Trends in parasitologyPub Date : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2026-08-08DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.012
Jaclyn E Smith, Monica R Mugnier
{"title":"The underappreciated role of antigenic drift in Trypanosoma brucei immune evasion.","authors":"Jaclyn E Smith, Monica R Mugnier","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trypanosoma brucei is an extracellular pathogen that evades the host antibody response through antigenic variation of its variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) coat. It has long been believed that this immune evasion is achieved primarily by replacing the expressed VSG coat with a completely distinct antigen, resulting in complete immune evasion. However, recent evidence suggests that the parasite preferentially diversifies expressed VSGs by introducing small sequence changes through recombination. These modifications appear to accumulate until complete immune evasion is achieved. In this opinion article, we propose that the concepts of antigenic drift and shift, commonly used in the field of influenza research, apply well to antigenic variation in T.brucei and better reflect the complex nature of immune evasion in this pathogen.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"820-828"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148689986","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 : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2026-08-04DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.010
Paola Cociancic, Emma Fiallos, José Guillermo Esteban, Carla Muñoz-Antoli, Rafael Toledo
{"title":"Interleukin-25: orchestrating resistance to intestinal helminth infections.","authors":"Paola Cociancic, Emma Fiallos, José Guillermo Esteban, Carla Muñoz-Antoli, Rafael Toledo","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Interleukin-25 (IL-25) has emerged as a central regulator of type 2 immunity at mucosal surfaces. Beyond its classical role as an epithelial alarmin, IL-25 acts as a multifunctional coordinator of epithelial sensing, immune activation, and tissue adaptation during helminth infection. In the intestine, tuft cells detect helminth- and microbiota-derived metabolites and activate a feed-forward circuit with type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), promoting antiparasitic immunity and barrier protection. Emerging evidence further links IL-25 to neuroimmune communication, epithelial remodeling, tissue resilience, and disease tolerance. Here, we summarize recent advances in IL-25 biology, including ILC2 specialization and the distinct roles of IL-25 in nematode and trematode infections, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target to enhance mucosal protection while limiting immunopathology.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"876-892"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148702332","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 : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2026-07-31DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.008
Ernest J B Chin, Ernest J M Teo, Mackenzie L Kwak, Benoit Malleret
{"title":"Dermacentor auratus (gilded boar tick).","authors":"Ernest J B Chin, Ernest J M Teo, Mackenzie L Kwak, Benoit Malleret","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.008","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"930-931"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148649104","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 : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2026-08-06DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.009
Tanwee Das De, Mark J I Paine, S Noushin Emami
{"title":"Beyond detoxification: xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes rewire mosquito sensory perception.","authors":"Tanwee Das De, Mark J I Paine, S Noushin Emami","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mosquito olfaction regulates host-seeking, ecological adaptation, and vectorial capacity. Beyond the classical receptor-centric paradigm, we argue that xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes form a dynamic perireceptor layer that actively sculpts odor identity, signal intensity, and duration. This metabolism gain control mechanism may integrate olfactory sensitivity and behavioral plasticity within a unified sensory framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"798-803"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148685840","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 : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2026-07-21DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.003
Renato A DaMatta, Erica S Martins-Duarte, Andréa R Ávila, Sheila C Nardelli, Maria E Francia, Gustavo Arrizabalaga, Tiago W P Mineo
{"title":"Toxo18 in Brazil: emerging trends in Toxoplasma biology.","authors":"Renato A DaMatta, Erica S Martins-Duarte, Andréa R Ávila, Sheila C Nardelli, Maria E Francia, Gustavo Arrizabalaga, Tiago W P Mineo","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.003","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"783-790"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148550467","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 : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2026-07-30DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.005
Yun Li, Liangzheng Yu, Zhenke Yang, Daxi Wang, Han Gao
{"title":"From signal to action: integrating emerging technologies into mosquito-borne disease control.","authors":"Yun Li, Liangzheng Yu, Zhenke Yang, Daxi Wang, Han Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mosquito-borne disease control is increasingly challenged by transmission patterns that evade established tools. This review examines emerging technologies across the surveillance-to-intervention pathway. Smart traps, AI-assisted classification, aerial and remote sensing, sequencing, mosquito-derived and environmental samples, and field diagnostics are beginning to form a layered surveillance architecture that links local and long-range vector dynamics with pathogen detection. Wolbachia, natural and engineered symbionts, entomopathogenic fungi, and transgenic biocontrol tools extend control beyond direct killing, offering different balances of efficacy, controllability, persistence, cost, and biosafety. We assess how these technologies coordinate to generate actionable signals or durable transmission-reducing effects while fitting clear response pathways and remaining useful under ecological complexity, with any associated risks clearly characterized and managed with confidence.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"893-911"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148631451","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 : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2026-08-11DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.011
Andre G Buret, Thibault Allain
{"title":"The Giardia secretome disrupts gut microbiota biofilms.","authors":"Andre G Buret, Thibault Allain","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This review provides a state-of-the-art update on Giardia intestinalis pathogenesis and its immunomodulatory effects during enteric coinfections. We examine mechanisms underlying abnormalities in mucus structure and glycosylation, alongside parasite-induced alterations in host immunity. Recent evidence reveals a protective role for gut microbiota biofilms and demonstrates how the Giardia secretome disrupts these communities. In particular, trophozoite-derived cysteine proteases and extracellular vesicles, along with their small RNA cargo, remodel microbiota biofilms and drive the conversion of commensal bacteria into invasive pathobionts. Collectively, these findings establish Giardia as a central regulator of gut microbial ecology and intestinal barrier function, highlighting its value as a model for developing novel therapeutic strategies against enteric disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"829-845"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148713784","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 : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2026-08-11DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.014
Chester J Joyner, Amadis R Vivas, Wayne T Cheng
{"title":"Evidence for the multistage malaria vaccine gamble.","authors":"Chester J Joyner, Amadis R Vivas, Wayne T Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>New vaccines to reduce disease and mortality caused by Plasmodium falciparum malaria are urgently needed. Most vaccines target a single life-cycle stage and confer modest protection. Kirtley et al. test whether multistage immunity can improve protection and provide some of the first evidence that 'multistage' vaccines should be pursued.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"791-793"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148707657","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 : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2026-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.002
Geoffrey R Williams, Dan Aurell, Maggie C Gill, Kitiphong Khongphinitbunjong, Rogan Tokach, Kirsten S Traynor
{"title":"Tropilaelaps mercedesae: rapid geographic expansion in a novel honey bee host.","authors":"Geoffrey R Williams, Dan Aurell, Maggie C Gill, Kitiphong Khongphinitbunjong, Rogan Tokach, Kirsten S Traynor","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>An ectoparasitic mite of the giant honey bees throughout southern and eastern Asia, Tropilaelaps mercedesae has jumped to the western honey bee Apis mellifera and expanded its range, most recently to Eastern Europe. This has rattled an already precarious A. mellifera beekeeping industry, which is grappling with another invasive ectoparasitic mite called Varroa destructor. Here, we review the known biology and pathology of T. mercedesae in its original and novel hosts, discuss current monitoring and treatment options, and identify gaps in knowledge and preparedness. We also compare the natural histories of T. mercedesae and V. destructor to facilitate future directions for research and outreach that promote a timely response to this mite's growing sphere of influence.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"912-927"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148680124","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}