-
Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.) Oct 2019This article reviews common infectious optic neuropathies, focusing on the more common and globally important entities. (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
This article reviews common infectious optic neuropathies, focusing on the more common and globally important entities.
RECENT FINDINGS
Novel infections continue to emerge and drift geographically over time; not infrequently, these have important neurologic or ocular features. Malarial retinal findings comprise a relatively specific set of findings and serve as an invaluable aid in the diagnosis of cerebral malaria. Therapy continues to evolve and is best formulated in concert with an infectious disease expert.
SUMMARY
Infectious optic neuropathies are less common than inflammatory or ischemic optic neuropathies; may present with varied, overlapping, and nonspecific clinical appearances; and comprise an important differential consideration demanding specific therapy.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Bacterial Infections; Female; Humans; Male; Mycoses; Optic Neuritis; Protozoan Infections; Virus Diseases
PubMed: 31584544
DOI: 10.1212/CON.0000000000000777 -
European Journal of Protistology Oct 2020Protists embrace many species, some of which may be either occasional or permanent parasites of vertebrate animals. Between the parasite species, several of medical and... (Review)
Review
Protists embrace many species, some of which may be either occasional or permanent parasites of vertebrate animals. Between the parasite species, several of medical and veterinary importance are vector-transmitted. The ecology and epidemiology of vector-borne parasitoses, including babesiosis, leishmaniasis and malaria, are particularly complex, as they are influenced by many factors, such as vector reproductive efficiency and geographical spread, vectorial capacity, host immunity, travel and human behaviour and climatic factors. Transmission dynamics are determined by the interactions between pathogen, vector, host and environmental factors and, given their complexity, many different types of mathematical models have been developed to understand them. A good basic knowledge of vector-pathogen relationships and transmission dynamics is thus essential for disease surveillance and control interventions and may help in understanding the spread of epidemics and be useful for public health planning.
Topics: Animals; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Models, Theoretical; Protozoan Infections; Vector Borne Diseases
PubMed: 33147559
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2020.125741 -
Trends in Parasitology May 2021
Topics: Animals; Haemosporida; Life Cycle Stages; Protozoan Infections
PubMed: 32839102
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.07.015 -
Current Opinion in Microbiology Dec 2017Autophagy is a highly conserved eukaryotic degradation process that permits the recycling of intracellular components. The molecular machinery and the functions of... (Review)
Review
Autophagy is a highly conserved eukaryotic degradation process that permits the recycling of intracellular components. The molecular machinery and the functions of autophagy have been classically characterized in mammalian cells and yeast, but have long remained unexplored in less-studied eukaryotes. Apicomplexan parasites are early-diverging eukaryotes responsible for a number of important human and veterinary diseases. In light of recent investigations into autophagy function in two of these pathogens, Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, it seems their autophagy-related machinery could be involved in both a canonical degradative function, and a non-canonical role related to the apicoplast, a metabolically important organelle of endosymbiotic origin.
Topics: Animals; Apicomplexa; Autophagy; Humans; Protozoan Infections
PubMed: 29096193
DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.10.008 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2019There are 17 human-biting ticks known in Australia. The bites of , and can cause paralysis, inflammation, and severe local and systemic reactions in humans,... (Review)
Review
There are 17 human-biting ticks known in Australia. The bites of , and can cause paralysis, inflammation, and severe local and systemic reactions in humans, respectively. Six ticks, including , and may transmit , or subsp. . These bacterial pathogens cause Q fever, Queensland tick typhus (QTT), Flinders Island spotted fever (FISF), and Australian spotted fever (ASF). It is also believed that babesiosis can be transmitted by ticks to humans in Australia. In addition, , and ticks may play active roles in transmission of other pathogens that already exist or could potentially be introduced into Australia. These pathogens include spp., spp., spp., spp., Dera Ghazi Khan virus (DGKV), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Lake Clarendon virus (LCV), Saumarez Reef virus (SREV), Upolu virus (UPOV), or Vinegar Hill virus (VINHV). It is important to regularly update clinicians' knowledge about tick-borne infections because these bacteria and arboviruses are pathogens of humans that may cause fatal illness. An increase in the incidence of tick-borne infections of human may be observed in the future due to changes in demography, climate change, and increase in travel and shipments and even migratory patterns of birds or other animals. Moreover, the geographical conditions of Australia are favorable for many exotic ticks, which may become endemic to Australia given an opportunity. There are some human pathogens, such as and that are not currently present in Australia, but can be transmitted by some human-biting ticks found in Australia, such as , if they enter and establish in this country. Despite these threats, our knowledge of Australian ticks and tick-borne diseases is in its infancy.
