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GRK2046Newsletter

August2017

cSummary,UpdateandNewsHellodearpeopleofGRK2046andwelcometothe4theditionofyourmostfavoritenewsletter!Ourgraduateschoolcontinues itssuccessfulcourseandkeepsrisinglikearocket.Allsystemsnominal,thefirststageoffreshPhDswillsoonbedecoupledasweascendtothemagical3-yearmarkandhitspace!Butdon’tgettooexcited,asaccordingtoConfucius,thejourneyisthereward.Asalsoevident from theeventsof the last sixmonths:GRK2046 students gotnumerouschancestotravelthroughouttheworldtohearandspreadthewordofscience,thistimeinBrazil,Cuba,Portugal,theUKandUSA.Thehighlightof this termwas thepublicationof6papers (5published,1 inreview) under the research topic “Parasite Infections: From ExperimentalModelsToNaturalSystems”inFrontiersinCellularandInfectionMicrobiology,whichisasignificantresult(p<0.05)!Asalways,severalrenownedscientistswereinvitedtotheBerlinParasitologySeminarandRoleModelseries,fruitfuldiscussionswereheldattheScience-Ethics-PoliticseventandattheZIBIRetreatandSummerSchool.Onafinalnote,don’tforgettheGRK2046retreaton18thand19thSeptemberattheMüggelsee.So,that’sit.Enjoythenewsletterandseeyouaround!

CostanzaTacoli&MartinKraft(doctoralresearchers)

NewfaceinthecoordinationofficeWeareveryhappythatMichaelRundorfstartedworkinginthecoordinationofficeinMay.Forthenextoneyear,you can direct all your nitty gritty questions regardingtravel and speaker invitations to him. You will meetMichaelinpersonattheretreat.Untilthen,youcanreachhim through phone (+49 30 838 51834) or email(immunologie@vetmed.fu-berlin.de)

JulianeKofer.

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Immunology

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StudentProfileVíctorHugoJarquín-DíazStudiedBiomedicineandMolecularBiotechnologyinMexicoCityPhDtopic“Fillingthegapbetweenmetabarcodingandgenotyping–acasestudyinEimeriaspp.,anintracellularparasiteofhousemice(Musmusculus)”Humboldt-UniversitätzuBerlinandLeibnizInstituteforZooandWildlifeResearch,BerlinSupervisor:Prof.EmanuelHeitlingerContact:jarquin-diaz@izw-berlin.de

UpcomingGRK2046Retreat2017ThenextannualGRK2046retreatwillbeheldatHotelMüggelseeBerlin,on18th - 19th September 2017. This year the retreat will include an additionalsessionforatalkfromaguestspeaker,Dr.MoritzTreeck.MoritzisfromtheFrancisCrickInstituteandhisfocusisonsignalinginApicomplexanparasites(PlasmodiumandToxoplasma).Inadditiontothescience,wearesuretopickupsomecareertipsfromMoritz,too.TheretreatorganizersareNicoleAffinass,SuzanaZakovicandCarolineKiuru.Donothesitatetocontacttheorganizersincaseyouhaveanyquestions.

CarolineKiuru

EdinburghcollaborationIn this second yearof our trainingprogram, the GRK2046 students andPIs aimed atbuildingconnections withother parasitology-focused researchcommunities. Withthis purpose, wefound a perfectmatch with the

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Jarquín-Díaz

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CentreforImmunity,InfectionandEvolution(CIIE)basedattheUniversityofEdinburgh(http://ciie.bio.ed.ac.uk/),consideringourcommonareaofresearchand approaches. From Berlin the organizing team composed of AntonAebischer, Nicole Affinass and Francesca Torelli established contact withpossiblematchinggroup leaders inEdinburghwiththehelpoftheCIIEheadKeithMatthews.AtthesametimewesurveyedGRK2046studentsforprojectideasandcommoninterests.Eventually,inMarchweflewtoEdinburghforaone-dayworkshopbetweentheinterestedpartners.FourgroupsfromBerlin,involvingbothstudentsandPIsparticipated in theworkshop. Itwasa reallyintenseandsuccessfulday,whereeachstudenthadtopresentanoverviewoftheir PhD subject with a specific focus on possible projects to start incollaborationwith a present group. On the samemanner, interested groupleadersfromEdinburghpresentedtheirwork.Possibleworkingpartnersthensatinindividualgroupstoevaluatethefeasibilityoftheproposedprojectsanddrawasuitableplan.AttheendofthedayallfourGRK2046studentshaddraftsofinterestingprojectsthatwillbefurtherdeveloped!TheseprojectsrepresentafirststepforpossiblefruitfulpartnershipsandwillcontributesignificantlytothePhDprojectsofthestudents.Torelaxaftersuchalongday,weenjoyedavisittotheimpressivegenomicfacilityofMarkBlaxterledbyMarkitself,andweallheadedtodinnertocontinuethescientificdiscussioninaninformalandpleasantatmosphere.

