Litomosoides sigmodontis
The filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis was adapted to the lab in 1994 by our collaborator Odile Bain in the natural history museum of Paris and has since grown to be an excellent model for studying the immunology and co-evolution of filarial nematodes.
L. sigmodontis is the only filarial nematode able to reach patency in immunocompetent laboratory mice. Its infective larvae are injected by a blood-feeding arthropod in the skin. The larvae then migrate through the lymphatic system to the plerual cavity where they mature and release their offspring, named microfilariae.
We use L. sigmodontis for the study of immune-dependant phenotypic plasticity, protective immunity, and DNA vaccines.



Heligmosomoides bakeri

H. bakeri (formerly referred to as H. polygyrus) is a nematode used in laboratory mouse models. It dwells in the duodenum and small intestine of woodmice and other rodents, and is commonly found in wild rodents. It is most recognisable for the bright red coils of the adult's tail.
We use this parasite in studies of the impact of nutrition on host immune responses, and is a common encounter in our wild mouse studies.
(Photograph by Constance Finney)