Locomotion of parasitic nematodes in the gut: movement in viscoelastic mucus intertwined with the metabolic activity of the nematodes

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Gastrointestinal nematodes are globally distributed and highly prevalent in humans and animals. Considerable knowledge exists on the dispute of nematodes with their host’s immune system. But only marginal knowledge is available on the locomotion of adult worms in the host gut, the interlink with the gut mucus as well as the energy household and defense metabolism of the parasites. Therefore, in the proposed project we aim to focus on i) how do adult worms locomote in the gut against the flow of the small intestine and why do they locomote to the proximal part of the gut? ii) Which roles do mucus viscosity and flowing properties play for parasite locomotion and do mucus properties change during infection? Is mucus permeable for nematode components? And finally, iii) how is nematode locomotion linked to the energy household metabolism of the worms? Is nematode motility correlated to metabolic defense mechanisms of the parasite and against which niche component is this defense activity directed? In conclusion, with the proposed project we aim to elucidate mechanisms of nematode locomotion in the host gut and to understand the linkage to the viscoelastic properties of the gut mucus and metabolic activities of the worms.