This introductory undergraduate textbook provides a concise, clear and affordable overview of parasite biology for students and nonspecialists, preparing them for more technical and detailed literature. Using examples from all groups of animal parasites, the text considers the various stages of a parasite's life cycle from finding hosts to surviving within the host. The author discusses the significance of damage caused by parasites and approaches to control, giving the book a well-rounded scope for those new to the subject or desiring a review of key points. A key feature of the book is its comparative rather than systematic approach. Suitable for all introductory parasitology courses in biology, zoology and human and veterinary medicine.

Parasites cause many important diseases in humans and domestic animals, malaria being an example. Parasites have evolved to exploit hosts' bodies whereas hosts have evolved immune systems to control infections. Host-parasite interactions therefore provide fascinating examples of evolutionary 'arms-races' in which the immune system plays a key role. Modern research in immunoparasitology is directed towards understanding and exploiting the capacity to develop effective anti-parasite immunity. By concentrating on selected infections where research has made significant progress, Immunity to Parasites provides a clear account of how host immune responses operate and how parasites can evade immunity. The experimental basis of this research is emphasised throughout. This completely updated second edition includes an expanded section on anti-parasite vaccines. The text is aimed at undergraduates and postgraduates with interests in either parasitology or immunology and provides introductory sections on these topics to lead the reader into the later chapters.

The third edition of this basic textbook in parasitology has been entirely rewritten, incorporating the spectacular advances made in biological sciences within recent years. The author presents students and research workers with a broad multi-disciplined approach to the morphology, ultrastructure, speciation, life cycles, biochemistry, in vitro culture and immunology of parasites. Special attention is paid to those species used as models for teaching and research as well as the major human and animal parasites. The author introduces the basics of the subject for new students as well as bringing in more advanced topics of interest to senior students and researchers. The text is illustrated with a large number of figures, tables and up-to-date reference lists. The book will appeal to all students with an interest in parasitology as well as being of interest to research workers in the field.

In "Parasitism, " Claude Combes explores the fascinating adaptations parasites have developed through their intimate interactions with their hosts. He begins with the biology of parasites--their life cycles, habitats, and different types of associations with their hosts. Next he discusses genetic interactions between hosts and parasites, and he ends with a section on the community ecology of parasites and their role in the evolution of their hosts. Throughout the book Combes enlivens his discussion with a wealth of concrete examples of host-parasite interactions.

"I have often been asked what are the interesting questions to study in host-parasitoid biology, and this volume suggests a large number in a variety of different fields. In so doing, it will interest a wider audience than simply scientists working specifically in host-parasitoid biology. For both, however, the book will stimulate new research ideas. By looking forward, as well as reviewing the past, Parasitoid Population Biology makes for a novel, interesting, and timely addition to the field."--Howard Wilson, Biology Department, Imperial College

"The underlying rationale for "Parasitoid Population Biology"--the need to question our current understanding of parasitoid population biology--is a laudable one. The editors and contributors are recognized experts at the international level, and are at the cutting edge of parasitoid population biology research. As such, they are well placed to assess the current state of the subject. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and I expect to consult it frequently in my own research and teaching."--Mark Jervis, Cardiff University

"Hochberg and Ives have brought together a group of leading researchers to remind populations biologists of every stripe of the unparalleled opportunity that parasitoids offer for studying the integration of ecology and evolution. In no other animal group is resource acquisition (i.e., foraging for hosts) so tightly linked to reproduction (i.e., oviposition into those hosts). As the chapters of this book convincingly demonstrate, this linkage between foraging and reproducing in parasitoids leads to tractable theories that connect life history variations to population regulation and community structure in both spaceand time. Although parasitoids are not without difficulties as experimental subjects, several authors show the wealth of empirical information already available as well as point to forthcoming innovations that will make parasitoid study even more important in the near future. This book tells us where we stand vis a vis parasitoids, but more importantly, it shows us where we can go."--Arthur E. Weis, University of California, Irvine

