This Week in Parasitism
Vincent Racaniello
TWiP is a monthly netcast about eukaryotic parasites. Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier, science Professors from Columbia University, deconstruct parasites, how they cause illness, and how you can prevent infections.
Sub-Saharan somnolence
TWiP solves the case of the man with somnolence and something extra-erythrocytic, and presents a new puzzle for you to solve. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Letters read on TWiP 253 New Case 26-year-old female with no past medical history. Patient is from Georgia in the US and is volunteering in Hérico, Guinea (town in the Lélouma Prefecture in
For malaria vaccine, mosquito is the needle
TWiP discusses a study of the safety and immunogenicity of a late liver-stage attenuated malaria parasite delivered by mosquito bite. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Live attenuated malaria vaccine (NEJM) Plasmodium metabolism during hepatic development (Cell) Heroes – Jimmy and Rosallyn Carter, and the Carter Center The Carter Center Guinea Worm
Case of the facial ulcer
TWiP solves the case of the woman who went to Belize and notices a lesion on her face, and presents a new clinical case for you to solve. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server
Gut bacteria help Trichinella suppress colitis
TWiP reviews a study showing that the gut microbiota is essential for suppression of colitis by Trichinella spiralis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Gut bacteria and Trichinella
A virus and a parasite
TWiP solves the case of the middle-aged man with eosinophilia and a history of sexual activity with paid sex workers in Okinawa, and presents a new case for you to solve. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server
Toxoplasma reduces Alzheimer's disease
TWiP reviews the observation that infection of Azlheimer’s disease mice with Toxoplasma gondii reduces brain amyloid density globally and regionally. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV
Manhattan mystery malady
TWiP solves the case of the Manhattan man with pain on urination or ejaculation, and presents a new case for you to solve. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Di
Everything spiral: a worm in a hurry
TWiP taps into Dickson’s knowledge of Trichinella to discuss an outbreak in humans who consumed rare bear meat, and the impact of globalization and climate change on the epidemiology of the species. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode
Flying purple people eater with Ben LaBrot
Founder of Floating Doctors Ben LaBrot joins TWiP to solve the case of the 1 year old in northeastern Panama with a fatal leg infection, followed by a discussion of the history and mission of Floating Doctors. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Ben LaBrot Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Floating Doctors Letters read on TWiP 245 New Case A man in his early 20s comes in repor
Engineering Toxoplasma
Lilach Sheiner joins TWiP to talk about her career and her work on engineering Toxoplasma gondii secretion systems for intracellular delivery of multiple large therapeutic proteins to neurons. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Christina Naula Guest: Lilach Sheiner Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Engineering T. gondii for protein secretion (Nat Micro) Become a patron of TWiP Send your questi
Don't blame it on Mexico
TWiP solves the case of the Woman with White Worms, and submits a new case involving a 1 year old in northeastern Panama with a fatal leg infection. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Enterobius, the pinworm (TWiP 19) Hero: Mary Pritchard New Case This case comes from Panama mid summer 2024. A provider for Floating Doctors workin
Worms impair COVID vaccines
TWiP reviews a study showing that intestinal helminth infection impairs vaccine-induced T cell responses through an IL-10 pathway, which compromised protection against antigenically drifted SARS-CoV-2 variants. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Worms impair COVID vaccines (Sci Trans Med) Heligmosomoides image (Wiki Commons) Become a patron of TWiP
There once was a patient from China
...
A daily history of malaria with Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy joins TWiP to discuss his career and the work of his laboratory to assess the daily natural history of asymptomatic Plasmodium infections in adults and older children in Katakwi, Uganda. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier and Christina Naula Guest: Sean Murphy Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Daily natural history of Plasmodium infections (Lancet Microbe) Become a patron of TWiP Send
Cryptosporidiosis from NYC tap water in an AIDS patient
TWiP solves the case of the AIDS patient who developed fever and watery diarrhea after drinking NYC tap water, and present a new case for your sleuthing. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Cryptosporidium (TWiP 18) Letters read on TWiP 239 Become a patron of TWiP New Case Man in his 70s originally from Mainland China, then Hong Kong who has been living in the US fo
Eliminating sleeping sickness
Michael Barrett joins TWiP to discuss progress in the elimination of human African trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. Hosts: Daniel Griffin, Dickson Despommier and Christina Naula Guest: Michael Barrett Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Elimination of human African trypanosomiasis (PLoS NTD) Hero: David Livingstone Become a patron of TWiP Send your guesses to twip@microbe.tv with TWiP 237
Pass the venison, deer with Marilyn Fabbri
Marilyn Fabbri joins TWiP to reveal the case of a patient who became very ill after he and a number of friends attended a large dinner where venison and boar were served. Hosts: Daniel Griffin, Dickson Despommier and Christina Naula Guest: Marilyn Fabbri Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Toxoplasma gondii (TWiP 12) Parasitic Diseases Lectures #15: Toxoplasmosis Letters read on TWiP 237 Become a patron of TWiP
Prime-and-trap vaccine for malaria
Marion Avril of MalarVx, Inc. joins TWiP to discuss an accelerated prime-and-trap regimen using repRNA-based circumsporozoite vaccine. Hosts: Dickson Despommier and Christina Naula Guest: Marion Avril Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Please support our work at microbe.tv/contribute repRNA-based CSP malaria vaccine (NPJ vaccines) Hero: Mwelecele Ntuli Malecela Become a patron of TWiP Send your guesses to twip
The case of the regurgitated wriggler
TWiP solves the case of a man in his 50s reporting months of abdominal discomfort, who takes mebendazole and some time afterwards vomits a worm into the sink. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Please support our work at microbe.tv/contribute The giant intestinal worm, Ascaris lumbricoides (TWiP 21) Parasitic Diseases Lectures #24
Hookworms and a leech - parasites suck!
TWiP discusses hookworm infection and the phase 1 clinical trial for a hookworm vaccine that could one day protect children from the hookworm anaemia, and reduce transmission of this infection. Hosts: Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Please support our work at microbe.tv/contribute Hookworm vaccines in school-aged children in Gabon (Lancet Inf Dis) Step
Cryptosporidium not cryptocurrency
TWiP solves the case of the physician with no significant previous medical history who is currently doing their fellowship training develops diarrhea, and presents a new clinical case for our astute listeners to solve. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Please support our work at microbe.tv/contribute Hero: Keith Vickerman Letters
Lives of Wolbachia
TWiP reviews the cellular lives of Wolbachia, a gram-negative bacteria that infects many arthropods and filarial nematodes with very different outcomes – parasitism or mutualism. Hosts: Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Please support our work at microbe.tv/contribute Cellular lives of Wolbachia (Nat Rev Micro) Hero: Patricia F. Walker Become a patron of
Scotch in drink and tape
TWiP solves the case of the Woman With White Worms, and presents a new clinical case to decipher. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Please support our work at microbe.tv/contribute Hero: Ann Bishop Become a patron of TWiP New Case study: A physician with no significant PMH who is currently doing their fellowship training develop
Healing cutaneous leishmaniasis with Maria Adelaida Gomez
Maria Adelaida Gomez joins TWiP to discuss her career and the work of her laboratory on understanding the healing process during cutaneous leishmaniasis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Maria Adelaida Gomez Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode CIDEIM Healing in cutaneous leishmaniasis (J Immunol) Become a patron of TWiP Send your questions and comments to twip@microbe.tv Music by Ronald Je
The very hungry flatworm
Eyal joins TWiP to solve the case of the Female Traveler with Intermittent Fever and Ring Enhancements in the Liver. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Eyal Leshem Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 229 Woman in her 40s is referred to me to be seen in the office from one of my colleagues. She reports that she has been having recurrent issues with wo
Parasitic fountain of youth
TWiP discusses a tapeworm that causes extreme lifespan extension in infected ant workers, and a candidate antibody drug for prevention of malaria. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Extreme lifespan extension in tapeworm-infected ant workers (Roy Soc Open Sci) Candidate antibody drug for prevention of malaria Ceilidh goes viral (YouTube) Become a patron of TWiP S
Alpha-gal syndrome
Jim Small joins TWiP to solve the case of the 41 year old Man with sudden GI distress and itchy hives, followed by a discussion of parasites and childhood stunting. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Jim Small Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Parasites and childhood stunting (Trends Parasitol) Letters read on TWiP 227 Become a patron of TWiP Send your questions and comments to twip@microb
Successful systems attract parasites
