# Viruses of parasites: A roadmap toward diagnostic and therapeutic development

## TL;DR

This paper explores how viruses in parasites could be used for new diagnostics and treatments, especially in tropical regions.

## Contribution

It outlines a roadmap for discovering and characterizing parasite viruses to address gaps in understanding parasite disease mechanisms.

## Key findings

- Parasite viruses can contribute to disease and are potential targets for intervention.
- Examples of virus discoveries highlight gaps in understanding parasite pathogenicity.
- Critical steps are identified to advance research on parasite viruses.

## Abstract

With few preventive and therapeutic solutions available, parasites remain associated with devastating health, social and economic consequences, especially in impoverished communities in tropical areas. The discovery that parasites host viruses, and that these parasite viruses can contribute to diseases, has triggered a paradigm shift in thought and action, whereby parasite viruses are being assessed as targets for diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive interventions. This review lays out critical steps needed to discover and characterize viruses of parasites, highlighting challenges and identifying opportunities through examples of virus discoveries that fill the gap in our incomplete understanding of parasite pathogenicity.