trop Med Hyg) 
• Letters read on TWiP 62

Contact

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson review examples of paleoparasitology, the detection of parasites in archaeological material.

Links for this episode:

• T. rex had Trichomonas (PLoS One)
• King Richard III had worms (CNN)
• Discovery of toilets in Japan (Mem Inst Os Cruz)
• Paleoparasitology in the Old World (Mem Inst Os Cruz)
• Soils from Seoul (J Arachael Sci)
• Ancient parasite infections in Old World (pdf)
• Ascaris in coprolites (Mem Inst Os Cruz)
• Human intestinal parasites in the past (Mem Inst Os Cruz)
• Letters read on TWiP 61

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

Subscribe

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss how infection with Toxoplasma gondii causes mice to lose their aversion to cat urine, even after the parasites have been cleared.

Links for this episode:

• T. gondii in mice causes loss of aversion to cat urine (PLoS One)
• Cyclosporiasis update (CDC)
• Letters read on TWiP 60

Listener Pick

Blaine - The Worm Within

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson update the multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, discuss the avian malaria parasite P. lophurae, and review protection against malaria by intravenous immunization with a nonreplicating sporozoite vaccine.

Links for this episode:

• Cyclosporiasis outbreak in US (CDC)
• Extraordinary history of REV (PLoS Biology)
• Avian malaria (Ann NY Acad Sci)
• P. lophurae (J Parasitol)
• TWiP infects TWiV (TWiV 248)
• Intravenous malaria vaccine (Science)
• Unconventional malaria vaccine (Science)
• Image of apicomplexan structure: Wikipedia
• Letters read on TWiP 59

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Guest: Cali Despommier

Vincent and Dickson update the multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, and Dickson reads a chapter from his new book.

Links for this episode:

• Dickson and Cali (jpg)
• Cyclosporiasis keeps spreading (ProMedMail)
• Cyclosporiasis is not a virus! (Gawker)
• Cyclosporiasis is not a virus! (Yahoo)
• The Global Dispatch
• People, Parasites, and Plowshares by Dickson Despommier
• Letters read on TWiP 58

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

Subscribe (free)

Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss Myxobolus cerebralis, the parasite that causes whirling disease of salmonids.

Links for this episode:

• Myxobolus cerebralis (Wikipedia)
• Fish migration (Wikipedia)
• Trout with whirling disease (YouTube)
  
  
• Letters read on TWiP 55

Listener Pick

Amanda - Pandemic: On the Brink

Contact

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Subscribe (free)

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson reveal how invasive harlequin ladybirds use biological weapons against their competitors.

Links for this episode:

• Invasive Harlequin Ladybirds' biological weapon (Science)
• Immunity an invasive success (Science)
• Invading ladybugs carry bioweapons (C&EN)
• Ladybird Ladybird (Wikipedia)
• G. Evelyn Hutchinson (Wikipedia)
• Letters read on TWiP 55

Dickson's Pick

An Inordinate Fondess for Beetles by Arthur V. Evans, Charles L. Bellamy

Listener Pick

Jessie - Pandemic, the board game

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson consider a case history of a young man with Blastocystis hominis - is it causing his disease?

Links for this episode:

• Blastocystis (Wikipedia)
• Blastocystis review (Trends Parasitol)
• Letters read on TWiP 54

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

Subscribe (free)

Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss the finding that immunity to a sandfly salivary protein protects against fatal visceral leishmaniasis in hamsters.

Links for this episode:

• Immunity to a salivary protein protects against leishmaniasis (PNAS)
• Image of blood-fed Lutzomyia longipalpis (right) credit
• Short history of Leishmania vaccines
• Leishmania on TWiP #14
• Letters read on TWiP 53

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson review the life cycle and pathogenesis of the giant kidney worm, Dioctophyme renale.

Links for this episode:

• Dioctophymiasis (CDC)
• Dioctophyme renale (Wikipedia)
• Fatal bilateral dioctophymiasis (J Parasitol)
• Clinical Parasitology by Paul C. Beaver
• D. renale in a dog (Vet. Parasitol.)
• Surgical removal of D. renale (YouTube)
• Letters read on TWiP 52

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Guest: Anthony A. James

Special guest Anthony A. James joins Vincent and Dickson to discuss how mosquitoes can be genetically modified to control infectious diseases.

