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PLoS Pathogens Nov 2019The shape and number of mitochondria respond to the metabolic needs during the cell cycle of the eukaryotic cell. In the best-studied model systems of animals and fungi,... (Review)
Review
The shape and number of mitochondria respond to the metabolic needs during the cell cycle of the eukaryotic cell. In the best-studied model systems of animals and fungi, the cells contain many mitochondria, each carrying its own nucleoid. The organelles, however, mostly exist as a dynamic network, which undergoes constant cycles of division and fusion. These mitochondrial dynamics are driven by intricate protein machineries centered around dynamin-related proteins (DRPs). Here, we review recent advances on the dynamics of mitochondria and mitochondrion-related organelles (MROs) of parasitic protists. In contrast to animals and fungi, many parasitic protists from groups of Apicomplexa or Kinetoplastida carry only a single mitochondrion with a single nucleoid. In these groups, mitochondrial division is strictly coupled to the cell cycle, and the morphology of the organelle responds to the cell differentiation during the parasite life cycle. On the other hand, anaerobic parasitic protists such as Giardia, Entamoeba, and Trichomonas contain multiple MROs that have lost their organellar genomes. We discuss the function of DRPs, the occurrence of mitochondrial fusion, and mitophagy in the parasitic protists from the perspective of eukaryote evolution.
Topics: Animals; Mitochondrial Dynamics; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases
PubMed: 31751405
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008008 -
Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. :... Jan 2022Maternal infection during pregnancy is known to alter the development and function of offspring's immune system, leading to inappropriate immune responses to common... (Review)
Review
Maternal infection during pregnancy is known to alter the development and function of offspring's immune system, leading to inappropriate immune responses to common childhood infections and immunizations. Although this is an expanding field, maternal parasitic infections remain understudied. Millions of women of reproductive age are currently at risk for parasitic infection, whereas many pregnant, chronically infected women are excluded from mass drug administration due partially to a lack of resources, as well as fear of unknown adverse fetal developmental outcomes. In areas endemic for multiple parasitic infections, such as sub-Saharan Africa, there are increased rates of morbidity and mortality for various infections during early childhood in comparison with nonendemic areas. Despite evidence supporting similar immunomodulatory effects between various parasite species, there is no clear mechanistic understanding of how maternal infection reprograms offspring immunity. This brief review will compare the effects of selected maternal parasitic infections on offspring immunity.
Topics: Adult; Africa South of the Sahara; Animals; Female; Fetal Development; Helminthiasis; Helminths; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; Malaria, Falciparum; Parasitic Diseases; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic; Soil
PubMed: 35017211
DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100708 -
Parasitology Sep 2022In the present paper, we review two of the most neglected intestinal food-borne trematodiases: echinostomiasis, caused by members of the family Echinostomatidae, and... (Review)
Review
In the present paper, we review two of the most neglected intestinal food-borne trematodiases: echinostomiasis, caused by members of the family Echinostomatidae, and gastrodiscoidiasis produced by the amphistome . Both parasitic infections are important intestinal food-borne diseases. Humans become infected after ingestion of raw or insufficiently cooked molluscs, fish, crustaceans, amphibians or aquatic vegetables. Thus, eating habits are essential to determine the distribution of these parasitic diseases and, traditionally, they have been considered as minor diseases confined to low-income areas, mainly in Asia. However, this scenario is changing and the population at risk are currently expanding in relation to factors such as new eating habits in developed countries, growing international markets, improved transportation systems and demographic changes. These aspects determine the necessity of a better understanding of these parasitic diseases. Herein, we review the main features of human echinostomiasis and gastrodiscoidiasis in relation to their biology, epidemiology, immunology, clinical aspects, diagnosis and treatment.