TWiP reviews some parasite stories of 2023, including progress in the control of malaria and polio, and review a connection between parasites and childhood stunting. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Second malaria vaccine (Nature) Malaria report 2023 (WHO) Malaria and climate change (WHO) Parasites and childhood stunting (Trends Parasitol) Sea creature spotted
Wandering worm with Lee Gottesdiener
Lee Gottesdiener joins TWiP to help solve the case of the 46 Year Old Man with Ongoing Upper Extremity Swelling, and review plant‑based production of a protective vaccine antigen against the bovine parasitic nematode Ostertagia ostertagi. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Vaccine against cow parasite (Vert Farm Daily) Protective vaccine against bovine parasitic n
TWiP 224: Neglected tropical diseases roadmap with Chuck Knirsch
Chuck Knirsch returns to TWiP to discuss the Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap published by WHO, which sets global targets and milestones to prevent, control, eliminate or eradicate 20 diseases and disease groups. Chuck Knirsch returns to TWiP to discuss the Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap published by WHO, which sets global targets and milestones to prevent, control, eliminate or eradicate 20 diseases and disease groups. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Chuck Knirsch Sub
TWiP 223: Voluminous diarrhea
TWiP solves the case of the Haitian female with AIDS and voluminous diarrhea, and review the pathogenesis, epidemiology, prevention and treatment of malaria and Chagas disease. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Click arrow to play Download TWiP #223 (63 MB .mp3, 88 minutes) Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Malaria (Lancet) Chagas disease (AJTMH) Hero: Joe Cook Letters read on TWiP 223 Become a
Balamuthia in the brain with Natasha Spottiswoode
At the meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygeine in Chicago, Natasha joins TWiP to solve the case of the Man with a Generalized Seizure and Infectious Forms in the Brain. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Natasha Spottiswoode Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Treatment of Balamuthia encephalitis with nitroxoline (Emerg Inf Dis) Letters read on TWiP 222 Become a pat
TWiP 221: Delusional parasitosis
Michelle and Alexander join TWiP to solve their case of the 36 Year Old Male with shortness of breath, stinging pain in the extremities, fatigue, abdominal cramps, and bowel irregularities, and discuss host cell invasion by Trypanosoma cruzi. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guests: Michelle Naegeli and Alexander Grieb Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode cAMP-dependent invasion by Trypanosoma cru
Denies any bug bites
TWiP solves the case of the Hiker from Queens who Denies Bug Bites, and reveal two different malaria experimental vaccines that target different parts of the parasite life cycle. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Malaria transmission-blocking vaccine (Lancet Inf Dis) mRNA vaccine against malaria (Nat Immunol) Letters read on TWiP 220 Become a patron of TWiP Case
Sick as a dog
TWiP solves the case of the 19 month old Female Having Issues, and discusses the finding that selection for insecticide resistance can promote Plasmodium falciparum infection in Anopheles mosquitoes. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Insecticide resistance in mosquitoes promotes Plasmodium infection (PLoS Path) Letters read on TWiP 219 Become a patron of TWiP Ca
Malaria parasite evades mosquito
TWiP solves two cases this week, the Man with Issues after COVID-19, and the Man with Left Arm Weakness, then describe how the malaria parasite evades mosquito immunity by glutaminyl cyclase–mediated posttranslational protein modification. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Malaria parasite evades mosquito immunity (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA) Letters read on TWiP 218 Become a patron of
ChatGPT solves the case
TWiP solves the case of the Man With Dog Exposure, and discuss rapid and spontaneous post-partum clearance of Plasmodium falciparum related to expulsion of the placenta. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Post-partum clearance of P. falciparum (J Inf Dis) Letters read on TWiP 217 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 217 We have two cases today! A man in his 60s who provides I
A challenging case
Eyal joins TWiP to solve the case of the case of the Feverish Patient from Israel, and reveals his training and experience with travel medicine in Israel. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Eyal Leshem Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Letters read on TWiP 216 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 216 This is a case from one of my colleagues in North West China. Many years ago when
A mobile piece of spaghetti
TWiP solves the case of the case of the boy in Uganda with a mobile piece of spaghetti in the gallbladder, and reviews papers on female genital schistosomiasis in rural Madagascar, and a volatile sex attractant of tsetse flies. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode •Female genital schistosomiasis in rural Madagascar (PLoS NTD) •A volatile sex attractant of tsetse fl
Tropical medicine excursions with Kay Schaefer
Kay Schaefer joins TWiP to solve the case of the German Male with Hematuria, and discusses Tropical Medicine Excursions, which provides patient-oriented training courses for healthcare professionals who wish to improve their clinical skills in tropical medicine and travelers’ health in the endemic regions of Uganda, Tanzania and Ghana. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Kay Schaefer Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,
One deadly snail with Jessie Stone, MD
Jessie Stone joins TWiP to solve the case of the Boy With a Swollen Belly, and discusses Soft Power Health, a clinic that she founded in Uganda to provide healthcare for people in need. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Jessie Stone Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode •Soft Power Health •Letters read on TWiP 213 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 213 A 49 y.o. German male is seen with significant gr
TWiP 212: The Man from Mali with Shauna Gunaratne
Shauna Gunaratne joins TWiP to solve the case of the Man from Mali with Painless Skin Lesions, and discuss her plans for a tropical medicine institute in New York City. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Shauna Gunaratne Click arrow to play Download TWiP #212 (51 MB .mp3, 84 minutes) Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Letters read on TWiP 212 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 212
Monoclonal against malaria in Mali
TWiP solves the case of the Man from Hong Kong with Multiple Comorbidities, and discuss safety and efficacy of a monoclonal antibody against malaria in Mali. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Monoclonal antibody against malaria trial (NEJM) Hero: Stephen Hoffman Letters read on TWiP 211 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 211 Man in his 20s originally
TWiP 210: Is there a doctor on board? with Aisha Khatib
From ASTMH2022 in Seattle, Aisha joins the TWiP team to talk about her training and her career, including delivering a baby on an airplane, and they solve the Case of the Heartsick Guatemalan Septuagenarian. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Aisha Khatib Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Aisha delivers baby on airplane (The Varsity) Helminth infections during pregnancy (J Travel Med) SARS-CoV-2 transmissio
A worm in paradise
The TWiP team solves the case of the Woman From Hawaii With Allodynia and abdominal pain, bilateral hip and leg pain, dizziness, and diffuse hyperesthesia. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Use coupon code MicrobeTV when purchasing a spike t-shirt from Vaccinated.us Accidental host (TWiP 207) Hero: Dan Colley Letters read on TWiP 209 Become a patron of TWiP Cas
A red herring
The TWiP team solves the case of the Woman Who Vomited Up a Worm, and discuss how malaria transmission intensity can modify the effectiveness of the RTS, S/AS01 vaccine in Africa. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Malaria intensity modifies vaccine effectiveness (J Inf Dis) Letters read on TWiP 208 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 208 An adult femal
TWiP 207: Accidental host with Claire Panosian, MD
Claire joins the TWiP team to discuss her training and experience as an infectious disease physician, and her transition to science communication, then we solve the case of the Honduran Male with Seizures. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Claire Panosian Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Claire’s website Claire’s videos (Vimeo) Letters read on TWiP 207 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study
TWiP 206: Bacteria protect mosquitoes from parasites
The TWiP team solves the case of the Ghanian Women With Leg Swelling, and relate how Anopheline mosquitoes are protected against parasite infection by tryptophan catabolism in gut microbiota. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Bacteria protect mosquitoes from parasite infection (Nat Microbiol) Letters read on TWiP 206 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP
Two for the price of one
The TWiP team solves the case of the Pregnant Ghanian Living Near a River, and reveal emodepside, a drug for treatment of onchocerciasis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Download TWiP #205 (56 MB .mp3, 93 minutes) Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Emodepside for onchocerciasis (PlOS NTD) Hero: Dr. Mwelecele Ntuli Malecela Letters read on TWiP 205 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 2
Near a fast-flowing river
The TWiP team solves the case Two Ghanians Near A Fast-Flowing River, and discuss a promising new drug for treatment of African trypanosomiasis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Oral fexinidazole for African trypanosomiasis (Lancet) Hero: Madeline Albright Letters read on TWiP 204 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 204 Pregnant woman, 20 yo, living i
