Parasites
Latest about parasites
![close up illustration of a tick crawling on human skin](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cRVWQkDJLFLTZ2ueFhQJ3K-320-80.jpg)
10 ways to avoid summer tick bites
By Tia Ghose last updated
Experts shared tips with Live Science on how to protect yourself from tick bites and reduce your risk of tick-borne diseases.
![Screenshots from the underwater footage taken for research purposes show humpback whales rolling on the sandy seafloor.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/o5VpvDQGDAmqgxkrAMQHZ4-320-80.png)
Humpback whales caught on film for 1st time treating themselves to a full body scrub on the seafloor
By Sascha Pare published
New footage shows, for the first time, how humpbacks scrub off dead skin and parasites to stay streamlined and keep their skin healthy.
![illustration of single-cell parasites floating through the bloodstream alongside blood cells](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xm7umzXpj8rzrtcQrj4ufV-320-80.jpg)
'Mind-control' parasite Toxoplasma hides from the immune system with 2 key genes
By Kamal Nahas published
A single-cell parasite relies on two genes that boost each other's activity to switch into "defense mode" when attacked by the immune system.
![close up of a deer tick on a blade of grass reaching one of its legs towards a bare human leg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uGPhtsZ9XMBnAK7RyFnMhM-320-80.jpg)
Tick-borne parasite is spreading in the Northeast, CDC says
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A tick-borne illness called babesiosis is spreading in the northeastern U.S.
![Two winged clonal raider ants stand out against a white background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jjnJeeMtmohVrSTLCSJMDb-320-80.jpg)
'Supergene' mutation turned ants into parasitic wannabe queens
By Sascha Pare published
Scientists have identified a mutant strain of clonal raider ants that look like miniature queens and evolved quickly because of a single "supergene" mutation.
![an illustration of the brain eating amoeba Balamuthia mandrillaris , depicted in pink against a white, speckled background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9J9k9iEiEVempNPayCzrBn-320-80.jpg)
Fatal 'brain-eating' amoeba successfully treated with repurposed UTI drug
By Nicoletta Lanese published
Doctors successfully treated a patient's rare brain infection with a drug typically used for UTIs.
![A Toxoplasma gondii tissue cyst.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QkZkJZcu6adk8BaajZGBXG-320-80.jpg)
10 surprising facts about the 'mind-control' parasite Toxoplasma gondii
By Harry Baker published
T. gondii is one of the most common infectious parasites on Earth, but it is also one of the most interesting to learn about.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xf7T5DZcLiAVLCFaEJXvHD-320-80.jpg)
Cunning Weed Sniffs Out Victims
By Jeanna Bryner last updated
When the stringy dodder plant emerges, it bobs and sways to find the perfect host plant, then sucks the life out of it. See the video.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/X4XabP7vFauLTvfM5Q5waL-320-80.jpg)
Study: Cat Parasite Affects Human Culture
By Ker Than last updated
A parasitic microbe commonly found in cats might have helped shape entire human cultures by manipulating the personalities of infected individuals.
![Artist's illustration of Toxoplasma gondii](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9eEHX7RxG3R4HbYux7SDPe-320-80.jpg)
One in three people are infected with Toxoplasma parasite — and the clue could be in our eyes
By Justine R. Smith, Joao M. Furtado published
Toxoplasma gondii is probably the most successful parasite in the world today. The disease caused by this parasite can scar the back of the eye.
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