FrancescaTorelli

OneHealthintheGRK2046

TheGRK2046studentChristinaBredtmannwasacceptedasastudentforanIntegrated Training Program in Infectious Diseases, Food Safety and PublicPolicy(ITraP),fundedbytheNaturalSciencesandEngineeringResearchCouncilof Canada. From January until June 2017 Christina took part in web-based

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classes and multidisciplinary group work. Here, she was involved with thedevelopmentofahumanandwildliferiskassessmentforToxoplasmosisintheArctic andapresentationon theglobal impactofAfricanSwineFever,bothfromaOneHealthperspective.Additionally,ChristinawasinvitedtotakepartataOneHealthSummerSchoolattheStateUniversityofSãoPauloinBotucatu,Brazil,wheresome ITraPstudentsmet face to face for the first timeafter6monthsofweb-learningandlistenedandworkedonmoreOneHealthtopics,suchasChagasdiseasecausedbytheparasiteTrypanosomacruzi.

ChristinaBredtmann

ZIBIScience-Ethics-PoliticsDay2017The annual Science-Ethics-Politics eventexposes doctoral researchers to the ethicalandpoliticalquestionsthatareimportantforthe development of modern scientists. Thisevent is designed to promote discussion ontopics of great public interest. This year’seventtookplaceonthe3rdFebruaryinBerlinandwasentitled“BraveNewWorld:Canwevs. Should we?”. It included thought-provoking panel discussions concerning theethical implications of genome editing in the era of CRISPR/Cas as well assciencecom-municationtoapublicwhichseems increasingly lessconcernedwithfactsandreality.PanelmembersdiscussinggenomeeditingincludedPeterDabrock,PresidentoftheGermanEthicscouncil;StefanMundlos,DirectoroftheMaxPlanckInstituteforMolecularGenetics;andTonyNolan,ScientistandGeneDriveExpert.SciencecommunicationwasconsideredintalksandapaneldiscussionincludingMichaelJ.Gorman,ChairofLifeSciencesinSocietyatLMU;BartKnols,scientistandsciencecommunicator;andKathrinZinkant,sciencejournalistandeditoratSüddeutscheZeitung.Additionally,studentsengagedinasciencecommunicationworkshopledbyAnnetteKlinkertofCity2Science.

AnkurMidha

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AnnualZIBIRetreat16th-17thMarchinNauen,Germany

TheannualZIBIGraduateSchoolRetreatthisyeartookplaceonthe16th-17thof March at the Landgut Stober Hotel, overlooking the picturesque GroßBehnitzerSeeinNauen.Themeetingwelcomedover80ZIBIGraduateSchoolPhDstudentsand22groupleadersandsupervisorsfromacrossBerlin.Over thecourseof the two-day retreat,GRK2046studentspresentedsomeexcellentworkinten-minuteoralpresentationslotsandduringtheafternoonposter sessions, demonstrating their current scientific progress to fellowstudents, seniorcolleaguesandPIs.Theeveningonthefirst day saw theholding of astrategic student-steering groupmeeting wherepractical matters,ZIBI GraduateSchool require-ments and thestudentHappiness

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Surveywerediscussed,amongothertopics.Aftertheofficialdinner,studentsand supervisors alike demonstrated some excellent skills during the LabOlympicsGamesaspartofthesocialactivities.Theseconddayoftheretreatcontinuedwithmoresuperbstudenttalksandposterpresentations.Shortlybeforelunch,PhDstudentswerealsoabletotakepart in theAlumnisession,whereanumberofZIBIGraduateSchoolAlumniguestshadtheopportunitytotalkabouttheircareerchoicesandexperiencesintheirchosenfieldsofwork.In summary, the 2017 ZIBI Retreat presented a great opportunity for PhDstudentsandtheirsupervisorstogettogetherandpresentsomeexcellentworkinawiderangeofinfectionbiologytopics,alongsideanumberofentertainingsocial events, key strategic and career-oriented sessions. We are alreadylookingforwardtotheZIBIRetreat2018!