True, true, and unrelated
The TWiP team solves the case of the Shopkeeper with Thirst, Rash, and low Blood Oxygen, then review a study on the effect on survival to adulthood in Tanzania of mosquito net use in early childhood. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Mosquito net use in Tanzania (NEJM) Michiaki Takahashi (Wikipedia) Letters read on TWiP 203 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study fo
TWiP 202: 80 microns and ovoid
Sara from the Febrile Podcast joins the TWiP team at The Incubator to solve the case of the Man With an Egg Laden Colonic Mass, and Daniel presents a new puzzle for us to solve. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Guest: Sara Deng Click arrow to play Download TWiP #201 (72 MB .mp3, 60 minutes) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Febrile podcast Hero: Eloise Blaine Cramm Support MicrobeTV at Parasites Withou
Tiny and hairy
The TWiP team solves the case of the Man with a Cat and Ring Enhancing Lesions, and discuss domestic mammals as reservoirs for Leishmania donovani on the Indian subcontinent. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Reservoirs for Leishmania (Transboundary Emerg Dis) Support MicrobeTV at Parasites Without Borders Letters read on TWiP 201 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for
Parasites without borders
The TWiP team solves the case of the Gentleman from New York with Intestinal Issues, and review a 20 year study of butterflies, their associated parasitoid wasp and Wolbachia introduced into an island community. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Download TWiP #200 (41 MB .mp3, 68 minutes) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Accidental parasitoid introduction (Mol Ecol) Hero: Gerald Keusch Support MicrobeT
TWiP 199: Chagas kisses Cruzi and Brucei bites
The TWiP team solves the case of the Traveler to Tanzania with a Purple Lesion, and discuss Mosquirix, the first vaccine approved for Plasmodium parasites. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Historic malaria vaccine (Nature) Efficacy and safety of RTS,S/AS01 (Lancet) Letters read on TWiP 199 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWi
TWiP 198: Cyclospora in the dining room with the salad bar
The TWiP quadfecta solves the case of the Traveler With Watery Diarrhea, and reveals that a heat-shock response regulated by a transcription factor protects human malaria parasites from the high temperatures of fever. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Malaria parasite resists fever due to heat shock response (Nat Micro) Malaria beats
An adventurous eater
TWiP solves the case of the Adventurous Eater with Areas of Swelling, and discusses an experimental Trypanosoma vivax vaccine comprising an invariant flagellum antigen. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula Download TWiP #197 (39 MB .mp3, 64 minutes) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Experimental T. vivax vaccine (Nature) Letters read on TWiP 197 Become a patron of TWiP
TWiP 196: Naked eye entomologist
TWiP solves the case of the Homeless Man With Skin Issues, and discusses an experimental mRNA based malaria vaccine. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Daniel Griffin Download TWiP #196 (49 MB .mp3, 81 minutes) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Entomophagy (TWiP 131) Malaria mRNA vaccine (NPJ vaccines) Letters read on TWiP 196 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 196 30 yo woman having areas of swelling in differ
Shocking diseases in attractive NY accents
Christina returns to the TWiP trifecta to solve the case of the Beachgoer with Red Lines on Her foot, and an experimental malaria vaccine based on the junctional region of the circumsporozoite protein displayed on a virus-like particle. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Christina Naula Download TWiP #195 (46 MB .mp3, 76 minutes) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter VLP-based mala
Eye had a corneal scraping
TWiP solves the case of the Long Island Man with Unilateral Eye Pain, followed by a discussion of how enteric helminth coinfection enhances host susceptibility to West Nile virus by a tuft cell-IL-4 receptor signaling axis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Christina Naula Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Helminth infection enhances West Nile viruses pathogenesis (Cell) Hero:
A serpiginous trail
Audun returns to help solve the case of the Ecuadorean Gentleman Treated for COVID-19, followed by a discussion of the interaction of Blastocystis with the intestinal microbiota and the immune system, and of course a new clinical case from Daniel. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Audun Lier Download TWiP #192 (46 MB .mp3, 76 minutes) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Blastocys
Towel off vigorously
The TWiPers solve the case of the Teenager in Malawi with Red Urine, then Audun joins to present our clinical case for this episode. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Audun Lier Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Hero: George B. Craig Letters read on TWiP 192 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 192 Older gentlemen with chills, muscle aches, headaches, shortness of breat
Dickson's ocular anomaly
The TWiPers solve the case of the Rural Man from North Carolina with Blurred Vision, and discuss the results of single-cell RNA sequencing of Schistosoma mansoni. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter RNAseq atlas of S. mansoni (Science) Hero: Kathleen Hussey Letters read on TWiP 191 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 191 Visit in Malawi, capit
But Doc, what could it be?
Christina from Glasgow returns to help the TWiPlets solve the case of the Ghanian Woman with Abdominal Mass, followed by discussion of the impact of COVID-19 on malaria morbidity and mortality in Africa. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Christina Naula Download TWiP #190 (57 MB .mp3, 94 minutes) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter COVID-19 effects on malaria in Africa (Lancet)
Toe jammin'
Christina from Glasgow joins the TWiPlets to solve the case of the Elderly Gentlemen with Full Body Rash, and to present a new clinical case for listeners to solve. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Christina Naula Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Support MicrobeTV through Parasites Without Borders Hero: Tony Fauci Tony Fauci on TWiV 219 and 641 Letters read on TWiP 189 Bec
Terrible tropisms
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Baby with Hydrocephalus, and present a new clinical case for listeners to solve. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Letters read on TWiP 188 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 188 Man in 90s, suffering for months, healthy, hypertension, diabetes, large man, over 6 ft, 200 lb, rash. Full body r
TWiP 187: Granny's granuloma
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Middle Aged Woman with Loss of Vision in One Eye, and discuss the role of heme oxygenase in the various protozoan infections. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Heme oxygenase-1 in protozoan infections (PLoS Path) Support Floating Doctors at PWB Letters read on TWiP 187 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 187 Pregnant newly marri
TWiP 186: Not rationing rationality
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Elder Gardener Feeling Poorly, and discuss the three-dimensional ultrastructure of Plasmodium falciparum during cytokinesis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Three-dimensional structure of malaria parasite (PLoS Path) Support Floating Doctors at PWB Letters read on TWiP 186 Become a patron of TWiP Case Study for TWiP 186 Middle aged wo
Latrinalia
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Wife of a Guy with Cyclospora Diarrhea, and discuss the discovery of an intrinsic oscillator that drives the bloodstream stage cycle of the malaria parasite. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Intrinsic oscillator in malaria parasite (Science) Malaria parasite has intrinsic clock (Science) Letters read on TWiP 185 Become a patron of TWiP
TWiP 184: The hunter gets captured by the game
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Safari Goer With Watery Diarrhea, and explain how a microsporidian endosymbiont of Anopheles mosquitoes might impair the transmission of malaria. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Contribute to Parasites Without Borders Microsporidian impairs Plasmodium transmission (Nat Comm) Hero: Eugene T. Lyons (obituary) Image credit: Josh Letters r
When they dry they die
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Female with Itchy Anus, and reveal the structure of a roundworm membrane protein involved in digestion of nutrients. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Structure of roundworm digestive complex (PLoS Path) Hero: Dr. Anthony Fauci Fauci Pharmacy (TWiV 219) Letters read on TWiP 183 Become a patron of TWiP. Case Study for TWiP 1
Super spreaders of science
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Ugandan Volunteer With Morning Bites and discuss integration of HIV-1 into the Schistosome genome, with a sprinkling of COVID-19 throughout. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Daniel on TWiV HIV-1 integration into Schistosome genome (PLoS Path) Image from John Southall's Treatise of Buggs, 173
Daniel's drive-through
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Two Volunteers With Watery Diarrhea, discuss diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in the New York area, and reveal an approach to preventing honeybee colony collapse by imbuing their gut bacteria with the ability to produce antiviral and antiparasite double-stranded RNAs. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
TWiP 180: A spleen palaver
The TWiP professors solve the case of the Ugandan Child with Splenomegaly, and reveal that mutations in the P. falciparum genome that confer artemisinin resistance interfere with endocytic uptake of hemoglobin. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Endocytosis pathway mediates artemisinin resistance in malaria parasites (Science) Letters read on
