-
Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases Oct 2023The aim of our review is to summarize specific clinical, diagnostic and treatment aspects of pulmonary cystic echinococcosis. The lung is the organ second most affected... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The aim of our review is to summarize specific clinical, diagnostic and treatment aspects of pulmonary cystic echinococcosis. The lung is the organ second most affected by cystic echinococcosis with approximately a quarter of cystic echinococcosis cysts. Most cysts are in the liver. Apart from the watch and wait approach for selected inactive cysts [cystic echinococcosis CE4, CE5], the well established WHO cystic echinococcosis cyst classification-based treatment of hepatic cystic echinococcosis cannot be applied to pulmonary cystic echinococcosis cysts. Some standard interventions can even be harmful when applied to pulmonary cystic echinococcosis cysts.
RECENT FINDINGS
Cystic echinococcosis is one of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Development of new diagnostics and treatment modalities is hampered by low investment into research and is accordingly slow.
SUMMARY
Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for pulmonary cystic echinococcosis cysts. Parenchyma-sparing surgical techniques should be used whenever possible. Albendazole induces decay of the parasitic cyst membrane, opening of cystobronchial fistulas and cyst complications, which can be life threatening. It is strongly recommended to seek advice from expert centres, including differential diagnoses, treatment and a long-term management plan.
Topics: Humans; Echinococcosis; Echinococcosis, Hepatic; Albendazole; Cysts; Lung
PubMed: 37578473
DOI: 10.1097/QCO.0000000000000962 -
Parasites & Vectors Sep 2023
Topics: Animals; Parasites; Artificial Intelligence; Parasitic Diseases
PubMed: 37770977
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05972-1 -
The American Journal of Tropical... Jan 2024
Topics: Humans; Animals; Parasitic Diseases; Ectoparasitic Infestations; Arthropods
PubMed: 37983909
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0275 -
Parasitology Research Apr 2024Giardia duodenalis, the protozoan responsible for giardiasis, is a significant contributor to millions of diarrheal diseases worldwide. Despite the availability of... (Review)
Review
Giardia duodenalis, the protozoan responsible for giardiasis, is a significant contributor to millions of diarrheal diseases worldwide. Despite the availability of treatments for this parasitic infection, therapeutic failures are alarmingly frequent. Thus, there is a clear need to identify new therapeutic targets. Giardia telomeres were previously identified, but our understanding of these structures and the critical role played by Giardia telomerase in maintaining genomic stability and its influence on cellular processes remains limited. In this regard, it is known that all Giardia chromosomes are capped by small telomeres, organized and protected by specific proteins that regulate their functions. To counteract natural telomere shortening and maintain high proliferation, Giardia exhibits constant telomerase activity and employs additional mechanisms, such as the formation of G-quadruplex structures and the involvement of transposable elements linked to telomeric repeats. Thus, this study aims to address the existing knowledge gap by compiling the available information (until 2023) about Giardia telomeres and telomerase, focusing on highlighting the distinctive features within this parasite. Furthermore, the potential feasibility of targeting Giardia telomeres and/or telomerase as an innovative therapeutic strategy is discussed.
Topics: Humans; Telomerase; Giardiasis; Giardia; Telomere; Giardia lamblia
PubMed: 38584235
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-024-08200-6 -
Science Translational Medicine Oct 2023is a parasitic infection that can result in inflammation and skin injury with highly variable and unpredictable clinical outcomes. Here, we investigated the potential...
is a parasitic infection that can result in inflammation and skin injury with highly variable and unpredictable clinical outcomes. Here, we investigated the potential impact of microbiota on infection-induced inflammatory responses and disease resolution by conducting an integrated analysis of the skin microbiome and host transcriptome on a cohort of 62 patients infected with . We found that overall bacterial burden and microbiome configurations dominated with spp. were associated with delayed healing and enhanced inflammatory responses, especially by IL-1 family members. Quantification of host and bacterial transcripts on human lesions revealed that high lesional transcript abundance was associated with delayed healing and increased expression of IL-1β. This cytokine was critical for modulating disease outcomes in -infected mice colonized with , given that its neutralization reduced pathology and inflammation. These results highlight how the human microbiome can shape disease outcomes in cutaneous leishmaniasis and suggest pathways toward host-directed therapies to mitigate the inflammatory consequences.
Topics: Humans; Mice; Animals; Staphylococcus aureus; Multiomics; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous; Inflammation; Bacteria; Microbiota; Patient Acuity
PubMed: 37851822
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adh1469 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2023During an infection, inflammation mobilizes immune cells to eliminate the pathogen and protect the host. However, inflammation can be detrimental when exacerbated and/or... (Review)
Review
During an infection, inflammation mobilizes immune cells to eliminate the pathogen and protect the host. However, inflammation can be detrimental when exacerbated and/or chronic. The resolution phase of the inflammatory process is actively orchestrated by the specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), generated from omega-3 and -6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that bind to different G-protein coupled receptors to exert their activity. As immunoresolvents, SPMs regulate the influx of leukocytes to the inflammatory site, reduce cytokine and chemokine levels, promote bacterial clearance, inhibit the export of viral transcripts, enhance efferocytosis, stimulate tissue healing, and lower antibiotic requirements. Metabolomic studies have evaluated SPM levels in patients and animals during infection, and temporal regulation of SPMs seems to be essential to properly coordinate a response against the microorganism. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on SPM biosynthesis and classifications, endogenous production profiles and their effects in animal models of bacterial, viral and parasitic infections.
Topics: Animals; Inflammation; Eicosanoids; Fatty Acids, Omega-3; Cytokines; Parasitic Diseases; Inflammation Mediators
PubMed: 37446699
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28135032 -
Nature Communications Nov 2023Tissue-resident macrophages are critical for tissue homeostasis and repair. We previously showed that dermis-resident macrophages produce CCL24 which mediates their...
