Cleaning behaviour has generally been viewed from the cleaner or client's point of view. Few studies, however, have examined cleaning behaviour from the parasites' perspective, yet they are the equally-important third players in such associations. All three players are likely to have had their evolution affected by the association. As cleaner organisms are important predators of parasites, clea...

Entomopathogenic Myrmicinosporidium durum Hölldobler, 1933, a fungus known to exploit several ant species, is reported for the first time in five countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, and Turkey. The discovery of the fungus in Anatolia significantly widens its known distribution. In addition, this fungal parasite was found to utilize two hitherto unknown host species: Tetr...

Some parasites exact a terrible price from their hosts, causing severe pathology and reducing the host’s fitness, whereas other parasites are essentially benign. Several kinds of comparisons highlight this observation. Least interesting are comparisons of parasites with very different life histories or types of host tissues invaded (compare human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and rhinovirus infe...

How do our organisms know when we are being invaded by parasites? New research shows that rare cells present in our mucosal tissues are critical to trigger the alarm and promote elimination of worms and other parasites. Imagine your body as a huge airplane carrying countless tiny passengers. If you travel a lot, you may already know that some passengers can cause a lot of trouble. Dealing with ...

Twenty-three southern African working donkeys (Equus asinus) were allocated to eight experimental groups. The aim of the study was to determine what e:lfuct alternative helminth control methods have on the internal parasite burdens and the condition of working donkeys. Three