TWiP 179: Verminous visitors
The TWiP DVD solve the case of the Child Who Passed Worms, and discuss a non-human primate model for severe malarial anemia. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Primate model of severe malarial anemia (Sci Rep) Ascaris skirt (and more!) Hero: Harold W. Brown Letters read on TWiP 179 Become a patron of TWiP. Case Study for TWiP 179 From Ugan
TWiP 178: The shadowlands of medicine
The Knights of the TWiP solve the case of the Man Who Lost Weight, and discuss a Plasmodium protein kinase that is a malarial drug target. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode PWB social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Protein kinase as malaria drug target (Science) Hero: Myron Schultz Letters read on TWiP 178 Become a patron of TWiP. Case Study for TWiP 178 Eastern border of Uganda w
TWiP 177: A scabrous education
The TWiPsters solve the case of the Rashy Schoolteacher, and reveal a drug from rotifers that live on the snail intermediate host which paralyzes schistosome cercariae and prevents infection of mice. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dand Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Progress towards global eradication of dracunculiasis (MMWR) Rotifer compound that paralyzes schistosome cercariae (PLoS Biol) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 177 Become
TWiP 176: Blood schmear
The TWiPpers of the bite fantastic solve the case of the Indian Man Who Hiked, and discuss the effects of schistosome soluble egg antigen on infection of lymphocytes with HIV-1. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Effect of schistosome soluble egg antigen on HIV-1 infection (PLoS P) Hero: Lawson Soulsby Letters read on TWiP 176 Become a patron of TWiP. Case Study for TWiP 176 Recent cas
None alone pathognomonic
The TWiP'ers solve the case of the Sudanese Boy With Fever, and reveal antibodies against that slow invasion of red blood cells potentiate other malaria-blocking antibodies. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode Antibodies that slow malaria invasion (Cell) Hero: Sir Leonard Rogers (pdf) Letters read on TWiP 175 Become a patron of TWiP. Case Study for TWiP 175 70 yo man born in India, came t
Fat cat
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPloid organisms solve the case of the Doctor with Chronic Epigastric Pain, and reveal how levels of linoleic acid in the intestine enable the sexual cycle of Toxoplasma gondii in cats. Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode: Determinant of T. gondii sexual cycle(bioRxiv) A Year's Worth of TWiP by Kevin Carney Hero: William Trager Letters read on TWiP 174 Become a patron of TWiP. Case
TWiP 173: Rose colored spots
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The podcastellani hosts solve the case of the Sailor With Dysentery, and reveal the first virus discovered in Plasmodium species. Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Links for this episode: Matryoshka RNA virus of Plasmodium (bioRxiv) Hero: Rose Gana Fomban Leke Letters read on TWiP 173 Become a patron of TWiP. Case Study for TWiP 173 Successful individual in NY area with 9 months of epigastric pain. Did upper
A painless lesion
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The metacyclic TWiPomastigotes solve the case of the Child With a Painless Leg Lesion, and reveal how to kill mosquitoes with a genetically modified fungus. Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Transgenic Metarhizium kills mosquitoes (Science) Hero: Veena Tandon Letters read on TWiP 172 Links for this episode: Become a patron of TWiP. Case Study for TWiP 172 Retired US Navy physician, lives aboard his sailboat,
Better than a sharp stick in the eye
The Leishmaniacs solve the case of the Child With Band Keratopathy, and reveal a eukaryotic parasite with functional mitochondria but without mitochondrial genomes. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Elmer Pfefferkorn, 87 Eukaryotic parasite without mitochondrial genomes (Sci Adv) Hero: Charles Wardell Stiles Letters read on TWiP 171 Case Study for TWiP 171 By
A worm's eye view
The TWiPlicates solve the case of the Child With Retinal Granuloma, and discuss an association of the complement protein collectin-11 with the pathophysiology of Chagas disease. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Chagas disease pathophysiology and collectin-11 (PLoS NTD) Hero: Theobald Smith Image credit: Toxocara canis by Ben Liffner Letters read on TWiP 170 C
What goes on in the snail
The TriTWiPomonads solve the case of the Child Who Passed a Worm, and reveal recombination between bovine and human schistosome species. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: S. bovis and S. haematobiumhybrids (PLoS Path) Hero: Ann Bishop Letters read on TWiP 169 Case Study for TWiP 169 9 yo boy brought into mobile clinic set up in small village Bocas del Toro arch
TWiP 168: Kleptoparasitism and the stercoraceous souvenir
The Giardians of the Galaxy solve the case of the Woman With a Colonic Stowaway from Hispaniola, and discuss activation of intestinal tuft cells by Trichinella spiralis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: T. spiralisand intestinal tuft cells (PNAS) Hero: Carl Theodore Ernst Van Siebold Letters read on TWiP 168 Case Study for TWiP 168 18 month old child, on medi
The constipated mathematician
The Tremendous Trio solve the case of the Woman With Foul Steatorrhea, and reveal breakdown of the glycocalyx associated with severe and fatal malaria. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Glycocalyx and severe malaria (Clin Inf Dis) Hero: Bridget Ogilvie Letters read on TWiP 167 Case Study for TWiP 167 Woman 30 yo, traveled to DR, went to tourist part. On return
From remote locations
The Podfessors solve the case of the Teenager With Swollen Scrotum, and continue the story arc of Daniel's favorite cells, B-1 cells, and their association with protective immune responses in human Chagas disease. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: B1 cells and Chagas disease (Front Immunol) Daniel discovers B1 cells (J Exp Med) Hero: Bridget Ogilvie Image credit
The sound of crackles
The TWiP team solves the case of the Four Year Old with Fever, Headache, and Cough, and discuss the release of extracellular vesicles from Leishmania amazonensis that manipulate the host immune response. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Crackles (Wikipedia) Extracellular vesicles released by L. amazonensis (Front Microbiol) Hero: Marietta Voge Image credit Let
Surf n' perf
The TWiP legends solve the case of Surfer Sans Septum, and discuss how two symbiotic bacteria in the tsetse fly allow colonization with Trypanosoma brucei. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: A Tale of Three Species (mBio) V.B. Wigglesworth (Wikipedia) VB Nimble, VB Quick Hero: James Paget Letters read on TWiP 164 Case Study for TWiP 164 Welcome to Uganda. Mother
Trout and parasites
The doctors of awesome solve the case of the Woman Who Visited Lebanon, and reveal that immunoglobulins protect the olfactory organ of trout against infection with the Ich parasite. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Mucosal Ig protect trout from Ich (PLoS Path) Hero: Sir Patrick Manson Letters read on TWiP 163 Case Study for TWiP 163 From here in US before lea
TWiP 162: That swollen parcel of dropsies
The TWiP professors solve the case of the Baby With Pericardial Effusion, and discuss whether the flagellate without a flagella, Dientamoeba fragilis, causes human illness. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Patients with Dientamoeba fragilis infection (Am J Trop Med Hyg) Hero: Dr. Eloise B. Cram Image credit Letters read on TWiP 162 Case Study for TWiP 162 A f
All I need is a bit of skin
The TWiPsters solve the case of the Brazilian Immigrant With Heart Problems, and describe how genome organization controls trypanosome antigenic variation. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Trypanosome genome organization and antigenic variation (Nature) Hero: Arthur Looss Letters read on TWiP 161 Case Study for TWiP 161 Daniel was asked to see 30 yo female fro
Toddy tappers
The TWiPlets solve the case of the Electrician from Tamil Nadu with a Liver Mass, and reveal that dogs and humans share a common Chadian Guinea worm. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Chadian Guinea worms in humans and dogs (PLoS NTD) Hero: Karl George Friedrich Rudolf Leuckart Image credit Letters read on TWiP 160 Case Study for TWiP 160 Referred to Daniel fo
TWiP 159: Loa and Loa but not gone
The TWiP triptych solve the case of the 9/11 Survivor infested with parasites, and discuss the effect of community ivermectin treatment for onchocerciasis on Loa loa infections. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Ivermectin for onchocerciasis and loiasis (PLoS NTD) Hero: William Boog Leishman Thanks to Caitlin for the image Letters read on TWiP 159 Case Study f
Ant-appetising slime balls
The TWiP hosts solve the case of the Thai Woman With Red Bumps, and reveal that a master manipulator contacts ant brain tissue to control its behavior. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Imaging parasites in ant brain (Nat Rep) Brain worm turns ants into zombies (Nat Hist Museum) Hero: Giovanni Battista Grassi Image credit Letters read on TWiP 158 Case Study for TWiP 158 Male in 50s comes to see Daniel, concerned
TWiP 157: What a long, strange TWiP it's been
The TWiP professors solve the case of the Woman With Intracellular Ring Forms, and explore the role of Coxiella and Rickettsia endosymbionts in acquisition of Babesia by ticks. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Endosymbionts and Babesia in ticks (Front Microbiol) Q fever with Robert Heintzen (TWiM Special) Hero: Percy Garnham Image credit Letters read on TWiP 157 Case Study for TWiP 157 Back to Thailand. Housewif
TWiP 156: The parasitic devil is in the details
