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Root-knot nematodes (RKNs), spp., are sedentary endoparasites that negatively affect almost every crop in the world. Current management practices are not enough to completely control RKN. Application of certain chemicals is also being further limited in recent years. It is therefore crucial to develop additional control strategies through the application of environmentally benign methods. There has been much research performed around the world on the topic, leading to useful outcomes and interesting findings capable of improving farmers' income. It is important to have dependable resources gathering the data produced to facilitate future research. This review discusses recent findings on the application of environmentally benign treatments to control RKN between 2015 and April 2020. A variety of biological control strategies, natural compounds, soil amendments and other emerging strategies have been included, among which, many showed promising results in RKN control and/or . Development of these methods continues to be an area of active research, and new information on their efficacy will continuously become available. We have discussed some of the control mechanisms involved and suggestions were given on maximizing the outcome of the future efforts.

Endoparasitic plants are the most reduced flowering plants, spending most of their lives as a network of filaments within the tissues of their hosts. Despite their extraordinary life form, we know little about their biology. Research into a few species has revealed unexpected insights, such as the total loss of plastome, the reduction of the vegetative phase to a proembryonic stage, and elevated information exchange between host and parasite. To consolidate our understanding, we review life history, anatomy, and molecular genetics across the four independent lineages of endoparasitic plants. We highlight convergence across these clades and a striking trans-kingdom convergence in life history among endoparasitic plants and disparate lineages of fungi at the molecular and physiological levels. We hypothesize that parasitism of woody plants preselected for the endoparasitic life history, providing parasites a stable host environment and the necessary hydraulics to enable floral gigantism and/or high reproductive output. Finally, we propose a broader view of endoparasitic plants that connects research across disciplines, for example, pollen–pistil and graft incompatibility interactions and plant associations with various fungi. We shine a light on endoparasitic plants and their hosts as under-explored ecological microcosms ripe for identifying unexpected biological processes, interactions and evolutionary convergence.

This study was to determine the type and degree of endoparasite infection in the feces of free-range IPB-D1 chickens, as basic science in the formation of endoparasite-resistant local chickens that are in accordance with the maintenance system and behavior of Indonesian farmers. The materials of this study were 46 feces of 18-week-old IPB-D1 chickens collected from different rearing management, 23 feces from intensive system and 23 feces from free-range system cages. Chickens had been reared for 14 weeks in each system. The examination was performed quantitatively using the Mc. Master technique. The results showed that Ascaridia galli eggs were detected in 17.39% of the samples of intensive and 65.22% of the samples of free-range, Capillaria annulata eggs were detected in 21.74% of the samples of intensive and 95.65% of the samples of free-range, Cestoda class worm eggs were detected in 13.04% of the samples of intensive and 8.70% of the samples of free-range, and protozoan oocysts were detected in 78.26% of the samples of intensive and 91.30% of the samples of free-range. Based on the results of the research, it can be claimed that IPB-D1 chickens with free-range rearing system had more worm and protozoa infections compared to intensive rearing system.

Natural history museums are vital repositories of specimens, samples and data that inform about the natural world; this Formal Comment revisits a Perspective that advocated for the adoption of compassionate collection practices, querying whether it will ever be possible to completely do away with whole animal specimen collection.

Parasites can provide valuable insights into the ecology and health of their hosts and the state of the surrounding ecosystem. In this study, we describe the helminth parasite communities infecting penguin species in Otago, New Zealand (little blue penguin, Fiordland crested penguin, Snares crested penguin, erect crested penguin and yellow-eyed penguin). We investigate differences in parasite communities among penguin species, and changes over time for little blue penguins. In total, 19 parasite species representing 8 families (Desmidocercidae, Anisakidae, Acuariidae, Capillariidae, Tetrabothriidae, Heterophyidae, Renicolidae and Polymorphidae) were recorded from 121 penguin individuals. Parasite assemblages differed among penguin species, likely reflective of their differences in diet and feeding strategies. We also observed significant changes in the composition of parasite communities of little blue penguins using samples from a 30-year timespan (1993–2023). There was an overall increase in parasite diversity over time, including some species of potential disease concern, which could reflect a shift in prey availability of fish in the area. Our findings contribute to the understanding of penguin ecology and emphasise the use of parasites as indicators of ecological change.

The Myxozoa comprise over 2,000 species of microscopic obligate parasites that use both invertebrate and vertebrate hosts as part of their life cycle. Although the evolutionary origin of myxozoans has been elusive, a close relationship with cnidarians, a group that includes corals, sea anemones, jellyfish, and hydroids, is supported by some phylogenetic studies and the observation that the distinctive myxozoan structure, the polar capsule, is remarkably similar to the stinging structures (nematocysts) in cnidarians. To gain insight into the extreme evolutionary transition from a free-living cnidarian to a microscopic endoparasite, we analyzed genomic and transcriptomic assemblies from two distantly related myxozoan species,Kudoa iwataiandMyxobolus cerebralis,and compared these to the transcriptome and genome of the less reduced cnidarian parasite,Polypodium hydriforme.A phylogenomic analysis, using for the first time to our knowledge, a taxonomic sampling that represents the breadth of myxozoan diversity, including four newly generated myxozoan assemblies, confirms that myxozoans are cnidarians and are a sister taxon toP. hydriforme.Estimations of genome size reveal that myxozoans have one of the smallest reported animal genomes. Gene enrichment analyses show depletion of expressed genes in categories related to development, cell differentiation, and cell–cell communication. In addition, a search for candidate genes indicates thatmyxozoans lack key elements of signaling pathways and transcriptional factors important for multicellular development. Our results suggest that the degeneration of the myxozoan body plan from a free-living cnidarian to a microscopic parasitic cnidarian was accompanied by extreme reduction in genome size and gene content.

