This Week in Parasitism
Episodes
TWiP 276: Travel history is the key
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the man in his 60s experiencing weight loss, fatigue, and loss of appetite. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin, and C...
TWiP 275: Novel malaria vector control
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP reviews the effectiveness of long-lasting spatial repellent emanators against malaria in humanitarian crisis settings in northern Nigeria, and De...
TWiP 274: Four tablets for bloating
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the 40 year old male who travels to India and develops intestinal bloating and diarrhea. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel G...
TWiP 273: Intestinal parasites in dogs
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP reviews intestinal parasites in dogs and their association with clinical manifestations of canine visceral leishmaniasis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniel...
TWiP 272: Don't look and you won't find
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case about the man with positive Strongyloides serology who is waiting for a kidney transplant. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel ...
TWiP 271: The silent lesion
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP explores female genital schistosomiasis and associated genital infections in Southern Malawi, a neglected tropical disease. Hosts: Vincent Racan...
TWiP 270: They bake my noodle
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case about the man with abnormal brain MRI, and presents a new case for your solving about a man with some electrolyte issues related ...
TWiP 269: Peripatetic Martin Grobusch
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP travels to Toronto, CA for the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene conference where they meet up with Martin Grobusch to discuss h...
TWiP 268: A loyal parasite
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP discusses a 41-year long human infection with Schistosoma mansoni, and CRISPR screens that reveal genes essential for Cryptosporidium surviva...
TWiP 267: It dropped from her scalp
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case about the female who traveled to Brazil and upon returning home felt movements under her scalp on the back of her head, and prese...
TWiP 266: Wraps and ivermectin for malaria
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP explains research showing that treatment of baby wraps with an insect repellent, and oral dosing with ivermectin, are both effective measures to...
TWiP 265: Things that jump are cleaner than things that squat
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case about the parasite check in summer camp, and presents a new case about a woman who traveled to Brazil and developed furuncles on...
TWiP 264: Toxoplasma changes your brain
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Vincent and Daniel discuss research showing that Toxoplasma gondii infection of the brain alters extracellular vesicle production and the communicatio...
TWiP 263: Tick-tock
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the world travelers with poppy-seed size dots embedded in their skin, then present a new case about parasite check in summer c...
TWiP 262: Do schistosomes affect behavior?
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP reviews research suggesting that schistosome infection affect behavior through the gut-brain axis, and Chuck Knirsch joins to reminisce about Dic...
TWiP 261: A case for Dr. Hickam
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the pregnant woman from Tanzania with dehydration and 3 weeks of bloody stool, a situation that would confuse Ockam but not Dr...
TWiP 260: Daily rhythms
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP explains how circadian clocks of parasite and vector circadian mediate efficient malaria transmission. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Daniel Griffin...
TWiP 259: Know your knowlesi
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the man in the Malaysian city of Kucheng who presents with daily fevers and shaking chills, and serve a new clinical puzzle fo...
TWiP 258: The deeper, the rounder
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP describes how a gut commensal protozoan influences respiratory disease outcomes by shaping pulmonary immunity, and body shape variation in lice ...
TWiP 257: Malaya and Malaysia
20 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the man in the Malaysian city of Kucheng who presents with left arm swelling, and presents a new case for you to decipher. Hos...
TWiP 256: Amazing antimalarial drug resistance
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP explains a study that carries out selection of Plasmodium falciparum in the presence of inhibitors to identify determinants of drug resistance, ...
TWiP 255: Katayama fever
22 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Labrunda joins TWiP to solve the case of the Georgian in Guinea with fever and dry cough, and describe a new case for you to solve. Hosts: V...
TWiP 254: Our hero Dickson
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP explains a study which finds that tissue spaces are reservoirs of antigenic diversity for Trypanosoma brucei, then remembers our departed collea...
TWiP 253: Sub-Saharan somnolence
22 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the man with somnolence and something extra-erythrocytic, and presents a new puzzle for you to solve. Hosts: Vincent Racaniel...
TWiP 252: For malaria vaccine, mosquito is the needle
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP discusses a study of the safety and immunogenicity of a late liver-stage attenuated malaria parasite delivered by mosquito bite. Hosts: Vincent ...
TWiP 251: Case of the facial ulcer
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the woman who went to Belize and notices a lesion on her face, and presents a new clinical case for you to solve. Hosts: Vinc...
