Temperature, humidity may drive future transmission of parasitic worm infections

Phys.org  February 26, 2024 Free-living stages of soil-transmitted helminths are highly susceptible to climatic drivers; however, how multiple climatic variables affect helminth species, and the long-term consequences of these interactions, is poorly understood. An international team of researchers (USA – Pennsylvania State University, Italy) used experiments on nine trichostrongylid species of herbivores to develop a temperature- and humidity-dependent model of infection hazard. Intestinal and stomach helminths exhibited contrasting climatic responses, with the former group strongly affected by temperature while the latter primarily impacted by humidity. According to the specific climatic responses of the two groups, climate change is expected to […]