The TWiP crew solves the case of the Ecuadorian with Immunodeficiency and Chronic Diarrhea, and discuss oral transmission of Chagas disease in mice. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Imaging Chagas after oral transmission (Sci Rep) NJ invasive species strike team and app Red Mother Hero: Angelo Dubini Image credit Letters read on TWiP 156 Case Study for TWiP 156 While on ID consultant service on LI during July, as
Miss Dickson
Justin joins the TWiP team to solve the case of the Gentleman with B cell Lymphoma, and consider the finding of Dracunculus species in river otters from Arkansas. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Justin Aaron Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Dracunculus in river otters (J Parasitol) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 155 Case Study for TWiP 155 Another challenging one. 60 yo man with poorly defined immunodeficiency: low Ig, low T cells, on
TWiP 154: A louse-y episode
Vincent and Daniel solve the case of the Man in the City with Groin Rash, catch up on the long backlog of email, and present a new case, possibly the most complex one yet on the show. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Bloodless malaria diagnostic (BBC) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 154 Case Study for TWiP 154 Daniel's colleague will solve this case, in two weeks. 79 year old man history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia that became
Ars longa, vita brevis
Vincent and Daniel solve the case of the Panamanian Farmer with Three Weeks of Diarrhea, and discuss how microbes egested during bites of sand flies exacerbate the severity of leishmaniasis. Hosts: Vincent Racanielloand Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Sand fly microbesand leishmaniasis severity (Cell Host Micr) Letters read on TWiP 153 Case Study for TWiP 153 Man in clinic, in city recently, developed rash in groin area, concerned about this. Lives in open relat
TWiP 152: A range of rads
The TWiP peeps solve the case of the Panamanian Mother with Steatorrhea, and reveal new monoclonal antibodies that effectively block malarial infection. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Plasmodiumimmunity from injected sporozoites(Nature) New monoclonal prevents malaria infection(Nat Med) Parasite Hero: Carlos Chagas Image credit Letters read on TWiP 152 Case Study for TWiP 152 40 yo man in same Panamanian villag
Indiscriminate bulk feeders
The Podfessors solve the case of the Itchy Child from Panama, and discuss competition for blood in human malaria-helminth co-infections. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Competingfor Blood (Ecol Letters) Parasite Hero: William C. Campbell Image credit Letters read on TWiP 151 Case Study for TWiP 151 Woman in 30s, mother of last two boys we saw, same locale. Concerned about abdominal pain for 3 years. Fullness, bl
Fast food
The TWiPers solve the case of the Panamanian Man With Leg Ulcer, and describe how a crab predator preferentially feeds on parasite infected prey - even though the parasite makes them faster! Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Parasite enhances susceptibilityto predators (Oecologia) Parasite Hero: Miriam Rothschild Image credit Letters read on TWiP 150 Case Study for TWiP 150 Up to Costa Rican border, travel by boat
TWiP 149: Stranger in a strange land
Shivang joins the TWiP triumvirate to solve the case of the New Yorker With Rash and Pins and Needles, and reveal how agrochemicals increase risk of human schistosomiasis by causing high snail density. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Shivang Shah Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Even dinosaurs had parasites (Cosmos Mag) Why some people are wormier than others (RSTMH) Angiostrongylus species in badger lungs (thanks, Rachel!) Spread of rat
TWiP 148: Weep and sweep
The TWiP-tologists solve the case of the South American Child With Belly Pain, and reveal how B1 cell IgE blocks parasite clearance by inhibiting mast cell activation by B2 cell IgE. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Do not eat raw earthworms! (Pediatrics) Would you let worms in your veins? (Science) Guinea Pig Doctors by Jon Franklin and John Sutherland Parasite Hero: David Bruce Letters read on TWiP 148 Case Stu
The savvy physician tests the tissue
The three amigos of parasitology solve the case of the New York Lawyer With A Foot Ulcer, and discuss a survey of rodents for the raccoon roundworm in California. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Monthly case studies (CDC) The Parasite on the Playground (NYTimes) Introduced rats and raccoon roundworm (J Parasitol) Parasite Hero: Theodor Bilharz Letters read on TWiP 147 Case Study for TWiP 147 Three year old boy,
Thus misspake Despommier
The TWIPniks solve the case of the Man With Diarrhea and 100 Micron Objects In Stool, and discuss the reticulocyte receptor for Plasmodium vivax. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Reticulocyte receptor for Plasmodium vivax (Science) Image credit: Parasitic Diseases, 6th Ed. Parasite Heroine: Marietta Voge Letters read on TWiP 146 Case Study for TWiP 146 27 yo male lawyer comes NY area to be seen, has 4 cm ulcer on
Is it excreted or secreted?
The Estimados Profesores of TWIP solve the case of the Man With Motile Objects, and reveal the secreted and excreted proteins of Giardia parasites. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Excretory and secretory products of Giardia intestinalis (PLoS NTD) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 145 Case Study for TWiP 145 Male 40s, visiting NYC on business. Lives in Thailand, seeks medical attention for diarrhea and abdominal
A blood-free snip
The TWiPtomaniacs solve the case of the Boy With Visual Disturbances and Itching, and discuss identifying secreted and excreted proteins of Trichinella parasites. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Malaria plasmepsins involved in invasion and egress (Science) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 144 Case Study for TWiP 144 Individual in 30s, male, presented to physician with stomach upset, uncomfortable feeling in leg
There's a lot of worms out there
The TWiPians solve the case of the Woman With Anemia, Eosinophila, and a Worm in Her Intestine, and discuss a study on the function and druggability of two malarial aspartate proteases. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Malaria plasmepsins involved in invasion and egress (Science) Letters read on TWiP 143 Case Study for TWiP 143 From 1990s seen by a colleague, boy late teens, initially presented to ER in US chief
Just a virus, go home
The TWiPsids solve the case of the Guatemalan Positive for Rhinovirus, and reveal how to kill all African trypanosomes with a primate apolipoprotein. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: APOLs kill all African trypanosomes (Nat Micro) Trypanocidal properties of APOL1 on TWiP 85: Channeling tryps Letters read on TWiP 142 Case Study for TWiP 142 Woman in 50s, immigrant from rural area with limited resources. Admitted t
TWiP 141: Paratransgenesis
The TWiP Wataalamu solve the case of the One Year Old From Kenya With Moving Skin Lesions, and describe how to make mosquitoes refractory to Plasmodium with engineered symbiotic bacteria. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Engineered Serratia make mosquitoes refractory to Plasmodium (Science) Operation Sea Spray (Wikipedia) Photo credit Letters read on TWiP 141 Case Study for TWiP 141 A 59 yo Spanish speaking femal
Blasting Blastocystis
The triple TWiP solve the case of the Peace Corp Veteran with Eosinophilia, and discuss the genome sequence of the hyper-prevalent parasitic eukaryote Blastocystis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Genome diversity of Blastocystis (PLoS Biol) Photo credit Letters read on TWiP 140 This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the #1 fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service in the country. Get $30
Eggsactly, ova and ova
The TWiPwalas solve the case of the Woman with a Worm in Her Eye, and discuss the role of nitric oxide in the resistance of rats to Schistosoma japonicum. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Nitric oxide blocks schistosome development (PNAS) Photo credit: Dave the Sheep Shearer Letters read on TWiP 139 This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the #1 fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service in
TWiP 138: Telmophages and the skin parasite landscape
The TWiPsters solve the case of the Child from DR with Poppy Seed Sized Things On His Head Hair Shafts, and reveal how the skin parasite landscape determines the infectiousness of Leishmania. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Tr (Cell Host Microbe) Letters read on TWiP 138 This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the #1 fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service in the country. See what’s on the menu this week and
An aberrant encounter
The TWiPtoids solve the case of the Man from India with a Neck Lump, and explore the role of a transmissible dysbiotic skin microbiome in inflammation during cutaneous leishmaniasis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Transmissible dysbiotic skin microbiome in cutaneous leishmaniasis (Cell Host Microbe) Letters read on TWiP 137 This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the #1 fresh ingredient and
TWiP 136: Daniel throws a softball
The TWiP Titans solve the case of the Man from Queens with a Blister Burster, and explain the role of inflammatory monocytes during Leishmania infection of the skin. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Inflammatory monocytes and skin Leishmania (PLoS Path) Dracunculiasis (TWiP 37) Photo: Daniel using a LifeStraw Letters read on TWiP 136 This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the #1 fresh ingredi
TWiP 135: Embryonated eggs of wisdom
Dickson returns to the TWiP hosts to solve the case of the Woman from Colorado With Loose Stools, and explain how single-sex infection with female Schistosoma mansoni reduces hepatic fibrosis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: ASM Grant Writing Online Course Single-sex Schistosoma infection (PLoS NTD) Asterix the Gaul Letters read on TWiP 135 This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the #1 fresh
TWiP 134: Does toxoplasma make you sexy?
Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Haitian Girl Who Failed To Thrive, and visit two studies that address the question of whether infection with Toxoplasma gondii alters human behavior. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Daniel Griffin Links for this episode: ASM Grant Writing Online Course Is Toxoplasma infection related to brain and behavior impairments? (PLoS One) Toxoplasma infection and sexual attraction (Evol Psychol) TWiP 21 - The giant intestinal worm, Ascaris lumbricoides Candiru (W
TWiP 133: Tape test
Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Woman With Anal Area Discomfort, and discuss the multiple functions of a clathrin adapter protein in formation of rhoptry and microneme secretory organelles of Toxoplasma gondii. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education SciComm Issue (link) TWiP 19: Enterobius vermicularis, the pinworm Multiple roles of Toxoplasma gondii clathrin adaptor AP1 protein (PLoS
TWiP 132: Salted crab som tum
The TWiP-tastic peeps solve the case of the Thai Man Coughing Up Blood, and reveal potential therapies for trypanosomiasis that are inhibitors of protein import into glycosomes. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Inhibitors of protein import into trypanosome glycosomes (Science) Hookworm (TWiP #22) Photo by Nita Letters read on TWiP 132 Case Study for TWiP 132 Young NYC woman with son (10), chief complaint of disco
TWiP 131: Entomophagy
Jonathan from the podcast Arthro-Pod joins the TWiPerati to solve the case of the Peruvian Woman With Inguinal Insect Bite, and discuss warm autoimmune hemolytic anemic that develops after babesiosis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Jonathan Larson Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Jonathan Larson (Twitter, Google Plus) Arthro-Pod podcast Warm hemolytic anemia after babesiosis (NEJM) Tickborne diseases of the US (CDC) Image credit Letters
TWiP 130: Paige Turner
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPniks solve the case of the Man With AIDS, and explore how secretion of extracellular vesicles influences the social motility of Trypanosoma brucei. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: T. brucei exosomes and social motility (PLoS Path) Image credit Parasites Without Borders Letters read on TWiP 130 This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the #1 fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service
TWiP 129: Human kindness, river blindness
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiP Masters solve the case of the Australian Wildlife Carer, and review evidence that nodding syndrome may be caused by an autoimmune reaction to the parasitic worm that causes river blindness. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Nodding syndrome an autoimmune disease? (Sci Transl Med) Nodding syndrome: Preventable and treatable (Sci Transl Med) River Blindness lyrics (Google Play) Image credit Letters read on T
TWiP 128: It's over 9000!
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPerati solve the case of the Man Who Sat in Feces, and discuss a study on how Dickson's favorite parasite induces the formation of a collagen capsule. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Induction of collagen synthesis by Trichinella (Vet Parasitol) Letters read on TWiP 128 This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the #1 fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service in the country. See what’
TWiP 127: Kava not Cava
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPsters solve the case of the Peace Corps Volunteer with a Liver Lesion, and discuss the dependence of Leishmania survival on the gut microbiome of the sandfly. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Leishmania depends on sandfly gut microbiome (mBio) Kava (Wikipedia) Letters read on TWiP 127 This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the #1 fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service in the cou
TWiP 126: A virus walks into a parasite
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiP Trinity solve the case of the Peace Corps volunteer with diarrhea, and reveal how immunizing against a virus ameliorates exacerbated leishmaniasis. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Viral vaccine prevents exacerbated leishmaniasis (PLoS NTD) For whom the trich tolls (TWiP 47) A virus in a parasite in a human (virology blog) Virologists in the mist (TWiV 128) Letters read on TWiP 126 This episode is brough
TWiP 125: Third time's a charm
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPonderers solve the case of the Timber Worker with Severe Shaking Chills, and describe an experimental malaria vaccine comprising attenuated sporozoites produced by genetic engineering. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Genetically engineered P. falciparum sporozoite vaccine (Sci Transl Med) Parasitology Superhero: Francesco Redi Image credit: Betsy Weissbrod Letters read on TWiP 125 This episode of TWiP is
TWiP 124: RPAing with the tryps
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The prolific podcast-shedding Hosts solve the case of the Global Health Intern with a snakelike lesion on her foot, and reveal the role of a single-stranded DNA binding protein in differentiation of trypanosomes. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: RPA protein and differentiation of T. cruzi (PLoS NTD) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 124 Case Study for TWiP 124 28 yo male from referral hospital near thai-burma bor
TWiP 123: What we know is confusing
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPanorama solve the case of the Dutch Woman with Wormy Objects in Her Stool, dissect a study on cytoadhesion of malaria infected red blood cells, and introduce Parasitology Superheroes. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Myiasis (Wikipedia) Cytoadhesion of Plasmodium in severe malaria (PLoS Path) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 123 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming servi
TWiP 122: If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPniks docs solve the case of the Female from Peru with Epistaxis, and discuss the effect of community deworming on immunosuppression. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Community deworming and immune hyporesponsiveness (PNAS) Paul C. Beaver (one, two) Photo by Oscar Adam Oscarson Letters read on TWiP 122 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming service that offers over 1,400 doc
TWiP 121: A parasite without borders
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPanosome docs solve the case of the Mali Man with Profuse Diarrhea, and review the presence of Trypanosoma cruzi in vectors, canids, and humans along the Texas-Mexico border. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: T. cruzi in vectors, canids, humans at Mexican border (PLoS NTD) Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae (Wikipedia) T. cruzi in US (Clin Micro Rev) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 121 This episode is sponsore
TWiP 120: When they die they calcify
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiP triumvirate solve the case of the Thai Woman with Facial Swelling, and explain how Th17 T cells protect against the intracellular parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Th17 cells protect against Trypanosoma cruzi (PLoS Path) Plasticity of helper CD4+ cells (Science) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 120 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming service
TWiP 119: A kinder and gentler case
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Daniel Griffin Vincent and Daniel solve the case of the Family with Eosinophilia, and discuss HIV-1 infection and genome integration in the blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni. Become a patron of TWiP. Links for this episode: Family cluster of eosinophilia (Clin Inf Dis) Dientamoeba fragilis (Wikipedia) Parasites without borders HIV integrates into Schistosoma genome (PLoS Path) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 119 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subs
TWiP 118: Crispr capers with Toxoplasma
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPinella solve the case of the Woman from Guinea, and describe the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to identify essential apicomplexan genes. Links for this episode: Malarias in Guinea (CDC) Genome-wide CRISPR screen in Toxoplasma (Cell) Plasmodium parasitemia associated with increased Ebola survival (Clin Inf Dis) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 118 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming service that o
TWiP 117: Parasitic puzzles
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The parasite prophets solve the case of the Thai Man with Abdominal Distention, and discuss the finding that metastatic leishmaniasis dependent on a virus can be prevented by blocking IL-17A. Links for this episode: TWiP 27: Trematodes Leishmaniavirus and IL-17A dependent leishmaniasis (PLoS Path) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 117 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming service that offers ove
TWiP 116: One drug to rule them all
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPtoids solve the case of the Thai Fisherman with Chronic Diarrhea, and reveal a potential new drug for treatment of leishmaniasis, Chagas diseases, and sleeping sickness. Links for this episode: Capillaria philippensis (Wikipedia) Proteasome inhibitor for three parasitic diseases (Nature) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 116 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming service that offers over 1
TWiP 115: The Cuscuta Factor
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiPlets solve the sad case of the Boy Who Went Swimming, and explain why the tomato is resistant to the plant parasite Cuscuta. Links for this episode: Detection of plant parasite by a tomato receptor (Science) Dodder (Wikipedia) Mixed messages (TWiP 77) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 115 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming service that offers over 1,400 documentaries and nonfiction se
TWiP 114: Plant potions perturb Plasmodium
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiP troika solve the case of the Female from the Bronx, and reveal how feeding on different plants affects mosquito capacity to transmit malaria. Links for this episode: Plant mediated effects on malaria transmission (PLoS Path) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 114 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming service that offers over 1,400 documentaries and nonfiction series from the world's best
TWiP 113: Flying pigs
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Jason Zucker The TWiP ternion solve the case of the Man from Mexico, and discuss a transgenic toxoplasma vaccine for chickens using Eimeria tenella. Links for this episode: Transgenic Eimeria as a toxoplasma vaccine (Sci Rep) Image shows cysticercus of T. solium in brain (Parasitic Diseases, 5th Ed) Letters read on TWiP 113 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming service that offers over 1,4
TWiP 112: A NOD to a tricky helminth
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiP trio solve the case of the Woman from Washington Heights, and reveal how helminth infection protects mice deficient in the Crohn's disease gene NOD2 from intestinal disease by inhibiting colonization with an inflammatory bacterial species. Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email Links for this episode: Helminth infection promotes colonization resistance (Science) NOD2 (Wikipedia) Image credit Le
TWiP 111: Bug bites
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiP trio solve the case of the bug bites all in a row, and talk about a secreted Toxoplasma protein that is central to the parasite's manipulation of host cells. Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, Google Play Music, by the RSS feed or by email Links for this episode: Pigeon mites feed on humans at night (EPA) Secreted Toxoplasma protein (mBio) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 111 This episode is sponsored by CuriositySt
TWiP 110: Malaria at the Bronx Zoo
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin Guest: Paul Calle The TWiP trio visit the Bronx Zoo where Paul solves the case of the Four Year Old with Pulmonary Edema, and talks about his career as the Chief Veterinarian and Director of the Zoological Health program for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Links for this episode: Bronx Zoo Avian malaria (Wikipedia) Letters read on TWiP 110 Video of this episode at YouTube This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subs
TWiP 109: Blame it on Mother
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Daniel Griffin Guest: Paul Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Truck Driver from India, discuss why parasites resistant to an antimalarial drug are not transmitted by mosquitoes, and introduce Paul who presents a new case study. Links for this episode: Atovaquone resistant parasites not transmitted by mosquitoes (Science) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 109 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming service that offers over 1,4
TWiP 108: B1 cells and Leishmania, insider traitors
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin
The case of the Man from Assam is solved, and phagocytosis of Leishmania by B-1 cells is brought to you by the Three Twipeteers on this episode of TWiP.
