News
TrypsClub Career Talk with Prof. Julius Lukeš, May 15th 2025, 2 pm (GMT)
We’re excited to kick off our first BSP-supported TrypsClub Career Talk with Prof. Julius Lukeš – an internationally renowned expert in parasitology and evolutionary protistology.Format:
5-minutes introduction into TrypsClub ·
25-minutes career talk by Julius Lukes ·
30-minutes Q&A ·
Optional: Feedback round + networking
Career Talks are an excellent opportunity to get to know scientists in the field, learn from their experience, and gain valuable insights into shaping your own scientific career. We warmly encourage you to ask questions in the Q&A session — this is your chance to engage directly with the speaker. The aim of the TrypsClub is to bring together everyone working or interested in trypanosomatid research, discuss recent publications and get to know our international community of researchers, in an open and encouraging environment. These meetings are aimed at PhD students, research assistants, technicians, postdocs and junior fellows.
If you have any suggestions which scientist you would like to be featured in the next career talk, or you want to start a similar club in a different area, get in touch!
Special Issues of Parasitology "Parasites of the genital tract"
Parasites of the genital tract and their short- and long-term consequences
Guest Editors: S. Kayuni, J. Musaya, J. Ellis & J. R. Stothard
From 6th September 2024, Parasitology welcomes invited and open submissions for a Special Issue that brings together recent research exploring the biology of parasites within the genital tract of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. The Special Issue will take a holistic approach across three themes of medical, veterinary and wildlife interests, establishing insightful comparisons.Our Special Issue is inspired, in part, by the British Society for Parasitology Autumn Symposium as held on 4-5th September and entitled “Highlighting female and male genital schistosomiasis in Africa”. This meeting will shine new light onto the epidemiology and control of human schistosomes, with focus upon Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mattheei trematode blood flukes. The latter species can be considered an emerging zoonosis.
The full impact of parasitic disease within the human genital tract goes beyond that of infections with schistosomes alone and includes important protists such as Trichomonas vaginalis. Despite having the highest prevalence of any sexually transmitted infection globally, there is a dearth of epidemiological data describing its incidence, prevalence and response to medicines in women and men. Ectoparasites such as Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis can be specifically adapted to our human biology by exploiting our sexual activity and skin-to-skin contacts.
Outside of medical interest, parasites that cause infection and disease in livestock and wildlife are numerous but often understudied. In livestock, Tritrichomonas foetus causes infertility and foetal death, negatively impacting on cattle production systems. In wildlife, certain nematodes and trematodes of birds may infect the oviduct from the cloaca by reverse peristalsis, with heavy infestations causing soft-shelled and shell-less eggs. Parasites of the reproductive tracts and systems of invertebrates such as marine molluscs can have fascinating yet harmful effects.
This Special Issue will have two Guest Editors, Dr Seke Kayuni & Prof Janelisa Musaya, Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome, each supported by Prof John Ellis Deputy and Special Issues Editor and Prof Russell Stothard, Editor-in-Chief.
We welcome open submissions on this multidisciplinary theme and for any pre-submission enquiries, please contact the editorial office parasitology@cambridge.org directly.
Diseases in Wild Birds: A One Health Perspective. Webinar, June 6 2025.
This webinar will cover a range of diseases present in wild bird populations, and discuss their implications for conservation, as well as human health. After 15-min talks from all speakers, a discussion with the audience will be held.Join your BSP Council!
The Council of the British Society for Parasitology seeks new members due to current members reaching the end of their term. Applicants from all career stages of our community are welcomed. We are a diverse and multicultural society, dedicated to inclusion and seek a council whose composition represents our membership. As such, we particularly welcome applications from those sections of our membership that are currently under-represented on council.
Please contact the Honorary General Secretary Martin Llewellyn hongensec@bsp.uk.net if you are interested in applying.