Tomas Machacek

Looks great! 🐌

PF 2026 🥳 @parazitologiecz.bsky.social

@charlesuni.cuni.cz is ready 💪🏻🎄

Tattoo ink induces inflammation in the draining lymph node and alters the immune response to vaccination | PNAS Despite safety concerns regarding the toxicity of tattoo ink, no studies have reported the consequences of tattooing on the immune response. In thi...

@pnas.org Tattoo ink doesn’t just stay in the skin. 🎨 It drains into lymph nodes (kinda expected), where it can persist for months. 🤔 Ink-loaded macrophages trigger long-term inflammation and can alter vaccine responses. 💉 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Happy to contribute to the Parasite of the Month series in @cp-trendsparasitol.bsky.social with our article on the neurotropic schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti! 🧠🔬
authors.elsevier.com/a/1m5yH5Eb1x...

Where would the Arabs have reached if not for the plague that decimated the Byzantine Empire? And how did malaria influence the fight for American independence? 🤔 A light yet fascinating read about the germs that shaped our past — a perfect blend of infection and history. 📖🦠

Dopamine signaling drives skin invasion by human-infective nematodes - Nature Communications Skin-penetrating nematodes infect hosts by burrowing through host skin. This study finds that in the human-parasitic, skin-penetrating nematode Strongyloides stercoralis, skin penetration behavior is ...

Skin-penetrating nematodes rely on dopamine signaling to invade their hosts. Blocking dopamine signalization could stop infections before they start. 🔬 @natcomms.nature.com
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Finally, infected mice showed a mixed Th1/Th2/Treg response and cross-reactivity with other schistosome species. 👉Continuous exposure = allergy develops, regardless of which avian schistosome species is present.

Next, we followed parasite migration in the skin and lungs, the most likely affected organs. 🤚🏻 Skin: hyperkeratotic crusts + strong leukocyte infiltration. 🫁Lungs: transient hemorrhages. Clear signs of pathology caused by the infection.

First, we analyzed the genetic variability of our T. franki samples. Although the parasite is known to have several haplotypes across Europe, all Czech samples were identical – even though they came from four sites >100 km apart.

New study out! 🚨 For the first time, we tracked Trichobilharzia franki, a major cause of swimmer’s itch in Europe, in the lab. 🪱🔬 From genetics to pathology & immunity, our findings shed new light on this tricky parasite and its role in outbreaks.
doi.org/10.1016/j.fa...

Save the dates!! @bspparasitology.bsky.social Spring Meeting 2026 will be in Bonnie Glasgow! 7-9 April 2026, with a drinks reception in Glasgow City Chambers on the 6th of April 2026!
Keep an eye on the BSP website for registration and abstract submission!
Logo by @shannaraeilean.bsky.social! 🦟

@parazitologiecz.bsky.social

Cool meeting at @sciencecharles.bsky.social right now! 🪱🔬

Second stop of our @4euplusalliance.bsky.social project: Denmark! 🇩🇰🐌🦆 We sampled in various sites – even right in the heart of Copenhagen! 🌊🏙️ Great teamwork, hands-on training, and more data for our #eDNA detection of swimmer’s itch. 🧬 @zikmund.bsky.social

🔗 natur.cuni.cz/en/biology/d...

Mansonella perstans – the forgotten filaria Mansonella perstans is the most prevalent human filarial parasite, infecting over 100 million people worldwide. Despite its wide distribution, it remains one of the most neglected parasitic infections...

Truly a most neglected tropical disease. More common than other filarial nematode diseases and yet largely ignored. www.cell.com/trends/paras...

Thelazia callipaeda is an emerging zoonotic nematode responsible for eye infections. A new human case is reported from Rome, Italy. 👁️🪱🍕 @crpvbd.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.cr...

Possibly a new species of Leucochloridium from Japan... I really love these creatures! 😍 doi.org/10.1016/j.pa...

Tissue-specific distribution of eggs in the definitive host drives transcriptomic and behavioral differences in Schistosoma mansoni miracidia Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by human-infective schistosomes (Trematoda: Schistosoma). Intestinal schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa and the Neotropics is caused primarily...

