Tomas Machacek
@trichotom.bsky.social
Parasitic worms & immunity. 🪱🔬 Avian & human schistosomes. 🐭🦆 Swimmer's itch (www.cerkarie.cz), lungs & liver granulomas. 🏊🏻♂️🫁 Assistant professor at @sciencecharles.bsky.social.🎓 Secretary of @parazitologiecz.bsky.social. 🗒️
Pinned
Tomas Machacek
@trichotom.bsky.social
· May 17
Schistosome eggs are not the same in the liver and the intestine 🥚🦠 Following our previous “winners & losers” story, we now provide additional evidence by analyzing proteins released by eggs across different tissues! 🔬🧪
www.frontiersin.org/journals/cel...
www.frontiersin.org/journals/cel...
Je tu první pořádný slunečný víkend ☀️ A tak preventivně připomínáme infoweb k cerkáriové dermatitidě, vyrážce z koupání v přírodních vodách 🏊🏻♂️🤭
www.cerkarie.cz
www.cerkarie.cz
June 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Je tu první pořádný slunečný víkend ☀️ A tak preventivně připomínáme infoweb k cerkáriové dermatitidě, vyrážce z koupání v přírodních vodách 🏊🏻♂️🤭
www.cerkarie.cz
www.cerkarie.cz
I've heard a lot about these signs that highlight dog roundworm risk in Dublin’s public parks. Finslly spotred them personally... 🐕💩😁
June 16, 2026 at 5:44 PM
I've heard a lot about these signs that highlight dog roundworm risk in Dublin’s public parks. Finslly spotred them personally... 🐕💩😁
First evidence of biofluorescence in the fire salamander! 🖤💛 Under UV light, they show striking blue-green and yellow fluorescence in their skin, glands, and secretions. 🦎✨🌟 @royalsociety.org
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
Glandular biofluorescence in fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra): first evidence and ecological implications
Abstract. With advances in imaging technologies and the growing availability of specialized lights and cameras, biofluorescence is increasingly recognized
royalsocietypublishing.org
June 4, 2026 at 12:20 PM
First evidence of biofluorescence in the fire salamander! 🖤💛 Under UV light, they show striking blue-green and yellow fluorescence in their skin, glands, and secretions. 🦎✨🌟 @royalsociety.org
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
Reposted by Tomas Machacek
We found maternal helminth infection can promote antiviral immunity in offspring 🤱🪱
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Don’t worry, we are not suggesting we reinfect everyone with worms! Instead, we identified a microbiota-derived metabolite, Indole-3-propionic acid, that enhances antiviral immunity!
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Don’t worry, we are not suggesting we reinfect everyone with worms! Instead, we identified a microbiota-derived metabolite, Indole-3-propionic acid, that enhances antiviral immunity!
Maternal helminths rewire the microbiota to promote offspring antiviral immunity
Fernandes et al. show that maternal helminths, long-standing mammalian partners, confer
antiviral immunity to offspring via the microbiota-derived metabolite indole-3-propionic
acid (IPA). This work r...
www.cell.com
May 7, 2026 at 10:58 AM
We found maternal helminth infection can promote antiviral immunity in offspring 🤱🪱
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Don’t worry, we are not suggesting we reinfect everyone with worms! Instead, we identified a microbiota-derived metabolite, Indole-3-propionic acid, that enhances antiviral immunity!
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Don’t worry, we are not suggesting we reinfect everyone with worms! Instead, we identified a microbiota-derived metabolite, Indole-3-propionic acid, that enhances antiviral immunity!
Schistosome eggs are not the same in the liver and the intestine 🥚🦠 Following our previous “winners & losers” story, we now provide additional evidence by analyzing proteins released by eggs across different tissues! 🔬🧪
www.frontiersin.org/journals/cel...
www.frontiersin.org/journals/cel...
May 17, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Schistosome eggs are not the same in the liver and the intestine 🥚🦠 Following our previous “winners & losers” story, we now provide additional evidence by analyzing proteins released by eggs across different tissues! 🔬🧪
www.frontiersin.org/journals/cel...
www.frontiersin.org/journals/cel...
Attending @bspparasitology.bsky.social Spring Meeting remotely this time 🥲
Not ideal, but still excited to share our latest work on Schistosoma mansoni egg secretome directly in the host tissues! 🔬
🚨 Key message: liver is not intestine 😏
Not ideal, but still excited to share our latest work on Schistosoma mansoni egg secretome directly in the host tissues! 🔬
🚨 Key message: liver is not intestine 😏
April 8, 2026 at 7:52 AM
Attending @bspparasitology.bsky.social Spring Meeting remotely this time 🥲
Not ideal, but still excited to share our latest work on Schistosoma mansoni egg secretome directly in the host tissues! 🔬
🚨 Key message: liver is not intestine 😏
Not ideal, but still excited to share our latest work on Schistosoma mansoni egg secretome directly in the host tissues! 🔬
🚨 Key message: liver is not intestine 😏
PF 2026 🥳 @parazitologiecz.bsky.social
December 22, 2025 at 10:22 AM
PF 2026 🥳 @parazitologiecz.bsky.social
@pnas.org Tattoo ink doesn’t just stay in the skin. 🎨 It drains into lymph nodes (kinda expected), where it can persist for months. 🤔 Ink-loaded macrophages trigger long-term inflammation and can alter vaccine responses. 💉 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Tattoo ink induces inflammation in the draining lymph node and alters the immune response to vaccination | PNAS
Despite safety concerns regarding the toxicity of tattoo ink, no studies have reported
the consequences of tattooing on the immune response. In thi...
