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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 1d

#Vaccines are a powerful line of defence against many debilitating #diseases, training our #immune systems to recognize and destroy pathogens.

But vaccinating against #Borrelia, the bacteria causing #LymeDisease, is tricky.

Check out why in my latest piece: uniofnomi.wordpress.com/2025/03/14/l...

Lyme Disease Vaccine

Introduction: Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for causing Lyme Disease, was identified relatively recently by Dr. Willy Burgdorfer in 1980 (Pavia et al., 2024). From Miklossy et al.…

uniofnomi.wordpress.com

The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 6d

Epilogue: More info about Blastocystis virulence, specifically, can be found here in this comprehensive paper:

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025 #MPMXXXVI #Parasitology

Blastocystis, an unrecognized parasite: an overview of pathogenesis and diagnosis

Blastocystis sp. is among the few enteric parasites with a prevalence that often exceeds 5% in the general population of industrialized countries and can reach 30–60% in developing countries. This par...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 6d

More general info about the mysterious #parasite Blastocystis and its contested #virulence can be found here:

frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/p...

(Note that "subtypes" are incredibly genetically diverse!)

@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025 #MPMXXXVI #Parasitology

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Blastocystis Gut Parasite: Healthy or Harmful?

Study shows gut parasite Blastocystis linked to healthy diet, better cardiometabolic health outcomes, and weight loss in 1,124 participants.

frontline.thehindu.com

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 6d

There's mixed consensus whether Blastocystis is virulent - it's one of those microbes sitting on the fence between mutualism and parasitism. In my own work, virulence seemed to correlate with #microbiome composition.

Thanks to Zedan et al., we're now closer to a better understanding.
#MPM2025

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 6d

More highlights from #MPMXXXVI!

Work by Roaa Zedan et al. developed a point-of-care diagnostic test for #Blastocystis, a fascinating #protist found across the world (including industrialized nations) in the human gut #microbiome, implicated in diseases such as #IBS.
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@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 6d

Genomic parasites!

PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 7d

Join @embl.org for this conference exploring genetic and physiological impacts of transposable elements. Virtual registration is open until October 28. Learn more at plos.io/4nuqeZA.

Promotional graphic for an EMBO Workshop titled "The mobile genome: genetic and physiological impacts of transposable elements," scheduled for 4-7 November 2025, at EMBL Heidelberg and virtually. The background features abstract DNA strands and a stylized graphic of a fruit fly in orange and green tones.

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 6d

Ehrlichia canis is a tick-borne #bacteria that infects white blood cells and causes monocytic ehrlichiosis in dogs - a potentially fatal disease.

This is also a zoonotic disease, meaning humans can be infected too.

#ticks #dogs #canine #health

Maureen Laroche, PhD, FRES @tattooed-bug.bsky.social · 6d

New paper from our lab!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 7d

Check out their publication on this exciting and fascinating #research:

chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025 #MPMXXXVI #Parasitology
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A Silicon Rhodamine‐fused Glibenclamide to Label and Detect Malaria‐infected Red Blood Cells

A far-red fluorescent silicon rhodamine-conjugated glibenclamide (SiR-glib) is synthesized. Labeling experiments in cells reveal the endoplasmic reticulum as the primary target of SiR-glib, and is ap....

chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 7d

More highlights from #MPMXXXVI!

Work by Claudia Bastl et al. designed and applied a fluorescent dye that stains structures in red blood cells to allow imaging of #malaria #parasites using portable smartphone-based microscopes, enabling rapid diagnosis in rural areas lacking #medical resources.
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Reposted by The University of Nomi

Nature @nature.com · 11d

Latest from the Nature Podcast 🔊 How a dangerous tick-borne virus sneaks into the brain

go.nature.com/4nRIOuV

How a dangerous tick-borne virus sneaks into the brain

Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 24 September 2025

go.nature.com

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 7d

Wow! These look like microscope eyepieces!

The patent mentions the glass disks provide a view of the scab without opening the box - what do you think they were looking for? Freshness? Oxidation?

The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 7d

Nomenlcature is always a bit of a nightmare...

...making it all the more important we use accurate terminology to describe #pathogens of high significance to human health.

#LymeDisease #phylogeny

Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 8d

Restoration of the genus name "Borrelia" to Lyme spirochetes, while creating subgenera Borreliella subgen. nov. and Borrelia subgen. nov.

#MicroSky

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
(open access)

Proposing a subgenus Borreliella

In 2014, it was proposed (validly published in 2015) that the genus Borrelia be divided into two genera, with a new genus Borreliella holding species …

www.sciencedirect.com

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 12d

Why do we care? Because very little information is available for proteins found in #parasites, despite parasites causing a third of the total global burden of human #disease (!!!) #MPM2025 @parasitesrule.org
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More about this problem is explained nicely here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Exploiting structural biology in the fight against parasitic diseases

Despite spectacular advances in structural biology over the past half-century, only approximately 2% of the structures in the Protein Data Bank are fr…

www.sciencedirect.com

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 12d

More highlights from #MPMXXXVI!

