Parasitology

Parasitology is the study of symbiotic relationships in which one member is harmed and the other benefits from the relationship. Parasites are classified into two groups based on their size and multiplication in the host. Microparasites are microscopic organisms including prokaryotic microparasites (bacteria, viruses) and either single-celled or few-celled eukaryotic microparasites (protozoans, fungi, microsporidia, myxozoans) that exist in vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and other microparasites. The numbers of microparasites usually increase during infection. Macroparasites are usually visible to the naked eye, and the numbers of organisms within the host do not tend to increase during infection. Parasites are among the most important disease-causing agents of living organisms. Parasites have complex and diverse lifecycles that have evolved to use a multitude of strategies for transmission and survival, including vector-borne, sexual contact, direct contact, maternal, lactogenic, carnivorous, hypobiosis, and the production of environmentally resistant stages. Parasites vary in their host specificity and the number of hosts they must have to complete their lifecycle. Some are dependent on host cells or tissues for survival while others can be free-living eukaryotic or metazoan organisms during portions of their developmental cycles. They are major causes of human and animal diseases and many are zoonotic. The Parasitology section of Microorganisms will be open to all studies centered around eukaryotic microparasites and macroparasites of vertebrates and invertebrates. Studies addressing the interactions of prokaryotic microparasites with eukaryotic microparasites are also welcome. A diverse range of studies from human, veterinary and wildlife medicine, classical developmental biology, morphology, biochemical, epidemiological, ecological, pharmacological and chemotherapy, and lifecycle reports will be considered. Studies based on newer technologies examining the interactions of eukaryotic microparasites and their vectors, molecular-based phylogenetic analysis, cell biology, genetics, immunology, various omics studies, and microbiome investigations are encouraged.