Sensory behaviors of parasitic nematodes

Parasitic nematodes comprise a genetically and behaviorally diverse group of roundworms that share a common need to infect a host in order to survive and reproduce. Human-parasitic nematodes infect over a billion people and cause extensive morbidity, while parasitic nematodes of livestock and plants result in billions of dollars in food and economic loss each year. Many parasitic nematodes - including species that infect humans, livestock, insects, and plants - are thought to use sensory cues throughout their life cycles: to seek out hosts, to invade a host upon contact, and to navigate inside the host. Recent studies have provided key insights into how parasitic nematodes use sensory cues for each of these behaviors. Moreover, some parasitic nematodes are now amenable to molecular genetic manipulation, and studies of these species are providing some of the first insights into the molecular and neural basis of sensory-driven parasitic behaviors.