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Parasitology Research Jun 2024Diphyllobothriosis, a fish-borne zoonosis in South America, is mainly caused by the Pacific broad tapeworm Adenocephalus pacificus Nybelin, 1931, a parasite of...
Diphyllobothriosis, a fish-borne zoonosis in South America, is mainly caused by the Pacific broad tapeworm Adenocephalus pacificus Nybelin, 1931, a parasite of considerable concern in fishery resources due to its impact on public health. A new diphyllobothrid, Diphyllobothrium sprakeri Hernández-Orts et al. Parasites Vectors 14:219, 2021, was recently described from sea lions from the Pacific Coast, but marine fish acting as intermediate hosts are unknown. The objective of this study was to confirm the presence of plerocercoid larvae of Diphyllobothriidae Lühe, 1910 (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea) in nine fish species of commercial importance in Peru. Of a total of 6999 fish (5861 Engraulis ringens, 853 Sciaena deliciosa, 6 Sciaena callaensis, 171 Scomber japonicus, 40 Trachurus murphyi, 40 Ariopsis seemanni, 18 Merluccius peruanus, 5 Sarda chiliensis, and 5 Coryphaena hippurus), 183 were infected with plerocercoid larvae, representing a total prevalence of 2.61% and a mean intensity of 3.2. Based on mtDNA cox1 sequences of 43 plerocercoids, a phylogenetic analysis revealed that 41 belong to A. pacificus and two to D. sprakeri. These findings are first molecular data for D. sprakeri larvae, and the infections of E. ringens and T. murphyi by plerocercoid larvae represent the first records of intermediate/paratenic hosts for this species. Hence, the findings of the current study enhance our understanding of the presence of diphyllobothriid species in commercial fish from the Southeastern Pacific Ocean and their potential impact on seafood safety for local human populations.
Topics: Animals; Peru; Fish Diseases; Fishes; Prevalence; Larva; Phylogeny; Cestode Infections; Cestoda; Diphyllobothrium; Diphyllobothriasis; DNA, Helminth
PubMed: 38874599
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-024-08267-1 -
Parasite (Paris, France) 2024The emergence of pandemics with dramatic consequences for human health has obscured endemic diseases that continue to pose a problem for human and animal health in... (Review)
Review
The emergence of pandemics with dramatic consequences for human health has obscured endemic diseases that continue to pose a problem for human and animal health in several regions of the world. Among these diseases, cystic echinococcosis, a zoonotic parasitic infection caused by a group of cestodes, Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato, remains a real human and animal health problem in several regions of the world, including the Mediterranean Basin. Despite the implementation of a number of governmental control programmes using several tools (dog treatment, meat inspection, etc.), this infection is still highly prevalent in North Africa. Here we present a review of the epidemiology of cystic echinococcosis in Tunisia, an analysis of the constraints limiting the effectiveness of the control programmes implemented, and finally argue for the use of the One Health framework to improve the effectiveness of future programmes.
Topics: Tunisia; Humans; Animals; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus granulosus; One Health; Zoonoses; Dogs; Prevalence; Dog Diseases
PubMed: 38874552
DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2024029 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Jun 2024Schistosomiasis japonica represents a significant public health concern in South Asia. There is an urgent need to optimize existing schistosomiasis diagnostic...
BACKGROUND
Schistosomiasis japonica represents a significant public health concern in South Asia. There is an urgent need to optimize existing schistosomiasis diagnostic techniques. This study aims to develop models for the different stages of liver fibrosis caused by Schistosoma infection utilizing ultrasound radiomics and machine learning techniques.
METHODS
From 2018 to 2022, we retrospectively collected data on 1,531 patients and 5,671 B-mode ultrasound images from the Second People's Hospital of Duchang City, Jiangxi Province, China. The datasets were screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria suitable for radiomics models. Liver fibrosis due to Schistosoma infection (LFSI) was categorized into four stages: grade 0, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3. The data were divided into six binary classification problems, such as group 1 (grade 0 vs. grade 1) and group 2 (grade 0 vs. grade 2). Key radiomic features were extracted using Pyradiomics, the Mann-Whitney U test, and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO). Machine learning models were constructed using Support Vector Machine (SVM), and the contribution of different features in the model was described by applying Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP).