Achieving significant adhesion to soft tissues while minimizing tissue damage poses a considerable clinical challenge. Chemical-based adhesives require tissue-specific reactive chemistry, typically inducing a significant inflammatory response. Staples are fraught with limitations including high-localized tissue stress and increased risk of infection, and nerve and blood vessel damage. Here inspired by the endoparasite Pomphorhynchus laevis , which swells its proboscis to attach to its host’s intestinal wall, we have developed a biphasic microneedle array that mechanically interlocks with tissue through swellable microneedle tips, achieving ~3.5-fold increase in adhesion strength compared with staples in skin graft fixation, and removal force of ~4.5 N cm −2 from intestinal mucosal tissue. Comprising a poly(styrene)- block -poly(acrylic acid) swellable tip and non-swellable polystyrene core, conical microneedles penetrate tissue with minimal insertion force and depth, yet high adhesion strength in their swollen state. Uniquely, this design provides universal soft tissue adhesion with minimal damage, less traumatic removal, reduced risk of infection and delivery of bioactive therapeutics. Conventional adhesives stick poorly to wet tissue because water severely undermines the adhesive chemicals they rely on. To overcome this, Yang et al . develop a bio-inspired adhesive microneedle array whose tips swell on contact with water, forming a mechanical bond to living tissue.

In 2019-2021, 20 specimens of common carp Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus 1758 were caught in three locations (biotopes) along the course of the Danube River in northwestern Bulgaria. Infection with five parasite species was detected – Nicolla skrjabini (Iwanitzky, 1928) Dollfus, 1960 (class Trematoda); Schyzocotyle acheilognathi (Yamaguti, 1934) Brabec, Waeschenbach, Scholz, Littlewood & Kuchta, 2015 (class Cestoda); Acanthocephalus lucii (Müller, 1776) Lühe, 1911, Pomphorhynchus laevis (Zoega in Müller, 1776) Porta, 1908 (class Acanthocephala); Contracаecum sp. (larvae) (class Nematoda). Three of the found endoparasite species are pathogenic for fish – Sch. acheilognathi, P. laevis, and Contracаecum sp. (larvae). C. carpio is a new host record for Sch. acheilognathi and Ac. lucii in Bulgaria. The studied biotopes are new habitats for the established parasite species. The present study aims to provide new data on the diversity and the ecological indices (MI, MA, P%) of C. carpio parasites from the Bulgarian section of the Danube River.

The genus Blacus Nees is cosmopolitan genus of the subfamily Blacinae. The members of genus Blacus endoparasites of colepterous larvae: Staphylinidae, Nitidulidae, Cryptophagidae, Scolytidae, Anobiidae, Curculionidae and Melyridae. Previously, 13 Korean species of the genus have been investigated by several researchers. In this study, eight species of the genus Blacus are reported for the first time from Korea: Blacus apaches Achterberg, B. chabarovi Belokobylskij, B. compressus Belokobylskij, B. fischeri Haeselbarth, B. interstitialis Ruthe, B. mamillanus Ruthe, B. robustus Haeselbarth, and B. ussuriensis Belokobylskij. Diagnosis and host records are given for each species.

A mass mortality event is devastating the populations of the endemic bivalve Pinna nobilis in the Mediterranean Sea from early autumn 2016. A newly described Haplosporidian endoparasite (Haplosporidium pinnae) is the most probable cause of this ecological catastrophe placing one of the largest bivalves of the world on the brink of extinction. As a pivotal step towards Pinna nobilis conservation, this contribution combines scientists and citizens’ data to address the fast- and vast-dispersion and prevalence outbreaks of the pathogen. Therefore, the potential role of currents on parasite expansion was addressed by means of drift simulations of virtual particles in a high-resolution regional currents model. A generalized additive model was implemented to test if environmental factors could modulate the infection of Pinna nobilis populations. The results strongly suggest that the parasite has probably dispersed regionally by surface currents, and that the disease expression seems to be closely related to temperatures above 13.5 °C and to a salinity range between 36.5–39.7 psu. The most likely spread of the disease along the Mediterranean basin associated with scattered survival spots and very few survivors (potentially resistant individuals), point to a challenging scenario for conservation of the emblematic Pinna nobilis, which will require fast and strategic management measures and should make use of the essential role citizen science projects can play.