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Parasites, Hosts and Diseases Nov 2023Paleoparasitology is a discipline that applies existing conventional and molecular techniques to study parasites found in ancient ruins. This review focuses on the... (Review)
Review
Paleoparasitology is a discipline that applies existing conventional and molecular techniques to study parasites found in ancient ruins. This review focuses on the history of the discovery of parasites (mostly helminth eggs and larvae) in archaeological soil samples and mummies in Korea from the Three Kingdoms Period to the Joseon Dynasty (100 BCE-1910 CE). We also briefly review important milestones in global paleoparasitology. The helminth species reported so far in Korea included Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Strongyloides stercoralis (larva), Trichostrongylus sp. (larva), Paracapillaria philippinensis (syn. Capillaria philippinensis), Enterobius vermicularis, Fasciola hepatica, dicrocoeliids, Paragonimus westermani, Clonorchis sinensis, Metagonimus yokogawai, Pygidiopsis summa, Gymnophalloides seoi, Isthmiophora hortensis, Dibothriocephalus nihonkaiensis (syn. Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense), and Taenia spp. tapeworms. The findings obtained by Korean paleoparasitologists/archaeologists have brought about deep insight into the status of helminthic infections in Korea's past populations. Continued paleoparasitological research is essential for further understanding of ancient parasites and parasitic diseases in Korea.
Topics: Animals; Larva; Republic of Korea; Parasitic Diseases; Helminthiasis; Trematoda; Parasites; Heterophyidae
PubMed: 38043533
DOI: 10.3347/PHD.23085 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2023This study aimed to assess Australian veterinarians' knowledge, perceptions and treatment strategies for worm control in horses with an online questionnaire. The...
This study aimed to assess Australian veterinarians' knowledge, perceptions and treatment strategies for worm control in horses with an online questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised 64 questions covering various aspects of: (i) veterinary practice; (ii) the veterinarian's knowledge of gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) and the importance of parasites in different age groups of horses; (iii) the diagnosis and control of worms; (iv) anthelmintics and anthelmintic resistance (AR); (v) grazing management; and (vi) the means of communication and the discussion between veterinarians and their clients regarding worm control. Following a pilot survey, a link for the questionnaire survey was sent to all ( = 1,148) registered members of Equine Veterinarians Australia in April 2020. The response rate for the questionnaire was 10% (118 of 1,148). The findings of this study illustrate veterinarians' good understanding of aspects of equine parasites, including control. However, respondents mainly recommended frequent, interval-based prophylactic deworming in young horses, and only 40% (96 of 239) diagnosed GIN infections based on faecal egg count (FEC) results in all age groups of horses. Furthermore, only 27% (88 of 330) of the respondents made deworming decisions based on FECs. Most of the respondents recommended macrocyclic lactones (MLs) for all age groups of horses (71%, 481 of 677), and the most frequently used method to calculate the dose of anthelmintics was by estimating the weight of animals visually (53%, 63 of 118). Although the majority of respondents (97%, 115 of 118) perceived AR to be a critical issue in managing worms in horses, 58% (67 of 118) of them were unaware of the status of AR on their clients' properties. Forty-two percent (50 of 118) of the respondents perceived the presence of AR in worms, including pinworms (16%), strongylins (15%), species of and (6%), (2%) and tapeworms (1%). Twenty-seven percent (32 of 118) of the respondents rarely discussed equine worm control practices with their clients. This study provides insights into the perception and worm control practices recommended by Australian veterinarians to manage equine parasites. The findings highlight the importance of continued education and awareness of AR, and the use of non-chemical methods as well as consideration of the legislation of prescription-only use of anthelmintics based on FECs to achieve sustainable control of GINs in Australian horses.
PubMed: 38026649
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1305360 -
Cureus Nov 2023Human T-lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-I) is an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus of the Retroviridae family. The virus causes two well-recognized disease associations:...
A Textbook Case of Human T-lymphotropic Virus-1 (HTLV-1)-Induced Adult T-cell Leukemia Treated With Cyclophosphamide, Hydroxydaunorubicin, Oncovin, and Prednisone/Prednisolone (CHOP).
Human T-lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-I) is an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus of the Retroviridae family. The virus causes two well-recognized disease associations: adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM), also known as tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP). We report a case of HTLV-1-induced adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia in a 45-year-old female who presented with complaints of swelling on the right side of her neck and rash on her upper and lower extremities and abdomen. The patient also had a history of strongyloidiasis infection and Crohn's disease. She was found to have hypercalcemia and multiple lytic lesions of the bone found on the imaging. She also tested positive for HTLV-1 and T cell-positive for cluster of differentiation (CD) 2, CD3, partial CD5, and minimal CD56, later confirmed by the bone marrow (BM) and skin punch biopsies. ATL is characterized by the clonal proliferation of CD4+ T cells containing randomly integrated HTLV-I provirus, often associated with T-cell receptor gene rearrangements. ATL, in its aggressive forms, has one of the poorest prognoses of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is essential to raise awareness of ATL, although further research and trials are needed to solidify the treatment options to prevent mortality.