IvetYordanova

ZIBISummerSymposium201726th–27thJuneinBerlin,GermanyTheannualZIBISummerSymposiumiscommittedto enabling interested people a deeperunderstanding of certain aspects of infectiousdiseases.Forthisyear´stheme,entitled„EcologyofInfectious Diseases“, 17 speakers were invited.Overthecourseoftwodays,attendeesweregiveninsightintotheecologyandevolutionofparasitic,bacterial,fungalandviralinfectionsaswellasthemethodologywhich involves both fieldwork andadvanced-omicstechnologies.Tobewelcomedfromastudent´spointofviewwasnot only the opportunity to meet internationallyrenownedresearchers,butalsotochairsessions.

EsraYilmaz

BerlinParasitologySeminarSeries14thFebruary-AndreBuret(UniversityofCalgary,Canada)Prof. Buret’s talk “How Giardia-induced microbiota dysbiosis may disruptintestinal homeostasis” gave insights intoGiardia duodenalis’ capabilities tolysetheintestinalmucuslayer,aswellasbacterialbiofilms,whichmayclearthewayforpathogenicmicrobestothehost’sepithelium.Generally,itseemsthat Giardia does not harm the host directly, but that the parasite rather

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changesthemicrobiome,whichcaninducegastrointestinalcomplaints.Prof.Buret also expressed his concerns about the proliferation of fecaltransplantations,climaxing indo-it-yourself fecal transplantkits– Istillcan’timaginewhatexactlythelargefunnelisusedfor…Afterwards we had a nice informal discussion with pretzels and beer andadaptedourmicrobiotatopotatoeswithadinnerinthe“Kartoffelkeller”.

MartinKraft12thJune-WilliamHarnett(UniversityofStrathclyde,UK)Prof.WilliamHarnettpresentedhisworkinatalkentitled“Isadoseofwormsgood for you?The therapeutic potential of theparasiticworm-derivedanti-inflammatoryimmunomodulator,ES-62”.Heguidedusthroughthemanytrialsandtribulationsofattemptingtobringapotentimmunomodulatortomarketas a novel therapeuticwhile presenting awealth of data. The seminarwasfollowedbyalivelyandinvolveddiscussion.

AnkurMidha13thJune-JudithAppleton(CornellUniversity,USA)Dr.JudithAppletonisaViceProvostatCornellUniversityinNewYork.Duringher time as an active scientist her research focused on the mechanism ofimmunitytoinfectionbyparasiticnematodes.Shegaveaveryinterestingtalkabout the diverse functions of eosinophils during primary and secondaryinfectionswithTrichinella spiralis. Inparticular,Dr.Appletonand colleaguescouldshowthatagainstexpectationseosinophilsareprotectingthelarvaeofT.spiralis inaprimaryinfectionbypreventingthehostfromproducingnitricoxide,whichwouldotherwisekillofftheparasite.Inasecondaryinfection,ontheotherhand,eosinophilsareimportantfortheprotectionofthehostandtheexpulsionoftheparasite.

NicoleAffinass

RoleModelSeminarSeries17thJanuary-AndreaGraham(PrincetonUniversity,USA)Whydohostsvarysomuchintheirimmunedefensetoparasiteinfections?Todiscussthistopic,ProfessorAndreaGrahamjoinedusinJanuaryandpresentedherworkonparasite-host interactions.Asa ‘hybrid’ researcher,shegaveusinsightsintotherecentfieldofecoimmunology,applyingimmunologymethodstoevolutionaryecologyquestionsinordertounderstandthedriversofimmunevariationtoparasiteinfections.NotonlydidwehavetheopportunitytodiscussAndrea’s scientific work, but also her career path and experiences overbreakfastinacasualandopenenvironment.

