This Week in Parasitism

TWiP reviews gene expression in wood ants infected with the larval lancet fluke, which causes them to leave their nest and attach to a flower until they are eaten by a grazing mammal.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula
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Gene expression in wood ants infected with lancet fluke (Mol Ecol)
Visualisation of the master manipulator in the brain of its ant host (Sci Rep)
TWiP study – information and survey
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Music by Ronald Jenkees

TWiP solves the case of the 3 yo child, who recently immigrated to the US from Central America, in the ER with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain and a rather active serpiginous wormlike 'thing' wiggling away in the child's appendix.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula
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Hero: Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow (1821-1902)
Letters read on TWiP 280
TWiP study – information and survey
New Case
3 yo child who recently immigrated to the US from Central America is brought in to the ER with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain. The mother is concerned about the pain as well as nausea and vomiting. This is acute and the ER provider is concerned that this might be an acute surgical emergency. They order an US in this child and they are surprised to see a rather active serpiginous wormlike 'thing' wiggling away in the child's appendix.  I was sent the Ultrasound video which I really enjoyed. What to do?
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Music by Ronald Jenkees

TWiP reviews a phase 2 clinical trial of a recombinant vaccine against N. americanus glutathione S-transferase-1, an enzyme that performs a crucial enzymatic step in
hookworm blood feeding.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula
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Phase 2 hookworm vaccine clinical trial (Lancet Inf Dis)
Phase 2 Schistosoma vaccine clinical trial (Vaccines)
TWiP study – information and survey
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Send your questions and comments to twip@microbe.tv
Music by Ronald Jenkees

TWiP solves the case of the male in his 20s from Hokkaido, Japan, who developed fatigue and rash, followed by fever and myalgia 6 days later, after eating a raw bear eyeball.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula
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Hero: Sir Nicholas White (1951 – 2026) (Guardian, Lancet)
Letters read on TWiP 278
TWiP study – information and survey
New Case
3 yo child who recently immigrated to the US from Central America is brought in to the ER with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain. The mother is concerned about the pain as well as nausea and vomiting. This is acute and the ER provider is concerned that this might be an acute surgical emergency. They order an US in this child and they are surprised to see a rather active serpiginous wormlike 'thing' wiggling away in the child's appendix.  I was sent the Ultrasound video which I really enjoyed. What to do?
Become a patron of TWiP 
Send your questions and comments to twip@microbe.tv
Music by Ronald Jenkees

TWiP 277: Rif-ing on river blindness
April 21, 2026 TWiP reviews the global, regional, and national burden of Chagas disease, and comparison of doxycycline and rifampicin for the treatment of onchocerciasis.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and Christina Naula
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Burden of Chagas' disease (Lancet Inf Dis)
Doxycycline vs rifampicin in treatment of river blindness (Open For Inf Dis)
The kissing bug by Daisy Hernandez
TWiP study – information and survey
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Send your questions and comments to twip@microbe.tv
Music by Ronald Jenkees