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Journal of Comparative Pathology Oct 2021Following isolation of pseudorabies virus (PRV) from two hunting dogs in Oita prefecture, Japan, we investigated the PRV antigen distribution in the tissues of the...
Following isolation of pseudorabies virus (PRV) from two hunting dogs in Oita prefecture, Japan, we investigated the PRV antigen distribution in the tissues of the infected animals. At necropsy, PRV-associated lesions included facial oedema, tonsillar and meningeal congestion, blotchy haemorrhages on the pericardium and mitral valves, and incomplete splenic contraction in one dog, with less prominent findings in the other dog. Multiple pulmonary nodules were seen in both cases, caused by the diploid form of Paragonimus westermani lung flukes, as confirmed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and gene sequencing analyses. Histological examination revealed that the PRV infection was associated with lesions of non-suppurative encephalitis in the brainstem. PRV antigen was detected in the cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, submucosal and myenteric plexuses, and mononuclear cells, mainly in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, tonsils and spleen tissues. There was evidence of PRV dissemination to the brain via the trigeminal or olfactory routes, in addition to possible spread to lymphoid organs via infected mononuclear cells.
Topics: Animals; Antigens, Viral; Coinfection; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Herpesvirus 1, Suid; Japan; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Pseudorabies; Working Dogs
PubMed: 34686277
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2021.08.004 -
Internal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan) Aug 2020An asymptomatic 47-year-old woman was admitted with pleural effusion and pulmonary infiltrates 1 month after ingesting raw wild boar and deer meat. Both her blood and...
An asymptomatic 47-year-old woman was admitted with pleural effusion and pulmonary infiltrates 1 month after ingesting raw wild boar and deer meat. Both her blood and pleural fluid were eosinophilic. Thoracoscopy revealed multiple nodules of the pleura, and biopsy samples of the nodules showed necrosis with epithelioid cell granulomas. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was positive for antibodies against Paragonimus westermani, and the patient was successfully treated with praziquantel. This is the first reported case of pulmonary or pleuropulmonary paragonimiasis where several pleural nodules were observed. The detection of pleural nodules on thoracoscopy can contribute to the prompt and accurate diagnosis of paragonimiasis.
Topics: Animals; Deer; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humans; Meat; Middle Aged; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Pleura; Pleural Effusion; Praziquantel; Respiratory Tract Infections; Sus scrofa; Thoracoscopy
PubMed: 32350198
DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.4457-20 -
Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease Dec 2023Human pulmonary paragonimiasis, an emerging concern in North East India, frequently masquerades as pulmonary tuberculosis due to clinical and radiological similarities,...
Human pulmonary paragonimiasis, an emerging concern in North East India, frequently masquerades as pulmonary tuberculosis due to clinical and radiological similarities, leading to diagnostic challenges. This research aimed to harness the immunoblotting technique to discern immunodiagnostic protein antigens from both adult worm and excretory-secretory (ES) extracts of the prevalent type 1 in Arunachal Pradesh, North East India. We studied the time kinetics of immunoreactive patterns in relation to the duration of infection in rodent models. Immunoblot analyses were also conducted using sera from ELISA-positive patients confirmed with paragonimiasis, facilitating the selection of antigenic extracts with diagnostic potential. Further, ES protein antigens were subjected to 2D immunoblot analysis and immunoreactive protein spots identified using MALDI-TOF MS. The immunoreactivity patterns of ES antigens with sera of paragonimiasis-positive patients were detailed, and specific immunoreactive protein antigens were pinpointed using peptide mass fingerprinting (MALDI-TOF). This work underscores the enhanced diagnostic accuracy when combining ELISA with immunoblotting for pulmonary paragonimiasis in regions like North East India, marked by co-existing helminth infections.
PubMed: 38251203
DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed9010006 -
Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za... Dec 2021To investigate the populations of freshwater crabs, the intermediate host of and infections in freshwater crabs in the Minjiang River basin along the middle section of...
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the populations of freshwater crabs, the intermediate host of and infections in freshwater crabs in the Minjiang River basin along the middle section of Wuyi Mountain, so as to provide baseline data for parasitic disease control and research and expansion of the parasite resource bank.