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SusanaFerreira18thApril-DominiqueSoldati-Favre(UniversitédeGenève,Switzerland)Prof.DominiqueSoldati-Favre fromtheUniversitédeGenèvepresentedherwork on unexpected implications of Toxoplasma myosins in cell-cellcommunication.Inparticular,hertalkhighlightedhowmyosin-dependentcell-cell communication controls synchronicity of division in acute and chronicstagesoftheparasite.Inadditiontopresentingnovelfindings,shealsosharedher thoughts on various ongoing projects at the Department forMolecularParasitology,Humboldt-UniversitätzuBerlin,andRobertKochInstitute,Berlin.Furtheron,shediscussedhercareerandpersonalexperiencesinscienceduringacareerbriefingsessionwithmembersoftheGRK2046.

LauraRadtke27thJune-MakedonkaMitreva(WashingtonUniversity,USA)Shortlyafterher interesting talkat theZIBISymposiumProfessorMitreva,aProfessorofMedicineandGeneticsfromWashingtonUniversity,joinedtheZIBISummerSchoolstudentsandGRK2046PhDstudentsforaveryinterestingQ&Asession. In a casual atmosphere, the students felt motivated to ask manyquestionsregardingherpersonallifeandprofessionalcareer,coveringabroadrange of topics from job applications to the difficulties ofmoving countrieswithin an academic career. Professor Mitreva answered all questionswholeheartedlyandreflectedverypositivelyonhercareerchoiceinacademia,thussettinganinspiringexampleforasuccessfulandfulfillingcareerinscience.

AlexanderGerhard

ToDoListAsrequestedbysomestudents,weprovidelittle“ToDo”lists.Thiswayyoucancheckwhetherornotyouareontherighttrack.

Haveyoualready:

1styear:

…sentyourprojectproposal(thatwasapprovedbyyoursupervisor)?…puttogetheryourthesisadvisorycommittee(TAC)?…scheduledyourfirstTACmeeting?…puttogetheryoursupervisionagreement?…takenaGoodScientificPracticecourse?…handedinyourcertificatesofattendancestokeepyourtranscriptuptodate?…thoughtaboutifyouwanttoberesponsibleforthenextnewsletter?

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2ndyear:

…attendedanintroductorycourseintroducingbiostatisticalanalysisandexperimentaldesign?…attendedanintroductorycourseonbioinformatics?…takenaGoodScientificPracticecourse?…attendedatimeandself-managementworkshop?…writtenyourbiannualprogressreport?…scheduledyournextTACmeeting?…handedinyourcertificatesofattendancestokeepyourtranscriptuptodate?…thoughtaboutifyouwanttoberesponsibleforthenextnewsletter?

3rdyear:

…writtenyourbiannualprogressreport?…scheduledyournextTACmeeting?…handedinyourcertificatesofattendancestokeepyourtranscriptuptodate?…assessedyouroverallprogressandwhat’smissingforyournextcareerstep?…discussedthetimelineforwrappingupwithyoursupervisor(andTACmembers)?…thoughtaboutifyouwanttoberesponsibleforthenextnewsletter?

JulianeKofer

AdminCorporateIdentityWhenyouareattendingaconference,pleasekeepinmindcorporateidentity.Wedon’tenforceacorporatedesign,asyoufirsthavetomakesuretofollowthecorporaterulesofyourinstitute.Ifthereisnone,wearehappytoprovidea template.Always acknowledge funding (us and/orwhere applicable otherfundingsources)andscientific/technicalsupport.Ifyouhaven‘tsavedahigh-resolutionfileoftheGRKlogoyet,wearehappytoprovideitonceagain.Lastly,ifyouwantaGRKbutton,pleasecontactJuliane.

JulianeKoferStudentsmemberarea–GRK2046Youcanfindallthenittygrittydetailsrelatedtoyourlifeintheresearchtraininggroupinourstudentsmemberarea(requiresapassword).Thisincludescheatsheets on travel and how to host a guest speaker.Don’tknowwheretofindit?Searchnomore:http://www.zibi-berlin.de/PM-students-intern/grk2046/index.htmlDon’tknowthesecretpassword?AskyourfellowsorJuliane.