TWiP 250: Gut bacteria help Trichinella suppress colitis
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP reviews a study showing that the gut microbiota is essential for suppression of colitis by Trichinella spiralis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Da...
TWiP 249: A virus and a parasite
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the middle-aged man with eosinophilia and a history of sexual activity with paid sex workers in Okinawa, and presents a new ca...
TWiP 248: Toxoplasma reduces Alzheimer's disease
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP reviews the observation that infection of Azlheimer's disease mice with Toxoplasma gondii reduces brain amyloid density globally and regionally...
TWiP 247: Manhattan mystery malady
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the Manhattan man with pain on urination or ejaculation, and presents a new case for you to solve. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello,...
TWiP 246: Everything spiral: a worm in a hurry
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP taps into Dickson's knowledge of Trichinella to discuss an outbreak in humans who consumed rare bear meat, and the impact of globalization and ...
TWiP 245: Flying purple people eater with Ben LaBrot
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Founder of Floating Doctors Ben LaBrot joins TWiP to solve the case of the 1 year old in northeastern Panama with a fatal leg infection, followed by a...
TWiP 244: Engineering Toxoplasma
05 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lilach Sheiner joins TWiP to talk about her career and her work on engineering Toxoplasma gondii secretion systems for intracellular delivery of mult...
TWiP 243: Don't blame it on Mexico
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the Woman with White Worms, and submits a new case involving a 1 year old in northeastern Panama with a fatal leg infection. H...
TWiP 242: Worms impair COVID vaccines
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP reviews a study showing that intestinal helminth infection impairs vaccine-induced T cell responses through an IL-10 pathway, which compromised p...
TWiP 241: There once was a patient from China
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP 240: A daily history of malaria with Sean Murphy
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sean Murphy joins TWiP to discuss his career and the work of his laboratory to assess the daily natural history of asymptomatic Plasmodium infections...
TWiP 239: Cryptosporidiosis from NYC tap water in an AIDS patient
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the AIDS patient who developed fever and watery diarrhea after drinking NYC tap water, and present a new case for your sleuthi...
TWiP 238: Eliminating sleeping sickness
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Barrett joins TWiP to discuss progress in the elimination of human African trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. Hosts: Dan...
TWiP 237: Pass the venison, deer with Marilyn Fabbri
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marilyn Fabbri joins TWiP to reveal the case of a patient who became very ill after he and a number of friends attended a large dinner where venison a...
TWiP 236: Prime-and-trap vaccine for malaria
01 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marion Avril of MalarVx, Inc. joins TWiP to discuss an accelerated prime-and-trap regimen using repRNA-based circumsporozoite vaccine. Hosts: Dickson...
TWiP 235: The case of the regurgitated wriggler
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of a man in his 50s reporting months of abdominal discomfort, who takes mebendazole and some time afterwards vomits a worm into t...
TWiP 234: Hookworms and a leech - parasites suck!
04 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP discusses hookworm infection and the phase 1 clinical trial for a hookworm vaccine that could one day protect children from the hookworm anaemia,...
TWiP 233: Cryptosporidium not cryptocurrency
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the physician with no significant previous medical history who is currently doing their fellowship training develops diarrhea,...
TWiP 232: Lives of Wolbachia
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP reviews the cellular lives of Wolbachia, a gram-negative bacteria that infects many arthropods and filarial nematodes with very different outcome...
TWiP 231: Scotch in drink and tape
31 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the Woman With White Worms, and presents a new clinical case to decipher. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Da...
TWiP 230: Healing cutaneous leishmaniasis with Maria Adelaida Gomez
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Maria Adelaida Gomez joins TWiP to discuss her career and the work of her laboratory on understanding the healing process during cutaneous leishmanias...
TWiP 229: The very hungry flatworm
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Eyal joins TWiP to solve the case of the Female Traveler with Intermittent Fever and Ring Enhancements in the Liver. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dick...
TWiP 228: Parasitic fountain of youth
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP discusses a tapeworm that causes extreme lifespan extension in infected ant workers, and a candidate antibody drug for prevention of malaria. Hos...
TWiP 227: Alpha-gal syndrome
20 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Small joins TWiP to solve the case of the 41 year old Man with sudden GI distress and itchy hives, followed by a discussion of parasites and child...
TWiP 226: Successful systems attract parasites
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP reviews some parasite stories of 2023, including progress in the control of malaria and polio, and review a connection between parasites and chil...
