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Parasitology Jul 2022Durrington Walls was a large Neolithic settlement in Britain dating around 2500 BCE, located very close to Stonehenge and likely to be the campsite where its builders...
Durrington Walls was a large Neolithic settlement in Britain dating around 2500 BCE, located very close to Stonehenge and likely to be the campsite where its builders lived during its main stage of construction. Nineteen coprolites recovered from a midden and associated pits at Durrington Walls were analysed for intestinal parasite eggs using digital light microscopy. Five (26%) contained helminth eggs, 1 with those of fish tapeworm (likely ) and 4 with those of capillariid nematodes. Analyses of bile acid and sterol from these 5 coprolites show 1 to be of likely human origin and the other 4 to likely derive from dogs. The presence of fish tapeworm reveals that the Neolithic people who gathered to feast at Durrington Walls were at risk of infection from eating raw or undercooked freshwater fish. When the eggs of capillariids are found in the feces of humans or dogs it normally indicates that the internal organs (liver, lung or intestines) of animals with capillariasis have been eaten, and eggs passed through the gut without causing disease. Their presence in multiple coprolites provides new evidence that internal organs of animals were consumed. These novel findings improve our understanding of both parasitic infection and dietary habits associated with this key Neolithic ceremonial site.
Topics: Animals; Diphyllobothriasis; Diphyllobothrium; Dogs; Feces; Helminths; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Parasites
PubMed: 35592918
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182022000476 -
The American Journal of Dermatopathology Jul 2022
Topics: Administration, Cutaneous; Humans; Peru; Skin; Sparganosis
PubMed: 35503880
DOI: 10.1097/DAD.0000000000002205 -
Acta Tropica Aug 2022The plerocercoid larvae of the tapeworm Spirometra erinaceieuropaei can parasitize humans and animals and cause serious parasitic zoonosis. However, our knowledge of the...
The plerocercoid larvae of the tapeworm Spirometra erinaceieuropaei can parasitize humans and animals and cause serious parasitic zoonosis. However, our knowledge of the developmental process of S. erinaceieuropaei is still inadequate. To better characterize differential and specific genes and pathways associated with parasite development, a comparative transcriptomic analysis of the plerocercoid stage and the adult stage was performed using RNA-seq and de novo analysis. Approximately 13,659 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in plerocercoids versus adults, of which 6455 DEGs were upregulated and 7204 were downregulated. DEGs involved in parasite immunoevasion were more active in plerocercoid larvae than in adults, while DEGs associated with metabolic activity were upregulated in adults. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes (KEGG) analyses revealed that most DEGs involved in protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and the Wnt signalling pathway were much more active in plerocercoid larvae. The molecular functions of upregulated unigenes in adults were mainly enriched for metabolic activities. qPCR validated that the expression levels of 10 selected DEGs were consistent with those in RNA-seq, confirming the accuracy of the RNA-seq results. Our results contributed to increasing the knowledge on the S. erinaceieuropaei gene repertoire and expression profile and also provide valuable resources for functional studies on the molecular mechanisms of S. erinaceieuropaei.
Topics: Animals; Cestode Infections; Gene Expression Profiling; Sparganosis; Spirometra; Transcriptome; Zoonoses
PubMed: 35469749
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106483 -
The Lancet. Infectious Diseases May 2022
Topics: Humans; Praziquantel; Sparganosis
PubMed: 35460664
DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00150-5 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Apr 2022The incidence of sparganosis, especially intracranial live sparganosis is very low in China. Due to the lack of typical clinical manifestations, it is difficult to make...
BACKGROUND
The incidence of sparganosis, especially intracranial live sparganosis is very low in China. Due to the lack of typical clinical manifestations, it is difficult to make a clear preoperative diagnosis of the disease, which often leads to delays the disease and serious consequences.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 23-year-old man presented with a 17-year history of intermittent seizures and right extremity numbness and weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed patchy, nodular and line-like enhancement. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detected positive antibodies to Spirometra mansoni in peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In addition, during the operation, an ivory-colored live sparganosis was removed under the precise positioning of neuronavigation, and the patient was diagnosed with cerebral sparganosis. The patient began praziquantel and sodium valproate treatment after the operation, and was followed up for 3 months. There was no recurrence of epilepsy, and the weakness and numbness of the right limb improved.
CONCLUSION
Nonspecific clinical manifestations often make the diagnosis of cerebral sparganosis difficult, and a comprehensive diagnosis should be made based on epidemiological history, clinical manifestations, ELISA results and imaging findings. Surgery is the preferred method for the treatment of cerebral sparganosis, and more satisfactory results can be achieved under the precise positioning of neuronavigation.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Humans; Hypesthesia; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Praziquantel; Sparganosis; Spirometra; Young Adult
PubMed: 35397512
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07293-7 -
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms Mar 2022Tapeworms of the genus Dibothriocephalus are widely distributed throughout the world, and some are agents of human diphyllobothriasis, one of the most important...