RESULTS
This study ultimately included 1,388 patients and their corresponding images. A total of 851 radiomics features were extracted for each binary classification problems. Following feature selection, 18 to 76 features were retained from each groups. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the validation cohorts was 0.834 (95% CI: 0.779-0.885) for the LFSI grade 0 vs. LFSI grade 1, 0.771 (95% CI: 0.713-0.835) for LFSI grade 1 vs. LFSI grade 2, and 0.830 (95% CI: 0.762-0.885) for LFSI grade 2 vs. LFSI grade 3.
CONCLUSION
Machine learning models based on ultrasound radiomics are feasible for classifying different stages of liver fibrosis caused by Schistosoma infection.
Topics: Humans; Schistosomiasis japonica; Ultrasonography; Male; Liver Cirrhosis; Female; Retrospective Studies; Middle Aged; Adult; Schistosoma japonicum; China; Feasibility Studies; Animals; Machine Learning; Support Vector Machine; Aged; Young Adult; Adolescent; Liver; Radiomics
PubMed: 38870200
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012235 -
Proceedings. Biological Sciences Jun 2024The WHO aims to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem by 2030. However, standard morbidity measures poorly correlate to infection intensities, hindering...
The WHO aims to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem by 2030. However, standard morbidity measures poorly correlate to infection intensities, hindering disease monitoring and evaluation. This is exacerbated by insufficient evidence on 's impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We conducted community-based cross-sectional surveys and parasitological examinations in moderate-to-high endemic communities in Uganda. We calculated parasitic infections and used EQ-5D instruments to estimate and compare HRQoL utilities in these populations. We further employed Tobit/linear regression models to predict HRQoL determinants. Two-thirds of the 560 participants were diagnosed with parasitic infection(s), 49% having . No significant negative association was observed between HRQoL and infection status/intensity. However, severity of pain urinating ( = -0.106; s.e. = 0.043) and body swelling ( = -0.326; s.e. = 0.005), increasing age ( = -0.016; s.e. = 0.033), reduced socio-economic status ( = 0.128; s.e. = 0.032), and being unemployed predicted lower HRQoL. Symptom severity and socio-economic status were better predictors of short-term HRQoL than current infection status/intensity. This is key to disentangling the link between infection(s) and short-term health outcomes, and highlights the complexity of correlating current infection(s) with long-term morbidity. Further evidence is needed on long-term schistosomiasis-associated HRQoL, health and economic outcomes to inform the case for upfront investments in schistosomiasis interventions.
Topics: Quality of Life; Schistosomiasis mansoni; Uganda; Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Male; Animals; Schistosoma mansoni; Adult; Adolescent; Child; Middle Aged; Young Adult
PubMed: 38864320
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0449 -
Marine Biotechnology (New York, N.Y.) Jun 2024Tetrodotoxin (TTX), a pufferfish toxin, is a highly potent neurotoxin that has been found in a wide variety of animals. The TTX-bearing flatworm Planocera...
Tetrodotoxin (TTX), a pufferfish toxin, is a highly potent neurotoxin that has been found in a wide variety of animals. The TTX-bearing flatworm Planocera multitentaculata possesses a large amount of TTX and is considered responsible for the toxification of TTX-bearing animals such as pufferfish (Takifugu and Chelonodon) and the toxic goby Yongeichthys criniger. However, the mechanism underlying TTX accumulation in flatworms remains unclear. Previous studies have been limited to identifying the distribution of TTX in multiple organs, such as the digestive organs, genital parts, and the remaining tissues of flatworms. Here, we performed liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis and immunohistochemical staining using a monoclonal anti-TTX antibody to elucidate the detailed localization of TTX in the tissues and organs of the flatworm P. multitentaculata. Immunohistochemical staining for P. multitentaculata showed that TTX-specific signals were detected not only in the ovaries and pharynx but also in many other tissues and organs, whereas no signal was detected in the brain, Lang's vesicle, and genitalia. In addition, combined with LC-MS/MS analysis, it was revealed for the first time that TTX accumulates in high concentrations in the basement membrane and epidermis. These findings robustly support the hypotheses of "TTX utilization protection from predators."
