Alteration of host gene and protein expression by manipulative parasites.

Host manipulation mechanisms remain poorly understood. We summarize recent studies using -omics approaches (transcriptomics, proteomics) to explore alteration in gene expression in hosts infected by manipulative parasites. To guide future research, we highlight the common pattern of neuromodulation, as well as other diverse combinations of functions targeted across different host manipulation systems.

Invasion of the four kingdoms: the parasite journey across plant and non-plant hosts.

Parasites have a rich and long natural history among biological entities, and it has been suggested that parasites are one of the most significant factors in the evolution of their hosts. However, it has been emphasized less frequently how co-evolution has undoubtedly also shaped the paths of parasites. It may seem safe to assume that specific differences among the array of potential hosts for particular parasites have restricted and diversified their evolutionary pathways and strategies for survival.

Evolution of parasitological knowledge: can the past inform the future?

The growth of scientific knowledge is often likened to the evolution and diversification of life: new disciplines branch off older ones, and subsequently prosper or decline in a manner reminiscent of the expansion or extinction of diverse lineages of organisms. Based on a parallel between evolutionary diversification and knowledge growth, I examine the expansion of subdisciplines within 'ecological and evolutionary parasitology'. Bibliometric data are used to map the rise and fall of subdisciplines over time, capturing historical trends over the past several decades.

Universal versus taxon-specific drivers of helminth prevalence and intensity of infection.

Two key epidemiological parameters, prevalence and mean intensity of infection, together capture the abundance of macroparasite populations, the strength of density-dependent effects they experience, their potential impact on host population dynamics and the selective pressures they exert on their hosts. Yet, the drivers of the extensive variation observed in prevalence and mean intensity of infection, even among related parasite taxa infecting related hosts, remain mostly unknown. We performed phylogenetically grounded Bayesian modelling across hundreds of amphibian populations to test the effects of various predictors of prevalence and intensity of infection by six families of helminth parasites.

What shapes a microbiome? Differences in bacterial communities associated with helminth-amphipod interactions.

The fast technological advances of molecular tools have enabled us to uncover a new dimension hidden within parasites and their hosts: their microbiomes. Increasingly, parasitologists characterise host microbiome changes in the face of parasitic infections, revealing the potential of these microscopic fast-evolving entities to influence host-parasite interactions. However, most of the changes in host microbiomes seem to depend on the host and parasite species in question.