Genetics of nematode development and innate immunity

A tiny nematode worm is being infected with a bacterium to uncover how animals fight off pathogens without using antibodies. The worm *C. elegans* cannot make antibodies, so its immune system relies on different molecular defences than those found in mammals. This project uses the bacterium *M. nematophilum*, which infects nematodes specifically, to study how a host detects bacteria, activates defensive reactions, and what molecules it deploys to combat infection. The infection also causes the worm to change shape, offering a way to investigate fundamental developmental biology. Because many parasitic nematodes cause serious disease in humans and livestock, understanding the surface of nematodes and how they respond to infection could eventually inform new strategies for control. This is primarily curiosity-driven fundamental science. Past work on *C. elegans* has revealed conserved mechanisms of cell death, ageing, and RNA interference—discoveries that later opened entirely new avenues for medical research. A deeper understanding of nematode immunity could similarly lay groundwork for future applications in infectious disease and parasite control.