TWiP 225: Wandering worm with Lee Gottesdiener
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lee Gottesdiener joins TWiP to help solve the case of the 46 Year Old Man with Ongoing Upper Extremity Swelling, and review plant‑based production o...
TWiP 224: Neglected tropical diseases roadmap with Chuck Knirsch
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chuck Knirsch returns to TWiP to discuss the Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap published by WHO, which sets global targets and milestones to prevent...
TWiP 223: Voluminous diarrhea
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the Haitian female with AIDS and voluminous diarrhea, and review the pathogenesis, epidemiology, prevention and treatment of m...
TWiP 222: Balamuthia in the brain with Natasha Spottiswoode
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At the meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygeine in Chicago, Natasha joins TWiP to solve the case of the Man with a Generalize...
TWiP 221: Delusional parasitosis
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle and Alexander join TWiP to solve their case of the 36 Year Old Male with shortness of breath, stinging pain in the extremities, fatigue, abdo...
TWiP 220: Denies any bug bites
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the Hiker from Queens who Denies Bug Bites, and reveal two different malaria experimental vaccines that target different parts...
TWIP 219: Sick as a dog
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the 19 month old Female Having Issues, and discusses the finding that selection for insecticide resistance can promote Plasmo...
TWiP 218: Malaria parasite evades mosquito
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves two cases this week, the Man with Issues after COVID-19, and the Man with Left Arm Weakness, then describe how the malaria parasite evades...
TWiP 217: ChatGPT solves the case
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the Man With Dog Exposure, and discuss rapid and spontaneous post-partum clearance of Plasmodium falciparum related to expuls...
TWiP 216: A challenging case
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eyal joins TWiP to solve the case of the case of the Feverish Patient from Israel, and reveals his training and experience with travel medicine in Isr...
TWiP 215: A mobile piece of spaghetti
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the case of the boy in Uganda with a mobile piece of spaghetti in the gallbladder, and reviews papers on female genital schist...
TWiP 214: Tropical medicine excursions with Kay Schaefer
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kay Schaefer joins TWiP to solve the case of the German Male with Hematuria, and discusses Tropical Medicine Excursions, which provides patient-orien...
TWiP 213: One deadly snail with Jessie Stone, MD
04 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jessie Stone joins TWiP to solve the case of the Boy With a Swollen Belly, and discusses Soft Power Health, a clinic that she founded in Uganda to pro...
TWiP 212: The Man from Mali with Shauna Gunaratne
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Shauna Gunaratne joins TWiP to solve the case of the Man from Mali with Painless Skin Lesions, and discuss her plans for a tropical medicine institute...
TWiP 211: Monoclonal against malaria in Mali
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the Man from Hong Kong with Multiple Comorbidities, and discuss safety and efficacy of a monoclonal antibody against malaria i...
TWiP 210: Is there a doctor on board? with Aisha Khatib
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From ASTMH2022 in Seattle, Aisha joins the TWiP team to talk about her training and her career, including delivering a baby on an airplane, and they s...
TWiP 209: A worm in paradise
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP team solves the case of the Woman From Hawaii With Allodynia and abdominal pain, bilateral hip and leg pain, dizziness, and diffuse hyperesth...
TWiP 208: A red herring
18 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP team solves the case of the Woman Who Vomited Up a Worm, and discuss how malaria transmission intensity can modify the effectiveness of the R...
TWiP 207: Accidental host with Claire Panosian, MD
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Claire joins the TWiP team to discuss her training and experience as an infectious disease physician, and her transition to science communication, the...
TWiP 206: Bacteria protect mosquitoes from parasites
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP team solves the case of the Ghanian Women With Leg Swelling, and relate how Anopheline mosquitoes are protected against parasite infection by...
TWiP 205: Two for the price of one
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP team solves the case of the Pregnant Ghanian Living Near a River, and reveal emodepside, a drug for treatment of onchocerciasis. Hosts: Vinc...
TWiP 204: Near a fast-flowing river
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP team solves the case Two Ghanians Near A Fast-Flowing River, and discuss a promising new drug for treatment of African trypanosomiasis. Host...
TWiP 203: True, true, and unrelated
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP team solves the case of the Shopkeeper with Thirst, Rash, and low Blood Oxygen, then review a study on the effect on survival to adulthood in...
TWiP 202: 80 microns and ovoid
23 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sara from the Febrile Podcast joins the TWiP team at The Incubator to solve the case of the Man With an Egg Laden Colonic Mass, and Daniel presents a ...