Links for this episode:

• Field cage studies of modified mosquitoes (PLoS NTD)
• Flightless mosquitoes (PNAS)
• When mutant mosquitoes attack (NY Times)

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson reveal how malaria parasites avoid lysis by complement in the mosquito.

Links for this episode:

• Malaria parasites co-opt factor H (Cell Host Microbe)
• Complement system (Wikipedia)
• Letters read on TWiP 50

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss innate immune sensing of Toxoplasma gondii in mice, and heme metabolism in protozoan parasites.

Links for this episode:

• Sensing Toxoplasma in mice (Cell Host Microbe)
• Make it, take it, or leave it (PLoS Path)
• Heme (Wikipedia)
• Letters read on TWiP 49

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Josef Sabo

Vincent, Dickson, and Josef discuss tetraspanins on the surface of schistosomes as vaccine candidates and immune evasion proteins.

Links for this episode:

• S. japonicum tetraspanin-2 as a vaccine target (PLoS NTP)
• Protection with S. mansoni tetraspanin-2 (PLoS NTP)
• S. mansoni tetraspanins confer protection (Nat Med)
• Tetraspanins
• Letters read on TWiP 48

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Subscribe (free)

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson review evidence that a virus of the protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis may exacerbate disease.

Links for this episode:

• Endobiont viruses sensed by the human host (PLoS One)
• Letters read on TWiP 47

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss Toxoplasma biology with Stanford University Professor John Boothroyd.

Links for this episode:

• T. gondii and free range animals
• Kiss and spit: Toxoplasma rhoptries (Nat Rev Micro)
• Toxoplasma cell invasion (Curr Opin Micro)
• Loading of IRG onto parasitophorous vacuole (Cell Micro)
• Toxoplasma gondii on TWiP #12

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Subscribe (free)

Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed or by email

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson explain how a nematode manipulates cricket behavior and alters the food web of a stream.

Links for this episode:

• Nematomorph parasites alter food web of streams (Ecol Lett)
• Manipulation of cockle behavior by a trematode (Parasitology)
• Cockles infected by one parasite are more susceptible to a second (J Parasitol)
• Letters read on TWiP 44

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Vincent and Dickson review how sickle cell microRNAs contribute to malaria resistance, and inhibition of innate immune responses by an enzyme from trypanosomes.

Links for this episode:

• microRNAs involved in sickle cell resistance to Plasmodium (Cell Host Microbe)
• Trypanosome adenylate cyclases modulate innate immune response (Science)
• Letters read on TWiP 43

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson answer listener emails about Leishmania, dual infection of vectors, tapeworms, liver flukes, toxoplasmosis, and much more.

Links for this episode:

• Metabolic pathways required by Leishmania (Ann Rev Micro)
• Tapeworms in people's brains (Carl Zimmer)
• Poison Ivy
• Bovine tuberculosis disguised by liver fluke (Nature)
• Giant kidney worm (YouTube)
• Crowd-sourced games for telepathology
• Ivermectin for alcohol abuse
• Ivermectin and alcohol abuse in mice (Neuropharm)
• Etymology of Loa
• Worm removed from man's eye (BBC)
• Ticks keep on ticking (PLoS One article)
• Letters read on TWiP 42

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson review medically important arthropods.

Links for this episode:

• Thomas Eisner
• Incomplete metamorphosis in insects (jpg)
• Complete metamorphosis in an insect with aquatic immature stages (jpg)
• Complete metamorphosis in an insect with terrestrial immature stages (jpg)
• Letters read on TWiP 41

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson discuss loaiasis caused by the filarial nematode Loa loa.

Right-click to download TWiP #40 (52 MB .mp3, 73 minutes).

Links for this episode:

• Albendazole therapy for US-bound refugees (NEJM)
• Microfilaria of Loa loa (png)
• Loa loa life cycle (png)
• Letters read on TWiP 40

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson review the biology and pathogenesis of the amoebae Naegleria fowlerii and Acanthamoeba castellani.

Links for this episode:

• N. fowlerii life cycle (CDC)
• N. fowlerii at Artful Amoeba
• Naegleria and amoebic meningoencephalitis (MDPH)
• First case of Naegleria PAM in Italy (Emerg Inf Dis)
• N. fowlerii in well water (Emerg Inf Dis)
• Recent N. fowlerii case in Minnesota (Clin Inf Dis)
• Beat the holiday bug (Sydney Morning Herald)
• Is your neti pot safe? (Dallas News)
• Acanthamoeba keratitis fact sheet (CDC)
• Letters read on TWiP 39

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dickson tackle the backlog of listener email, then consider the life cycle and pathogenesis of Trichomonas vaginalis, the flagellated protozoan transmitted by sexual contact.

