Our PhD student Emily Matthews is collecting samples of the fungal-like organism Saprolegnia. There are several different species of Saprolegnia, but S. parasitica is the main species that infects fish causing the disease saprolegniasis. Typical signs of infection include patches of white cotton-like fluff on the skin, fins and gills of infected fish. This fluffy “fungus” destroys the surface tissues of the fish before penetrating into the muscle layers and blood vessels. As the infection progresses, the regulation of water and mineral salts in the fish’s blood (a process known as osmoregulation) becomes impaired, eventually resulting in death. (more…)

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Earlier this week, CRIPES members Rhidian, Willow and Mike, as well as fellow postgraduate Josie Jackson led the Organisms & Environment (O&E) Away Day, which was held at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. (more…)

This years British Society for Parasitology Spring meeting focused on ‘from science to solutions: optimizing control of parasitic diseases’, which fueled fascinating discussions, where our very own Jo Cable joined a debate panel highlighting the problems of control and elimination of parasitic diseases, particularly within farming practices and wildlife. (more…)

Jessica F Stephenson and Michael Reynolds (2016) Imprinting can cause a maladaptive preference for infectious conspecifics. Biology Letters. http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/12/4/20160020

Many animals remember chemical cues they encounter as juveniles, for example, the smell of nearby individuals. These memorised smells can subsequently help identify important individuals, such as (more…)

One fellowship (£2500) towards fees for Masters of Research in Bioscience at Cardiff University is available to the successful applicant for the project described below. (more…)

Jessica F. Stephenson, Cormac Kinsella, Jo Cable  and Cock van Oosterhout. 2016. A further cost for the sicker sex? Evidence for male-biased parasite-induced vulnerability to predation. Ecology and Evolution. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com /doi/10.1002/ece3.2049/full

Ubiquitous parasites are a major challenge to wild organisms. The pathology they cause can be severe – but the direct damage isn’t the only concern for infested individuals. (more…)