This Week in Parasitism
TWiP is a podcast about the tiny creatures that live in and on us.

Vincent and Dickson trace the life cycle of Plasmodium in a mosquito and in a human host.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

  • Mosquito cycle - sporogany (jpg)
  • Plasmodium falciparum cycle (jpg)
  • Plasmodium vivax cycle (jpg)
  • Plasmodium falciparum ring forms and gametocytes in blood (jpg)
  • Plasmodium stages (jpg)
  • Letters read on TWiP 10
Direct download: TWiP010.mp3
Category:Science -- posted at: 7:00pm PDT

Vincent and Dickson move on to protozoan parasites with a discussion of the early history of malaria.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

Direct download: TWiP009.mp3
Category:Science -- posted at: 7:20pm PDT

Dickson reads his story about sparganosis caused by the diphyllobothroid tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

Direct download: TWiP008.mp3
Category:Science -- posted at: 9:30am PDT

Vincent and Dickson continue their discourse on tapeworms, covering the fish and dog varieties.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

  • FAT the enemy that is shortening your life is BANISHED. How? With sanitized tapeworms. Easy to swallow! (jpg).
  • D. latum life cycle (jpg)
  • D. latum adult (jpg)
  • Diphyllobothrim proglottid (jpg)
  • Diphyllobothrim bothria (jpg)
  • Coracidium hatching from egg (jpg)
  • Dog tapeworm life cycle (jpg)
  • The Alien lifecycle (jpg)
Direct download: TWiP007.mp3
Category:Science -- posted at: 7:30pm PDT

Vincent and Dick talk about the anatomy and life cycle of beef and pork tapeworms, and why House was wrong about neurocysticercosis.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

  • Taenia saginata life cycle (jpg)
  • Taenia saginata adult (jpg)
  • Taenia saginata scolex (jpg)
  • Taenia saginata gravid proglottid (jpg)
  • Taenia solium life cycle (jpg)
  • Taenia solium adult (jpg)
  • Taenia solium scolex (jpg)
  • Facial cancer in Tasmanian devils (thanks PhogDog!)

Science Picks

Dickson Peace through vaccine diplomacy by Peter Hotez
Vincent Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer

Direct download: TWiP006.mp3
Category:Science -- posted at: 9:30pm PDT

Vincent and Dick discuss the nurse cell, a unique structure formed in the host muscle by Trichinella species.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

Weekly Science Picks

Dickson Every Living Thing by Rob Dunn

Direct download: TWiP005.mp3
Category:Science -- posted at: 7:30pm PDT

Vincent and Dick trace the life cycle of Trichinella spiralis in an infected host.

Host links: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Links for this episode:

  • Trichinella life cycle (jpg)
  • Newborn larva entering muscle cell (jpg)
  • Adult T. spiralis in columnar epithelial cell (jpg)
  • Adult female T. spiralis (jpg)
  • Infective first stage T. spiralis larva in Nurse cell in muscle tissue (jpg)
  • Adult female T. spiralis with fully formed larvae in uterus (jpg)
  • Adult male T. spiralis with claspers on tail (jpg)
  • Clinical correlations in trichinosis (jpg)
  • Letters read on TWiP #4

Weekly Science Picks

Dickson David Scharf's pictures of microbial life
Vincent
The Nobel Laureate Meetings at Lindau

Direct download: TWiP004.mp3
Category:Science -- posted at: 9:00am PDT