Links for this episode:

• T. vaginalis life cycle (jpg)
• T. vaginalis hydrogenosome (jpg)
• Letters read on TWiP 38

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Vincent and Dickson review how gut bacteria help establish T. muris in the large intestine of mice.

Vincent and Dickson discuss control of malaria with their Columbia University colleague David Fidock.

Vincent and Dickson discuss control of malaria and filariasis with the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia.

Vincent and Dickson review an in silico pipeline for identifying molecular mimicry candidate proteins in the genomes of parasites, and catch up on listener email.

Vincent and Dickson discuss immune evasion by the cruzain protease of T. cruzi, and novel tetraspanin antigens of S. japonicum.

Vincent and Dickson discuss the promising results of a phase III trial of a malaria vaccine in African children.

Vincent and Dickson have a broad-ranging conversation with Charles Knirsch of Pfizer, Inc. about how public-private partnerships can function to control and eliminate infectious diseases.

Vincent and Dickson converse with Peter Hotez about global health, vaccinology, and neglected tropical diseases.

Vincent and Dickson discuss medical entomology with Robert W. Gwadz, Assistant Chief of the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research at NIAID.

Vincent and Dickson continue their discussion of trematodes, or flukes, which have a snail as a reservoir host.

Vincent and Dickson take on the schistosomes, agents of a series of related diseases in humans referred to as schistosomiasis.

Vincent and Dickson discuss the life cycle and pathogenesis of Onchocerca volvulus, the vector-borne filarial nematode parasite that causes onchocerciasis, or river blindness.

Vincent and Dickson review the life cycle and pathogenesis of the world's most unusual parasite, Strongyloides stercoralis.

Vincent and Dickson discuss possibly the most socially and politically important nematode of humans, the hookworm Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus.

Vincent and Dickson review the biology and pathogenesis of Ascaris lumbricoides, one of the largest nematodes to infect humans.

Vincent and Dickson continue their discussion of nematodes with the whipworm Trichuris trichiura.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Trichuris trichiura adult female (jpg)
• Trichuris trichiura adult male (jpg)
• Trichuris trichiura in situ (jpg)
• Trichuris trichiura life cycle (jpg)
• Exploitation of the intestinal microflora by T. muris
• Letters read on TWiP 20

Contact

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Subscribe (free)

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Vincent and Dickson move on to nematodes with a discussion of the pinworm Enterobius vermicularis.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Enterobius vermicularis adult female (jpg)
• Enterobius vermicularis in appendix (jpg)
• Enterobius vermicularis embryonated eggs (jpg)
• Enterobius vermicularis life cycle (jpg)
• Letters read on TWiP 19

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Subscribe (free)

Click here to receive an email notification when a new episode of TWiP is published.

Vincent and Dickson discuss the intracellular parasite Cryptosporidium, which causes diarrheal disease in most mammalian species.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Cryptosporidium parvum electron micrograph (jpg)
• Cryptosporidium parvum meronts (jpg)
• Cryptosporidium parvum life cycle (jpg)
• Cryptosporidium page at CDC
• Letters read on TWiP 18

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Subscribe (free)

Click here to receive an email notification when a new episode of TWiP is published.

Vincent and Dickson continue their discussion of protozoan parasites that cause diarrhea with a review of amebic dysentery caused by Entamoeba histolytica.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Entamoeba histolytica cyst (jpg)
• Entamoeba histolytica trophozoite (jpg)
• Entamoeba histolytica life cycle (jpg)
• Galactose prevents attachment of amoebae to cells (jpg)
• Entamoeba histolytica life cycle (jpg)
• Charcot-Leyden crystal (jpg)
• Letters read on TWiP 17

Contact

Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.

Subscribe (free)

Click here to receive an email notification when a new episode of TWiP is published.

