How do parasites manipulate their hosts — and what can we do with that knowledge?

What is it about?

Microsporidia like Vavraia culicis are promising biological control agents for mosquitoes, but we still know little about how they exploit their hosts. In our latest study, we dug into the physiological mechanisms of host manipulation by V. culicis in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae — and how these strategies vary with parasite virulence. We found that infection shifts the mosquito’s energy balance: more virulent parasite lines triggered stronger immune responses (higher protein levels), increased carbohydrate demands, and altered lipid usage. This suggests both the parasite and host are actively adjusting their resource strategies during infection. Using metallomics, we also showed that V. culicis manipulates host metal content. Zinc and manganese levels changed across all infections, but iron stood out: parasites grew better when iron was supplemented — and selected (more virulent) lines exploited iron more efficiently than unselected lines. These findings point to iron sequestration as a key mechanism linking parasite evolution and host exploitation.

Featured Image

Photo by Syed Ali on Unsplash

Photo by Syed Ali on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Understanding how parasites harness host resources helps explain the evolution of virulence — and could enhance the use of microsporidia in vector control. For example, V. culicis may reduce Plasmodium transmission not through immune activation, but by competing for iron, a shared limiting resource.

Perspectives