METHODS
From November 2020 to April 2021, freshwater crabs were sampled from streams and ditches neighboring residential areas in Jianning County and its neighboring Ninghua, Shaowu, Jiangle and Shunchang counties. The crab species was identified based on the morphological features of the terminal segment of the first abdominal appendage of male crabs, and infections were detected in freshwater crabs. The metacercariae were isolated, and the types of metacercariae were identified based on the metacercaria size, cystic wall thickness, and the excretory bladder and intestinal tract morphology. In addition, the prevalence, intensity and index of metacercaria infections were calculated in freshwater crabs.
RESULTS
There were seven crab species found in Jianning County and six neighboring water systems along the Minjiang River basin, including , , , , , , , and there were metacercariae of three species detected in these crabs, including , and , with a prevalence rate of 43.6% (125/287). The infection rates of , and were 57.1% (48/84), 26.2% (22/84) and 61.8% (21/34) in , and the infection rates of and were 52.6% (51/97) and 30.9% (30/97) in , while the rate of infection was 6.9% (5/72) in , which is the first record of infections in . Mixed and infections were predominantly found in freshwater crabs sampled from Jianning County, where the rate of infections was 70.4% (76/108), with 15.3 metacercariae identified in each crab with infections and 1.9 metacercariae found in each gram of crabs with infections, and the index of metacercariae infections was 20.5. In addition, , and metacercariae were found in freshwater crabs sampled from Jianning-neighboring counties, where the rate of infections was 52.3% (56/107), with 9.8 metacercariae identified in each crab with infections and 0.9 metacercariae found in each gram of crabs with infections, and the index of metacercariae infections was 4.6.
CONCLUSIONS
There are multiple freshwater crab species and infection is high in freshwater crabs in Jianning County and its neighboring Minjiang River basin, which is a high-risk natural focus for infections.
Topics: Animals; Brachyura; Fresh Water; Male; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus; Rivers
PubMed: 35128889
DOI: 10.16250/j.32.1374.2021154 -
Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za... Mar 2024To investigate the population distribution of intermediate host snails and crabs of along the Jiulongjiang River, Zhangjiang River, and Dongxi River basins in...
[Investigation of the population diversity of intermediate host snails and crabs of along Jiulong River, Zhangjiang River and Dongxi River basins in southern Fujian Province].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the population distribution of intermediate host snails and crabs of along the Jiulongjiang River, Zhangjiang River, and Dongxi River basins in Bopingling Mountain, southern Fujian Province, so as to provide baseline data for researches on parasitic disease prevention and control and enlargement of samples in the parasitic resource bank.
METHODS
A total of 23 villages in 8 counties (districts) along the Jiulong River, Zhangjiang River, and Dongxi River basins in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province were selected as survey sites during the period from November 2020 through March 2023, and snail and freshwater crabs were sampled from 1 to 3 streams and ditches neighboring residential areas in each village. Morphological identification of snails was performed according to the external morphological characteristics of collected snail shells, and the unidentified snail species sampled from the natural foci of paragonimiasis in Yunxiao County were subjected to se-quence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 () gene. The crab species was identified by observing the morphological characteristics of the terminal segment of the first pleopod of male crabs, and cercariae and metacercariae were detected in collected snails.
RESULTS
The shells of the unidentified snails sampled from the natural foci of paragonimiasis in Yunxiao County were approximately 50 mm in height and 18 mm in width, thick and solid, long tower cone-shaped, and had 8 to 10 whorls. gene sequence analysis identified the snail species as . A total of 6 freshwater snail species belonging to 5 genera within 3 families, identified 23 survey sites, including , and that belonged to the Family Pleurceridae, and that belonged to the subfamily Triculinae, Family Pomatiopsidae, and (Family Thiaridae), and 11 species of freshwater crabs belonging to 5 genera within 2 families were identified, including genus of , , and , genus of and , genus of and , and genus of and that belonged to the Family Potamidae, and genus of and (Family Parathelphusidae). In addition, the prevalence of cercariae infections was 0.08% (2/2 317) in from Danyan Village in Changtai District and 0.09% (1/1 039) in from Jinkeng Village in Yunxiao County, and the prevalence of metacercariae infections was 25.81% (8/31) in from Danyan Village in Changtai District, and 26.31% (5/19) in from Jinkeng Village in Yunxiao County, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
There is a population diversity in the intermediate host snails and crabs along the Jiulongjiang River, Zhangjiang River, and Dongxi River basins in Bopingling Mountain, southern Fujian Province, and and are, for the first time, confirmed as the first intermediate hosts of .