www.pnas.org
November 26, 2025 at 4:42 PM
@pnas.org Tattoo ink doesn’t just stay in the skin. 🎨 It drains into lymph nodes (kinda expected), where it can persist for months. 🤔 Ink-loaded macrophages trigger long-term inflammation and can alter vaccine responses. 💉 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Happy to contribute to the Parasite of the Month series in @cp-trendsparasitol.bsky.social with our article on the neurotropic schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti! 🧠🔬
authors.elsevier.com/a/1m5yH5Eb1x...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1m5yH5Eb1x...
November 14, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Happy to contribute to the Parasite of the Month series in @cp-trendsparasitol.bsky.social with our article on the neurotropic schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti! 🧠🔬
authors.elsevier.com/a/1m5yH5Eb1x...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1m5yH5Eb1x...
Where would the Arabs have reached if not for the plague that decimated the Byzantine Empire? And how did malaria influence the fight for American independence? 🤔 A light yet fascinating read about the germs that shaped our past — a perfect blend of infection and history. 📖🦠
October 21, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Where would the Arabs have reached if not for the plague that decimated the Byzantine Empire? And how did malaria influence the fight for American independence? 🤔 A light yet fascinating read about the germs that shaped our past — a perfect blend of infection and history. 📖🦠
Skin-penetrating nematodes rely on dopamine signaling to invade their hosts. Blocking dopamine signalization could stop infections before they start. 🔬 @natcomms.nature.com
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Dopamine signaling drives skin invasion by human-infective nematodes - Nature Communications
Skin-penetrating nematodes infect hosts by burrowing through host skin. This study finds that in the human-parasitic, skin-penetrating nematode Strongyloides stercoralis, skin penetration behavior is ...
www.nature.com
September 18, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Skin-penetrating nematodes rely on dopamine signaling to invade their hosts. Blocking dopamine signalization could stop infections before they start. 🔬 @natcomms.nature.com
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
New study out! 🚨 For the first time, we tracked Trichobilharzia franki, a major cause of swimmer’s itch in Europe, in the lab. 🪱🔬 From genetics to pathology & immunity, our findings shed new light on this tricky parasite and its role in outbreaks.
doi.org/10.1016/j.fa...
doi.org/10.1016/j.fa...
September 16, 2025 at 5:48 AM
New study out! 🚨 For the first time, we tracked Trichobilharzia franki, a major cause of swimmer’s itch in Europe, in the lab. 🪱🔬 From genetics to pathology & immunity, our findings shed new light on this tricky parasite and its role in outbreaks.
doi.org/10.1016/j.fa...
doi.org/10.1016/j.fa...
Reposted by Tomas Machacek
Save the dates!! @bspparasitology.bsky.social Spring Meeting 2026 will be in Bonnie Glasgow! 7-9 April 2026, with a drinks reception in Glasgow City Chambers on the 6th of April 2026!
Keep an eye on the BSP website for registration and abstract submission!
Logo by @shannaraeilean.bsky.social! 🦟
Keep an eye on the BSP website for registration and abstract submission!
Logo by @shannaraeilean.bsky.social! 🦟
September 11, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Save the dates!! @bspparasitology.bsky.social Spring Meeting 2026 will be in Bonnie Glasgow! 7-9 April 2026, with a drinks reception in Glasgow City Chambers on the 6th of April 2026!
Keep an eye on the BSP website for registration and abstract submission!
Logo by @shannaraeilean.bsky.social! 🦟
Keep an eye on the BSP website for registration and abstract submission!
Logo by @shannaraeilean.bsky.social! 🦟
Cool meeting at @sciencecharles.bsky.social right now! 🪱🔬
September 15, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Cool meeting at @sciencecharles.bsky.social right now! 🪱🔬
Second stop of our @4euplusalliance.bsky.social project: Denmark! 🇩🇰🐌🦆 We sampled in various sites – even right in the heart of Copenhagen! 🌊🏙️ Great teamwork, hands-on training, and more data for our #eDNA detection of swimmer’s itch. 🧬 @zikmund.bsky.social
🔗 natur.cuni.cz/en/biology/d...
🔗 natur.cuni.cz/en/biology/d...
September 12, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Second stop of our @4euplusalliance.bsky.social project: Denmark! 🇩🇰🐌🦆 We sampled in various sites – even right in the heart of Copenhagen! 🌊🏙️ Great teamwork, hands-on training, and more data for our #eDNA detection of swimmer’s itch. 🧬 @zikmund.bsky.social
🔗 natur.cuni.cz/en/biology/d...
🔗 natur.cuni.cz/en/biology/d...
Reposted by Tomas Machacek
Truly a most neglected tropical disease. More common than other filarial nematode diseases and yet largely ignored. www.cell.com/trends/paras...
