-
Annual Review of Microbiology Sep 2023Apicomplexan parasites constitute more than 6,000 species infecting a wide range of hosts. These include important pathogens such as those causing malaria and... (Review)
Review
Apicomplexan parasites constitute more than 6,000 species infecting a wide range of hosts. These include important pathogens such as those causing malaria and toxoplasmosis. Their evolutionary emergence coincided with the dawn of animals. Mitochondrial genomes of apicomplexan parasites have undergone dramatic reduction in their coding capacity, with genes for only three proteins and ribosomal RNA genes present in scrambled fragments originating from both strands. Different branches of the apicomplexans have undergone rearrangements of these genes, with having massive variations in gene arrangements spread over multiple copies. The vast evolutionary distance between the parasite and the host mitochondria has been exploited for the development of antiparasitic drugs, especially those used to treat malaria, wherein inhibition of the parasite mitochondrial respiratory chain is selectively targeted with little toxicity to the host mitochondria. We describe additional unique characteristics of the parasite mitochondria that are being investigated and provide greater insights into these deep-branching eukaryotic pathogens.
Topics: Animals; Mitochondria; Toxoplasma; Biological Evolution; Malaria
PubMed: 37406344
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-032421-120540 -
Infectious Diseases of Poverty Nov 2023Gastropoda, the largest class within the phylum Mollusca, houses diverse gut microbiota, and some gastropods serve as intermediate hosts for parasites. Studies have... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Gastropoda, the largest class within the phylum Mollusca, houses diverse gut microbiota, and some gastropods serve as intermediate hosts for parasites. Studies have revealed that gut bacteria in gastropods are associated with various biological aspects, such as growth, immunity and host-parasite interactions. Here, we summarize our current knowledge of gastropod gut microbiomes and highlight future research priorities and perspectives.
METHODS
A literature search was undertaken using PubMed, Web of Science and CNKI for the articles on the gut microbiota of gastropods until December 31, 2022. We retrieved a total of 166 articles and identified 73 eligible articles for inclusion in this review based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
RESULTS
Our analysis encompassed freshwater, seawater and land snails, with a specific focus on parasite-transmitting gastropods. We found that most studies on gastropod gut microbiota have primarily utilized 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze microbial composition, rather than employing metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, or metabolomic approaches. This comprehensive review provided an overview of the parasites carried by snail species in the context of gut microbiota studies. We presented the gut microbial trends, a comprehensive summary of the diversity and composition, influencing factors, and potential functions of gastropod gut microbiota. Additionally, we discussed the potential applications, research gaps and future perspectives of gut microbiomes in parasite-transmitting gastropods. Furthermore, several strategies for enhancing our comprehension of gut microbiomes in snails were also discussed.
CONCLUSIONS
This review comprehensively summarizes the current knowledge on the composition, potential function, influencing factors, potential applications, limitations, and challenges of gut microbiomes in gastropods, with a specific emphasis on parasite-transmitting gastropods. These findings provide important insights for future studies aiming to understand the potential role of gastropod gut microbiota in controlling snail populations and snail-borne diseases.
Topics: Animals; Parasites; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Snails; Host-Parasite Interactions
PubMed: 38001502
DOI: 10.1186/s40249-023-01159-z -
Turkiye Parazitolojii Dergisi Sep 2023Cats have an important and different place due to their close relationships with humans. Since most of the parasites they carry are zoonotic, it is important to detect... (Review)
Review
Cats have an important and different place due to their close relationships with humans. Since most of the parasites they carry are zoonotic, it is important to detect them. According to the research, spp., spp., spp., and sp. were found to be higher in cats compared to other parasites. It has been determined that scabies and flea infestations are common as ectoparasites. This review aims to present the reported parasites and their prevalence rates in cats in Türkiye.
Topics: Humans; Cats; Animals; Parasites; Flea Infestations; Scabies; Toxoplasma; Toxocara
PubMed: 37724370
DOI: 10.4274/tpd.galenos.2023.85698 -
Virulence Dec 2023spp. infection causes significant disease in immunosuppressed individuals and children under the age of 5 years. The severity of the pathological presentation of... (Review)
Review
spp. infection causes significant disease in immunosuppressed individuals and children under the age of 5 years. The severity of the pathological presentation of cryptosporidiosis is a function of the host and parasite genotypes, host immune status, and the enteric environment or microbiome of the host. Cryptosporidiosis often presents with abdominal pain and severe diarrhoea and is associated with intestinal dysbiosis and inflammation. Our systematic analysis of the available literature revealed that bacterial diversity is reduced during infection in larger animal models, lending support to recent studies which indicate that the use of probiotics or the presence of a naturally diverse gut microbiome can prevent or minimise pathology caused by gastrointestinal pathogens. In summary, we present evidence that the presence of a diverse gut microbiome, natural or induced, reduces both symptomatic pathology and oocyst output.