Work by Lindsay Clark et al. predicts protein function based on existing gene sequences of #parasites in @veupathdb.org, annotating otherwise uncharacterized proteins based on their structure & helping inform drug discovery efforts.
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@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025

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Reposted by The University of Nomi

Microbetv @microbetv.bsky.social · 12d

TWiP solves the case about the parasite check in summer camp, and presents a new case about a woman who traveled to Brazil and developed furuncles on the back of her head.
@danielgriffinmdphd.bsky.social @christina-naula.bsky.social

TWiP 265: Things that jump are cleaner than things that squat

YouTube video by MicrobeTV

youtu.be

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 13d

(Don't forget to check out my own work on the subject! uniofnomi.wordpress.com/lab-log/)
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@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025 #Parasitology #AMR

lab • log

– notes from the Field Lab – – Guest appearances by furry critters! – Here I share updates on my research in naturally sourced compounds effective against drug-resistant par…

uniofnomi.wordpress.com

The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 13d

Co-author Marcelo Beltrão Molento has done impressive work showing the benefits of plant-based therapies in standard, agroecological, and holistic #farming systems to combat drug resistant #parasite populations: dx.doi.org/10.5380/avs....
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@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025 #Parasitology #AMR

PLANT EXTRACTS USED FOR THE CONTROL OF ENDO AND ECTOPARASITES OF LIVESTOCK: A REVIEW OF THE LAST 13 YEARS OF SCIENCE | Archives of Veterinary Science

dx.doi.org

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 13d

More highlights from #MPMXXXVI!

Work by Ismael L. Orbegon et al. shows Verbena litoralis, a medicinal plant, has significant in vitro activity against parasitic worms infecting sheep, showing promise for addressing the growing threat of drug resistance.
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@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025 #Parasitology

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Reposted by The University of Nomi

Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 14d

The reality in science is that creativity is not treated as a core skill while hypothesis testing is, and that is the imbalance that we want correct through the Night Science Institute!
www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/art... www.night-science.org

The Night Science Institute Is Changing How Science Teaches Creativity

In this interview with Professors Itai Yanai and Martin Lercher, explore how night science brings creativity, ideation and collaboration back into the heart of modern science.

www.technologynetworks.com

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 13d

More highlights from #MPMXXXVI:

Work by Lum Abienwi Ambe et al. has begun to develop a non-invasive assay for detecting Onchocerca volvulus from urine samples, making it easier to treat #onchocerciasis - a devastating parasitic #disease causing blindness.

@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025 #Parasitology

Onchocerciasis (river blindness)

Transmitted by the bites of infected blackflies, river blindness causes severe itching and eye lesions, leading to visual impairment and permanent blindness. Almost eliminated in the region of the Ame...

www.who.int

The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 13d

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
― Thomas A. Edison

PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 13d

Sharing knowledge is a fundamental principle within the scientific community, yet null and negative results are still being underreported. @scurry.bsky.social &co present a roadmap to a solution that has a role for everyone in the scientific community 🧪 #Academicsky #reproducibility
plos.io/3VwaU2O

Ending publication bias: A values-based approach to surface null and negative results

Sharing knowledge is a fundamental principle within the scientific community, yet null and negative results are still being underreported. This Consensus View discusses the problem of such publication...

plos.io

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 15d

Hey, #MPMXXXVI attendees! Just a reminder today is the last day to vote for your favourite talks and posters from this year's meeting. I've highlighted a few in my posts below!

@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025 #Parasitology

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 15d

Highlights from #MPMXXXVI:

#Ticks! (woot!) Work by Isaac A. Hinne et al. identified stage-specific gene expression profiles in developing #tick embryos (Ixodes scapularis).

Targeting embryonic development in ticks offers a unique point of #vector control.

@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025 #Parasitology

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 15d

Learn more about some of their work here: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

(Although ginger extract is used in this paper^. If anyone can point me towards publications of their studies using thyme extract please do!)

@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025 #Parasitology #MPM2025 #botany
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Efficacy of green synthesized silver nanoparticles via ginger rhizome extract against Leishmania major in vitro

Leishmaniasis is a major public health problem that causes by parasite of the genus Leishmania. The pentavalent antimonial compounds that used for treatment are not safe or effective enough. The aim o...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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The University of Nomi @uniofnomi.bsky.social · 15d

Highlights from #MPMXXXVI:
Work by Atena Hesami et al. shows the efficacy of thyme extract incorporated into silver #nanoparticles for use against Leishmania major - a #parasite causing flesh-eating disease - showing the value of naturally sourced compounds as augmentative antiparasitic agents. 1/2

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