The University of Nomi

Self-Medication in Animals ...guided the early development of human medicines.

First post on Substack!

Look forward to more #parasitology themed posts featuring #research from my field lab, with guest appearances from furry critters like this one!

The University of Nomi is now on Substack!

substack.com/@uniofnomi

That's wild! Most likely, the eel picked up these ticks from the land while migrating between bodies of water, and then they just hung on for the ride.

I'll add this to the ever-expanding list of strange places #ticks have been found.

Ticks found on an aquatic animal! There are no depths ticks won't sink to for that delicious blood meal.

#ticks #parasitology

Oh dear. Is he a scientist?

Original micrograph of Dermacentor variabilis, or the "American Dog Tick" - identified by the patterning seen here on its back.

These ticks don't typically carry #Lyme disease, but can carry other diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or tick paralysis.

#tick #parasitology #microscopy

Some - if not all - of those are bots.

"...allergic drama queens"
Best description of an immune response I've heard all day.

Original micrograph of Dermacentor variabilis, or the "American Dog Tick," shown here trying to escape experimental treatment in some of my latest work on antiparasitics effective against #ticks.

(Check out the full experiment here: uniofnomi.wordpress.com/2024/06/18/t... )

#microscopy #fieldlab

Hooray for funding #Lyme disease research!

According to the most recent data from the CDC, around 476,000 people are diagnosed & treated for Lyme annually in the US alone. This number is increasing world-wide. And treatment can be challenging given the remarkable variation seen with this infection.

Congrats!!! Very interesting work.

It's incredible how the worst part of infection can be the body's own inflammatory response. That's #immunology for you.

Ventral view of a female dermacentor tick

Original micrograph: ventral view of a female dermacentor #tick, identified by its large size and unique white markings. These ticks don't typically carry Lyme disease, but can carry other diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or tick paralysis.

#parasitology #ticks #microscopy

Oh, but the time one saves doing this is priceless! Nothing like troubleshooting an entire workflow only to discover the culprit was stale buffer all along...

#backtobasics

4 Reasons Poppyseed-Sized Ticks Are More Dangerous Than Adult Ones We often think of Lyme disease transmitting ticks as easily visible, half dime-sized bugs that burrow into our skin. But poppyseed-sized nymph ticks, or ticks in a younger stage of life, are actually ...

Right? Their tiny size is one of the biggest challenges in preventing tick-bourne disease. They say to be thorough doing your #tick checks, and this makes sense - ticks can be as small as a poppy seed! This is what makes young ticks more dangerous than adult ones.

www.healthline.com/health/poppy...

Original micrograph of Dermacentor variabilis, or the "American Dog Tick" - likely an adult female given the color and patterning seen here on its back.

...Looks pretty stylish for a #parasite.

#ticks #tick #parasitology

We're at 735 registrants and counting! 🎉🦠

If you haven't registered yet, don't miss out on this exciting (free) symposium on gut microbial metabolites and their impacts on host health.

Please share with your networks. 🔗👇

isbscience.org/events/2025-...

A nice lineup of lice!
#parasitology

Lesson 4: Lyme Disease The following presentation is an introduction to Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by ectoparasites, namely ticks. Lyme disease is common in North America, Europe, and is rapidly spreadi…

Don't forget to check out my free lesson on #Lyme disease here at the University of Nomi!

#ticks #LymeDisease #research #learning

uniofnomi.wordpress.com/lecture-4-ly...

2 Ixodes ticks - one nymph and one adult

Ixodes scapularis, aka the "blacklegged #tick" or "deer tick", can carry bacteria, viruses, and even other #parasites that infect humans - including, most notoriously, #LymeDisease.

These #ticks can be ID'd by the crescent of reddish brown at the posterior end of their body.

(Original micrograph)

Do you work in #parasitology and want to upgrade your #bioinformatics skills? Check out this free workshop, courtesy of @veupathdb.org !

VEuPathDB is an invaluable resource to the modern #parasitologist, providing public access to genomic #data, computational platforms and analysis tools.

#genome

“If you didn’t write it down, you didn’t do it.”

Too true. I think all science researchers at some point in their careers have read their old lab notebook and thought, "Who wrote this?"

#twasjustadream

#Science #research isn't easy, especially when there's a wet-lab involved - there's just so much that can go wrong! What's more, some mistakes technically do count as #misconduct irrespective of the researcher's intent.

Luckily, there are steps you take take to avoid this.
Check it out:

lab • log – notes from the Field Lab – – Guest appearances by furry critters! – Here I share updates on my research in naturally sourced compounds effective against drug-resistant par…

Balsam (Abies balsamea) has significant #antibiotic effect against #parasites. Medicinally active components found in its needles include monoterpines such as α-pinene, ß-pinene, delta-3-carene, & limonene.

Learn more about my #research in balsam here at The University of Nomi:

#Parasitology is relevant even in dentistry!

Interesting. So AI can be generative but it can't be self-editing?

Little half replete larva stuck on a water droplet 😍

Video cred: Cameron Coyle

EastBio: A host-directed approach to identify novel therapeutic targets of infectious reproductive diseases at Moredun Research Institute on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - EastBio: A host-directed approach to identify novel therapeutic targets of infectious reproductive diseases at Moredun Research Institute, listed on FindAPhD.com

🎓 Funded #PhD studentships in pathogen biology and parasitology

*Cell and Molecular Biology*; *Host-pathogen interactions*

Part of the EastBio Doctoral Landscape Award

Based in the Edinburgh area of Scotland

PhD 1:
bit.ly/Host-pathoge...

PhD 2:
bit.ly/Parasite-sca...

@uoe-eid.bsky.social

VEuPathDB is an invaluable resource to the modern #parasitologist, providing public access to genomic #data, computational platforms and analysis tools.

Check out this free workshop to learn how to use VEuPathDB in your research!

#datascience #parasitology #bioinformatics #genomics #proteomics

Skullcap is a magnificent herb, with implications in the treatment and management of #LymeDisease symptoms.

Scutellaria baicalensis (Chinese skullcap) has even shown efficacy against B. burgdorferi in vitro: doi.org/10.3389/fmed...

#botany #NaturalScience #Lyme #skullcap

Stay on top of the latest and greatest in the wild world of parasitology with this wonderful resource that lists free online seminars.

#Parasitology is a neglected area of science - to eliminate barriers of #participation and #discussion is to strengthen our knowledge on this fascinating subject.