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Trends in Parasitology Dec 2018In this era of unprecedented growth in aquaculture and trade, aquatic parasite cultures are essential to better understand emerging diseases and their implications for... (Review)
Review
In this era of unprecedented growth in aquaculture and trade, aquatic parasite cultures are essential to better understand emerging diseases and their implications for human and animal health. Yet culturing parasites presents multiple challenges, arising from their complex, often multihost life cycles, multiple developmental stages, variable generation times and reproductive modes. Furthermore, the essential environmental requirements of most parasites remain enigmatic. Despite these inherent difficulties, in vivo and in vitro cultures are being developed for a small but growing number of aquatic pathogens. Expanding this resource will facilitate diagnostic capabilities and treatment trials, thus supporting the growth of sustainable aquatic commodities and communities.
Topics: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Culture Techniques; Humans; Life Cycle Stages; Parasites
PubMed: 30473011
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2018.09.007 -
Trends in Parasitology Apr 2015The field of parasitology contributes to the elucidation of patterns and processes in evolution, ecology, and biogeography that are of fundamental importance across the... (Review)
Review
The field of parasitology contributes to the elucidation of patterns and processes in evolution, ecology, and biogeography that are of fundamental importance across the biosphere, leading to a thorough understanding of biodiversity and varied responses to global change. Foundations from taxonomic and systematic information drive biodiversity discovery and foster considerable infrastructure and integration of research programs. Morphological, physiological, behavioral, life-history, and molecular data can be synthesized to discover and describe global parasite diversity, in a timely manner. In fully incorporating parasitology in policies for adaptation to global change, parasites and their hosts should be archived and studied within a newly emergent conceptual universe (the 'Stockholm Paradigm'), embracing the inherent complexity of host-parasite systems and improved explanatory power to understand biodiversity past, present, and future.
Topics: Animals; Biodiversity; Classification; Climate Change; Humans; Parasitology
PubMed: 25488772
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2014.11.005 -
Journal of Helminthology Jan 2023Reptiles, as well as other vertebrate groups, harbour a significant diversity of parasitic organisms, from nematodes and other helminths to viruses and bacteria. The... (Review)
Review
Reptiles, as well as other vertebrate groups, harbour a significant diversity of parasitic organisms, from nematodes and other helminths to viruses and bacteria. The Northeast is one of the richest regions in Brazil in terms of the reptile diversity, number of species and endemism. Parasites are diverse organisms and knowledge about the parasitic fauna of vertebrates is an important factor in understanding the ecological relationships between hosts and the environment. Studies on the parasitic fauna of reptiles in South America have increased in the past few years. The present review is a compilation of 122 studies published from 1924 to 2021. We present information on 101 species of reptiles from five groups (amphisbaenians, crocodile, testudines, snakes and lizards) and 183 parasitic taxa belonging to four phyla: Nematoda; Arthropoda; Platyhelminthes; and Acanthocephala. Nematodes were the most frequently recorded species. Lizards and snakes had more records of parasitism and higher levels of parasite richness and diversity. Ceará was the state with most studies and recorded cases of parasite-host association. The Caatinga and Atlantic Forest were the most investigated environments. The objective of this review was to contribute knowledge on the parasitic biodiversity in reptiles from Northeast Brazil, which may help identify gaps in our knowledge and guide future studies.
Topics: Animals; Parasites; Brazil; Checklist; Nematoda; Lizards; Snakes
PubMed: 36637249
DOI: 10.1017/S0022149X22000785 -
Parasites & Vectors Apr 2018In the field of archaeological parasitology, researchers have long documented the distribution of parasites in archaeological time and space through the analysis of... (Review)
Review
In the field of archaeological parasitology, researchers have long documented the distribution of parasites in archaeological time and space through the analysis of coprolites and human remains. This area of research defined the origin and migration of parasites through presence/absence studies. By the end of the 20th century, the field of pathoecology had emerged as researchers developed an interest in the ancient ecology of parasite transmission. Supporting studies were conducted to establish the relationships between parasites and humans, including cultural, subsistence, and ecological reconstructions. Parasite prevalence data were collected to infer the impact of parasitism on human health. In the last few decades, a paleoepidemiological approach has emerged with a focus on applying statistical techniques for quantification. The application of egg per gram (EPG) quantification methods provide data about parasites' prevalence in ancient populations and also identify the pathological potential that parasitism presented in different time periods and geographic places. Herein, we compare the methods used in several laboratories for reporting parasite prevalence and EPG quantification. We present newer quantification methods to explore patterns of parasite overdispersion among ancient people. These new methods will be able to produce more realistic measures of parasite infections among people of the past. These measures allow researchers to compare epidemiological patterns in both ancient and modern populations.
Topics: Animals; Archaeology; Feces; Fossils; Humans; Mummies; Parasites; Parasitology
PubMed: 29661215
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2729-4 -
Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease 2022Globalization has pushed population movements in the last decades, turning imported diseases into the focus. Due to behavioral habits, children are at higher risk of...