I am pleased to present a project we've been working on for the least year to try to answer a fundamental question - does a parasite's developmental niche as an egg have effects on larval stages? We show that the answer is very much yes - which has a few implications. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Absolute pleasure to be involved in this review article on sustainable parasite control in ruminants. Full of lovely stuff on vaccines, nutrition, genetics, grazing and biological control! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Don't miss this opportunity!

First stop of our @4euplusalliance.bsky.social project: Poland! 🐌🦆
We met with @ankarn.bsky.social (thank you! 🙏🏻) to exchange knowledge on bird schistosomes and swimmer's itch and, mainly, share our experience with water filtration and #eDNA detection. 🧬

Always pleased to see their cell shapes 🤩

Morphology of the placenta and samples from fur seal #2. A: Stillborn and placental tissue in 2017. B: Placenta in 2022. C: Zonary and belt-shaped placenta, dam, and its pup. D: Magnified C: surface of the chorioallantoic membrane.

New paper today:
Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from the placenta of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and potential transplacental transmission of the parasite 🧪
doi.org/10.1051/para...

T cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposure Nature Communications - In schistosomiasis-endemic regions, the cyclical nature of infection and treatment complicates understanding of host immune responses. Repeated controlled human Schistosoma...

In schistosome 🪱-endemic areas, people are repeatedly reinfected — but we still don’t fully understand how T cell responses develop in these cycles.

In my first ever last-author paper (😱) we investigate this, comparing endemic and repeat controlled human schistosome infection: rdcu.be/exH58

Genes linked to schistosome resistance identified in a genome-wide association study of African snail vectors - Nature Communications A genome wide association study of an African vector of schistosomiasis revealed two genomic regions associated with resistance to Schistosoma mansoni. These findings will inform novel control strateg...

New research w/ @jacobphd.bsky.social et al. published today in Nature Communications: Genes linked to schistosome resistance identified in a genome-wide association study of African snail vectors doi.org/10.1038/s414... 🐌🪱🧬

Ptačí motolice umí vědci ve vodě odhalit pomocí filtru DNA. Nová metoda je efektivnější i bezpečnější Když vylezete v přírodě z vody a na těle se vám do večera objeví drobné červené skvrnky, zpozorněte. Mohlo by se jednat o cerkáriovou dermatitidu. Stojí za ní larvy ptačích motolic. Do vody se dostáva...

🔬 Věda má smysl, když pomáhá v praxi! Vyvíjíme proto metodu pro rychlou detekci původců cerkáriové dermatitidy pomocí #eDNA. 🦆🐌🏊🏻 Honza a Jana to skvěle vysvětlují v reportáži @radiozurnal.bsky.social – díky! 📻
📍 @sciencecharles.bsky.social @ukforum.cuni.cz
🔗 radiozurnal.rozhlas.cz/ptaci-motoli...

📢 A major study on alveolar echinococcosis 🦊🫐🪱 in Europe reveals over 4,200 human cases, with hotspots in the Alps and Baltics. @thelancetinfdis.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Population genomics of a sailing siphonophore reveals genetic structure in the open ocean Church et al. use population genomics and citizen-science photos to show that Physalia comprises at least four genetically distinct, morphologically recognizable species, each with substantial substru...

A very cool study on the man-o’-war, also known as bluebottle (Physalia). 🌊 The iconic creature is not just one species; it is at least four! 🪼🌍 Despite drifting across vast oceans, they don't mix freely. @currentbiology.bsky.social

www.cell.com/current-biol...

Cerkárie.cz Cerkáriová dermatitida Cerkáriová dermatitida (jinak také svědivá vyrážka z koupání nebo v angličtině „swimmer’s itch“) je alergická kožní reakce způsobená larvami (cerkáriemi) ptačích motolic, které ...

S nástupem letních teplot se nám začínají objevovat první případy cerkáriové dermatitidy (vyrážky z koupání). Víme už o dvou lokalitách ve Středních Čechách. ☀️🏊🏻‍♂️ Tak je možná fajn tu připomenout web pro veřejnost, který jsme k tématu připravili: www.cerkarie.cz 😉