PubMed: 38024023
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.49169 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jan 2024The genus of parasitic nematodes have a fascinating life cycle and biology, but are also important pathogens of people and a World Health Organization-defined neglected... (Review)
Review
The genus of parasitic nematodes have a fascinating life cycle and biology, but are also important pathogens of people and a World Health Organization-defined neglected tropical disease. Here, a community of researchers have posed thirteen major questions about biology and infection that sets a research agenda for the future. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ': omics to worm-free populations'.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Strongyloides; Life Cycle Stages
PubMed: 38008122
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0004 -
Syntenic relationship of chromosomes in species and based on the chromosome-level genome assemblies.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jan 2024The clade, to which the parasitic nematode genus belongs, contains taxa with diverse lifestyles, ranging from free-living to obligate vertebrate parasites....
The clade, to which the parasitic nematode genus belongs, contains taxa with diverse lifestyles, ranging from free-living to obligate vertebrate parasites. Reproductive strategies are also diverse in this group of nematodes, employing not only sexual reproduction but also parthenogenesis, making it an attractive group to study genome adaptation to specific conditions. An in-depth understanding of genome evolution, however, has been hampered by fragmented genome assemblies. In this study, we generated chromosome-level genome assemblies for two species and the outgroup species using long-read sequencing and high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C). Our synteny analyses revealed a clearer picture of chromosome evolution in this group, suggesting that a functional sex chromosome has been maintained throughout the group. We further investigated sex chromosome dynamics in the lifecycle of and found that bivalent formation in oocytes appears to be important for male production in the mitotic parthenogenesis. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ': omics to worm-free populations'.
Topics: Animals; Male; Strongyloides; Synteny; Chromosomes; Nematoda; Life Cycle Stages; Sex Chromosomes
PubMed: 38008120
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0446 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jan 2024Skin-penetrating nematodes, including the human threadworm and hookworms in the genera and , are gastrointestinal parasites that are a major cause of neglected... (Review)
Review
Skin-penetrating nematodes, including the human threadworm and hookworms in the genera and , are gastrointestinal parasites that are a major cause of neglected tropical disease in low-resource settings worldwide. These parasites infect hosts as soil-dwelling infective larvae that navigate towards hosts using host-emitted sensory cues such as odorants and body heat. Upon host contact, they invade the host by penetrating through the skin. The process of skin penetration is critical for successful parasitism but remains poorly understood and understudied. Here, we review current knowledge of skin-penetration behaviour and its underlying mechanisms in the human parasite , the closely related rat parasite and other skin-penetrating nematodes such as hookworms. We also highlight important directions for future investigations into this underexplored process and discuss how recent advances in molecular genetic and genomic tools for species will enable mechanistic investigations of skin penetration and other essential parasitic behaviours in future studies. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ': omics to worm-free populations'.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Rats; Nematoda; Strongyloides stercoralis; Parasites; Larva; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic
PubMed: 38008119
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0434 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jan 2024Among nematodes, the free-living model organism boasts the most advanced portfolio of high-quality omics data. The resources available for parasitic nematodes,... (Review)
Review
Among nematodes, the free-living model organism boasts the most advanced portfolio of high-quality omics data. The resources available for parasitic nematodes, including spp., however, are lagging behind. While remains the most tractable nematode and has significantly advanced our understanding of many facets of nematode biology, is not suitable as a surrogate system for the study of parasitism and it is important that we improve the omics resources available for parasitic nematode species. Here, we review the omics data available for spp and compare the available resources to those for and other parasitic nematodes. The advancements in omics offer a blueprint for improving omics-led research in . We suggest areas of priority for future research that will pave the way for expansions in omics resources and technologies. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ': omics to worm-free populations'.
Topics: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Strongyloides; Nematoda
PubMed: 38008117
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0437 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jan 2024This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ': omics to worm-free populations'.
This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ': omics to worm-free populations'.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Strongyloides; Strongyloidiasis; Feces
PubMed: 38008116
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0448 -
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 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jan 2024The epidemiology of is briefly reviewed with an emphasis on cross section and longitudinal studies of infection prevalence stratified by age, performance of different...
The epidemiology of is briefly reviewed with an emphasis on cross section and longitudinal studies of infection prevalence stratified by age, performance of different diagnostic tools, mass drug administration (MDA) impact and estimates of key population parameters within the complex life cycle of the parasite that determine transmission intensity and response to control measures. The paucity of studies is highlighted, and gaps in current knowledge identified about the population biology of this very prevalent infection in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world. A stochastic individual based stochastic model is described in part to highlight gaps in knowledge. The impact of repeated MDA is simulated to illustrate some aspects of transmission dynamics of this helminth infection. Specifically, the impact and bounce back times in either the intervals between treatment rounds, or post the cessation of treatment, depend critically on the magnitude of two distinct components of the basic reproductive number . The absence of data on these key components is highlighted, as is the value of studies of longitudinal cohorts of people in regions of endemic infection post rounds of MDA to record how infection levels bounce back post treatment at individual and population levels of study. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ': omics to worm-free populations'.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Strongyloides stercoralis; Strongyloidiasis; Mass Drug Administration; Prevalence; Basic Reproduction Number
PubMed: 38008114
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0442