Jéssica C T Pereira, Maria Elisa Lima, Yago Sassi, Bruno Moraes, Satoru Konnai, Tomohiro Okagawa, Itabajara da Silva Vaz, Isabela Ramos, Carlos Logullo
{"title":"Behavior-metabolism-autophagy axis in ticks and mosquitoes.","authors":"Jéssica C T Pereira, Maria Elisa Lima, Yago Sassi, Bruno Moraes, Satoru Konnai, Tomohiro Okagawa, Itabajara da Silva Vaz, Isabela Ramos, Carlos Logullo","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hematophagous arthropods, including mosquitoes and ticks, experience marked fluctuations in nutrient availability that shape survival, reproduction, and development. Despite their distinct life histories, both groups adjust behavior, endocrine signaling, metabolism, and cellular maintenance in response to nutrient availability. Autophagy is a conserved recycling pathway that may link cellular energy status to tissue remodeling, reproduction, and development. In this review, we examine evidence from mosquitoes and ticks through the behavior-metabolism-autophagy axis, exploring potential links among behavioral responses, metabolic allocation, and intracellular recycling under fluctuating nutritional conditions. Mosquitoes provide the strongest mechanistic evidence, whereas mechanistic studies in ticks remain limited. This comparative review highlights current evidence and key questions for future work.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149208140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The trifecta of Plasmodium falciparum chromatin: open, closed, and centric.","authors":"Manuel Llinás","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ramón-Zamorano et al. provide the first comprehensive characterization of protein complexes associated with heterochromatin, euchromatin, and centromeric chromatin in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The study uncovers novel proteins involved in chromatin remodeling, sexual commitment, RNA-mediated regulation, and chromosome segregation, providing new insights into the chromatin-based mechanisms governing parasite development.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149208128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Malarial anemia: an interplay between impaired erythropoiesis and uninfected erythrocyte clearance.","authors":"Aline Marzano-Miranda, Érika M Braga","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Malaria-associated anemia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, affecting young children and pregnant women in endemic regions. This review synthesizes current evidence on the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying malaria-associated anemia, emphasizing impaired erythropoiesis and increased destruction of uninfected erythrocytes. Ineffective erythropoiesis may result from the presence of parasites within the bone marrow, hemozoin accumulation, inflammatory cytokine responses, and altered iron availability. Persistent inflammation and oxidative stress promote erythrocyte shrinkage, with consequent eryptosis and premature clearance by splenic macrophages. Plasmodium-induced immune responses promote anti-erythrocyte antibody production, which further contributes to erythrocyte removal. Malaria-associated anemia arises from interconnected alterations in erythrocyte production, survival, and clearance, highlighting its multifactorial nature and the need for more integrated studies to better characterize these mechanisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149169943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anja Probst, Daniel Schläppi, Kaitlin R Deutsch, Jana Dobelmann, Vincent Doublet, Giovanni Cilia, Delphine Panziera, Orlando Yañez, Peter Neumann, Vincent Dietemann, Alexis Beaurepaire
{"title":"Managing bees in a pathogenic world: research priorities to protect biodiversity.","authors":"Anja Probst, Daniel Schläppi, Kaitlin R Deutsch, Jana Dobelmann, Vincent Doublet, Giovanni Cilia, Delphine Panziera, Orlando Yañez, Peter Neumann, Vincent Dietemann, Alexis Beaurepaire","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pathogens associated with managed bees are frequently detected in wild arthropods, raising concerns about potential negative impacts on biodiversity and fueling scientific, societal, and political debate. However, major gaps remain in our understanding of the mechanisms driving pathogen spillovers, their impacts on recipient hosts, and mitigation strategies. We propose an integrative, holistic research framework beyond the current focus on pathogen detection that centers on the impacts of shared pathogens and on management strategies to mitigate risks. This reframing will help guide future research design and interpretation beyond precautionary principles, advance our understanding of epidemiological risks, and support evidence-based policymaking that balances food security with biodiversity conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149169450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What is a parasitism gene?","authors":"Peter Sarkies, Mark Viney","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parasites evolved from free-living ancestors and in so doing their genomes changed, including through the evolution of new genes, commonly called parasitism genes. Accurately identifying these parasitism genes will help us to better understand parasites and their parasitism. There are a number of commonly used approaches to doing this, but they all have important caveats, which we consider. While not having a wholly new solution to the problem of identifying parasitism genes, we suggest that wider genomic features of parasitism genes and their expression might be relevant. We emphasise the importance of being cautious and circumspect when identifying a gene as a parasitism gene, and doing this will bring greater clarity to understanding the most fascinating of lifestyles.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149169780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Guo-Hua Liu, Ningbo Xia, Hany M Elsheikha, Xing-Quan Zhu, Guangxu Ma, Bang Shen
