Recent research brings hope for reshaping the co‐evolutionary arms race against parasitic infectious diseases

Abstract

Parasites have evolved to adapt to their hosts, preventing their death as a direct consequence of the infectious process-this is the basis for the development and perpetuation of symbiotic parasitism. Microbial symbionts evolved (and continue to evolve), resulting in drastic transitions along the parasite-mutualist continuum; evolutionary shifts achieved through a plethora of complex, coadaptive mechanisms across generations. Of note, the first record of trypanosomatid parasites dates back to early Cretaceous period (15-100 million years ago) from Burmese amber in northern Myanmar (Poinar Jr, 2007;Poinar & Poinar, 2005). The persistence of this type of parasite through time demonstrates their impressive adaption to the environment-and insinuates what a significant challenge it is to tackle parasitic diseases through the development of novel strategies for drug and vaccine discovery, development and implementation. Humankind