New Dispatch Publication in Current Biology!

Neuroparasitology: Fungal effectors induce feeding in zombie silkworms

This word cloud represents the top 100 words used in a collection of recent molecular biology papers published in the field of neuroparasitology. Words highlighted in blue are those associated with current molecular genetic tools being used to explore the nature of behavior manipulation in entomopathogenic fungi. Word size reflects the prevenance of each word across all eight papers. Sketches for the five organisms studied in these papers are also placed in the periphery with zombie flies at the top right, zombie cicadas at the bottom right, zombie caterpillars at the bottom middle, zombie ants at the bottom left, and the zombie silkworms highlighted in the focal paper of this dispatch at the top left.

Summary: Some entomopathogenic fungi hijack host behavior to increase their pathogenicity, but how they do so has largely remained a mystery. A recent paper shows that Cordyceps militaris fungi produce insect-like trehalase enzymes to induce perceived starvation in silkworms, leading to increased feeding and greater production of infectious spores.

You can find the full publication here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.06.069