December 1, 2009 (Vol. 29, No. 21)
URL:
http://www2.biology.ualberta.ca/parasites/ParPub/home.htm
Rating:
Strong Points: Nice multimedia resources
Weak Points: Site design, not much beyond an introductory level
Summary:
I’ll be honest—this site isn’t exactly pretty to look at. (But then again, are parasites supposed to be pretty?) Produced as part of a zoology course at the University of Alberta, Principles of Parasitism offers a nice collection of animations and movies to introduce one to the world of all things parasitic. From protozoa to digenea, from nematoda to arthropoda, you’ll find an assortment of animations that illustrate the life cycles of various critters. There are also some rather robotic-looking diagrams to represent the organ systems in the host that are affected upon infection. As a multimedia educational website, Principles of Parasitism succeeds in providing easy-to-understand modules to parasite neophytes, though it is certainly only a small sampling of the discipline. Once you’ve had your first taste, you will surely find yourself hungry for more.