BACKGROUND
Globalization has pushed population movements in the last decades, turning imported diseases into the focus. Due to behavioral habits, children are at higher risk of acquiring parasitosis. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of parasites in migrant children and factors associated with parasitic diseases.
METHOD
Retrospective cross-sectional study (2014-2018) including children diagnosed with parasitosis. The diagnosis was based on serology and/or microscopic stool-sample evaluation. Epidemiological and clinical data were recorded.
RESULTS
Out of 813 migrant children screened, 241 (29.6%) presented at least one parasite, and 89 (10.9%) more than one. The median age was 6.6 years (IQR: 3.1-11.9) and 58.9% were males. Most cases were referred for a health exam; only 52.3% of children were symptomatic, but 43.6% had eosinophilia. The most common diagnosis were giardiasis (35.3%), schistosomiasis (19.1%), toxocariasis (15.4%), and strongyloidiasis (9.1%). After the multivariate analysis, African origin and presenting with eosinophilia were the main risk factors for parasitism.
CONCLUSIONS
parasitosis are frequent among migrant children. Children are often asymptomatic, and thus active screening for parasitosis should be considered among high-risk populations. Eosinophilia can be useful to guide complimentary tests, as well as geographical origin, but normal eosinophil count does not exclude parasitosis.
Topics: Animals; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Eosinophilia; Female; Humans; Male; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases; Prevalence; Retrospective Studies; Transients and Migrants
PubMed: 35304329
DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2022.102287 -
Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery Aug 2016Despite the fact that diseases caused by protozoan parasites represent serious challenges for public health, animal production and welfare, only a limited panel of drugs... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Despite the fact that diseases caused by protozoan parasites represent serious challenges for public health, animal production and welfare, only a limited panel of drugs has been marketed for clinical applications.
AREAS COVERED
Herein, the authors investigate two strategies, namely whole organism screening and target-based drug design. The present pharmacopoeia has resulted from whole organism screening, and the mode of action and targets of selected drugs are discussed. However, the more recent extensive genome sequencing efforts and the development of dry and wet lab genomics and proteomics that allow high-throughput screening of interactions between micromolecules and recombinant proteins has resulted in target-based drug design as the predominant focus in anti-parasitic drug development. Selected examples of target-based drug design studies are presented, and calcium-dependent protein kinases, important drug targets in apicomplexan parasites, are discussed in more detail.
EXPERT OPINION
Despite the enormous efforts in target-based drug development, this approach has not yet generated market-ready antiprotozoal drugs. However, whole-organism screening approaches, comprising of both in vitro and in vivo investigations, should not be disregarded. The repurposing of already approved and marketed drugs could be a suitable strategy to avoid fastidious approval procedures, especially in the case of neglected or veterinary parasitoses.
Topics: Animals; Antiprotozoal Agents; Drug Design; Genomics; High-Throughput Screening Assays; Humans; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Parasites; Proteomics; Protozoan Infections
PubMed: 27238605
DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2016.1195945 -
Parasitology Research Jan 2022Hosts represent discrete habitats that contain finite parasite communities, and individual hosts can be used as replicates in parasitism studies, such as investigations... (Review)
Review
Hosts represent discrete habitats that contain finite parasite communities, and individual hosts can be used as replicates in parasitism studies, such as investigations of the processes that mediate the formation of parasite communities. However, within a single host population, there may be singularities among individuals that affect parasite contact rates. Accordingly, the goals of the present study were to document the parasites associated with the small treefrog Scinax fuscovarius, to verify possible variation and co-occurrences in parasite infracommunities, and to assess the effects of host characteristics (size and sex) on infracommunity structure. Treefrog specimens (n = 75) were collected from the Bodoquena Mountains in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. After collection, the specimens were transported to the laboratory, and examined for parasitic. The parasites found were removed, fixed, and identified. Patterns in parasite infracommunity organization were analyzed using the checkerboard score index, which was calculated using a presence-absence matrix. The matrix was randomized under the null hypothesis that the infracommunities independently represent the component community. Forty-two (56%) of the individuals harbored at least one parasite, and a total of 500 metazoan parasites were recovered, with a particularly rich composite community of 18 taxa, including 13 nematodes, two trematodes, one cestode, one oligochaete, and one mite larvae. The parasite species were randomly distributed among the infracommunities, with no evidence of co-occurrence, segregation, or aggregation. However, both body size and sex influenced infection, with larger hosts harboring more parasites and parasites were more abundant in male specimens and more species rich in female specimens. These results suggest that the parasite infracommunities of S. fuscovarius are shaped by both random factors and individual host characteristics.