JulianeKofer

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PublicationsReviewonourtrainingprogramWehavepublishedanarticleabouttrainingprogramsinparasitologyandwhytheyaresoimportant(KoferJ,HoferH,HartmannS.(2017)TrendsParasitol33(6):423-425). Fancy reading it? Hop on over to:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2017.03.008

JulianeKoferFrontiersResearchTopic"ParasiteInfections:FromExperimentalModelstoNaturalSystems"Tenpublicationsbyourdoctoralresearchers!Our GRK 2046's research theme has been published in a special issue of“Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology”. Congratulations to ourcontributingresearchers!The whole Research Topic Parasite Infections is availablehere: http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/5289/parasite-infections-from-experimental-models-to-natural-systemsContributing doctoral researchers: Ankur, Jonnel, Norus, Oriana, Susana,Suzana,Tina,TottaandVivian

JulianeKoferTranslationalRodentModelsforResearchonParasiticProtozoa-AReviewofConfoundersandPossibilitiesTottaEhret,FrancescaTorelli,ChristianKlotz,AmyB.PedersenandFrankSeeberRodents, in particularMusmusculus, have a long and invaluable history asmodelsforhumandiseasesinbiomedicalresearch,althoughtheirtranslationalvaluehasbeenchallengedinanumberofcases.Weprovidesomeexamplesinwhichrodentshavebeensuboptimalasmodelsforhumanbiologyanddiscussconfounders which influence experiments and may explain some of themisleading results. Infections of rodents with protozoan parasites are noexceptioninrequiringcloseconsiderationuponmodelchoice.Wefocusonthesignificant differences between inbred, outbred and wild animals, and theimportanceoffactorssuchasmicrobiota,whicharegainingattentionascrucialvariablesininfectionexperiments.Frequently,mouseorratmodelsarechosenforconvenience,e.g.,availabilityintheinstitutionratherthanonanunbiased

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evaluationofwhethertheyprovidetheanswertoagivenquestion.Apartfromageneraldiscussionontranslationalsuccessorfailure,weprovideexampleswhere infections with single-cell parasites in a chosen lab rodent gavecontradictoryormisleadingresults,andwhenpossiblediscussthereasonforthis.Wepresentemergingalternativestotraditionalrodentmodels,suchashumanized mice and organoid primary cell cultures. So-called recombinantinbred strains suchas theCollaborativeCross collectionarealsoapotentialsolution forcertainchallenges. Inaddition,weemphasize theadvantagesofusing wild rodents for certain immunological, ecological, and/or behavioralquestions. The experimental challenges (e.g., availability of species-specificreagents) that come with the use of such non-model systems are alsodiscussed.Our intention istofostercritical judgmentofbothtraditionalandnewlyavailabletranslationalrodentmodelsforresearchonparasiticprotozoathatcancomplementtheexistingmouseandratmodels.https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00238ToxoplasmaCo-infectionPreventsTh2DifferentiationandLeadstoaHelminth-SpecificTh1ResponseNorus Ahmed, Timothy French, Sebastian Rausch, Anja Kühl, KatrinHemminger,IldikoR.Dunay,SvenjaSteinfelderandSusanneHartmannGastrointestinal nematodes are widespread and co-infections with otherparasites and pathogens are frequently encountered in both humans andanimals.Tounderstandtheimmunologicaleffectsofprotozoaninfectionsontheanti-helminthimmuneresponse,westudiedco-infectionwiththeentericnematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus in mice previously infected withToxoplasmagondii.TheprotectiveTh2immuneresponsesagainstnematodesaredependentonIL-4,IL-5,IL-13,IgEandIgG1antibodies.Ontheotherhand,T. gondii infection elicits a strong and protective Th1 immune responseassociatedwithIFN-γ,IL-12andIgG2aantibodies.Herewedetectedthatco-infectedanimals showedsignificantlyhigherwormfecundityhoweverwormburdenremainedunchanged.TheTh2responsetoH.polygyrusinco-infectedanimalsshowedasuppressionofIL-4,IL-5,IL-13,GATA-3expressingTcellsaswellasalackofeosinophilia.However,theTh1responsetoT.gondiiwasnotdiminished and parasitemia remained unaffected by helminth infection.Furthermore, co-infected animals showed reduced expression of the Th2effector molecule RELM-β in intestinal tissue. Interestingly, H. polygyrusspecific restimulation of splenocytes revealedH. polygyrus-reactive CD4+ TcellstoproduceIFN-γinco-infectedanimals.Thiswasnotobservedinanimalsinfectedwiththenematodealone.Inconclusion,apreviousT.gondiiinfection

