Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) remains a neglected sexual and reproductive health (SRH) condition, predominantly affecting women and girls in sub‐Saharan Africa. Infection with Schistosoma haematobium, resulting in trapped parasite eggs in the genital tract, causes lesions that mimic sexually transmitted infections and cervical neoplasia, often leading to misdiagnosis, stigma and delayed treatment. This review summarises current developments on FGS burden, prevention, diagnostics, integration, policy, community engagement and identifies critical threats to progress. Ongoing surveys show promise in ensuring robust burden estimates and age‐related risk data. Diagnostic advances include portable colposcopy, digital image analysis techniques and molecular assays, although limitations persist in resource‐limited settings. Praziquantel remains the cornerstone of treatment, yet single‐dose regimens inadequately reverse established lesions; repeated dosing shows improved parasite clearance but limited lesion regression, highlighting the necessity for early, life‐course preventive chemotherapy including access to paediatric praziquantel. Successful programmatic pilots have developed training curricula, minimum service packages, community engagement tools and have integrated FGS care into SRH platforms. Policy momentum is building through World Health Organization taskforces and national strategies, yet sustainable financing remains a challenge. Key threats include bilateral aid reductions, climate change, emerging infections, rising healthcare costs and persistent gender inequities. To address these challenges, we propose seven priority actions, encompassing all health system building blocks, for the global community. Nationally coordinated, multisectoral efforts are urgently required to embed FGS prevention, diagnosis and management within broader health systems, thereby improving outcomes for affected women and girls.

Archaeological sediments can be used to retrieve evidence for parasites that infected past populations, giving evidence for disease, diet, sanitation, and migration in the past. To increase our understanding of parasite infections in Roman Britain and determine which parasites may have infected people living at Vindolanda, sediment samples were collected from a drain connected to a latrine at the bath complex of Vindolanda. These samples were used to look for preserved parasite eggs and cysts deposited in the drain with the faeces of people who used the latrine. Microscopic analysis was used to identify eggs of helminths, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to look for protozoan parasites that can cause severe diarrhoea. Eggs of Ascaris sp. (roundworm) and Trichuris sp. (whipworm) were found by microscopy and Giardia duodenalis was detected using ELISA. All of these parasites are transmitted by the faecal-oral route, usually through contaminated food and water. This is the first evidence for G. duodenalis in Roman Britain. A range of zoonotic and faecal-oral parasites have been found at other sites in Roman Britain, yet the drain studied from Vindolanda only contained faecal-oral parasites that can be transmitted directly between humans. This predominance of faecal-oral parasites is similar to a pattern found in large urban sites in the Roman Mediterranean and other military sites in the empire. In contrast, sites from larger urban cities in Roman Britain, such as London and York, appear to have a more diverse range of parasites.

The genus Apharyngostrigea comprises a group of diplostomoidean digeneans that parasitize birds of the family Ardeidae (herons), with approximately 20 species described worldwide. Despite numerous efforts, a robust phylogenetic framework to delimit species within the genus is still lacking, mainly due to the limited morphological variation among its members. This study employed an integrative taxonomic approach, combining nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences with morphological data to assess species boundaries within Apharyngostrigea based on specimens collected from southeastern Mexico. Using a combination of species discovery (Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery, Assemble Species by Automatic Partition, General Mixed Yule Coalescent and Poisson Tree Processes) and validation methods based on Bayesian gene tree topologies (BPP and PHRAPL). We found high diversity within this genus in southeastern Mexico. Our analyses supported the delimitation of four nominal species that were previously described and validated in this study, along with the redescription of three of them. In addition, through species delimitation methods and morphological examination, we identified two candidate species and/or lineages that require further evidence to be formally described. This study demonstrates that an integrative taxonomic approach provides a robust framework for species delimitation in taxonomically complex groups such as Apharyngostrigea.

