In 1985, Scott L. Gardner, a graduate student studying parasites in wild mammals, discovered he had contracted the parasitic worm Ascaris after returning from Bolivia. This experience led him to focus his career on parasites, eventually becoming the curator of the world’s largest university collection of parasites at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Manter Laboratory of Parasitology.
The Manter Lab houses around 170,000 cataloged vials, microscope slides, and jars of parasites, with each item containing thousands of specimens. However, the lab only has two employees due to limited funding, making it challenging to manage such a vast collection effectively.
Despite parasites being essential for ecosystem balance and biodiversity, they are often overlooked and understudied. Parasites play crucial roles in regulating host populations, altering host behavior, and maintaining food webs. For example, parasites can indirectly affect interactions between species, as seen in a study on a California salt marsh where removing a single snail species led to the secondary extinction of 17 different species of parasitic flatworms.
While parasites are diverse and vital to ecosystems, they face threats from climate change and habitat loss. Many parasites are endangered, with as many as a third of species at risk of extinction. Additionally, the field of parasitology is experiencing a decline in researchers, with a significant drop in membership in the American Society of Parasitologists over the years.
To address these challenges, parasitologists are working to spark interest in parasites among the next generation of scientists. They are incorporating parasite education into biology curriculums, creating interactive activities for children, and developing outreach programs to highlight the importance and diversity of parasites. By raising awareness and promoting the study of parasites, researchers hope to preserve parasite biodiversity and understand the critical roles these often-overlooked creatures play in the natural world.