Topics: Humans; Animals; Male; Paragonimus; Brachyura; Paragonimiasis; Rivers; Fresh Water; Gastropoda
PubMed: 38604684
DOI: 10.16250/j.32.1374.2023144 -
International Journal of Infectious... Mar 2023We report a case of pulmonary paragonimiasis diagnosed by transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC). TBLC is likely to be a superior method to transbronchial forceps biopsy...
We report a case of pulmonary paragonimiasis diagnosed by transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC). TBLC is likely to be a superior method to transbronchial forceps biopsy because TBLC can get larger specimens, resulting in a higher chance of containing the eggs. A male patient aged 57 years presented with hemoptysis and dyspnea on exertion. His initial chest computed tomography scans showed a cavitary nodule with a peripheral ground-glass appearance, leading to a prescription of an oral antibiotic, with an initial assumption of pneumonia. A follow-up chest computed tomography, however, revealed an appearance of a new nodule adjacent to the original nodule. TBLC and transbronchial forceps biopsy were done to rule out lung cancer and eventually, the eggs of Paragonimus westermani were found using TBLC. Praziquantel was prescribed, showing improvements in symptoms and chest X-ray findings. TBLC has more potential to be utilized as a diagnostic method than transbronchial forceps biopsy because it has a better chance to confirm pulmonary paragonimiasis, which can be initially suspected as pulmonary tuberculosis or lung cancer.
Topics: Animals; Male; Humans; Paragonimiasis; Lung; Paragonimus westermani; Lung Neoplasms; Thorax; Biopsy; Bronchoscopy
PubMed: 36608785
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.12.041 -
Helminthologia Sep 2020(), one of 46 species registered in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database, may be much more widely distributed in Southeast Asia than previously...
(), one of 46 species registered in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database, may be much more widely distributed in Southeast Asia than previously thought, as its reported natural foci have increased in the past decades. However, very little is known about its molecular biology, especially at the transcriptome level. For the first time, the transcriptome of this species was sequenced and compared with four other common species, namely , , , and , to predict homologous genes and differentially expressed homologous genes to explore interspecies differences of . A total of 7393 genes were found to be significantly differentially expressed. Of these, 49 were considered to be core genes because they were differentially expressed in all four comparison groups. Annotations revealed that these genes were related mainly to "duplication, transcription, or translation", energy or nutrient metabolism, and parasitic growth, proliferation, motility, invasion, adaptation to the host, or virulence. Interestingly, a majority (5601/7393) of the identified genes, and in particular the core genes (48/49), were expressed at lower levels in . The identified genes may play essential roles in the biological differences between species. This work provides fundamental background information for further research into the molecular biology of .
PubMed: 32855607
DOI: 10.2478/helm-2020-0029 -
Parasitology International Apr 2021We encountered an outbreak of paragonimiasis among Cambodian technical intern trainees (TITs) at a food-processing factory in Fukuoka, Japan. The patients were...
We encountered an outbreak of paragonimiasis among Cambodian technical intern trainees (TITs) at a food-processing factory in Fukuoka, Japan. The patients were 20-28 years old, seven females and two males, who had been in Japan for one to four years. All of them had consumed raw or undercooked Japanese mitten crab they purchased at a local grocery store near their training place. CT images showed multiple lesions not only in the lungs but in the extrapulmonary organs as well, such as subcutaneous tissues, abdominal muscles, and mesentery, in most of the patients. Their medical records indicated that all of them acquired infection in Japan, not in Cambodia. Diagnosis was made serologically and the patients were treated with praziquantel successfully. Foreign workers and TITs are increasing in Japan so rapidly, that food borne-infections, including paragonimiasis, should be considered in people from developing countries who have exotic dietary habits.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Cambodia; Disease Outbreaks; Female; Humans; Japan; Lung; Lung Diseases, Parasitic; Male; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Young Adult
PubMed: 33388385
DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2020.102279 -
Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za... Mar 2023To establish the method for extracting exogenous short DNA fragments of from urine samples, and to evaluate the efficiency of this method for extraction from urine...
OBJECTIVE
To establish the method for extracting exogenous short DNA fragments of from urine samples, and to evaluate the efficiency of this method for extraction from urine samples treated with various methods.