Paraxerus cepapi is an arboreal tree squirrel that occurs in the Savanna biome of Africa, and information on its parasite diversity is limited and mostly qualitative. The aim of the study was to record the diversity and abundance of ecto- and helminth parasites associated with P. cepapi across its distribution in South Africa. P. cepapi individuals (n = 94) were opportunistically obtained from eight localities during 2020 to 2024. In total, 21 parasite species (19 ectoparasites and two nematodes) and one tick species group were identified. This included lice, ticks, fleas, a mesostigmatic mite, chiggers, nematodes and cestodes. Nematodes were the most prevalent (93·67%), followed by lice (80·85%). Syphatineria cepapi was recorded in 92·41% of P. cepapi, while an unknown Strongyloides species, resembling S. robustus, was recorded in 21·52% of squirrels. The lice species displayed variation in parasitope preference, while chiggers were primarily recorded in the ears. This study provides new country records for the lice species Werneckia paraxeri and Enderleinellus heliosciuri, for the chigger species Microtrombicula polymorpha, and for the nematode S. cf. robustus. New locality records were documented for the nematode S. cepapi in South Africa, and P. cepapi is a new host record for the eight chigger species and S. cf. robustus. It is evident that P. cepapi in South Africa hosts a considerably larger diversity of parasite taxa than previously recorded. Nematode counts were related to host length. These findings warrant future studies on the parasite diversity of P. cepapi in Africa.

Ectoparasites are commonly found on wild birds and might play an important role as vectors of pathogens. The Balearic Islands archipelago (Spain) is an ecological hotspot for wild birds due to its geographical location and habitat diversity. Although the avian fauna of the archipelago is well studied, little information is available regarding the ectoparasites infesting its wild bird populations. This study aimed to identify the diversity of ectoparasites (chewing lice, louse flies and ticks) and feather mites on wild birds in several locations on Menorca Island, as well as to assess the prevalence based on the migration status and season. Our research revealed that ten of the 13 species of chewing lice collected in this study are reported here for the first time in the Balearic Islands, including two that are also new records for Spain. We did not find statistically significant differences in the prevalence of ectoparasites or feather mites between sedentary and migratory birds. Likewise, no significant differences were observed in feather mite prevalence among migratory birds from Illa de s’Aire between prenuptial and postnuptial migrations. This study provides valuable insights into the prevalence and diversity of ectoparasites, shedding light on their potential role as vectors for avian pathogens. Further research is needed to explore the pathogens these ectoparasites may carry and transmit, contributing to a better understanding of the epidemiology of avian diseases in Menorca.

Women in sub-Saharan Africa face complex, multifaceted challenges to their health, including a high burden of infectious diseases aggravated by socioeconomic factors. Parasitic and sexually transmitted infections both cause significant morbidity and mortality. Co-infections compound these effects, leading to high rates of chronic illness and making diagnosis and treatment challenging. There are no integrated approaches for the detection of female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), a gynaecological condition caused by Schistosoma haematobium, and high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV), responsible for over 90% of all cervical cancer cases worldwide. FGS is a chronic condition with health outcomes such as infertility and abortion and remains severely under-reported. HR-HPV infection is the main aetiological agent of cervical cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in women in sub-Saharan Africa. Both can be disabling and stigmatizing to the sufferer. A key to disease management at patient and community levels is accurate and available diagnostics. Due to both FGS and HPV diagnostics utilising cervicovaginal samples, they are ideal candidates for a multiplex molecular diagnostic. The standard molecular diagnostics (namely PCR), through the detection of pathogen DNA, are constrained in low resource settings by requirement of a highly reliable source of energy, reliance on a cold-chain, and prohibitive costs. Isothermal molecular diagnostics are an alternative method to PCR that are more suited to basic settings. This review explores current isothermal diagnostics, with a focus on RPA/RAA, a very simple isothermal technology, for FGS and HPV and proposes the development of a multiplex isothermal diagnostic test to enable integrated screening.