In conclusion, we have shown that the globin switch occurs in B. marinus and, while we have not been able to perturb this switch immunologically, it remains a viable target for other approaches such as RNA interference. Given the short larval phase in the B. marinus life cycle, antigens produced later than globin may be more effective immunogens and we are currently investigating this possibility. It is also possible that this approach would be more successful in an amphibian with a longer larval phase. Finally, we have designed, developed and delivered a recombinant viral system that will enable the development of future strategies to prevent the spread of the toad. Analysing the eosinophil cationic protein - a clue to the function of the eosinophil granulocyte Eosinophil granulocytes reside in respiratory mucosa including lungs, in the gastro-intestinal tract, and in lymphocyte associated organs, the thymus, lymph nodes and the spleen. In parasitic infections, atopic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and asthma, the numbers of the circulating eosinophils are frequently elevated. In conditions such as Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES) circulating eosinophil levels are even further raised. Although, eosinophils were identified more than hundred years ago, their roles in homeostasis and in disease still remain unclear. The most prominent feature of the eosinophils are their large secondary granules, each containing four basic proteins, the best known being the eosinophil cationic protein (ECP). This protein has been developed as a marker for eosinophilic disease and quantified in biological fluids including serum, bronchoalveolar lavage and nasal secretions. Elevated ECP levels are found in T helper lymphocyte type 2 (atopic) diseases such as allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis but also occasionally in other diseases such as bacterial sinusitis. ECP is a ribonuclease which has been attributed with cytotoxic, neurotoxic, fibrosis promoting and immune-regulatory functions. ECP regulates mucosal and immune cells and may directly act against helminth, bacterial and viral infections. The levels of ECP measured in disease in combination with the catalogue of known functions of the protein and its polymorphisms presented here will build a foundation for further speculations of the role of ECP, and ultimately the role of the eosinophil. Eosinophils were discovered in the blood of humans, frogs, dogs and rabbits in 1879 by Dr. Paul Ehrlich [1] . At that time, the German chemical industry was flourishing and Ehrlich took advantage of newly developed synthetic dyes to develop various histological staining techniques. The coal tar derived, acidic and bromide containing dye eosin identified blood cells containing bright red "alpha-granules" and the cells were named eosinophilic granulocytes. Due to the acidity of the staining solution Ehrlich could not at the time say with certainty that the eosinophilic granules contained protein, though he speculated that if present, protein might be denatured by the low pH of the dye [1] . Subsequently it was shown that eosin binds highly basic proteins which constitute the granules of these cells. These charged proteins are contained in on average twenty large granules dispersed throughout the cytoplasm of each cell, which the eosin stain awards the characteristic red spotted appearance that discriminates eosinophils from other leukocytes [2] . More than a century later the physiological roles of these granular proteins have yet to be fully identified.