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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jan 2024The availability of high-quality data of helminth genomes provided over the past two decades has supported and accelerated large-scale 'omics studies and, consequently,... (Review)
Review
The availability of high-quality data of helminth genomes provided over the past two decades has supported and accelerated large-scale 'omics studies and, consequently, the achievement of a more in-depth molecular characterization of a number of pathogens. This has also involved spp. and since their genome was made available transcriptomics has been rather frequently applied to investigate gene expression regulation across their life cycle. proteomics characterization has instead been somehow neglected, with only a few reports performing high-throughput or targeted analyses associated with protein identification by tandem mass spectrometry. Such investigations are however necessary in order to discern important aspects associated with human strongyloidiasis, including understanding parasite biology and the mechanisms of host-parasite interaction, but also to identify novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets. In this review article, we will give an overview of the published proteomics studies investigating strongyloidiasis at different levels, spanning from the characterization of the somatic proteome and excretory/secretory products of different parasite stages to the investigation of potentially immunogenic proteins. Moreover, in the effort to try to start filling the current gap in host-proteomics, we will also present the first serum proteomics analysis in patients suffering from human strongyloidiasis. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ': omics to worm-free populations'.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Strongyloides; Strongyloidiasis; Proteomics; Parasites; Host-Parasite Interactions
PubMed: 38008115
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0447 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2023
PubMed: 37915945
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1304206 -
Nature Communications Dec 2023Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and play a significant role in the evolution of many organisms and ecosystems. In pathogenic protozoa, the...
Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and play a significant role in the evolution of many organisms and ecosystems. In pathogenic protozoa, the presence of viruses has been linked to an increased risk of treatment failure and severe clinical outcome. Here, we studied the molecular epidemiology of the zoonotic disease cutaneous leishmaniasis in Peru and Bolivia through a joint evolutionary analysis of Leishmania braziliensis and their dsRNA Leishmania virus 1. We show that parasite populations circulate in tropical rainforests and are associated with single viral lineages that appear in low prevalence. In contrast, groups of hybrid parasites are geographically and ecologically more dispersed and associated with an increased prevalence, diversity and spread of viruses. Our results suggest that parasite gene flow and hybridization increased the frequency of parasite-virus symbioses, a process that may change the epidemiology of leishmaniasis in the region.
Topics: Humans; Ecosystem; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous; Leishmania braziliensis; Leishmania; Peru
PubMed: 38102141
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44085-2 -
Virulence Dec 2023African trypanosomes are vector-borne protozoa, which cause significant human and animal disease across sub-Saharan Africa, and animal disease across Asia and South... (Review)
Review
African trypanosomes are vector-borne protozoa, which cause significant human and animal disease across sub-Saharan Africa, and animal disease across Asia and South America. In humans, infection is caused by variants of , and is characterized by varying rate of progression to neurological disease, caused by parasites exiting the vasculature and entering the brain. Animal disease is caused by multiple species of trypanosome, primarily , and . These trypanosomes also infect multiple species of mammalian host, and this complexity of trypanosome and host diversity is reflected in the spectrum of severity of disease in animal trypanosomiasis, ranging from hyperacute infections associated with mortality to long-term chronic infections, and is also a main reason why designing interventions for animal trypanosomiasis is so challenging. In this review, we will provide an overview of the current understanding of trypanosome determinants of infection progression and severity, covering laboratory models of disease, as well as human and livestock disease. We will also highlight gaps in knowledge and capabilities, which represent opportunities to both further our fundamental understanding of how trypanosomes cause disease, as well as facilitating the development of the novel interventions that are so badly needed to reduce the burden of disease caused by these important pathogens.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Trypanosomiasis, African; Virulence; Tsetse Flies; Trypanosoma; Trypanosomiasis; Mammals
PubMed: 36419235
DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2022.2150445 -
Parasites & Vectors Jul 2023Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic protozoan that is ubiquitous in humans and animals. It can invade any human organ and cause severe diseases, including toxoplasma...
BACKGROUND
Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic protozoan that is ubiquitous in humans and animals. It can invade any human organ and cause severe diseases, including toxoplasma ophthalmopathy, meningoencephalitis, and liver necrosis. Porcine toxoplasmosis is prevalent in China. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) and Cas (CRISPR-Associated Protein) systems are widely used for gene editing and pathogen detection. CRISPR-based diagnostics are molecular assays that have been developed to detect parasites with high sensitivity and specificity.
METHODS
This study aimed to establish a combined CRISPR/Cas12a and RPA rapid detection method for T. gondii by targeting the B1 gene and 529 bp repeat element (529 RE). The detection results could be visualized by the fluorescence or lateral flow strips (LFS). The sensitivity and specificity of the method were evaluated, and T. gondii-infected mouse blood was used for detection.
RESULTS
The results indicated that the established method for T. gondii detection was satisfactory, with a detection limit of 1.5 cp/μl for the two loci. Moreover, the B1 gene could detect 1 tachyzoite per reaction, and the 529 RE could detect 0.1 tachyzoite per reaction, consistently with the highly sensitive nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results. The method was suitable for strains, including RH, and did not cross-react with other protozoa DNA with similar habits. The T. gondii-infected mouse blood samples were all positive for T. gondii at 1, 3, and 5 days post infection (dpi).
CONCLUSIONS
This study established a rapid, sensitive, and time-saving DNA detection method for T. gondii that has the potential to be an alternative tool for T. gondii detection in the field.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Mice; Swine; CRISPR-Cas Systems; Toxoplasmosis; Toxoplasma; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sensitivity and Specificity; DNA, Protozoan
PubMed: 37518013
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05868-0 -
Journal of Medical Entomology Sep 2023Rapid environmental change in Alaska and other regions of the Arctic and sub-Arctic has raised concerns about increasing human exposure to ticks and the pathogens they...
