Editorial: Parasite Infections: From Experimental Models to Natural Systems

The aim of this research topic is to illustrate the multidisciplinary approaches of modern parasitology. The motivation to study parasites and parasitism varies. In the case of human and animal parasites, research is often motivated by the tremendous health threats and socioeconomic burden they pose. For instance, Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, continues to be the most important vector-borne pathogen and was responsible for more than 200 million new cases and 400,000 deaths worldwide in 2016 (WHO, 2016a). Another example is soil-transmitted helminth infections affecting 24% of the world’s population, primarily school children (WHO, 2017). Many parasites are etiologic agents of infections classified as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and continue to afflict societies with limited resources (Hotez et al., 2007). Moreover, research on parasites of wildlife can be critical for understanding animal communities and disease ecology (Gomez and Nichols, 2013; Johnson et al., 2015) and—by extrapolation—ecosystems’ dynamics. Parasites are defined by life style but reflect polyphyletic groups of protozoa, helminthes, and arthropods. In investigating these non-model organisms, studies on parasites often fall short of in-depth molecular, genetic, or biochemical analyses that characterize investigations of established laboratory-adapted organisms. This research topic (RT) collates 20 contributions by >100 authors, which we introduce here briefly by classifying them according to four sections along the path from experimental models to natural systems: