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Parasite Proliferation
03 December 2016

Parasite Proliferation

These wiggly creatures are schistosomes – worm-like parasites that infect more than 200 million people worldwide and linger in the bloodstream for decades. But this isn’t a gentle environment and they easily get damaged. Their unusual persistence seems to come down to special stem cells (the clump of yellow blobs in the top two rows) that regenerate the parasites’ ageing bodies and worn-out cells. Researchers have discovered that switching off gene called cpb1 makes the parasites respond as if they've been severely injured, so some of their cells die. The saviour stem cells then kick into action to repair the damage, multiplying to create many new cells (bottom two rows). These new cells then specialise into regular parasite cells and lose their immortal properties, meaning that eventually the parasites die off. Perhaps treatments blocking cpb1 or targeting the stem cells in other ways could lead to new treatments for schistosome infections.

Written by Kat Arney

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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