TWiP 201: Tiny and hairy
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP team solves the case of the Man with a Cat and Ring Enhancing Lesions, and discuss domestic mammals as reservoirs for Leishmania donovani on ...
TWiP 200: Parasites without borders
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP team solves the case of the Gentleman from New York with Intestinal Issues, and review a 20 year study of butterflies, their associated paras...
TWiP 199: Chagas kisses Cruzi and Brucei bites
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP team solves the case of the Traveler to Tanzania with a Purple Lesion, and discuss Mosquirix, the first vaccine approved for Plasmodium paras...
TWiP 198: Cyclospora in the dining room with the salad bar
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP quadfecta solves the case of the Traveler With Watery Diarrhea, and reveals that a heat-shock response regulated by a transcription factor pr...
TWiP 197: An adventurous eater
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the Adventurous Eater with Areas of Swelling, and discusses an experimental Trypanosoma vivax vaccine comprising an invariant ...
TWiP 196: Naked eye entomologist
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the Homeless Man With Skin Issues, and discusses an experimental mRNA based malaria vaccine. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and D...
TWiP 195: Shocking diseases in attractive NY accents
31 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Christina returns to the TWiP trifecta to solve the case of the Beachgoer with Red Lines on Her foot, and an experimental malaria vaccine based on th...
TWiP 194: Eye had a corneal scraping
24 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
TWiP solves the case of the Long Island Man with Unilateral Eye Pain, followed by a discussion of how enteric helminth coinfection enhances host susce...
TWiP 193: A serpiginous trail
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Audun returns to help solve the case of the Ecuadorean Gentleman Treated for COVID-19, followed by a discussion of the interaction of Blastocystis wit...
TWiP 192: Towel off vigorously
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiPers solve the case of the Teenager in Malawi with Red Urine, then Audun joins to present our clinical case for this episode. Hosts: Vincent R...
TWiP 191: Dickson's ocular anomaly
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiPers solve the case of the Rural Man from North Carolina with Blurred Vision, and discuss the results of single-cell RNA sequencing of Schistos...
TWiP 190: But Doc, what could it be?
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Christina from Glasgow returns to help the TWiPlets solve the case of the Ghanian Woman with Abdominal Mass, followed by discussion of the impact of C...
TWiP 189: Toe jammin'
07 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Christina from Glasgow joins the TWiPlets to solve the case of the Elderly Gentlemen with Full Body Rash, and to present a new clinical case for list...
TWiP 188: Terrible tropisms
26 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Baby with Hydrocephalus, and present a new clinical case for listeners to solve. Hosts: Vincent Rac...
TWiP 187: Granny's granuloma
29 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Middle Aged Woman with Loss of Vision in One Eye, and discuss the role of heme oxygenase in the vari...
TWiP 186: Not rationing rationality
01 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Elder Gardener Feeling Poorly, and discuss the three-dimensional ultrastructure of Plasmodium falcip...
TWiP 185: Latrinalia
03 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Wife of a Guy with Cyclospora Diarrhea, and discuss the discovery of an intrinsic oscillator that dr...
TWiP 184: The hunter gets captured by the game
06 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Safari Goer With Watery Diarrhea, and explain how a microsporidian endosymbiont of Anopheles mosquit...
TWiP 183: When they dry they die
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Female with Itchy Anus, and reveal the structure of a roundworm membrane protein involved in digest...
TWiP 182: Super spreaders of science
11 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Ugandan Volunteer With Morning Bites and discuss integration of HIV-1 into the Schistosome genome, w...
TWiP 181: Daniel's drive-through
14 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dickson, Daniel and Vincent solve the case of the Two Volunteers With Watery Diarrhea, discuss diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in the New York area, and revea...
TWiP 180: A spleen palaver
08 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP professors solve the case of the Ugandan Child with Splenomegaly, and reveal that mutations in the P. falciparum genome that confer artemisin...
TWiP 179: Verminous visitors
11 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiP DVD solve the case of the Child Who Passed Worms, and discuss a non-human primate model for severe malarial anemia. Hosts: Vincent Racaniell...
TWiP 178: The shadowlands of medicine
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Knights of the TWiP solve the case of the Man Who Lost Weight, and discuss a Plasmodium protein kinase that is a malarial drug target. Hosts: Vin...
TWiP 177: A scabrous education
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The TWiPsters solve the case of the Rashy Schoolteacher, and reveal a drug from rotifers that live on the snail intermediate host which paralyzes schi...