Topics: Animals; Anura; Brazil; Ecosystem; Female; Humans; Male; Nematoda; Parasites
PubMed: 34820717
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07378-3 -
Parasites & Vectors Apr 2023The use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic approaches has steadily increased in the field of parasitology in recent decades. The most recent large-scale... (Review)
Review
The use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic approaches has steadily increased in the field of parasitology in recent decades. The most recent large-scale technological modification of the PCR formula, also known as third-generation PCR, came in the form of digital PCR (dPCR). Currently, the most common form of dPCR on the market is digital droplet PCR (ddPCR). Unlike quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), the digital format allows for highly sensitive, absolute quantification of nucleic acid targets and does not require external standards to be included in the developed assays. Dividing each sample into thousands of compartments and using statistical models also eliminates the need for technical replicates. With unprecedented sensitivity and enforcement of binary endpoint reactions, ddPCR not only allows the use of tiny sample volumes (especially important when working with limited amounts of DNA) but also minimises the impact of variations in amplification efficiency and the presence of inhibitors. As ddPCR is characterised by excellent features such as high throughput, sensitivity and robust quantification, it is widely used as a diagnostic tool in clinical microbiology. Due to recent advances, both the theoretical background and the practical, current applications related to the quantification of nucleic acids of eukaryotic parasites need to be updated. In this review, we present the basics of this technology (particularly useful for new users) and consolidate recent advances in the field with a focus on applications to the study of helminths and protozoan parasites.
Topics: Animals; Parasites; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; DNA; Phenotype
PubMed: 37098569
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05756-7 -
Acta Parasitologica Mar 2024As a result of environmental imbalances of anthropogenic origin, the potential for transmission of parasites and viruses between different primates, including humans,... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
As a result of environmental imbalances of anthropogenic origin, the potential for transmission of parasites and viruses between different primates, including humans, might increase. Thus, parasitic studies have great relevance to primatology, which motivated us to conduct a literature review to synthesize the information available in American primates of the Callithrix genus.
METHODS
We carried out the bibliographic search on the main groups of parasites (protozoa, helminths, arthropods, ectoparasites) and viruses found in Callithrix in Brazil in search platforms and consider all manuscript that appeared in search engines, published between the years 1910 and December 2022. In each selected article, the following information was recorded: the host species; parasite taxa; scientific classification of the parasite; host habitat (free-living, captive); diagnostic technique; state; and bibliographic reference. Data were tabulated and arranged in a parasite-host table.
RESULTS
Some endemic genera, such as Callithrix, are widely distributed geographically across Brazil and have characteristics of adaptation to different habitats due to their flexibility in diet and behavior. These factors can make them subject to a greater diversity of parasites and viruses in the country. Here, we identified 68 parasitic taxa, belonging to the clades protozoa (n = 22), helminths (n = 34), ectoparasites (n = 7), and viruses (n = 5). Out of this total, 19 have zoonotic potential. Of the six existing marmoset species, Callithrix jacchus was the most frequent in studies, and Callithrix flaviceps did not have reports. All regions of the country had occurrences, mainly the Southeast, where 54% of the cases were reported. In 46% of the reported parasites and viruses, it was not possible to identify the corresponding species.
CONCLUSION
We conclude that in part of the works the identification methods are not being specific, which makes it difficult to identify the species that affects Callithrix spp. Furthermore, the studies present geographic disparities, being concentrated in the southeast of the country, making it impossible to have a more uniform analysis of the findings. Thus, it is observed that information about parasites and viruses is incipient in the genus Callithrix in Brazil.
Topics: Animals; Brazil; Callithrix; Parasites; Monkey Diseases; Viruses; Virus Diseases; Parasitic Diseases, Animal
PubMed: 38184509
DOI: 10.1007/s11686-023-00766-y -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2022The pathogenesis of malaria is largely attributable to the parasite's ability to modulate its cytoadhesion phenotype. This relates to the multigenic families comprising...
The pathogenesis of malaria is largely attributable to the parasite's ability to modulate its cytoadhesion phenotype. This relates to the multigenic families comprising dozens to hundreds of members, whose expression, often mutually exclusive, allows the parasite to vary its adhesive properties and antigenic appearance. This phenomenon is mainly described for the variant surface antigens that the parasite expresses on the infected erythrocyte. In order to decipher these gene expression spectra and identify potential antigenic candidates and/or targets of therapeutic interest, the analysis of the transcriptomes of the parasites directly isolated from patients with well-defined clinical presentation is important. RNA stabilization is an absolute prerequisite for a precise and accurate transcriptome profiling. Immediate stabilization of RNA of biological samples is therefore necessary to prevent degradation by ribonucleases (RNase) or cellular changes. This chapter described methodology for preserving parasite RNA samples from malaria patients in the field for transcriptome studies.
Topics: Animals; Antigens; Erythrocytes; Malaria; Malaria, Falciparum; Parasites; Plasmodium falciparum; RNA
PubMed: 35881335
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2189-9_3