Worrying Worms

Worms can be slippery characters but none are more difficult to pin down than S. mansoni (female is the smaller of the two in this image). As this carrier of the tropical disease schistosomiasis matures, it's forever changing its physical characteristics and location within different hosts. This complex life cycle makes the parasite a moving target and extremely difficult to treat. What’s deadly to an adult worm, for example, may leave a youngster untouched and free to continue the infection. Searching for new ways to fight the disease, scientists have identified a protein-modifying enzyme as a potential point of attack. The molecule is active in critical parts of adult worm's body (shown in green) and has been linked to movement and reproduction. Therefore finding new drugs that interfere with this enzyme could be the best way to stop this tricky customer in its tracks.

Written by Jan Piotrowski

Jan Piotrowski

Writer

A recent Imperial College graduate with a Masters in Science Communication, Jan now works as a freelance science communicator. His interests focus on neuroscience, psychology and the environment.

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• Image by Anthony Walker and colleagues
• Kingston University, UK
• Originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Research published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, June 2014