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, Google Play Music, by the RSS feed or by email
Links for this episode:
Kalazar detect (pdf)
Phagocytosis of Leishmania promastigotes by B-1 cells (Parasite Immunol)
Image credit
Letters read on TWiP 108
This episode is sponsored by ASM Agar
TWiP 107: Parasites leave a bad taste in my gut
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin
The TWiPtastic trio solves the case of the Surfer from Switzerland, and reveal how taste-chemosensory tuft cells in the gut regulate immune responses to parasites.
Links for this episode:
Taste-chemosensory cells and parasite gut immunity (Science)
Image credit
Letters read on TWiP 107
This episode is sponsored by ASM Agar Art Contest and ASM Microbe 2016
Case study for TWiP 107
Todays case is a fun case about a 45 year old gen
TWiP 106: Trematode stormtroopers in snail wars
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin
The TWiP triumvirate solves the case of the Missionary in Kenya, and review the finding of a soldier caste in flatworms that parasitize snails.
Links for this episode:
Social organization in parasitic flatworms (J Parasitol)
Image credit
Letters read on TWiP 106
This episode is sponsored by ASM Agar Art Contest
Case study for TWiP 106
This week's case comes from an ophthalmologist colleague Florian in Switzerland. Swiss female,
TWiP 105: Survival of the fattest
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin
The TWiPanosomes solve the case of the Young Man from Anchorage, and discuss how cestode parasites increase the resistance of brine shrimp to arsenic toxicity.
Links for this episode:
Trichinella life cycle (pdf)
When parasites are good for health (PLoS Path)
The Origin of AIDS by Jacques Pepin
Letters read on TWiP 105
Case study for TWiP 105
This week's case involves a 32 yo male with several concerns. Spent 6 weeks doing reli
TWiP 104: La maladie du sommeil
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin
Guest: Michael Libman
Michael returns to help the TWiP trio solve the case of the Delusional African Expatriate, and discuss the association of natural and induced antibodies in mice with differential susceptibility to secondary cystic echinococcosis.
Links for this episode:
T. brucei life cycle (pdf)
Natural and induced antibodies in echinococcosis (Immunobiol)
The collaborative cross
Letters read on TWiP 104
Case study for TW
TWiP 103: Scroll down, please
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin
Guest: Michael Libman
The TWiP-scholars solve the case of the Housewife from Kolkata, discuss mutations in the IL17 gene associated with cerebral malaria, and hear a case presentation from guest Michael Libman.
Links for this episode:
IL-17 mutations and risk of cerebral malaria (Inf and Imm)
Echinococcosis (CDC)
Echinococcus life cycle (pdf)
Letters read on TWiP 103
Case study for TWiP 103
This week's case concerns a 42 yo m
TWiP 102: Nursing eosinophils
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin
The TWiPyzoites solve the case of the Uncommon Parasite, and discuss the role of eosinophils in promoting the growth of Trichinella in skeletal muscle.
Links for this episode:
Eosinophils and IL-4 support nematode growth (PLoS Path)
Balantidiasis (CDC)
Letters read on TWiP 102
Case study for TWiP 102
This week's case involves a 24 yo housewife, from a village outside of Calcutta. Comes into a tertiary care hosp, 6 months coug
TWiP 101: Is it round or is it flat?
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin
The doctors TWiP solve the case of the Woman with White Worms, and explain the role of a secreted growth factor from a carcinogenic parasite in wound healing and angiogenesis.
Links for this episode:
Wound healing growth factor from carcinogenic parasite (PLoS Path)
Opisthorchis (CDC)
Opisthorchis life cycle (CDC)
Image credit
Letters read on TWiP 101
Listener Pick
Ramon - Ancient Rome was infested with parasites
Case study fo
TWiP 100: Driving past a milestone
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin
The TWiP trifecta solves the case of the Woman from Bolivia with Belly Pain, and discuss a method for population modification of malaria mosquitoes using a Cas9-mediated driver gene.
Links for this episode:
Cas9-mediated drive for population modification of malaria mosquito (PNAS)
FAQ: Gene drives (pdf)
Image credit
Letters read on TWiP 100
Case study for TWiP 100
This week's case is a 27 yo female, native NY, referred to outpat
TWiP 99: You get your polar bear from your nana
The TWiP trifecta solves the case of the Professor Who Went to Brazil, and discuss an amazing case of a tapeworm that turned into a tumor in an AIDS patient.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin
Links for this episode:
Do young doctors need more sleep? (Slate)
H. nana tumor in AIDS patient (NEJM)
Hymenolepiasis (CDC)
H. nana lifecycle (CDC/Wikipedia)
Image credit
Letters read on TWiP 99
Case study for TWiP 99
This week's case is a 53 yo woman visiting family in U
TWiP 98: Resistance is not futile
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. I
TWiP 97: The seven year itch
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 ca
TWiP 96: Salivary pharmacopeia
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 cons
TWiP 95: Arsenic and Leishmania
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
Dani
TWiP 94: Loa hanging fruit
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 patien
TWiP 93: A fishy tale unfolds
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
TWiP 92: Kleptohaemodeipnonism
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 Japanes
TWiP 91: Born to deform
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscrib
TWiP 90: A carbuncle is a large furuncle
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (fr
TWiP 89: Day TWiPers
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email
TWiP 88: French foreign lesion
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
S
TWiP 87: Stumped by pinworm
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subsc
TWiP 86: Worms Loa the immune response to mycobacteria
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by
TWiP 85: Channeling tryps
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to
TWiP 84: Bigfoot
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (em
TWiP 83: Hidden costs of infection
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by emai
TWiP 82: A NOD to helminths
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free)
TWiP 81: Living in a wormy world
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 bo
TWiP 80: Daniel in the parasites' den
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twi
TWiP 79: Across the river and into the trees
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
TWiP 78: Eau de rodent
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email
TWiP 77: Mixed messages
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email
TWiP 76: Herpesvirus worms its way out
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes,
TWiP 75: Parasite wonders with Bobbi Pritt
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email
TWiP 74: Nature has all the answers, what is your question?
