• Question: do you have a favorite parasite? if so, why is it?

    Asked by Nikkita to Mark on 14 Jun 2016. This question was also asked by W S T.
    • Photo: Mark Booth

      Mark Booth answered on 14 Jun 2016:

      Hi Nikkita

      I have a ‘favourite’ parasite if you mean which one is the most fascinating. Schistosoma species win this accolade because of how they have evolved to deal with the human immune system, the snail immune system (yes, snails have a rudimentary immune system) and fresh water. The life cycle is very complex and they subvert the immune system in several different ways to make themselves basically invisible to the immune system ‘radar’. They can live for over ten year like this, producing hundreds of thousands of eggs.

      My next ‘favourite’ is dendrocelium dendriticum which is a parasite that takes over the brains of ants and makes them climb to the top of grass stalks so they can get eaten by cows

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