Insects Brainwashed by Fungi Parasites - Page 6

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (Cordyceps unilateralis)

David Biron and his colleagues have used proteomics to characterize the proteins synthesized by the Gordian worm in order to determine how it manipulates its host's behavior. They have established that the worm synthesizes proteins which mimic those produced by the insect. These include proteins of the Wnt family, which are involved in the development of the nervous system, as well as others which interfere with the neurotransmitter systems involved in the host's geotactic behavior (its oriented movements in relation to the Earth's magnetic field). Incredibly, the gordian worm can survive predation on its host. Parasites use various strategies to survive host predation. For example, some develop quickly, in order to emerge from the host before it is preyed upon. Grasshoppers and crickets are preyed upon by fish and frogs; the gordian worm can escape this predation by wriggling out of the mouth, nose or gills of the predator once it has emerged from a host that has been eaten.