Parasites, pathogens, and other symbionts of copepods

Metazoan parasites and other symbionts of cetaceans in the Caribbean.

The parasite fauna in cetaceans from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the larger Caribbean region is poorly known. We provide the first records for parasite biodiversity among a diverse assemblage of cetaceans from the Caribbean Sea. Internal and external parasites and commensals were collected from stranded whales and dolphins salvaged in Puerto Rico, the United States and British Virgin I...

Comparative genomics of microbial pathogens and symbionts

We are interested in quantifying the contribution of gene acquisition, loss, expansion and rearrangements to the evolution of microbial genomes. Here, we discuss factors influencing microbial genome divergence based on pair-wise genome comparisons of closely related strains and species with different lifestyles. A particular focus is on intracellular pathogens and symbionts of the genera Ricket...

Testing for food-borne parasites, their metabolic products and symbionts.

Microscopic animals associated with foods include free-living and saprophytic invertebrates, parasites of hosts other than humans, and parasitic animals specifically designated as food-borne that can infect a human host by the gastrointestinal route. The first general method used to screen for food-borne species was digestion with pepsin and hydrochloric acid at 36 degrees C, based on the "arti...

Pathogens and Parasites in a Changing Climate

The Interplay of PPARs with Parasites and Related Intracellular Pathogens

The objective of this special issue is to present current findings on how PPARs can tilt the delicate balance between host defense and parasite survival to affect the outcome of parasitic infections. The volume contains five comprehensive reviews and one original research article that describe the mechanisms of action of PPARs on several parasitic diseases which infect differently. The pathogen...