Vincent and Dickson review the life cycle and pathogenesis of the flagellated protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Giardia lamblia trophozoite (jpg)
• Giardia lamblia cyst (jpg)
• Giardia lamblia life cycle (jpg)
• Heather's view of T. canis life cycle (pdf)
• Letters read on TWiP 16

Vincent and Dickson discuss the life cycle and pathogenesis of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

Vincent and Dickson consider the life cycle and pathogenesis of the protozoan parasite Leishmania.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

Vincent and Dickson continue their discussion of the obligate intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii with a consideration of the clinical consequences of infection and pathogenesis.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

Vincent and Dickson introduce the obligate intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, one of the most successful parasites on earth.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

Vincent and Dickson continue their discussion of malaria, with emphasis on clinical aspects of the disease.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

Vincent and Dickson trace the life cycle of Plasmodium in a mosquito and in a human host.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Mosquito cycle - sporogany (jpg)
• Plasmodium falciparum cycle (jpg)
• Plasmodium vivax cycle (jpg)
• Plasmodium falciparum ring forms and gametocytes in blood (jpg)
• Plasmodium stages (jpg)
• Letters read on TWiP 10

Vincent and Dickson move on to protozoan parasites with a discussion of the early history of malaria.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Malaria history at CDC
• Radio New Zealand show on hookworms (thanks James!)
• Tapeworm brain infection serious health concern (thanks Jim!)
• Pig farmers try to limit pork tapeworm spread (thanks Gopal!)
• Bizarre tongue-eating fish parasite (thanks Arsen!)
• Letters read on TWiP 9

Dickson reads his story about sparganosis caused by the diphyllobothroid tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Spirometra life cycle (jpg)
• Dickson on vertical farming (CNN episode on YouTube, thanks Jesse!)
• Laboratory identification of parasites (CDC, thanks Michael!)
• Gold nanoparticles take out brain parasite (Cosmos Magazine, thanks Gary!)
• Letters read on TWiP 8

Vincent and Dickson continue their discourse on tapeworms, covering the fish and dog varieties.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• FAT the enemy that is shortening your life is BANISHED. How? With sanitized tapeworms. Easy to swallow! (jpg).
• D. latum life cycle (jpg)
• D. latum adult (jpg)
• Diphyllobothrim proglottid (jpg)
• Diphyllobothrim bothria (jpg)
• Coracidium hatching from egg (jpg)
• Dog tapeworm life cycle (jpg)
• The Alien lifecycle (jpg)

Vincent and Dick talk about the anatomy and life cycle of beef and pork tapeworms, and why House was wrong about neurocysticercosis.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Taenia saginata life cycle (jpg)
• Taenia saginata adult (jpg)
• Taenia saginata scolex (jpg)
• Taenia saginata gravid proglottid (jpg)
• Taenia solium life cycle (jpg)
• Taenia solium adult (jpg)
• Taenia solium scolex (jpg)
• Facial cancer in Tasmanian devils (thanks PhogDog!)

Science Picks

Dickson Peace through vaccine diplomacy by Peter Hotez
Vincent Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer

Vincent and Dick discuss the nurse cell, a unique structure formed in the host muscle by Trichinella species.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Infective muscle larva (jpg)
• Schematic of a larva invading a muscle cell
• Nurse cell formation (scroll down the page)
• Dickson's gallery of Trichinella images
• Electron micrographs of stichocytes

Weekly Science Picks

Dickson Every Living Thing by Rob Dunn

Vincent and Dick trace the life cycle of Trichinella spiralis in an infected host.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• Trichinella life cycle (jpg)
• Newborn larva entering muscle cell (jpg)
• Adult T. spiralis in columnar epithelial cell (jpg)
• Adult female T. spiralis (jpg)
• Infective first stage T. spiralis larva in Nurse cell in muscle tissue (jpg)
• Adult female T. spiralis with fully formed larvae in uterus (jpg)
• Adult male T. spiralis with claspers on tail (jpg)
• Clinical correlations in trichinosis (jpg)
• Letters read on TWiP #4

Weekly Science Picks

Dickson David Scharf's pictures of microbial life
Vincent The Nobel Laureate Meetings at Lindau

Vincent and Dick distinguish among intracellular and extracellular parasites, then discuss the history and general characteristics of Trichinella spiralis.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

• The History of Trichinella at Trichinella.org
• Parasite genome databases at the European Bioinformatics Institute
• List of parasite genome projects

Weekly Science Picks

Dickson The Doctor and the Devils

Vincent and Dick classify parasites according to whether or not they are transmitted by a vector, then consider the implications of long-lived parasites.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Vincent and Dick provide an overview of parasites and parasitism.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Weekly Science Picks

Dick The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle
Vincent Parasitic Diseases by Despommier et al.