Donna Huber, Author at Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases

Gene regulation in Cryptosporidium: New insights and unanswered questions

Donna Huber on July 15, 2025

Parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium have evolved to have a highly compact genome of ∼9.1 Mb. The mechanisms that regulate gene expression in Cryptosporidium spp. remain incompletely understood at all levels, including chromatin accessibility, transcription factor activation and repression and RNA processing. This review discusses possible mechanisms of gene regulation in Cryptosporidium spp., including histone modifications, cis regulatory elements, transcription factors and non-coding …

In the News: Dennis Kyle

Donna Huber on July 3, 2025

Brain-eating amoebas are rare. But hot weather increases the risk (Washington Post) Brain-eating amoeba: Who is most often infected? (Rochester First) (CBS42) (The Hill)

UGA researchers develop first test of cure for Chagas disease

Donna Huber on July 1, 2025

New test protocol can detect low levels of Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease Researchers at the University of Georgia’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases have developed the first test to determine whether treatment for Chagas disease was effective. An estimated 6 million to 8 million people worldwide are infected with …

In the News: Rick Tarleton

Donna Huber on June 24, 2025

UGA researchers develop first test of cure for Chagas disease (UGA Today) UGA Pioneers First Test for Chagas Disease Cure (Mirage) UGA researchers develop first test of cure for Chagas disease (Newswise) ¿Se curó la infección de Chagas? Un nuevo test podría dar la respuesta (Infobae) Chagas disease: Test for cure (Outbreak News Today) AN2 …

New T2T assembly of Cryptosporidium parvum IOWA II annotated with Legacy-Compatible Gene identifiers

Donna Huber on June 19, 2025

Cryptosporidium parvum is a significant pathogen causing gastrointestinal infections in humans and animals. It is spread through ingesting contaminated food and water. Despite its global health significance, generating a C. parvum genome sequence has been challenging for many reasons including cloning and challenging subtelomeric regions. A new, gapless, hybrid, telomere-to-telomere genome assembly was created for …

Highly cross-reactive and competent effectors dominate the CD8+ T cell response in Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Donna Huber on June 16, 2025

CD8+ T cells are key effectors in immune control of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Within C57BL/6 mice, the T. cruzi-specific CD8+ T cell response is largely comprised of T cells recognizing trans-sialidase (TS)- and mucin-encoded epitopes. Despite their immunodominance, these epitope-specific CD8+ T cells are entirely dispensable for immune control. In a screen for epitopes inducing …

From Target Product Profiles (TPPs) to Target Specimen Profiles (TSPs): A New Concept in Infectious Disease Biobanking for Diagnostic Applications

Donna Huber on June 13, 2025

A target specimen profile (TSP) corresponds to the required characteristics of the specimen panels needed to demonstrate that a diagnostic kit meets the target product profile (TPP). TSPs can guide biobanks in the prospective collection of sample panels to support the development and validation of diagnostics. Fay Betsou, Warren Fransman, Patrick Lammie. Diagnostics (Basel). 2025 …

Protocol for laboratory rearing and infection tracking of Rhodnius prolixus using 3D-printable designs

Donna Huber on June 13, 2025

Human infections by Trypanosoma cruzi propagate via its blood-feeding triatomine vector. Investigating parasite-vector interactions depends upon robust techniques to rear insects and analyze infections. Here, we present a protocol for laboratory rearing and infection tracking of Rhodnius prolixus. We describe steps for housing, feeding, and sorting strategies using 3D-printable designs. We also detail procedures for …

Kurup wins prestigious PATH award for groundbreaking malaria research

Donna Huber on June 10, 2025

Assistant Professor Samarchith “Sam” Kurup is the first UGA researcher to receive the Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease (PATH) award. Kurup studies the parasites that cause malaria and how they penetrate the body’s defenses, which could lead to more effective therapeutics. (Photo by Lauren Corcino) Every year, malaria evades the immune …

Author: Donna Huber