Topics: Animals; Echinostomatidae; Echinostomiasis; Humans; Parasitic Diseases; Trematoda; Trematode Infections
PubMed: 35343418
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182022000385 -
Immunology Dec 2020The circadian clock provides organisms with the ability to track time of day, allowing them to predict and respond to cyclical changes in the external environment. In... (Review)
Review
The circadian clock provides organisms with the ability to track time of day, allowing them to predict and respond to cyclical changes in the external environment. In mammals this clock consists of multiple auto-regulatory feedback loops generated by a network of circadian clock proteins. This network provides the fundamental basis for rhythms in behaviour and physiology. This clockwork machinery exists in most cells, including those of the immune system. In recent years evidence has emerged highlighting the important role of molecular clocks in dictating the response of immune pathways. While initial work highlighted the effect of the clock in the 'first line of defence', the innate immune system, it has become increasingly apparent that it also plays a role in the more tailored, later-stage adaptive immune response. This review provides an overview of the role of the circadian cycle in the adaptive immune response. We interrogate the depth of knowledge on cell intrinsic clocks within adaptive immune cells and how these cells may be temporally directed by extrinsic rhythmic signals. We discuss the role of the circadian clock in diseases associated with adaptive immunity such as multiple sclerosis, asthma and parasitic infection. We also discuss the current knowledge on timing of vaccination, and the implications this may have on how we can harness and modulate temporal gating of the adaptive immune response in a clinical setting.
Topics: Adaptive Immunity; Animals; Asthma; Circadian Rhythm; Homeostasis; Humans; Multiple Sclerosis; Parasitic Diseases
PubMed: 31837013
DOI: 10.1111/imm.13167 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2022Parasitic infections of the central nervous system are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa. The neurological, cognitive, and psychiatric sequelae of... (Review)
Review
Parasitic infections of the central nervous system are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa. The neurological, cognitive, and psychiatric sequelae of these infections result from a complex interplay between the parasites and the host inflammatory response. Here we review some of the diseases caused by selected parasitic organisms known to infect the nervous system including , , spp., and species. For each parasite, we describe the geographical distribution, prevalence, life cycle, and typical clinical symptoms of infection and pathogenesis. We pay particular attention to how the parasites infect the brain and the interaction between each organism and the host immune system. We describe how an understanding of these processes may guide optimal diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to treat these disorders. Finally, we highlight current gaps in our understanding of disease pathophysiology and call for increased interrogation of these often-neglected disorders of the nervous system.
Topics: Animals; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases; Plasmodium falciparum; Toxoplasma; Trypanosoma brucei brucei
PubMed: 35222377
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.791488 -
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 -
Seminars in Immunopathology Aug 2021For a long time, host cell death during parasitic infection has been considered a reflection of tissue damage, and often associated with disease pathogenesis. However,... (Review)
Review
For a long time, host cell death during parasitic infection has been considered a reflection of tissue damage, and often associated with disease pathogenesis. However, during their evolution, protozoan and helminth parasites have developed strategies to interfere with cell death so as to spread and survive in the infected host, thereby ascribing a more intriguing role to infection-associated cell death. In this review, we examine the mechanisms used by intracellular and extracellular parasites to respectively inhibit or trigger programmed cell death. We further dissect the role of the prototypical "eat-me signal" phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) which, by being exposed on the cell surface of damaged host cells as well as on some viable parasites via a process of apoptotic mimicry, leads to their recognition and up-take by the neighboring phagocytes. Although barely dissected so far, the engagement of different PtdSer receptors on macrophages, by shaping the host immune response, affects the overall infection outcome in models of both protozoan and helminth infections. In this scenario, further understanding of the molecular and cellular regulation of the PtdSer exposing cell-macrophage interaction might allow the identification of new therapeutic targets for the management of parasitic infection.
Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Humans; Macrophages; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases; Phosphatidylserines
PubMed: 34279684
DOI: 10.1007/s00281-021-00875-8 -
Parasitology Dec 2022Finfish aquaculture in freshwater and marine environments is continuously expanding globally, and the potential for a substantial further increase is well documented.... (Review)
Review
Finfish aquaculture in freshwater and marine environments is continuously expanding globally, and the potential for a substantial further increase is well documented. The industry is supplying fish products for human consumption to the same extent as capture fisheries, and new fish species for domestication are still being selected by the industry. The challenge faced by all aquacultured species, classical and novel, is the range of pathogens associated with each new fish type. A fish host in its natural environment carries a series of more or less specific parasites (specialists and generalists). Some of these show a marked ability to propagate in aquaculture settings. They may then elicit disease when infection intensities in the confined aquaculture environment reach high levels. In addition, the risk of transmission of parasites from aquaculture enterprises to wild fish stocks adds to the parasitic challenge. Control programmes of various kinds are needed and these may include chemotherapeutants and medicines as the farmer's first and convenient choice, but mechanical, biological, immunological and genetic control methods are available solutions. New methods are still to be developed by scrutinizing the life cycle of each particular parasite species and pin-pointing the vulnerable stage to be targeted. As parasites exhibit a huge potential for adaptation to environmental changes, one must realize that only one approach rarely is sufficient. The present work therefore elaborates on and advocates for implementation of integrated control strategies for diseases caused by protozoan and metazoan parasites.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Fish Diseases; Aquaculture; Fisheries; Fishes; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases
PubMed: 35950444
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182022001093 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2021Schistosome infection is a major cause of global morbidity, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is no effective vaccine for this major neglected tropical... (Review)
Review
Schistosome infection is a major cause of global morbidity, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is no effective vaccine for this major neglected tropical disease, and re-infection routinely occurs after chemotherapeutic treatment. Following invasion through the skin, larval schistosomula enter the circulatory system and migrate through the lung before maturing to adulthood in the mesenteric or urogenital vasculature. Eggs released from adult worms can become trapped in various tissues, with resultant inflammatory responses leading to hepato-splenic, intestinal, or urogenital disease - processes that have been extensively studied in recent years. In contrast, although lung pathology can occur in both the acute and chronic phases of schistosomiasis, the mechanisms underlying pulmonary disease are particularly poorly understood. In chronic infection, egg-mediated fibrosis and vascular destruction can lead to the formation of portosystemic shunts through which eggs can embolise to the lungs, where they can trigger granulomatous disease. Acute schistosomiasis, or Katayama syndrome, which is primarily evident in non-endemic individuals, occurs during pulmonary larval migration, maturation, and initial egg-production, often involving fever and a cough with an accompanying immune cell infiltrate into the lung. Importantly, lung migrating larvae are not just a cause of inflammation and pathology but are a key target for future vaccine design. However, vaccine efforts are hindered by a limited understanding of what constitutes a protective immune response to larvae. In this review, we explore the current understanding of pulmonary immune responses and inflammatory pathology in schistosomiasis, highlighting important unanswered questions and areas for future research.
Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Immune Evasion; Lung; Lung Diseases, Parasitic; Mice; Protozoan Vaccines; Schistosoma; Schistosomiasis; Schistosomicides
PubMed: 33953712
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.635513 -
European Review For Medical and... Jul 2020Vorinostat is a drug used to treat cutaneous T cell lymphoma whose action mechanism is based on Histone Deacetylase inhibition. Histone Deacetylases are a family of... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Vorinostat is a drug used to treat cutaneous T cell lymphoma whose action mechanism is based on Histone Deacetylase inhibition. Histone Deacetylases are a family of enzymes that remove acetyl groups from histone and non-histone proteins that control many crucial processes, such as gene regulation, cell cycle progression, differentiation, and apoptosis. Histone Deacetylase homologues are also expressed in parasites of the genus Plasmodium, Leishmania, Cryptosporidium, Schistosoma, Entamoeba, and others. In this way, antiparasitic properties of Vorinostat have been explored. The aim of this review is to report the current state knowledge of Vorinostat as antiparasitic drug against Plasmodium, Leishmania, Cryptosporidium, Schistosoma and Entamoeba in order to support future investigation in this field.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The authors revised the recent and relevant literature concerning the topic and discussed advances and limitations of studies on Vorinostat as potential drug to treat human parasitic diseases.
RESULTS
Vorinostat has been efficient in vitro and, in some cases, in vivo, against parasites that cause parasitic diseases, such as malaria, leishmaniasis, cryptosporidiosis, amoebiasis, and schistosomiasis.
CONCLUSIONS
In vitro and in vivo models have demonstrated the antiparasitic activity of Vorinostat, however, the challenge is to assay its activity in animal models and to evaluate if Vorinostat is safe for humans as new alternative to treat human parasitic infections.
Topics: Animals; Antiparasitic Agents; Drug Repositioning; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; Histone Deacetylases; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases; Protozoan Proteins; Vorinostat
PubMed: 32706080
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202007_21909