Parasite Collective

A group of likeminded parasite nerds whose goal is to tell anyone who will listen that parasites are a bizarre, fascinating, and beautiful group of organisms.

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

@EmGLim @RealHuntley Amazing! 🤩🤓

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

@parazitologiecz Just scrolling through some parasite images, was blown away by this one again, and decided to ask how you got your focus so crisp! If you don't mind sharing, of course 😉🤓

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

More on post-heatwave barnacle cysts: in areas that were hit hard, there appear to be small irregular shaped objects that may be cercariae which made it to the host but had insufficient energy to metamorphose into a metacercariae. Left image 4x, right 10x

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

@Vtweeter99 Interesting! So if you excysted them they must be metacercariae in the fish heart and a "young" adult trematode in the first video. I don't recognize them myself but will ask a f/w colleague and let you know if I come up w anything 🤓

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

Hosts acquiring new infections!

Or, sure, a beautiful dawn image of herons feeding on Vancouver Island... 😉

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

@Martonelab @millerlp Just read the paper! Brilliant stuff 🤓

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

I had never noticed this behaviour before the heatwave... Hundreds of _Littorina scutulata_ doing it, so not an anomaly.

Minimizing contact with hot stone? Impressive...

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

@Vtweeter99 Interesting video! I'd guess a large cercariae, maybe one that crawls along sediment to reach its host, rather than swim. What size is this beauty? That might help w an ID.

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

That's not a freezer... This is a freezer 🤣

When your frozen invert biomass is greater than your frozen food biomass, it's time for an upgrade 😉

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

Also found this beauty in a barnacle from the West coast of Vancouver island! Was not expecting that... I reckon maybe a different species from the small gold numbers? 🤣🤓

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

Finding some interesting post-heatwave patterns in barnacle cysts. The heat triggered a massive release of cercariae, indicated by large number of small (immature?) cysts (right image), but in areas that were *really* baked, no small cysts (left image). Too hot for transmission?

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

@WCPreisser @ChrisBlanar @beatymuseum Beautiful! 😍

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

We have started an exciting project at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum (@BeatyMuseum) to look for adult trematode parasites in definitive bird hosts! Here are two of the beauties we have found so far 🤓

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

@WCPreisser @ChrisBlanar @beatymuseum Of course! The more the merrier 🤓 I was lucky enough to get to look inside a Trachipterus altivelis ribbonfish a while back (no trematodes but plenty of cestodes and nematodes), but haven't imaged them yet. The detail on your fish trematode is *amazing*!

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

@ChrisBlanar @beatymuseum Wow! Those echinostomes are *huge*! Most definitely great to hear of other groups mining the treasure that is rescue center DOA/euthanized birds (grim as that sounds). Can't wait t see more of your finds and post more of ours.

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

The first publication from our work with Maritrema gratiosum (syn M. arenaria) came out today! Just a taste of what's to come. Two more publications in prep!

https://t.co/ANan1UIJ6d

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

@parazitologiecz @DonParasitos Stunning images!

[Czech Society for Parasitology @parazitologiecz]

Yeah, #Leucochloridium sporocyst pretending to be a caterpillar is cool, but have you ever seen what is actually inside? 😱
The stages inside are called cercarium and are more then ready to pass safely through the stomach to reach their final destination 🍩!

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

@sea_en_emily Using lab equipment for non-lab purposes? Where do I even start 🤣🤣

[Parasite Collective @TrematodeSquad]

I couldn't imagine a better way to end #WCMB2020 than listening to Professor Poulin talk about "Discovering marine parasite biodiversity: how, where and why." A brilliant presentation which I'm sure will generate many amazing ideas!