Parasitology

Parasitology is a trial event run in New York for Division B and Division C for the 2017-2018 season. The event tests competitors' knowledge on ecological parasites, both macroscopic and microscopic. The event is run with stations and/or a slideshow. The event allows competitors to use a 3-ring binder, similar to the identification-based events Invasive Species and Herpetology.

The Event
Parasitology is run as a station-based event, which has teams identify parasites listed from the Official Parasitology List. Accompanied are questions pertaining to the various characteristics of the parasites. The rules mention clearly that no more than half of a test can include identification. The characteristics mentioned in the rules are: "life history, distribution, anatomy and physiology, reproduction, hosts, ecological niche, behavioral adaptations, epidemiology and transmission" (3e). A brief overview of each parasite on the 2018 list is below.