Veterinary Parasitology Research Group, The University of Sydney

11/08/2026

Snail squad: UNITE 🐌💪

This week, Priscilla joined our colleagues (and friends!) from The University of Melbourne Tana, Natasha and Mengwei, for some time off exploring Banff National Park before heading to Montreal for the upcoming ICOPA conference.

While you can take the girl out of the lab, you certainly can't stop her from snail hunting 😂

We look forward to joining them all next week for an intense week of exciting and ground-breaking parasitology!

Liver fluke in Australian livestock Australian Society for Parasitology

14/07/2026

Over the past two months, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting Hailey Kirchhoff from Nebraska, USA, through a WorldStrides research placement.

Hailey is currently completing a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, who plans to become an agriculture teacher. During her time with us, she has thrown herself into an impressive range of projects, including the diagnosis of Fasciola hepatica in deer and kangaroos, molecular surveillance of liver fluke in their snail intermediate hosts, camera-trap research at the deer–livestock interface, and the molecular characterisation of zoonotic helminths from Pakistan.

Although Hailey joined us with limited prior experience in parasitology and research, she quickly became a valued member of the team, approaching every task with curiosity, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn. Along the way, she has gained first-hand insight into how parasite research supports animal health, livestock production, and biosecurity, while also seeing how fieldwork, diagnostics, and molecular research fit together.

Two months has gone far too quickly, and we will be very sorry to see her return to the United States. Thank you for all your hard work, Hailey! We’ve loved having you around and look forward to seeing where your journey in agricultural education takes you next! 🇺🇸🇦🇺🪱🐑

Australian Society for Parasitology

02/07/2026

In addition to Emily's success, our newer students also celebrated some significant achievements at Australian Society for Parasitology yesterday.

Both Hayley DeCristi and Priscilla Huynh presented their work on Fasciola hepatica. Hayley gave everyone an update on the enormous amount of work she has achieved since joining us six months ago, during which time she has created a benchmark of growth and development of F. hepatica in vivo. Her microscopy images are truly stunning!

Priscilla, who officially kicked off her PhD during her presentation yesterday, provided an overview of her honours work on the seasonality of the intermediate snail hosts of F. hepatica in the NSW Southern Tablelands. After 12 months of fieldwork, thousands of snail counts and over 600 DNA isolations, we are excited to see the findings coming together!

Even more impressive, on Tuesday, Priscilla submitted her honours opinion article to Trends in Parasitology, which is a huge achievement! We're keeping our fingers crossed for a quick and friendly review process.

We can't wait to see what this next generation of USyd parasitologists do next!

02/07/2026

We're BEYOND proud of our very own Dr. Emily Francis, who was awarded the Sprent Prize at this week's Australian Society for Parasitology conference in recognition for her outstanding thesis 'Innovative approaches for gastrointestinal nematode identification and resistance surveillance: Transitioning molecular diagnostics from the confines of research to the expanse of the field".

Emily’s research set out to tackle one of the most pressing challenges facing producers here in Australia and globally: anthelmintic resistance. For decades, our industry has relied on diagnostic methods that are slow, insensitive, and rarely adopted by farmers. Having grown up on a farm in Dunedoo, New South Wales (NSW), Emily recognised that sustainable control of parasites could only be achieved if diagnostics were not only scientifically rigorous but also accessible and practical on farm. With this in mind, she developed and validated approaches that will have lasting impact.

What stands out about Emily’s work is not just the novelty of the methods she developed, but their application. She showed that longitudinal molecular surveillance in cattle could detect shifts in resistance allele frequencies before production losses or clinical signs became evident, giving producers and veterinarians the chance to intervene early and extend the useful life of existing anthelmintics. This kind of forward-looking, practical science is exactly what the livestock industries need.

The implications of Emily’s thesis are far-reaching. Her approaches enable precision parasite management by giving producers species-specific and resistance-specific information to guide treatment. They provide the evidence base needed to implement targeted selective treatment (TST) strategies that conserve drug-susceptible refugia, a cornerstone of sustainable control. By reframing the role of wildlife in resistance transmission, her work also points the way to more holistic, ecosystem-level management of parasites in mixed grazing systems. These are contributions that will influence the field for years to come.

This prize is therefore not just recognition of an excellent thesis but also of a trajectory that promises long-term contributions to parasitology, both in Australia and internationally. Please join us in congratulating Emily in her achievement!

Dr Emily Francis has just been awarded the prestigious 2026 John Frederick Adrian Sprent Prize from The Australian Society for Parasitology.

Dr Emily Francis is a veterinary parasitologist and Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She completed her PhD at the University of Sydney in 2024. Her research centres on the development and application of molecular diagnostic tools to better understand gastrointestinal nematodes and anthelmintic resistance in livestock. Drawing on her rural upbringing in New South Wales, she is committed to bridging the gap between research and on-farm decision-making, ensuring that advances in parasite diagnostics translate into tangible benefits for producers. Her work has contributed to the development of innovative surveillance approaches that she hopes will one day support more sustainable parasite control in Australia.

The John Frederick Adrian Sprent Prize is a substantial prize presented to a Student member of the Society for an outstanding thesis in Parasitology for which the PhD degree was awarded during the previous three years.

Congratulations Dr Emily Francis!

01/07/2026

Dr Emily Francis has just been awarded the prestigious 2026 John Frederick Adrian Sprent Prize from The Australian Society for Parasitology.