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWi
TWiP 73: I'm nibbling my way back to you
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3
TWiP 72: Wormholes
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email
TWiP 71: Happy trails to you
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
Send y
TWiP 70: Invasion of the swamp eels
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTu
TWiP 69: Malaria rising
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email
TWiP 68: Sex and the single trypanosome
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email
TWiP 67: They find each other delightful
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email
TWiP 66: A nitrile warhead for Chagas disease
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
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS feed or by email
TWiP 65: The real world wide web
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)
Contact
Send your questions and c
TWiP 64: Three new ways to prevent malaria
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
Contact
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, b
TWiP 63: Plasmodium of the apes
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
Send your questions and comments (ema
TWiP 62: More bats out of hell
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
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv
Subscribe
Subscribe to TWiP (free) in iTunes, by the RSS
TWiP 61: Some creep crept into the crypt and crapped
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)
TWiP 60: Urine a game of cat and mouse
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
Subscribe (free)
Subscribe to TWi
TWiP 59: Apicomplexity
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 (Scie
TWiP 58: People, parasites, and plowshares
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 comment
TWiP 57: An outbreak of cyclosporiasis
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier
Vincent and Dickson review a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis caused by the single-celled coccidian parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis.
The day after recording this episode, ProMedMail reported that the outbreak of cyclosporiasis had spread to Texas.
Links for this episode:
Cyclosporiasis (CDC)
Cyclospora life cycle (CDC)
Cyclosporiasis (Wikipedia)
Cyclosporiasis outbreak, US (one, two, three) (ProMedMail)
Cyclosporiasis outbreak moves to Texa
TWiP 56: Whirling disease
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
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
TWiP 55: A ladybird's weapon
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
L
TWiP 54: Unde venis?
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
TWiP 53: Anti-saliva immunity
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
TWiP 52: Not your ordinary unsegmented roundworm
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
TWiP 51: Modifying mosquitoes with Anthony A. James
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
TWiP 50: Antagonism in the mosquito midgut
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
TWiP 49: Making sense of toxo and heme
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
TWiP 48: A parasitic cloaking device
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.
Subs
TWiP 47: For whom the trich tolls
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
TWiP 46: Malaria gets the (zinc) finger
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier
Vincent and Dickson meet with Judith Straimer and Marcus Lee to discuss their method for site-specific genome editing in Plasmodium falciparumusing zinc finger nucleases.
Right-click to download TWiP #46 (46 MB .mp3, 64 minutes).
Links for this episode:
Judith Straimer and Marcus Lee
Genome editing in P. falciparum with zinc finger nucleases (Nature Methods)
Zinc finger nucleases (Sigma-Aldrich)
Gene-editing nucleases (Nature Methods)
Illustratio
TWiP 45: Free range Toxoplasma with John Boothroyd
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 TWi
TWiP 44: Parasites provide a cricket subsidy for trout
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.
TWiP 43: Two remarkable host-parasite conflicts
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.
TWiP 42: The tick keeps on ticking
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
TWiP 41: Flying and crawling beasts
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.
TWiP 40: Doctor, there's a worm in my eye!
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.
TWiP 39: I encyst, said the amoeba
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
TWiP 38: How to Trichomonas
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.
TWiP 37: Dracunculiasis
Vincent and Dickson discuss the life cycle and pathogenesis of Dracunculus medinensis, the filarial nematode that causes dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease.
Links for this episode:
Dracunculus emerging from foot (jpg)
Dracunculus medinensis life cycle (jpg)
Guinea worm - WHO
Guinea worm eradication - The Carter Center
War against Guinea worm (YouTube)
TWiP 36: Trichuris and microbes plan a hatch
Vincent and Dickson review how gut bacteria help establish T. muris in the large intestine of mice.
TWiP 35: Malaria control with David Fidock
Vincent and Dickson discuss control of malaria with their Columbia University colleague David Fidock.
TWiP #34 - Up against the Wolbachia
Vincent and Dickson discuss control of malaria and filariasis with the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia.
TWiP #33 - Hide and seek
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.
TWiP #32: Evasive trypanosomes and schistosomes
Vincent and Dickson discuss immune evasion by the cruzain protease of T. cruzi, and novel tetraspanin antigens of S. japonicum.
TWiP #31 - A malaria vaccine
Vincent and Dickson discuss the promising results of a phase III trial of a malaria vaccine in African children.
TWiP #30 - Global infectious disease control with Charles Knirsch
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.
TWiP #29 - Neglected tropical diseases with Peter Hotez
Vincent and Dickson converse with Peter Hotez about global health, vaccinology, and neglected tropical diseases.
TWiP #28 - Medical entomology with Robert W. Gwadz
Vincent and Dickson discuss medical entomology with Robert W. Gwadz, Assistant Chief of the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research at NIAID.
TWiP #27 - Trematodes
Vincent and Dickson continue their discussion of trematodes, or flukes, which have a snail as a reservoir host.
TWiP #26 - The schistosomes
Vincent and Dickson take on the schistosomes, agents of a series of related diseases in humans referred to as schistosomiasis.
TWiP #25 - Wuchereria bancrofti
Vincent and Dickson review Wuchereria bancrofti, the nematode that causes lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis.
TWiP #24 - Onchocerca volvulus, a vector-borne, filarial nematode
Vincent and Dickson discuss the life cycle and pathogenesis of Onchocerca volvulus, the vector-borne filarial nematode parasite that causes onchocerciasis, or river blindness.
TWiP #23 - Strongyloides sterocoralis, a most unusual parasite
Vincent and Dickson review the life cycle and pathogenesis of the world's most unusual parasite, Strongyloides stercoralis.
TWiP 22 - Hookworm
Vincent and Dickson discuss possibly the most socially and politically important nematode of humans, the hookworm Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus.
TWiP #21 - The giant intestinal worm, Ascaris lumbricoides
Vincent and Dickson review the biology and pathogenesis of Ascaris lumbricoides, one of the largest nematodes to infect humans.
TWiP #20 - The whipworm Trichuris trichiura
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
Send your questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twip@twiv.tv.
Subscribe (f
TWiP #19 - Enterobius vermicularis, the pinworm
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
TWiP #18 - Cryptosporidium
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
TWiP #17 - Entamoeba histolytica
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
TWiP #16: Giardia
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
TWiP #15: Tryp the light fantastic
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:
Metacyclic trypanomastigote (jpg)
Tsetse fly (jpg)
T. brucei life cycle (jpg)
T. brucei parasitemia (jpg)
Kissing bug nymph (jpg)
T. cruzi life cycle (jpg)
Letters read on TWiP 15
TWiP #14 - Leishmania
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:
L. braziliensis life cycle (jpg)
L. donovani life cycle (jpg)
L. tropica life cycle (jpg)
L. major lesion (jpg)
Transgenic mosquito delivers Leishmania vaccine (thanks, Geoffrey)
Plasmodium falciparum accompanied human expansion out of Africa (thanks, Prasad)
Who speaks for the guinea worm? (thanks, Michael)
Letters re
TWiP #13 - Toxoplasmosis
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:
Isopod fish parasites (thanks, Kevin!)
Farmscraper on Word Spy (thanks, Mitchell!)
Toxoplasma and personalities (thanks, Greg!)
Science podcast (July 2) on parasites and intelligence (transcript - thanks, Jim!)
Letters read on TWiP 13
TWiP #12 - Toxoplasma gondii
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:
Global clinical burden of malaria (PLoS Medicine)
T. gondii sporulated oocysts (jpg)
T. gondii tachyzoites in parasitophorous vacuole (jpg)
T. gondii life cycle (jpg)
Insect bioterrorism conference (thanks, Don!)
Parasite of the Day (thanks, Douglas!)
World Science Festival
Letters rea
TWiP #11 - One times three million
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:
The quest for a malaria vaccine (Meet the Scientist 49)
Science issue on malaria and tuberculosis
Malaria pathogenesis (pdf)
Malaria pathogenesis (jpg)
Letters read on TWiP 11
TWiP #10 - Plasmodium life cycle
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
TWiP #9 - Mala aria
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
TWiP #8 - Frog legs and parasite tales
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
TWiP #7 - Tapeworms are fantastic!
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)
TWiP #6 - Tapeworms, the long and short of it
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
TWiP #5 - The nurse cell
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
TWiP #4 - Trichinella life cycle
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 ta
TWiP #3 - Trichinella spiralis
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
TWiP #2 - General parasitism
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
TWiP #1 - Introduction to parasitism
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 HoyleVincent Parasitic Diseases by Despommier et al.