Parasitology articles from across Nature Portfolio

This study shows that malaria-causing parasites use a unique chromosomal passenger complex with stage-specific composition, revealing how eukaryotic chromosome segregation can be rewired during parasite transmission.

We find that Plasmodium falciparum GCN5 has a poly-Asn repeat crucial for N-terminus association with the catalytic C-terminus, affecting histone acetylation, cell growth and stress survival. This provides a function for a poly-Asn region, found in >1000 parasite proteins.

Leishmania persister-like cells survive lethal doses of antimonials by adopting a quiescent state, they demonstrate cross-tolerance to other anti-leishmanial drugs and become hyper-resistant in the presence of pre-existing drug resistance.

PROTAC-mediated degradation of host p38-MAPK by NR-7h limits Leishmania donovani and Plasmodium falciparum infection by modulating immune responses, highlighting host-directed signaling pathways as promising antiparasitic therapeutic targets.

Chisholm et al. use hyperLOPIT spatial proteomics to map 1646 Plasmodium falciparum proteins across 24 subcellular compartments, revealing evolutionary patterns that have shaped malaria parasite biology and ongoing adaptive responses.

Malaria parasite resistance to ACT-451840 is linked to mutations in the transporter PfMDR1. Here, authors present cryo-EM structure of PfMDR1, revealing the molecular basis for drug recognition and how specific mutations confer clinical resistance.

Current malaria risk stratification approaches that support the global malaria eradication agenda are limited in capturing rapidly shifting pathogen transmission dynamics, unprecedented climate variability, extreme weather events, land use changes and population mobility. Omumbo, Hassell and Siwo propose reframing malaria burden-based metrics into anticipatory risk intelligence systems that leverage artificial intelligence tools.

Staffan Svärd reflects on his 30-year relationship with Giardia, which has stayed on his mind in a manner reminiscent of its adhesive trophozoite form.

As a director of the Wellcome Trust and charity founder, the labs she built sequenced the human genome and more.

This study uncovers druggable kinases and proteases required for host cell egress of the apicomplexan parasite Babesia divergens.

Seasonal variations in plasma taurine concentrations may allow Plasmodium falciparum infections to avoid splenic clearance during the dry season.

Luciano Moreira is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2025.