Tapeworms of the genus Dibothriocephalus are widely distributed throughout the world, and some are agents of human diphyllobothriasis, one of the most important fish-borne zoonoses caused by a cestode parasite. Until now, the population genetic structure of diphyllobothriid tapeworms in the Baikal Rift Zone (BRZ) has remained unexplored. The major aim of this study was to analyse the population genetic structure of D. dendriticus and D. ditremus parasitising fish in the BRZ based on internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I (cox1) sequences. We found that both species had complex population genetic structures. Each species formed 2 clades (D. dendriticus: Clade 1 & 2; D. ditremus Clade A & B) that differed in genetic diversity. D. dendriticus haplotypes in Clade 1 formed a star-like sub-network with a main haplotype, whereas the haplotypes in Clade 2 formed a diffuse network. We assumed that the complex population genetic structure of D. dendriticus was a consequence of populations evolving under different palaeoecological conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum. In contrast to D. dendriticus, both clades in the D. ditremus samples formed a diffuse network. Our findings revealed hypothetical pathways in the formation of the population genetic structure of diphyllobothriids in the BRZ. On one hand, isolation by distance played an important role; on the other hand, lake recolonisation from refugia and a genetic bottleneck after the end of the Last Glacial Maximum had a possible influence.
Topics: Animals; Cestoda; Diphyllobothriasis; Diphyllobothrium; Fishes; Genetics, Population
PubMed: 35297380
DOI: 10.3354/dao03646 -
International Journal of Infectious... Apr 2022Sparganosis, especially cerebral sparganosis, is a rare comorbidity of HIV/AIDS. Owing to nonspecific symptoms of sparganosis, diagnosis and treatment of the disease are...
Sparganosis, especially cerebral sparganosis, is a rare comorbidity of HIV/AIDS. Owing to nonspecific symptoms of sparganosis, diagnosis and treatment of the disease are challenging with a very high rate of misdiagnosis. This case report summarizes the clinical data of a case of cerebral sparganosis in a patient with HIV/AIDS. It provides a reference for the treatment of HIV/AIDS coexisting with parasitic encephalopathy (cerebral sparganosis). Cerebral sparganosis has been reported worldwide, especially in Asian countries. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of cerebral sparganosis associated with HIV/AIDS.
Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Asia; Brain Diseases; Diagnostic Errors; Humans; Sparganosis
PubMed: 35151855
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.02.016 -
Parasite (Paris, France) 2022The geographic distribution of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea), the causative agent of food/water-borne sparganosis, is restricted to Europe,...
The geographic distribution of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea), the causative agent of food/water-borne sparganosis, is restricted to Europe, where infected canids, felids, mustelids, suids, and reptiles have been documented from Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Serbia, Estonia, Latvia, and Finland. The main objective of the current study was to map the molecular divergence of S. erinaceieuropaei from Finland using the complete sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1 mtDNA). Seven cox1 haplotypes were determined in 15 tapeworms from Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from three localities in southern Finland. In addition, the first inter-population study of S. erinaceieuropaei based on currently obtained data on cox1 from Finland and previously published data from Finland, Latvia, Ukraine, and Poland, was performed. The haplotype network showed a star-like pattern without specific subdivision of lineages according to the locality. Samples from Finland, Latvia, and Poland shared several haplotypes and formed the common Baltic lineage. The haplotype of S. erinaceieuropaei from Ukraine was unique and placed on a separate mutational pathway, suggesting a different lineage of the parasite.
Topics: Animals; DNA, Mitochondrial; Europe; Phylogeny; Sparganosis; Spirometra
PubMed: 35148496
DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2022009 -
Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za... Jan 2021To investigate the prevalence of infections in hosts in Jiangsu Province, so as to provide the scientific basis for the management of sparganosis mansoni.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of infections in hosts in Jiangsu Province, so as to provide the scientific basis for the management of sparganosis mansoni.
METHODS
From 2018 to 2019, nine counties (cities, districts) were randomly selected from Jiangsu Province as the survey sites, and 100 healthy individuals were randomly selected to perform the serological test of infections and the detection of eggs. The procercoids were detected in the intermediate host , and the eggs were identified in the stool samples of the definitive hosts cats and dogs.
RESULTS
The prevalence of human infections was 0 (0/900) in the 9 survey sites of Jiangsu Province, and the sero-prevalence of the specific IgG antibody against was 1.22% (11/900). The positive rate of procercoids was 0.33% (3/900) in . In addition, the egg-positive rate was 1.48% (2/135) in cats and dogs.
CONCLUSIONS
Sparganosis mansoni is prevalent in Jiangsu Province. Health education pertaining to the damages of sparganosis mansoni and the route of infections should be improved.
Topics: Animals; Cats; Cities; Dogs; Prevalence; Sparganosis; Spirometra
PubMed: 35128897
DOI: 10.16250/j.32.1374.2020212 -
Clinical Gastroenterology and... Jul 2022
Topics: Animals; Colonoscopy; Diphyllobothriasis; Diphyllobothrium; Humans
PubMed: 35032634
DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2022.01.005