ATHENS- UGA researchers are using databases to research parasites on a global scale and find patterns among different animal species.

Their Findings

The researches found that mammals who share closer evolutionary histories (and are more closely related) are often affected by the similar parasites.

Importance

Mice, lice, ticks, and worms are all parasites that affect humans. They also affect other animals. The studies show that diseases caused by parasites might be spreading to humans from species closely related to humans (chimps, etc). The more research and patterns the researchers can find, the more we will be able to understand how parasites affect us and get us sick.