parasites

SuSanA Secretariat via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

Helminth infection changes the balance of bacteria in a person’s gut, overpowering the bacteria that cause IBD.

The collection dates back to 1892 and contains around 20 million specimens.

Scientists say parasitic worms in the guts of Vikings may have made their modern descendants more vulnerable to lung issues.

Sure, some latch on to your ankles and drink your blood, but leeches are just misunderstood parasitic worms.

Up to 25 percent of white-tailed deer living in Virginia and West Virginia sites were infected.

Pesticide resistance, efficient food processing, and self-defense are built right into the pest’s genes.

It's been nearly 20 years since the last study on the distribution of disease-carrying ticks.

These plant diseases and crop-killing critters cause many millions of dollars in damage, and mean very hard work for those that're trying to stop them.

Roman latrines in modern-day Libya. Image Credit: Craig Taylor

A researcher says the Romans’ dedication to cleanliness may have inadvertently created fertile conditions for parasites.

Jaroslav Vogeltanz, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Burrows with high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) can become death traps for the insects.

Alberto Salguero, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY SA 4.0

The smearwort (Aristolochia rotunda) dupes fruit flies into entering its flowers and then traps them there, getting pollinated without offering any reward.

There aren’t many things more beautiful than a butterfly—or many things creepier than parasites. It’s hard to think that you’d ever find one of the former that’s also one of the latter, but nature is full of surprises.

In the 1990s, the fly Philornis downsi was accidentally introduced to the Galapagos Islands, probably in a shipment of fruit. The adult flies are harmless enough as invaders go, but their kids are a real problem for the islands’ native birds, some of whic

From the conjoined livers from a pair of Siamese twins to slides of Albert Einstein’s brain, Philadelphia's Mütter Museum houses dozens of strange artifacts from medical history.

Parasitic Worms May Keep Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Bay

America's National Parasite Collection Is Getting Spruced Up

Vikings’ Parasites May Have Led to Lung Problems in Their Modern Descendants

10 Juicy Facts About Leeches

Many American Deer Have Malaria Parasites

Scientists Decode Bedbug Genome, and It Explains Why They’re So Hard to Kill

Lyme Disease-Spreading Ticks Now in Almost Half of U.S. Counties

11 Diseases and Pests That are Catastrophic to Plants

Ancient Roman Sanitation Efforts May Have Made Things More Gross

Fleas Need Fresh Air

People Are Infecting Themselves With Parasitic Worms as a Medical Treatment

Even Deadbeat Bird Parents Keep an Eye on Their Kids

Fungus Kills its Victims and Makes Them More Attractive

A Parasite in Bishop’s Clothing: Some Cuckoos Mimic Innocent Birds to Sneak into Nests

How a Lying Plant Steals from a Thieving Fly

Flowers are Pharmacies for Sick Bees

7 Infested Facts About Bed Bugs

“Cuckoo” Butterflies Get Ants to Raise their Kids

Cuckoos Hide From Each Other with Camouflaged Eggs

Galapagos Birds Beat Bloodsuckers with Pesticide-Lined Homes

Some Birds Benefit From Having Parasites

8 Parasites that Create Zombie Animals

11 Weird (But Awesome) Things at the Mütter Museum

This Wasp Turns Spiders Into Zombie Construction Workers