Topics: Animals; Child; Humans; Child, Preschool; Cryptosporidiosis; Cryptosporidium; Cryptosporidium parvum; Bacteria; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Feces
PubMed: 37872759
DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2023.2273004 -
Acta Tropica Jul 2023Annexins (ANXs) exert different functions in cell biological and pathological processes and are thus known as double or multi-faceted proteins. These sophisticated... (Review)
Review
Annexins (ANXs) exert different functions in cell biological and pathological processes and are thus known as double or multi-faceted proteins. These sophisticated proteins might express on both parasite structure and secretion and in parasite-infected host cells. In addition to the characterization of these pivotal proteins, describing their mechanism of action can be also fruitful in recognizing their roles in the pathogenesis of parasitic infections. Accordingly, this study presents the most prominent ANXs thus far identified and their relevant functions in parasites and infected host cells during pathogenesis, especially in the most important intracellular protozoan parasitic infections including leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis, malaria and trypanosomiasis. The data provided in this study demonstrate that the helminth parasites most probably express and secret ANXs to develop pathogenesis while the modulation of the host-ANXs could be employed as a crucial strategy by intracellular protozoan parasites. Moreover, such data highlight that the use of analogs of both parasite and host ANX peptides (which mimic or regulate ANXs physiological functions through various strategies) might suggest novel therapeutic insights into the treatment of parasitic infections. Furthermore, due to the prominent immunoregulatory activities of ANXs during most parasitic infections and the expression levels of these proteins in some parasitic infected tissues, such multifunctional proteins might be also potentially relevant as vaccine and diagnostic biomarkers. We also suggest some prospects and insights that could be useful and applicable to form the basis of future experimental studies.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Annexins; Parasitic Diseases; Protozoan Infections; Malaria; Leishmaniasis; Parasites
PubMed: 37172709
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.106942 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2023The dynamically growing incidence of food allergies forces the scientific community to develop new methods for their diagnosis, differentiation, and effective treatment.... (Review)
Review
The dynamically growing incidence of food allergies forces the scientific community to develop new methods for their diagnosis, differentiation, and effective treatment. Parasitoses appear much less frequently in the scientific literature, as well as among the presumed causes of numerous conditions. The similarity of inflammatory mechanisms in allergies and parasitosis necessitates a revision of current diagnostic standards. A lack of specificity and the coincidence of symptoms at an early stage of disease can lead to misdiagnosis. In this paper, we attempted to perform a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences in symptoms for these two types of diseases. We described the molecular mechanisms and metabolic pathways of food allergy and parasitosis. We presented the available research methods and directions of ongoing studies aimed at implementing precise medical techniques for differential diagnosis. We discussed the allergenic properties of certain parasite proteins, using the example of myofibrillar tropomyosins from the nematode . The literature in the fields of allergology and parasitology leads to the conclusion that it is reasonable to run parallel allergological and parasitological diagnostics in patients with non-specific symptoms. This approach will facilitate accurate and early diagnosis and implementation of effective therapy.
PubMed: 37444203
DOI: 10.3390/foods12132465 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2023
Topics: Animals; Parasites; Multiomics; Proteomics
PubMed: 37780851
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1281638 -
Microbes and Infection 2023The involvement of Echinococcus multilocularis, and other parasitic helminths, in regulating host physiology is well recognized, but molecular mechanisms remain unclear....
The involvement of Echinococcus multilocularis, and other parasitic helminths, in regulating host physiology is well recognized, but molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by helminths play important roles in regulating parasite-host interactions by transferring materials to the host. Analysis of protein cargo of EVs from E. multilocularis protoscoleces in the present study revealed a unique composition exclusively associated with vesicle biogenesis. Common proteins in various Echinococcus species were identified, including the classical EVs markers tetraspanins, TSG101 and Alix. Further, unique tegumental antigens were identified which could be exploited as Echinococcus EV markers. Parasite- and host-derived proteins within these EVs are predicted to support important roles in parasite-parasite and parasite-host communication. In addition, the enriched host-derived protein payloads identified in parasite EVs in the present study suggested that they can be involved in focal adhesion and potentially promote angiogenesis. Further, increased angiogenesis was observed in livers of mice infected with E. multilocularis and the expression of several angiogenesis-regulated molecules, including VEGF, MMP9, MCP-1, SDF-1 and serpin E1 were increased. Significantly, EVs released by the E. multilocularis protoscolex promoted proliferation and tube formation by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. Taken together, we present the first evidence that tapeworm-secreted EVs may promote angiogenesis in Echinococcus-infections, identifying central mechanisms of Echinococcus-host interactions.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Humans; Echinococcus multilocularis; Endothelial Cells; Echinococcosis; Host-Parasite Interactions; Extracellular Vesicles
PubMed: 37142117
DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2023.105147