A collaborative study performed by graduate student Tiffany Baiocchi and honors undergraduate student Lauren Braun was recently published in the Journal of Nematology. Previous research had shown that the proportion of Steinernema carpocapsae IJs participating in host-seeking behavior is significantly increased after stimulation by physical contact with host cues. In this follow-up work we found that such physical stimulation results in a three-fold increase in participation by IJs. This effect seems influence the response of nematodes to host-specific odors rather than being a general increase in chemotaxis. Congratulations to Tiffany & Lauren!
