Listen "TWiP 114: Plant potions perturb Plasmodium"
Episode Synopsis
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin The TWiP troika solve the case of the Female from the Bronx, and reveal how feeding on different plants affects mosquito capacity to transmit malaria. Links for this episode: Plant mediated effects on malaria transmission (PLoS Path) Image credit Letters read on TWiP 114 This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream, a subscription streaming service that offers over 1,400 documentaries and nonfiction series from the world's best filmmakers. Get unlimited access starting at just $2.99 a month, and for our audience, the first two months are completely free if you sign up at curiositystream.com/microbe and use the promo code MICROBE. This episode is also sponsored by Drobo, a family of safe, expandable, yet simple to use storage arrays. Drobos are designed to protect your important data forever. Visit www.drobo.com to learn more. Become a patron of TWiP. Case Study for TWiP 114 12 year old boy brought to hospital ER by parents with severe headache, stiff neck, fever, decreased alertness. No rashes. Has been healthy with no prior medical problems. No one else in family is ill. In summer, boy has been engaged in usual summertime activities: soccer, swimming in warm freshwater, playing outside. Undergoes lumbar puncture for CSF: start on meningitis treatment. No surgeries, no allergies. Not on any meds. Lives with Mom, Dad, few brothers. No substance abuse. Not a geographically limited illness. Has had bug bites - lots of mosquito bites. Dogs around as well. Symptoms began a day or two before hospital visit. Eats whatever family eats, food is cooked. Exam: 39.4C, bp low, heart rate up, resp up, decreased responsiveness, stiff neck, looks ill. WBC elevated, neutrophil predominant, eosinopenia. CSF glucose low, cells increased, no bacteria, fungi, acid fast bacilli on stain. CT scan, diffuse swelling of brain. Doing poorly, not a good outcome. Send your case diagnosis, questions and comments to [email protected]
More episodes of the podcast This Week in Parasitism
TWiP 271: The silent lesion
23/12/2025
TWiP 270: They bake my noodle
28/11/2025
TWiP 269: Peripatetic Martin Grobusch
21/11/2025
TWiP 268: A loyal parasite
09/11/2025
TWiP 267: It dropped from her scalp
21/10/2025
TWiP 266: Wraps and ivermectin for malaria
06/10/2025
TWiP 264: Toxoplasma changes your brain
29/08/2025
TWiP 263: Tick-tock
21/08/2025
TWiP 262: Do schistosomes affect behavior?
29/07/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.