Topics: Animals; Australia; Bacterial Infections; Humans; Incidence; Protozoan Infections; Tick-Borne Diseases; Virus Diseases; Zoonoses
PubMed: 30746341
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00003 -
MBio Feb 2023Parasite infections affect human and animal health significantly and contribute to a major burden on the global economy. Parasitic protozoan viruses (PPVs) affect the... (Review)
Review
Parasite infections affect human and animal health significantly and contribute to a major burden on the global economy. Parasitic protozoan viruses (PPVs) affect the protozoan parasites' morphology, phenotypes, pathogenicity, and growth rates. This discovery provides an opportunity to develop a novel preventive and therapeutic strategy for parasitic protozoan diseases (PPDs). Currently, there is greater awareness regarding PPVs; however, knowledge of viruses and their associations with host diseases remains limited. Parasite-host interactions become more complex owing to PPVs; however, few studies have investigated underlying viral regulatory mechanisms in parasites. In this study, we reviewed relevant studies to identify studies that investigated PPV development and life cycles, the triangular association between viruses, parasites, and hosts, and the effects of viruses on protozoan pathogenicity. This study highlights that viruses can alter parasite biology, and viral infection of parasites may exacerbate the adverse effects of virus-containing parasites on hosts or reduce parasite virulence. PPVs should be considered in the prevention of parasitic epidemics and outbreaks, although their effects on the host and the complexity of the triangular association between PPVs, protozoans, and hosts remain unclear. PPVs-based regulation of parasitic protozoa can provide a theoretical basis and direction for PPD prevention and control, although PPVs and PPV regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. In this review, we investigated the differences between PPVs and the unique properties of each virus regarding virus discovery, structures, and life cycles, focused on the Trichomonas vaginalis virus, Giardia lamblia virus, RNA virus, and the Cryptosporidium parvum virus 1. The triangular association between PPVs, parasitic protozoa, and hosts reveals the "double-edged sword" property of PPVs, which maintains a balance between parasitic protozoa and hosts in both positive and negative respects. These studies discuss the complexity of parasitic protozoa and their co-existence with hosts and suggest novel pathways for using PPVs as tools to gain a deeper understanding of protozoal infection and treatment.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Parasites; Cryptosporidiosis; Cryptosporidium; Viruses; Protozoan Infections; RNA Viruses
PubMed: 36633419
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02642-22 -
Biomedica : Revista Del Instituto... Dec 2016
Topics: Adolescent; Caribbean Region; Child; Child, Preschool; Diarrhea; Educational Status; Efficiency; Environmental Health; Female; Helminthiasis; Humans; Income; Infant; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Latin America; Male; Malnutrition; Pan American Health Organization; Protozoan Infections; Social Conditions
PubMed: 27992974
DOI: 10.7705/biomedica.v36i4.3698 -
Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology May 2021Much of the vast evolutionary landscape occupied by Eukaryotes is dominated by protists. Though parasitism has arisen in many lineages, there are three main groups of... (Review)
Review
Much of the vast evolutionary landscape occupied by Eukaryotes is dominated by protists. Though parasitism has arisen in many lineages, there are three main groups of parasitic protists of relevance to human and livestock health: the Apicomplexa, including the malaria parasite Plasmodium and coccidian pathogens of livestock such as Eimeria; the excavate flagellates, encompassing a diverse range of protist pathogens including trypanosomes, Leishmania, Giardia and Trichomonas; and the Amoebozoa, including pathogenic amoebae such as Entamoeba. These three groups represent separate, deep branches of the eukaryote tree, underlining their divergent evolutionary histories. Here, I explore what is known about sex in these three main groups of parasitic protists.
Topics: Amoebozoa; Animals; Apicomplexa; DNA, Kinetoplast; Eukaryota; Female; Germ Cells; Life Cycle Stages; Male; Protozoan Infections; Reproduction; Trypanosoma
PubMed: 33872659
DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2021.111371 -
Nature Microbiology Jun 2016Eukaryotic microbial pathogens are major contributors to illness and death globally. Although much of their impact can be controlled by drug therapy as with prokaryotic... (Review)
Review
Eukaryotic microbial pathogens are major contributors to illness and death globally. Although much of their impact can be controlled by drug therapy as with prokaryotic microorganisms, the emergence of drug resistance has threatened these treatment efforts. Here, we discuss the challenges posed by eukaryotic microbial pathogens and how these are similar to, or differ from, the challenges of prokaryotic antibiotic resistance. The therapies used for several major eukaryotic microorganisms are then detailed, and the mechanisms that they have evolved to overcome these therapies are described. The rapid emergence of resistance and the restricted pipeline of new drug therapies pose considerable risks to global health and are particularly acute in the developing world. Nonetheless, we detail how the integration of new technology, biological understanding, epidemiology and evolutionary analysis can help sustain existing therapies, anticipate the emergence of resistance or optimize the deployment of new therapies.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Antiprotozoal Agents; Drug Resistance; Drug Resistance, Multiple; Drug Utilization; Fungi; Global Health; Humans; Leishmania; Mycoses; Plasmodium; Protozoan Infections; Trypanosoma
PubMed: 27572976
DOI: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.92 -
Acta Tropica Jan 2018Galectins is a family of multifunctional lectins. Fifteen galectins have been identified from a variety of cells and tissues of vertebrates and invertebrates. Galectins... (Review)
Review
Galectins is a family of multifunctional lectins. Fifteen galectins have been identified from a variety of cells and tissues of vertebrates and invertebrates. Galectins have been shown to play pivotal roles in host-pathogen interaction such as adhesion of pathogens to host cells and activation of host innate and adaptive immunity. In recent years, the roles of galectins during parasite infections have gained increasing attention. Galectins produced by different hosts can act as pattern recognition receptors detecting conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns of parasites, while galectins produced by parasites can modulate host responses. This review summarizes some recent studies on the roles of galectins produced by parasitic protozoa, nematodes, and trematodes and their hosts. Understanding the roles of galectins in host-parasite interactions may provide targets for immune intervention and therapies of parasitic infections.
Topics: Animals; Galectins; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Nematode Infections; Parasitic Diseases; Protozoan Infections; Trematode Infections
PubMed: 28986248
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.09.027