Mansonella perstans – the forgotten filaria
Mansonella perstans is the most prevalent human filarial parasite, infecting over
100 million people worldwide. Despite its wide distribution, it remains one of the
most neglected parasitic infections...
www.cell.com
September 7, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Truly a most neglected tropical disease. More common than other filarial nematode diseases and yet largely ignored. www.cell.com/trends/paras...
Thelazia callipaeda is an emerging zoonotic nematode responsible for eye infections. A new human case is reported from Rome, Italy. 👁️🪱🍕 @crpvbd.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.cr...
September 7, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Thelazia callipaeda is an emerging zoonotic nematode responsible for eye infections. A new human case is reported from Rome, Italy. 👁️🪱🍕 @crpvbd.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.cr...
Possibly a new species of Leucochloridium from Japan... I really love these creatures! 😍 doi.org/10.1016/j.pa...
September 7, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Possibly a new species of Leucochloridium from Japan... I really love these creatures! 😍 doi.org/10.1016/j.pa...
Reposted by Tomas Machacek
I am pleased to present a project we've been working on for the least year to try to answer a fundamental question - does a parasite's developmental niche as an egg have effects on larval stages? We show that the answer is very much yes - which has a few implications. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Tissue-specific distribution of eggs in the definitive host drives transcriptomic and behavioral differences in Schistosoma mansoni miracidia
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by human-infective schistosomes (Trematoda: Schistosoma). Intestinal schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa and the Neotropics is caused primarily...
www.biorxiv.org
August 21, 2025 at 2:13 PM
I am pleased to present a project we've been working on for the least year to try to answer a fundamental question - does a parasite's developmental niche as an egg have effects on larval stages? We show that the answer is very much yes - which has a few implications. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Tomas Machacek
Absolute pleasure to be involved in this review article on sustainable parasite control in ruminants. Full of lovely stuff on vaccines, nutrition, genetics, grazing and biological control! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
August 12, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Absolute pleasure to be involved in this review article on sustainable parasite control in ruminants. Full of lovely stuff on vaccines, nutrition, genetics, grazing and biological control! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Don't miss this opportunity!
"Immunology Meets Philosophy vol. 2" focuses on host-microbe interactions while highlighting a variety of conceptual approaches and phenomena, from infectious diseases to evolutionary and metabolic perspectives. #ImmunoSky #philbio #philsci
On-site / online stream registration - link in comments 👇
On-site / online stream registration - link in comments 👇
August 12, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Don't miss this opportunity!
First stop of our @4euplusalliance.bsky.social project: Poland! 🐌🦆
We met with @ankarn.bsky.social (thank you! 🙏🏻) to exchange knowledge on bird schistosomes and swimmer's itch and, mainly, share our experience with water filtration and #eDNA detection. 🧬
We met with @ankarn.bsky.social (thank you! 🙏🏻) to exchange knowledge on bird schistosomes and swimmer's itch and, mainly, share our experience with water filtration and #eDNA detection. 🧬
August 10, 2025 at 6:49 PM
First stop of our @4euplusalliance.bsky.social project: Poland! 🐌🦆
We met with @ankarn.bsky.social (thank you! 🙏🏻) to exchange knowledge on bird schistosomes and swimmer's itch and, mainly, share our experience with water filtration and #eDNA detection. 🧬
We met with @ankarn.bsky.social (thank you! 🙏🏻) to exchange knowledge on bird schistosomes and swimmer's itch and, mainly, share our experience with water filtration and #eDNA detection. 🧬
Reposted by Tomas Machacek
New paper today:
Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from the placenta of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and potential transplacental transmission of the parasite 🧪
doi.org/10.1051/para...
Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from the placenta of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and potential transplacental transmission of the parasite 🧪
doi.org/10.1051/para...
August 1, 2025 at 9:47 AM
New paper today:
Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from the placenta of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and potential transplacental transmission of the parasite 🧪
doi.org/10.1051/para...
Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from the placenta of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and potential transplacental transmission of the parasite 🧪
doi.org/10.1051/para...
Reposted by Tomas Machacek
In schistosome 🪱-endemic areas, people are repeatedly reinfected — but we still don’t fully understand how T cell responses develop in these cycles.
In my first ever last-author paper (😱) we investigate this, comparing endemic and repeat controlled human schistosome infection: rdcu.be/exH58
In my first ever last-author paper (😱) we investigate this, comparing endemic and repeat controlled human schistosome infection: rdcu.be/exH58
T cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposure
Nature Communications - In schistosomiasis-endemic regions, the cyclical nature of infection and treatment complicates understanding of host immune responses. Repeated controlled human Schistosoma...
rdcu.be
July 31, 2025 at 3:15 PM
In schistosome 🪱-endemic areas, people are repeatedly reinfected — but we still don’t fully understand how T cell responses develop in these cycles.
In my first ever last-author paper (😱) we investigate this, comparing endemic and repeat controlled human schistosome infection: rdcu.be/exH58
In my first ever last-author paper (😱) we investigate this, comparing endemic and repeat controlled human schistosome infection: rdcu.be/exH58