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Parasite – many of us picture something from a horror or alien sci-fi movie when we hear this word. But in reality, parasites have a much larger, real-world impact.

Parasites are organisms that live in or on a host organism, using them for food and causing harm. They cause millions of deaths in humans and animals every year and can affect lives and livelihoods. However, outside of movies, our understanding of different parasites can be low.

and her team at the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, specialise in researching parasites with a current focus on the diseases malaria and giardiasis. Through their work they look to increase our understanding of these organisms so we are better placed to reduce their impact on global societies.

Giardiasis - another good reason to wash your hands

Assoc. Prof. Skinner-Adams and her team aim to develop more effective treatments for the highly prevalent and often debilitating gastrointestinal disease giardiasis. In 2023, in collaboration with CSIRO, they will be undertaking clinical trials on one of their most promising and recently patented drug leads.

“To improve the health and well-being of millions, we are working to develop new, highly effective, and selective treatments for giardiasis. This disease is found worldwide, but it primarily impacts the most vulnerable in our society, such as those living in developing countries,” said Assoc. Prof. Skinner-Adams.

Caused by the parasite Giardia duodenalis (also known as Giardia intestinalis or Giardia lamblia), giardiasis is highly infectious to humans and other animals and is transmitted via faeces – hand washing is an important frontline defence against infection.

Giardiasis is estimated to infect around and is also common in pets and livestock (). However, current treatments for giardiasis often fail to clear infections and parasite drug resistance is increasing.

While giardiasis has a low mortality rate, it often causes severe and chronic symptoms and there is mounting evidence that it is linked to post-infection disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue. The disease also has a high burden on children, who can become chronically infected, leading to malnutrition, decreased cognitive function and failure to thrive.

High Giardia infection rates in pets and livestock also leads to subsequent economic (e.g. reduced production and livelihood) and social (e.g. impact on animal shelters rehoming dogs and cats) impacts that are likely underestimated.

Malaria – more than a simple mosquito bite

Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted by mosquitoes, . While treatments for malaria are available, the parasites that cause it have developed resistance to current drugs, so new ones are urgently needed.

Assoc. Prof. Skinner-Adams and her team have helped increase the fundamental knowledge we have on malaria, with the group’s research directly informing other researchers’ work and current treatment recommendations.

For example, their discovery that certain HIV protease inhibitor (HIV-PI) drugs can kill malaria parasites led to other researchers undertaking clinical trials in Africa to test whether HIV-PI compounds could help reduced malaria rates in HIV patients. While it was discovered that HIV-PI drugs did not directly reduce malaria incidence in HIV-infected people they were shown to impact anti-malarial drug exposure, information that is now included in the World Health Organisation’s malaria treatment guidelines and other health documents.

Assoc. Prof. Skinner-Adams and her research group are focused on continuing to build knowledge on impactful parasites that cause devastating diseases and finding new drugs and combination therapies to treat them. With their help, we are sure to see positive movement in the fight against real-world parasites that have true impacts beyond the world of movies.