METHODS
The gene fragment was selected as a target sequence, and the 81 bp short DNA fragment was amplified on the target sequence using PCR assay. Following characterization using sequencing, the short DNA fragment was added into the urine samples as an exogenous short DNA fragment. Primers and probes were designed with as a target gene, to establish the real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay. The sensitivity of this qPCR assay was evaluated with exogenous short DNA fragments that were diluted at a 1:10 dilution ratio as the DNA template, and the specificity of the qPCR assay was evaluated with the genomic DNA of , and as DNA templates. Exogenous short DNA fragments were added into artificial and healthy volunteers' urine samples, followed by pH adjustment, centrifugation and concentration, and the efficiency of extracting exogenous short DNA fragments from urine samples was compared with the QIAmp Viral RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen kit) and BIOG cfDNA easy kit (BIOG kit).
RESULTS
An 81 bp small DNA fragment of was successfully prepared, and the lowest detection limit of the established qPCR assay was 100 copies/μL of the 81 bp small DNA fragment of If the genomic DNA of , and served as DNA templates, the qPCR assay only detected fluorescent signals with genomic DNA as the DNA template. If the pH values of artificial urine samples were adjusted to 5, 6, 7 and 8, the recovery rates were (49.12 ± 2.09)%, (84.52 ± 4.96)%, (89.38 ± 3.32)% and (87.82 ± 3.90)% for extracting the exogenous short DNA fragment of with the Qiagen kit, and were (2.30 ± 0.07)%, (8.11% ± 0.26)%, (13.35 ± 0.61)% and (20.82 ± 0.68)% with the BIOG kit, respectively ( = 38.702, 26.955, 39.042 and 29.571; all values < 0.01). If the Qiagen kit was used for extracting the exogenous short DNA fragment from artificial urine samples, the lowest recovery rate was seen from urine samples with a pH value of 5 (all values < 0.05), and there were no significant differences in the recovery rate from urine samples with pH values of 6, 7 and 8 (all values > 0.05). Following centrifugation of artificial [(64.30 ± 1.00)% vs. (58.87 ± 0.26)%; = 12.033, < 0.05] and healthy volunteers' urine samples [(31 165 ± 1 017) copies/μL vs. (28 471 ± 818) copies/μL; = 23.164, < 0.05]. In addition, concentration of artificial urine samples with the 10 kDa Centrifugal Filter and concentration of healthy volunteers' urine samples with the 100 kDa Centrifugal Filter were both effective to increase the recovery of the Qiagen kit for extracting the exogenous short DNA fragment of (both values < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
A method for extracting exogenous short DNA fragments of from urine samples has been successfully established, and the Qiagen kit has a high extraction efficiency. Adjustment of urine pH to 6 to 8 and concentration of healthy volunteers' urine samples with the 100 kDa Centrifugal Filter are both effective to increase the efficiency of extracting exogenous short DNA fragments of .
Topics: Animals; Humans; Schistosoma japonicum; Sensitivity and Specificity; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; Polymerase Chain Reaction; DNA
PubMed: 36974010
DOI: 10.16250/j.32.1374.202262 -
Acta Tropica Dec 2019Paragonimus westermani (P. westermani) is widely spread in Asian countries and is one of the most important causative agents for lung fluke diseases. The prevention and...
Paragonimus westermani (P. westermani) is widely spread in Asian countries and is one of the most important causative agents for lung fluke diseases. The prevention and control of Paragonimiaisis mainly depends on the accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. In this study, we developed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeted to a portion of the Ty3/gypsy-like LTR retrotransposon (Rn1) sequence coupled with a lateral flow dipstick (LFD) for the rapid detection of P. westermani-specific amplicons. The positive LAMP products were biotin-labeled and hybridized with a fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled probe which could be visually detected by LFD. No cross-reaction were observed with other parasitic pathogens including Trichinella spiralis, Anisakis simplex, Schistosoma japonicum and Gnathostoma spinigerum, but this LAMP assay could not distinguish P. westermani with Paragonimus skrjabini and Paragonimus heterotremus. The detection limit of the LAMP assay for P. westermani was 2.7 fg/µL, while that of PCR method was 27 fg/µL. LAMP method was applied to detect P. westermani genomic DNA in blood samples form experimental infected dogs, and results showed the parasite was detectable as early as week 2. LAMP-LFD assay applicability was successfully tested in dog blood samples collected from five cities (Wenzhou, Hangzhou, Huzhou, Jiaxing and Shaoxing) in Zhejiang province. In summary, the established LAMP-LFD assay targeted to the Rn1 sequence is a rapid and convenient method for specific detection of P. westermani.
Topics: Animals; China; DNA Primers; Dogs; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus westermani; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 31542373
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.105185