Rapid environmental change in Alaska and other regions of the Arctic and sub-Arctic has raised concerns about increasing human exposure to ticks and the pathogens they carry. We tested a sample of ticks collected through a combination of passive and active surveillance from humans, domestic animals, and wildlife hosts in Alaska for a panel of the most common tick-borne pathogens in the contiguous United States to characterize the diversity of microbes present in this region. We tested 189 pooled tick samples collected in 2019-2020 for Borrelia spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., and Babesia spp. using a multiplex PCR amplicon sequencing assay. We found established populations of Ixodes angustus Neumann (Acari: Ixodidae), Ixodes uriae White (Acari: Ixodidae), and Haemaphysalis leporispalustris Packard (Acari: Ixodidae) in Alaska, with I. angustus found on a variety of hosts including domestic companion animals (dogs and cats), small wild mammals, and humans. Ixodes angustus were active from April through October with peaks in adult and nymphal activity observed in summer months (mainly July). Although no known human pathogens were detected, Babesia microti-like parasites and candidatus Ehrlichia khabarensis were identified in ticks and small mammals. The only human pathogen detected (B. burgdorferi s.s.) was found in a tick associated with a dog that had recently traveled to New York, where Lyme disease is endemic. This study highlights the value of a combined passive and active tick surveillance system to detect introduced tick species and pathogens and to assess which tick species and microbes are locally established.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Cats; Dogs; Alaska; Cat Diseases; Watchful Waiting; Dog Diseases; Ixodes; Ixodidae; Animals, Domestic; Ehrlichia; Mammals; Tick-Borne Diseases
PubMed: 37348952
DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjad078 -
JCI Insight Jul 2023The virulence of intracellular pathogens relies largely on the ability to survive and replicate within phagocytes but also on release and transfer into new host cells....
The virulence of intracellular pathogens relies largely on the ability to survive and replicate within phagocytes but also on release and transfer into new host cells. Such cell-to-cell transfer could represent a target for counteracting microbial pathogenesis. However, our understanding of the underlying cellular and molecular processes remains woefully insufficient. Using intravital 2-photon microscopy of caspase-3 activation in the Leishmania major-infected (L. major-infected) live skin, we showed increased apoptosis in cells infected by the parasite. Also, transfer of the parasite to new host cells occurred directly without a detectable extracellular state and was associated with concomitant uptake of cellular material from the original host cell. These in vivo findings were fully recapitulated in infections of isolated human phagocytes. Furthermore, we observed that high pathogen proliferation increased cell death in infected cells, and long-term residency within an infected host cell was only possible for slowly proliferating parasites. Our results therefore suggest that L. major drives its own dissemination to new phagocytes by inducing host cell death in a proliferation-dependent manner.
Topics: Leishmania major; Phagocytes; Apoptosis; Humans; Virulence; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Cells, Cultured; Mice; Animals
PubMed: 37310793
DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.169020 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2023
Topics: Animals; Parasites; Eukaryota
PubMed: 37808909
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1293959 -
Veterinary Medicine and Science Nov 2023Microbial populations in the rumen play an essential role in the degradation of Cellulosic dietary components and in providing nutrients to the host animal.
Effects of wheat bran replacement with pomegranate seed pulp on rumen fermentation, gas production, methanogen and protozoa populations of camel and goat rumen using competitive PCR technique: An in vitro study.
BACKGROUND
Microbial populations in the rumen play an essential role in the degradation of Cellulosic dietary components and in providing nutrients to the host animal.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to detect the effect of pomegranate seed pulp (PSP) on rumen fermentation, digestibility and methanogens and the protozoa population (by competitive polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) of the camel and goat rumen fluid.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
PSP was added to the experimental treatments and replaced by wheat bran (0%, 5% and 10%). Rumen fluid was collected from three goats and two camels according to the similarity of sex, breed, origin and time and used for three gas production studies. DNA extraction was performed by the RBB + c method, the ImageJ programme calculated band intensities (target and competing DNA), and line gradients were plotted based on the number of copies and intensity.
RESULTS
Our result showed that diets did not significantly affect the methanogen and protozoa population. Animal species affected microbial populations so that both populations in camels were less than goats. The production of gas and volatile fatty acids was not affected by diets. These two parameters and NH concentration and methane production in goats were higher than in camel. The pH of digested dry matter and microbial protein in camels was higher than in goats.
CONCLUSIONS
Therefore, the competitive PCR technique is an effective method for enumerating rumen microbiota. This supplementation can be considered a strategy to achieve performance and environmental benefits.
Topics: Animals; Camelus; Pomegranate; Rumen; Fermentation; Goats; Dietary Fiber; Plant Breeding; Polymerase Chain Reaction; DNA; Seeds
PubMed: 37864580
DOI: 10.1002/vms3.1297 -
Trends in Parasitology May 2024Haemoproteus blood parasites of birds are thought to be relatively benign. Recent findings show that infections may develop in the brain of birds, possibly distorting... (Review)
Review
Haemoproteus blood parasites of birds are thought to be relatively benign. Recent findings show that infections may develop in the brain of birds, possibly distorting their orientation sense. Misdirected migration may lead migrants outside their range where they are recognized as vagrants and can transmit parasites to novel hosts.
Topics: Animals; Animal Migration; Birds; Bird Diseases; Brain; Orientation; Haemosporida
PubMed: 38443303
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.02.008