{"title":"A competency-based One Health curriculum for postgraduate veterinary parasitology: a China-informed model.","authors":"Guo-Hua Liu, Ningbo Xia, Hany M Elsheikha, Xing-Quan Zhu, Guangxu Ma, Bang Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chinese master's-level veterinary parasitology education combines morphological and molecular training. However, One Health competencies remain unevenly developed. Within the framework of New Agricultural Sciences (Xinnongke), we propose a competency-based curriculum that integrates classical parasitology, diagnostic methods, field investigation, antiparasitic resistance stewardship, data literacy, and AI around biological and epidemiological problems. A pilot implementation suggests feasibility and supports the need for multicentre evaluation.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149115471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Spit it out: rhoptry organelles in Plasmodium sporozoites.","authors":"Thomas Bernard, Olivier Silvie, Carine Marinach","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plasmodium sporozoites (SPZs), the infective stage of malaria-causing parasites, colonize the salivary glands (SGs) of Anopheles mosquitoes and are transmitted to a vertebrate host during a blood meal. SPZs are injected into the skin, travel to the liver, and invade hepatocytes to replicate to form erythrocyte-invading merozoites. In Plasmodium, as in other apicomplexan parasites, invasion of host cells requires the coordinated secretion of apical secretory organelles, the micronemes and the rhoptries. This review highlights recent advances in unraveling the function of rhoptries in Plasmodium SPZs. We discuss how genetic and imaging approaches uncovered a hitherto unsuspected role of rhoptries during invasion of the mosquito SGs and established the conserved role of a rhoptry protein complex in cell invasion in both the mosquito and mammalian hosts.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149115433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From patients to populations: biological interpretation in molecular parasitology.","authors":"Christen Rune Stensvold","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.09.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Molecular diagnostics have transformed clinical parasitology and molecular epidemiology. As analytical detection continues to improve, biological interpretation must develop alongside it. I would propose integrating complementary evidence and using clinically characterized reference datasets to calibrate biological inference from high-throughput molecular studies, providing a shared interpretative framework from patients to populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149115468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in parasitologyPub Date : 2026-10-01Epub Date: 2026-09-17DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.08.001
Nirbhay Kumar
{"title":"No single magic bullet: the case for combined interventions for global malaria elimination and eradication.","authors":"Nirbhay Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.08.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.08.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The past 6 decades have witnessed steady progress in malaria control, resulting in marked reductions in disease burden across many endemic regions. However, the pace of malaria elimination has remained slow, hindered by numerous biological, clinical, and epidemiological challenges. Innovative integrated approaches are required for a sustainable response to this persistent global health threat. Because malaria transmission and parasite biology are complex, combining antimalarial drugs, vector control measures, and vaccines offers the best chance of achieving long-term malaria elimination. This review examines emerging malaria control and elimination tools, including next-generation insecticides, novel antimalarial drug classes, and mRNA-based vaccines. We discuss how they can be strategically integrated to enhance intervention effectiveness, interrupt transmission, and accelerate progress toward malaria elimination and eradication.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1004-1017"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148991411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in parasitologyPub Date : 2026-10-01Epub Date: 2026-08-13DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.015
Alexei Yu Kostygov, Alexander O Frolov, Vyacheslav Yurchenko
{"title":"Leptomonas pyrrhocoris.","authors":"Alexei Yu Kostygov, Alexander O Frolov, Vyacheslav Yurchenko","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.015","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1032-1033"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148765622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}