Tissue-resident macrophages are critical for tissue homeostasis and repair. We previously showed that dermis-resident macrophages produce CCL24 which mediates their interaction with IL-4 eosinophils, required to maintain their M2-like properties in the T1 environment of the Leishmania major infected skin. Here, we show that thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and IL-5 type 2 innate lymphoid cells are also required to maintain dermis-resident macrophages and promote infection. Single cell RNA sequencing reveals the dermis-resident macrophages as the sole source of TSLP and CCL24. Generation of Ccl24-cre mice permits specific labeling of dermis-resident macrophages and interstitial macrophages from other organs. Selective ablation of TSLP in dermis-resident macrophages reduces the numbers of IL-5 type 2 innate lymphoid cells, eosinophils and dermis-resident macrophages, and ameliorates infection. Our findings demonstrate that dermis-resident macrophages are self-maintained as a replicative niche for L. major by orchestrating localized type 2 circuitries with type 2 innate lymphoid cells and eosinophils.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Immunity, Innate; Eosinophils; Interleukin-5; Lymphocytes; Cytokines; Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin; Macrophages; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous; Dermis
PubMed: 38030609
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43588-2 -
PLoS Pathogens Oct 2023Even though gammaherpesvirus and parasitic infections are endemic in parts of the world, there is a lack of understanding about the outcome of coinfection. In humans,...
Even though gammaherpesvirus and parasitic infections are endemic in parts of the world, there is a lack of understanding about the outcome of coinfection. In humans, coinfections usually occur sequentially, with fluctuating order and timing in different hosts. However, experimental studies in mice generally do not address the variables of order and timing of coinfections. We sought to examine the variable of coinfection order in a system of gammaherpesvirus-helminth coinfection. Our previous work demonstrated that infection with the intestinal parasite, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, induced transient reactivation from latency of murine gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV68). In this report, we reverse the order of coinfection, infecting with H. polygyrus first, followed by MHV68, and examined the effects of preexisting parasite infection on MHV68 acute and latent infection. We found that preexisting parasite infection increased the propensity of MHV68 to reactivate from latency. However, when we examined the mechanism for reactivation, we found that preexisting parasite infection increased the ability of MHV68 to reactivate in a vitamin A dependent manner, a distinct mechanism to what we found previously with parasite-induced reactivation after latency establishment. We determined that H. polygyrus infection increased both acute and latent MHV68 infection in a population of tissue resident macrophages, called large peritoneal macrophages. We demonstrate that this population of macrophages and vitamin A are required for increased acute and latent infection during parasite coinfection.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Mice; Virus Activation; Coinfection; Virus Latency; Vitamin A; B-Lymphocytes; Herpesviridae Infections; Gammaherpesvirinae; Macrophages; Latent Infection; Helminths; Parasitic Diseases; Mice, Inbred C57BL
PubMed: 37847677
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011691 -
The Lancet. Global Health Jul 2023Malaria infections during pregnancy can cause adverse birth outcomes, yet many infections are undetected by microscopy. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Malaria infections during pregnancy can cause adverse birth outcomes, yet many infections are undetected by microscopy. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of submicroscopic malaria infections in pregnant women in Asia, the Americas, and Africa using aggregated and individual participant data (IPD).
METHODS
For this systematic review and meta-analysis, studies (published Jan 1, 1997 to Nov 10, 2021) with information on both microscopic and submicroscopic infections during pregnancy from Asia, the Americas, or Africa, identified in the Malaria-in-Pregnancy Library, were eligible. Studies (or subgroups or study groups) that selected participants on the basis of the presence of fever or a positive blood smear were excluded to avoid selection bias. We obtained IPD (when available) and aggregated data. Estimates of malaria transmission intensity and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance, matched by study location and year, were obtained using publicly available data. One-stage multivariable logit and multinomial models with random intercepts for study site were used in meta-analysis to assess prevalence of and risk factors for submicroscopic infections during pregnancy and at delivery. This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42015027342.
FINDINGS
The search identified 87 eligible studies, 68 (78%) of which contributed to the analyses. Of these 68 studies, 45 (66%) studies contributed IPD (48 869 participants) and 23 (34%) studies contributed aggregated data (11 863 participants). During pregnancy, median prevalence estimates were 13·5% (range 0·0-55·9, 66 substudies) for submicroscopic and 8·0% (0·0-50·6, 66 substudies) for microscopic malaria. Among women with positive Plasmodium nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), the median proportion of submicroscopic infections was 58·7% (range 0·0-100); this proportion was highest in the Americas (73·3%, 0·0-100), followed by Asia (67·2%, 36·4-100) and Africa (56·5%, 20·5-97·7). In individual patient data analysis, compared with women with no malaria infections, those with submicroscopic infections were more likely to present with fever in Africa (adjusted odds ratio 1·32, 95% CI 1·02-1·72; p=0·038) but not in other regions. Among women with NAAT-positive infections in Asia and the Americas, Plasmodium vivax infections were more likely to be submicroscopic than Plasmodium falciparum infections (3·69, 2·45-5·54; p<0·0001). Risk factors for submicroscopic infections among women with NAAT-positive infections in Africa included older age (age ≥30 years), multigravidity, and no HIV infection.
INTERPRETATION
During pregnancy, submicroscopic infections are more common than microscopic infections and are associated with fever in Africa. Malaria control in pregnancy should target both microscopic and submicroscopic infections.
FUNDING
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the Worldwide Antimalarial Resistance Network.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Adult; Prevalence; Malaria; Antimalarials; Malaria, Falciparum; Risk Factors
PubMed: 37276878
DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00194-8