Birds are the most diverse group of land vertebrates and have evolved to exploit almost every terrestrial niche on earth. They also serve as a natural reservoir for an array of different pathogens that pose serious health risks to human and domestic animal populations, including West Nile virus, highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, Newcastle Disease virus, and numerous enteric pathogens. Avian diseases are also critically important to the conservation of endemic bird species in many places around the world. This accessible textbook focuses on the dynamics of infectious diseases for wild avian hosts across every level of ecological hierarchy, from the way pathogens interact with the physiology and behavior of individual hosts, the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of the host-parasite interactions occurring within populations, up to the complex biotic and abiotic interactions occurring within biological communities and ecosystems. Parasite-bird interactions are also increasingly occurring in rapidly changing global environments - thus, their ecology is also changing - and this shapes the complex ways by which parasites influence the inter-connected health of birds, humans, and shared ecosystems. Given the key role of birds in ecological communities more broadly, and as the primary host to so many zoonotic pathogens, an understanding of the ecological and evolutionary principles underlying the maintenance, amplification, transmission, and dispersal of these infectious agents is crucial to understanding how to mitigate the negative global impacts of the ever-increasing number of emerging infectious diseases. Although the topics and principles discussed in this book relate to birds, they have a far wider relevance and can also be applied to non-avian, wildlife host-pathogen systems. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that understanding of disease ecology in wild animal populations is paramount to global health. Infectious Disease Ecology of Wild Birds is suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in avian disease ecology, ecoimmunology, ecology, and conservation. It will also appeal to the many professional parasitologists, ecoimmunologists, ornithologists, behavioural ecologists, conservation biologists, and wildlife biologists requiring a concise overview of the topic.

Population Biology of Vector-Borne Diseases is the first comprehensive survey of this rapidly developing field. The chapter topics provide an up-to-date presentation of classical concepts, reviews of emerging trends, synthesis of existing knowledge, and a prospective agenda for future research. The contributions offer authoritative and international perspectives from leading thinkers in the field. The dynamics of vector-borne diseases are far more intrinsically ecological compared with their directly transmitted equivalents. The environmental dependence of ectotherm vectors means that vector-borne pathogens are acutely sensitive to changing environmental conditions. Although perennially important vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue have deeply informed our understanding of vector-borne diseases, recent emerging viruses such as West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, and Zika virus have generated new scientific questions and practical problems. The study of vector-borne disease has been a particularly rich source of ecological questions, while ecological theory has provided the conceptual tools for thinking about their evolution, transmission, and spatial extent. Population Biology of Vector-Borne Diseases is an advanced textbook suitable for graduate level students taking courses in vector biology, population ecology, evolutionary ecology, disease ecology, medical entomology, viral ecology/evolution, and parasitology, as well as providing a key reference for researchers across these fields.

Interactions between competitors, predators and their prey have traditionally been seen as the foundation of community structure. Parasites - long ignored in community ecology and the care necessary bio-security are now recognised to play an important role in influencing species interactions and, consequently affecting the functioning of the ecosystem. Parasitism can interact with other ecological drivers, resulting in both adverse and beneficial effects on biodiversity and ecosystem health. Species interactions involving parasites are also keys to understanding many biological invasions and emerging infectious diseases. This book bridges the gap between ecology and epidemiology community to create a comprehensive examination of how parasites and pathogens affect all aspects of ecological communities, enabling a new generation of environmentalists to include parasites as a key element in their studies may be parasites human or animal, terrestrial or aquatic environments.