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limits a helminth-specific Th2 immune response, while promoting a shifttowardaTh1-typeimmuneresponse.https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00341ReciprocalInteractionsbetweenNematodesandTheirMicrobialEnvironmentsAnkurMidha,JosephineSchlosserandSusanneHartmannParasiticnematodeinfectionsarewidespreadinnature,affectinghumansaswell as wild, companion, and livestock animals. Most parasitic nematodesinhabit the intestinesoftheirhosts living inclosecontactwiththe intestinalmicrobiota.Manyspeciesalsohavetissuemigratorylifestagesintheabsenceofseveresystemicinflammationofthehost.Despitetheclosecoexistenceofhelminths with numerous microbes, little is known concerning theseinteractions.Whiletheenvironmentalnicheisconsiderablydifferent,thefree-livingnematodeCaenorhabditiselegans (C.elegans) isalsofoundamongstadiverse microbiota, albeit on decaying organic matter. As a very wellcharacterizedmodel organism that has been intensively studied for severaldecades, C. elegans interactions with bacteria are much more deeplyunderstoodthanthoseoftheirparasiticcounterparts.TheenormousbreadthofunderstandingachievedbytheC.elegansresearchcommunitycontinuestoinformmanyaspectsofnematodeparasitology.Here,wesummarizewhatisknown regarding parasitic nematode-bacterial interactions while comparingand contrasting this with information from work in C. elegans. This reviewhighlights findings concerning responses to bacterial stimuli, antimicrobialpeptides, and the reciprocal influences between nematodes and theirenvironmentalbacteria.Furthermore,themicrobiotaofnematodesaswellasalterations in the intestinal microbiota of mammalian hosts by helminthinfectionsarediscussed.https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00144TheIntestinalEukaryoticandBacterialBiomeofSpottedHyenas:TheImpactofSocialStatusandAgeonDiversityandCompositionEmanuelHeitlinger,SusanaC.M.Ferreira,DagmarThierer,HeribertHoferandMarionL.EastIn mammals, two factors likely to affect the diversity and composition ofintestinal bacteria (bacterial microbiome) and eukaryotes (eukaryome) aresocial status andage. In species inwhich social statusdetermines access toresources, sociallydominantanimalsmaintainbetter immuneprocessesandhealth status than subordinates. As high species diversity is an index of

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ecosystemhealth,theintestinalbiomeofhealthier,sociallydominantanimalsshouldbemorediversethanthoseofsubordinates.Gradualcolonizationofthejuvenile intestine after birth predicts lower intestinal biome diversity injuveniles than adults.We tested these predictions on the effect of: (1) age(juvenile/adult)and (2) social status (low/high)onbacterialmicrobiomeandeukaryomediversityandcompositioninthespottedhyena(Crocutacrocuta),ahighly social, female-dominated carnivore inwhich social status determinesaccess to resources. In line with our predictions, our results revealed asignificantlylessdiversemicrobiomeinjuvenilesthanadultsandasignificantlyhigher diversity of eukaryotes in high-ranking than low-ranking animals.Weproposethatfree-rangingwildlifecanprovidean intriguingmodelsystemtoassess theadaptivevalueof intestinalbiomediversity forbothbacteriaandeukaryotes.https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00262NematodeSpeciesIdentification—CurrentStatus,ChallengesandFuturePerspectivesforCyathostominsChristina M. Bredtmann, Jürgen Krücken, Jayaseelan Murugaiyan, TetianaKuzminaandGeorgvonSamson-HimmelstjernaInhorses,co-infectionwiththenematodescyathostominsisratherarulethananexceptionwithtypically5to15species(outofmorethan40described)perindividual host. A reliable morphological species differentiation is currentlylimited to adults and requires highly specialized expertise, while precisemorphological identificationofeggsandearlystagelarvaeis impossible.Thesituation is further complicated by a questionable validity of somecyathostominswhileothersmightactuallyrepresentcrypticspeciescomplexes.Severalmolecularmethodsusingdifferenttargetsequenceswereestablishedtoovercometheselimitations.Foradultworms,PCRfollowedbysequencingofmitochondrialgenesorexternalorinternalribosomalRNAspacersissuitabletogeneticallyconfirmmorphologicalidentifications.Themostcommonlyusedmethod to differentiate eggs or larvae is the reverse-line-blot hybridizationassay.However,bothmethodssufferfromthefactthattargetsequencesarenotavailable formanyspeciesoreventhatGenBank®entriesareunreliableregardingthecyathostominspecies.Forthefirsttimeproteomictoolsthatarealready used for identification of metazoans, including insects and fewnematode species, are evaluated for their suitability to diagnosecyathostomins. Future research should focuson the comparativeanalysisofmorphological, molecular and proteomic data from the same cyathostominspecimentooptimizetoolsforspecies-specificidentification.https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00283