Dr Emily Francis is a veterinary parasitologist and Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She completed her PhD at the University of Sydney in 2024. Her research centres on the development and application of molecular diagnostic tools to better understand gastrointestinal nematodes and anthelmintic resistance in livestock. Drawing on her rural upbringing in New South Wales, she is committed to bridging the gap between research and on-farm decision-making, ensuring that advances in parasite diagnostics translate into tangible benefits for producers. Her work has contributed to the development of innovative surveillance approaches that she hopes will one day support more sustainable parasite control in Australia.

The John Frederick Adrian Sprent Prize is a substantial prize presented to a Student member of the Society for an outstanding thesis in Parasitology for which the PhD degree was awarded during the previous three years.

Congratulations Dr Emily Francis!

03/06/2026

Meet Ariel! 🐑🦠🔬

We are excited to introduce Ariel, who joined our lab in March as an MPhil candidate.

Ariel's research explores a fascinating and largely unexplored area of parasitology: the viruses that infect gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep in Australia. This phenomenon, known as hyperparasitism, occurs when a parasite itself becomes infected by another organism—in this case, viruses. Through her work, Ariel hopes to uncover new insights into parasite–virus interactions and better understand how these relationships may influence both the parasites and their animal hosts.

When asked why she chose to continue her research journey, Ariel reflected on her honours project in 2024:

"I decided to do my honours project simply because ‘parasites in dolphins’ couldn't have sounded any cooler. But that year of research became so much more than I expected. Tracing organisms back to their discovery, uncovering transmission pathways that extended far beyond dolphins themselves, and being supported by such encouraging supervisors and peers made it the most enriching learning experience of my degree. It inspired me to continue my research journey."

Ariel's honours research investigated Toxoplasma gondii infections in dolphins stranded along the New South Wales coast, providing evidence that terrestrial sources of contamination can reach marine ecosystems and impact wildlife health. You can read the publication here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2025.110439

We're thrilled to have Ariel back as part of the team and look forward to seeing what discoveries emerge from her new research. Welcome, Ariel! 🎉

28/05/2026

Nichola has been quite the jetsetter lately! Last week, she was in Bogor, Indonesia for a Workshop on Neglected Parasitic Zoonoses, delivered under the regional project RAS5100: Strengthening Regional and National Surveillance Capacity and Capability through Nuclear and Molecular Techniques for Priority Animal and Zoonotic Diseases and Potential Vector-Borne Diseases. The workshop was hosted by BRIN (Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency) and organised through the Joint Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) also involved.

Nichola was one of five invited experts who contributed to discussions on Fasciola, Taenia and Echinococcus. With representatives from 14 countries across the Asia–Pacific and Middle East, the room brought an amazing mix of perspectives, from national surveillance realities to shared technical challenges.

After two days of talks and excellent questions, participants came together to brainstorm priorities, risks, and the practical supports needed to strengthen surveillance and control of these neglected parasitic zoonoses across the region. Seeing these teams work together to address their regional priorities was the best part of the whole week! We look forward to seeing the next steps in action to protect communities at risk! 🇮🇩🌏🪱

27/05/2026

Great to see Athar out on fieldwork in Victoria! Athar is a PhD student at the The University of Melbourne working on liver fluke who Nichola co-supervises. This week, he had the first paper of his PhD published in which he conducted climate modelling of fasciolosis risk. Well done on this milestone!

You can read the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101451

25/05/2026

In early May, Nichola spent a week with Nick Sangster in Vanuatu with Vets Beyond Borders, where they delivered parasitology training to a brilliant group of 16 paravets from three islands. The program combined short lectures with hands-on practicals covering sample collection, parasite ID (worms + ticks), blood smears, faecal flotations, and egg counts. All of these are core skills that underpin day-to-day animal health work and outbreak-ready surveillance.

The University of Sydney significantly increased local capacity building by kindly donating three light microscopes and three stereomicroscopes, meaning participants can now undertake key diagnostics locally. This is a huge achievement, as one participant noted that they now don't need to send samples overseas for routine biosecurity and animal health testing!

Along with some microscopes, Nichola packed a VR headset so participants could complete the Australian Society for Parasitology “Parasites in VR” modules to wrap up the training -their first VR experience!

Of all the sessions, tick ID stole the show. The group is now excited to undertake surveillance to ensure Rhipicephalus australis stays out of Vanuatu. Talk about training in action!

28/04/2026

🌍 Call for Papers: One Health Special Issue – Fascioliasis 🐄🪱

Nichola and Carolina are excited to be guest editing a second special issue focused on “Fascioliasis: Novel Priorities in a Changing World”, bringing a One Health lens to one of the world’s most important (and evolving) parasitic diseases.

This issue will highlight emerging research across human, livestock, wildlife, and environmental systems, with a focus on how climate change, land use, agricultural intensification, and socio-economic pressures are reshaping transmission, distribution, and disease burden globally.

Interdisciplinary contributions spanning the following topics are encouraged:
🔬 Biology, epidemiology, and host–parasite interactions
🌱 Snail ecology and environmental drivers
🧬 Diagnostics, genomics, and drug resistance
🌏 Surveillance, zoonotic risk, and integrated control strategies

If you’re working on Fasciola hepatica, F. gigantica, or hybrid/introgressed forms, we’d love to see your work contribute to this global conversation.

📄 Submissions now open! Join us in shaping sustainable, collaborative approaches to fascioliasis in a changing world.

📸 Photo taken by Nichola during her own Honours project in Cambodia waaaay back in 2015!

Australian Society for Parasitology Liver fluke in Australian livestock Irish Society for Parasitology