Most human diseases come from nature, from pathogens that live and breed in non-human animals and are "accidentally" transmitted to us. Human illness is only the culmination of a complex series of interactions among species in their natural habitats. To avoid exposure to these pathogens, we must understand which species are involved, what regulates their abundance, and how they interact. Lyme disease affects the lives of millions of people in the US, Europe, and Asia. It is the most frequently reported vector-borne disease in the United States; About 20,000 cases have been reported each year over the past five years, and tens of thousands more go unrecognized and unreported. Despite the epidemiological importance of understanding variable LD risk, such pursuit has been slow, indirect, and only partially successful, due in part to an overemphasis on identifying the small subset of 'key players' that contribute to Lyme disease risk, as well as a general misunderstanding of effective treatment options. This controversial book is a comprehensive, synthetic review of research on the ecology of Lyme disease in North America. It describes how humans get sick, why some years and places are so risky and others not. It challenges dogma - for instance, that risk is closely tied to the abundance of deer - and replaces it with a new understanding that embraces the complexity of species and their interactions. It describes why the place where Lyme disease emerged - coastal New England - set researchers on mistaken pathways. It shows how tiny acorns have enormous impacts on our probability of getting sick, why biodiversity is good for our health, why living next to a small woodlot is dangerous, and why Lyme disease is an excellent model system for understanding many other human and animal diseases. Intended for an audience of professional and student ecologists, epidemiologists, and other health scientists, it is written in an informal style accessible also to non-scientists interested in human health and conservation.

Biogeography has renewed its concepts and methods following important recent advances in phylogenetics, macroecology, and geographic information systems. In parallel, the evolutionary ecology of host-parasite interactions has attracted the interests of numerous studies dealing with life-history traits evolution, community ecology, and evolutionary epidemiology. The Biogeography of Host-Parasite Interactions is the first book to integrate these two fields, using examples from a variety of host-parasite associations in various regions, and across both ecological and evolutionary timescales. Besides a strong theoretical component, there is a bias towards applications, specifically in the fields of historical biogeography, palaeontology, phylogeography, landscape epidemiology, invasion biology, conservation biology, human evolution, and health ecology. A particular emphasis concerns emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases linked to global changes.

Parasites have evolved independently in numerous animal lineages, and they now make up a considerable proportion of the biodiversity of life. Not only do they impact humans and other animals in fundamental ways, but in recent years they have become a powerful model system for the study of ecology and evolution, with practical applications in disease prevention. Here, in a thoroughly revised and updated edition of his influential earlier work, Robert Poulin provides an evolutionary ecologist's view of the biology of parasites. He sets forth a comprehensive synthesis of parasite evolutionary ecology, integrating information across scales from the features of individual parasites to the dynamics of parasite populations and the structuring of parasite communities.

"Evolutionary Ecology of Parasites" presents an evolutionary framework for the study of parasite biology, combining theory with empirical examples for a broader understanding of why parasites are as they are and do what they do. An up-to-date synthesis of the field, the book is an ideal teaching tool for advanced courses on the subject. Pointing toward promising directions and setting a research agenda, it will also be an invaluable reference for researchers who seek to extend our knowledge of parasite ecology and evolution.

Parasites and infectious diseases are everywhere and represent some of the most potent forces shaping the natural world. They affect almost every aspect imaginable in the life of their hosts, even as far as the structure of entire ecosystems. Hosts, in turn, have evolved complex defences, with immune systems being among the most sophisticated processes known in nature. In response, parasites have again found ways to manipulate and exploit their hosts. Ever since life began, hosts and parasites have taken part in this relentless co-evolutionary struggle with far-reaching consequences for us all. Today, concepts borrowed from evolution, ecology, parasitology, and immunology have formed a new synthesis for the study of host-parasite interactions. Evolutionary parasitology builds on these established fields of scientific enquiry but also includes some of the most successful inter-disciplinary areas of modern biology such as evolutionary epidemiology and ecological immunology. The first edition of this innovative text quickly became the standard reference text for this new discipline. Since then, the field has progressed rapidly and an update is now required. This new edition has been thoroughly revised to provide a state-of-the-art overview, from the molecular bases to adaptive strategies and their ecological and evolutionary consequences. It includes completely new material on topics such as microbiota, evolutionary genomics, phylodynamics, within-host evolution, epidemiology, disease spaces, and emergent diseases. Evolutionary Parasitology is suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate level students, and interdisciplinary researchers from a variety of fields including immunology, genetics, sexual selection, population ecology, behavioural ecology, epidemiology, and evolutionary biology. Those studying and working in adjacent fields such as conservation biology, virology, medicine, and public health will also find it an invaluable resource for connecting to the bases of their science.