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StudentConferences21thAnnualWoodsHoleImmunoparasitologyMeeting2nd-5thAprilinWoodsHole,USAThelong-standingconferenceaffectionatelyknownasWHIPtookplaceoverafew fresh days in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. Session talks focused oninnateandadaptiveimmunecells,mucosalimmunity,neuroimmunology,andvaccination strategies in the context ofparasiteinfection.Theatmospherewasveryrelaxed and shared mealtimes providedampletimeforstudentstominglewithgroupleaders and professors. Poster sessionscoincided with the social evening afterdinner,allowingscientificdiscussiontofloweasilyinarelaxed,conduciveatmosphere.Ifoundthisconferencetobeoneofthemostengaging places I have experienced fordiscussingmyresearchproject,andIhighlyrecommendallparasitologiststoalsoattendthisconferenceshouldtheopportunityarise.

JonnelJaurigue6thInternationalGiardia&CryptosporidiumConference26th-28thAprilinHavana,CubaThe IGCC2017washeld inthebeautifulcityofHavana,Cuba- the islandofpirates, revolutionaries and guerilleros. At the Havana InternationalConferenceCenter,aplacewhichservedCuba’soneandonlylegalparty,the

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Communist Party of Cuba, well throughout the past, we discussed recentfindings on food and water transmission, zoonotic aspects, clinical healthimpact, host-parasite interaction and treatment methods of giardiasis andcryptosporidiosisbeneaththegazesofCheGuevaraandFidelCastrofromtheiromnipresentportraitures.DespiteastrongerfocusonCryptosporidiumthanGiardiathisyear,IwashappytomeetmorepeopleworkingwiththesameparasiteasI(MartinKraft)do.Igotthechancetoshowanddiscussmyresults,receivefeedbackandexploreHavana-alsoviabike,crazytaxiornightlybartours–togetherwiththosecoolpeople.IwitnessedaCubanwedding,afuneralatseaandananimal(chicken)sacrificeforsomekindofVoodoo.IalsotookthechancetojointheLaborDaycelebrations,whichwaswayhappier,relaxedandhealthierthanspendingMay1stinBerlin.VivaRaúl!SoIgainedalotofexperienceinbothmyfieldofscienceandthehistoryandcultureofCubafromthiswonderfultrip.Thankyouverymuch,GRK2046.

Asafinalnote,onevaluableadvicefromtheconference:Don’tbuypackagedsandwichesatlargecoffeeshopfranchises-unlessyouwanttoresearchthem.TheyofferaremarkabledegreeofCryptosporidium-contamination!

MartinKraft

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Workshop:Introductiontoevolutionarybiologyforinfectionbiologists15th-16thMayinBerlin,GermanyLike last year, a workshop with the aim ofintroducing basic concepts of evolutionarybiologytoPhDstudents,interestedinapplyingevolutionary thinking to their researchareastookplaceattheLeibnizInstituteforZooandWildlifeResearch.Fortwoinspiringdays,welearnedaboutevolutionaryprinciplesappliedto health and disease, ecology, immunologyandgenetics.Thisworkshopwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithout the supportof all theexperiencedandskilledscientiststhatnotonlygave great insightful presentations, butparticipated in the discussions of other speakers and all the interested andmotivatedattendeesfromdifferentresearchareasandscientificbackgrounds.The workshop was organized by Professor Heribert Hofer, Alice Balard andSusana Ferreira. If you missed this opportunity and think that applyingevolutionaryconceptstoyourresearchareawilltakeyoutoanotherlevel,getinvolvedandjointheorganizationofnextyear’sworkshop!

