Molting cleanses water fleas Losing a carapace means also losing parasitic bacteria Web edition : Wednesday, April 11th, 2012 Getting naked may help to protect a species of tiny water flea. When Daphnia magna molts, its discarded body armor can carry away harmful bacteria, a new study finds.
It's a bit unnerving that Scott O'Neill bursts out laughing at the basic premise behind the story you are beginning to read. He is dean of the science faculty at Monash University in Australia and lead scientist for research on developing bacteria-infected mosquitoes as a public health tool.