The development of molecular tools has dramatically increased our knowledge of parasite diversity and the vectors that transmit them. From viruses and protists to arthropods and helminths, each branch of the Tree of Life offers an insight into significant, yet cryptic, biodiversity. Alongside this, the studies of host-parasite interactions and parasitism have influenced many scientific disciplines, such as biogeography and evolutionary ecology, by using comparative methods based on phylogenetic information to unravel shared evolutionary histories. Parasite Diversity and Diversification brings together two active fields of research, phylogenetics and evolutionary ecology, to reveal and explain the patterns of parasite diversity and the diversification of their hosts. This book will encourage students and researchers in the fields of ecology and evolution of parasitism, as well as animal and human health, to integrate phylogenetics into the investigation of parasitism in evolutionary ecology, health ecology, medicine and conservation.

Human Parasitology, Fifth Edition emphasizes a medical perspective that also incorporates functional morphology, physiology, biochemistry and immunology to enhance appreciation of the diverse implications of parasitism. Bridging the gap between classical clinical parasitology texts and traditional encyclopedic treatises, the book will not only appeal to students interested in the medical aspects of parasitology, but also those who are interested in gaining a solid foundation in the biology of parasites. This updated edition has been fully revised to integrate the most recent molecular discoveries about mosquitoes, ticks and other arthropods as vectors, along with the most effective therapeutic regimens for each.

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa, Coccidia order, being an obligate intracellular protozoan that affects humans and diverse vertebrate hosts. In this book, the authors discuss its prevalence in humans and animals, genetic structure and role in disease distribution. Topics include the congenital transmission of toxoplasma gondii in ovine; the role of chickens in the transmission of toxoplasmosis to humans; updates on the serological and molecular diagnosis of toxoplasmosis; epidemiology and control of toxoplasmosis in dogs, cats, bovine, and in public health.

Apart from malaria, schistosomiasis is the most prevalent parasitic infection in the world. It affects more than 200 million people in 76 tropical and subtropical countries, causing great suffering and resulting in thousands of deaths. Written by world authorities, this book examines many aspects of the biology, pathology, and control of the schistosoma parasite. Ranging in topic from infection in Pharaonic Egypt, through DNA relationships and biological systems, to advances in development of vaccines against the parasite, this book is a comprehensive text written for researchers and medical professionals alike.

Toxoplasma gondii, once an obscure protozoan parasite, has recently become the focus of intense research, both as a serious pathogen in its own right and as a model member of the phylum Apicomplexa. Written by internationally acclaimed researchers, this is the first book to provide a comprehensive coverage of this important parasite from both the host and pathogen perspectives.

The authors of this book describe in detail the biological characteristics that make T. gondii and related apicomplexans the most common and successful group of parasites on earth. Essential reading for all researchers working with Toxoplasma and related apicomplexans, Plasmodium, Cryptosporidium, and other protozoan parasites.

In "Parasitism, " Claude Combes explores the fascinating adaptations parasites have developed through their intimate interactions with their hosts. He begins with the biology of parasites--their life cycles, habitats, and different types of associations with their hosts. Next he discusses genetic interactions between hosts and parasites, and he ends with a section on the community ecology of parasites and their role in the evolution of their hosts. Throughout the book Combes enlivens his discussion with a wealth of concrete examples of host-parasite interactions.

This volume emphasizes the application of modern biotechnological approaches to the study and control of animal parasites. The book begins by discussing molecular concepts and principles in general before moving on to cover specific applications for endoparasites, ectoparasites, and finally the hosts themselves. Animal Parasite Control Utilizing Biotechnology will be an instrumental reference in promoting a better understanding of the host-parasite relationship and suggesting viable means of controlling economically important parasite infections of animals. The book will be invaluable to zoologists, parasitologists, microbiologists, biochemists, geneticists, immunologists, physiologists, molecular biologists, veterinarian and medical scientists, and advanced students interested in the topic.

This volume summarizes current research into the physiology and molecular biology of host-parasite interactions. Brought together by leading international experts in the field, the first section outlines fundamental processes, followed by specific examples in the concluding section. Covering a wide range of organisms, Host-Parasite Interactions is essential reading for researchers in the field.