Parasitology
A section of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607).
Section Information
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.
Keywords
- Developmental biology
- Detection, diagnosis, and pathology
- Ecology and environmental biology
- Emerging and neglected diseases
- Epidemiology and public health
- Evolutionary biology
- Immunity and vaccination
- Laboratory (in vitro, in vivo, in situ, and in silico) methods
- Lifecycles and morphology
- Microbiome
- One Health research
- Phylogenetics, population biology and genetics
- Prevention and treatment
- Zoonotic diseases
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in Animals 2.0 (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- Microbiota of Insect Vectors (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- Parasitic Infection and Host Immunity 2.0 (Deadline: 15 April 2024)
- Research on Leishmania and Leishmaniasis (Deadline: 15 April 2024)
- Parasitic Diseases in Husbandry Animals and Relevant Antiparasitic Treatment (Deadline: 30 April 2024)
- New Advancements in the Field of Leishmaniasis (Deadline: 30 April 2024)
- Toxoplasma and Toxoplasmosis (Deadline: 30 April 2024)
- Advances in Trypanosoma Infection (Deadline: 30 April 2024)
- Parasitic Diseases in Livestock (Deadline: 15 May 2024)
- Epidemiology of Leptospira sp. Infection: Current Status, Insights and Future Prospects 2.0 (Deadline: 15 May 2024)
- Gene Expression Profiling in Leishmania: From Basic Research to Vaccines and Drug Targets (Deadline: 31 May 2024)
- Toxoplasma gondii and Its Infection: Strategies to Control, Diagnose and Treat (Deadline: 15 June 2024)
- Advanced Research on Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases 2.0 (Deadline: 15 June 2024)
- The Global Burden of Parasitic Diseases: Prevalence and Epidemiology (Deadline: 30 June 2024)
- The Current View on Apicomplexan Parasites: Structure, Function, Evolution 2.0 (Deadline: 30 June 2024)
- Current Insights into Host–Parasite Interactions (Deadline: 30 June 2024)
- Advances in the Research on Leptospira and Leptospirosis (Deadline: 15 July 2024)
- Chemotherapy of Leishmania and Trypanosoma Infections: Lost in Translation?—2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 July 2024)
- Molecular Epidemiology of Leishmaniasis (Deadline: 31 July 2024)
- Interactions between Parasites/Pathogens and Vectors (Deadline: 31 July 2024)
- Pathobiology, Infection Biology and Control of Protozoan Parasites—The ONE HEALTH Approach (Deadline: 15 September 2024)
- Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens—from Understanding to Control (Deadline: 30 September 2024)
- The One Health Challenge: Zoonotic Parasites (Deadline: 30 September 2024)