SusanaFerreiraToxo-14:TheToxoplasmagondiiresearchcommunitybiennialmeeting201731stJune-4thMayinTomar,PortugalEveryotheryeartheToxoplasmacommunitymeetstodiscussrecentfindingsanddevelopmentsregardingtheirparasite.ThisyeartheconferencetookplaceinTomar,Portugal,whereFrancescaTorelli,NorusAhmedandI(LauraRadtke)went.AfteralittlebitoftravelingwearrivedinTomar,asmallcitybytheriverabout 100 km north of Lisbon. Jonathan Howard, Director of the InstitutoGulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal, organized the conference togetherwithhisgroupandgaveusthefollowingnicedescriptionofTomar:“Theoldmedievaltownisfullofcharmandinterestingarchitecture,churches,houses,museums,andoneoftheonlytwosurvivingmedievalsynagoguesinPortugal.Inadditiontothis,Tomarhassomethinggenuinelyastonishing,anarchitecturalassemblageofreligiousbuildings,ancient fortificationsofworld-classqualityandinterest,aUNESCOHeritageSitesetonthehillbehindthecity.”Wegatheredinabeautifulhotelinfrontofthehilltodiscussourresearchforfourdays.Welistenedtomanytalksandmetworld-famousresearchersintheToxoplasma community, as well as early stage researchers. Many fruitfuldiscussionsoccurredduringtalksandpostersessions.Newconnectionswere

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madeduringdinnerandstudentsgotthechancetomeetprofessorsinamorecasualenvironment.Presentations and posters span several topics from news in ToxoDB overToxoplasma infections inseaottersto innatesensingofT.gondii (andmuchmore).ButToxo-14surewasasuccess forallofus.Wegotgreat inputandmadeimportantconnections.Thenon-scientifichighlightwasthegaladinneronthelastevening.Weallwenttoacastleonthehill,whichJonathandescribed.WehadaHogwarts-likedinnerwheretheyservedafour-coursemealforabout250peopleinabeautifulandhistoricalceremonialhall–“genuinelyastonishing”.

LauraRadtkeTagung der Deutschen Veterinärmedizinische Gesellschaft - Fachgruppe“ParasitologieundparasitäreKrankheiten“12th-14thJuneinHannover,GermanyThe annual veterinary conference onparasitology and parasitic diseases of theGerman Veterinarian Society (DVG) hostedspeakers from many different veterinaryfacultiesinGermanyandAustriawhofocusona broad selection of different veterinaryparasites. The speakers addressed a diverserangeofchallengesandproblemsintheparasitologicalveterinaryfieldthroughclinical,epidemiological,pharmaceutical,aswellas functionalandmolecular

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ImageCredit:ChristinaBredtmann

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studies.ThetwokeynotespeakerfromtheUKandDenmarkraisedquestionsandproposednewperspectives,mostnotablyandmemorablyforme,ontheimplicationoforganicfarmingonparasitecontrol.FromGRK2046,EsraYilmazandChristinaBredtmannheldexcellenttalks,whichsparkedtheinterestofthescientificcommunityandledtolivelydiscussionsbeyondtheofficialspeakersessions. In addition to academic researchers, representatives from thepharmaceutical industry presented their latest results on new anti-parasitictreatmentsandpolicymakersjoinedthediscussionsatthesocialevents.This conference was a great opportunity to meet leading veterinaryparasitologistandexchangeknowledge,experienceandopinionswithdifferentstakeholdersofthefield.Tosupportnetworkingandgeneralcommunication,the conference offered long breaks in between sessions and two socialeveningswithoutstandingfood.Allinall,thisconferencerepresentedthediverserangeofresearchconductedin the fieldofparasitologyandhighlighted theclinical relevanceofparasiticdiseasesinveterinarymedicine.

AlexanderGerhard