PubMed: 38861110
DOI: 10.1007/s10126-024-10332-w -
Human cystic echinococcosis: first molecular identification of Echinococcus canadensis G7 in Brazil.Parasitology Research Jun 2024Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) is a species complex with the potential to cause cystic echinococcosis (CE). Contact with the feces of domestic dogs (Canis...
Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) is a species complex with the potential to cause cystic echinococcosis (CE). Contact with the feces of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) fed with raw viscera of intermediate livestock hosts is a risk factor for this infection in the southern region of Brazil. Although the region has been considered endemic to CE for many years, molecular data regarding the species of the complex causing CE in humans are scarce. This study aimed to perform a molecular analysis of the biological fluid from a human liver cyst to investigate the species responsible for CE. Genetic material obtained from the hydatid fluid of a hepatic cyst from a human with CE was subjected to PCR to amplify mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed the human infection by Echinococcus canadensis G7 in the state of Paraná, Brazil. This is the first molecular record of E. canadensis G7 infecting a human in Brazil, and it is important to reiterate the risk of human CE caused by this species in South America, as reported by a previous study in Patagonia, Argentina. From the epidemiological point of view, this finding is of great relevance for the southern region of Brazil, since this parasite has previously only been detected in pigs in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, neighboring Paraná. The finding points to the importance of this identification in the molecular epidemiology of E. granulosus s.l., especially in South America.
Topics: Animals; Brazil; Echinococcus; Humans; Phylogeny; DNA, Helminth; Echinococcosis; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Polymerase Chain Reaction; DNA, Mitochondrial; Male
PubMed: 38860991
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-024-08262-6 -
Parasite (Paris, France) 2024A parasitological investigation of Cyprinella venusta and Notropis cf. stramineus sampled in Texas, USA, in the Guadalupe River, revealed the presence of Gyrodactylus...
Intraspecific variation in Gyrodactylus mediotorus and G. crysoleucas (Gyrodactylidae) from Nearctic shiners (Leuciscidae): evidence for ongoing speciation, host-switching, and parasite translocation.
A parasitological investigation of Cyprinella venusta and Notropis cf. stramineus sampled in Texas, USA, in the Guadalupe River, revealed the presence of Gyrodactylus crysoleucas Mizelle and Kritsky, 1967 on C. venusta, and Gyrodactylus mediotorus King, Marcogliese, Forest, McLaughlin & Bentzen, 2013 on both fish species. This represents new leuscicid fish hosts and locality records for these two gyrodactylids. Gyrodactylus crysoleucas previously identified from both non-native Californian Notemigonus crysoleucas and from farmed stocks in Minnesota demonstrated intraspecific variability in terms of morphology and genetics as a local adaptation associated with isolation by distance. Results further confirmed G. crysoleucas as alien in the western USA and suggested host-switching involving C. venusta and N. crysoleucas. Conservative morphology and genetics on the part of G. mediotorus from C. venusta and N. cf. stramineus (Guadalupe River) was observed, while higher genetic divergence in the ITS sequences associated with morphological discrepancy was found between the studied G. mediotorus specimens and those of Notropis hudsonius than when considering the parasites of Notropis texanus. The separation of G. mediotorus into geographical subgroups may indicate ongoing speciation linked to the Pleistocene glaciations in North America, and to hydrographic barriers that facilitated separate evolutionary paths leading to speciation. We suggest that deep investigations of Gyrodactylus populations will help to understand the speciation of these parasites and their adaptation to Nearctic fish hosts.
Topics: Animals; Fish Diseases; Trematode Infections; Texas; Rivers; Genetic Variation; Trematoda; Genetic Speciation; Cyprinidae; Phylogeny; Host Specificity; Host-Parasite Interactions
PubMed: 38860920
DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2024023 -
Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi =... Jun 2024is a common parasite of rats and mice, but is very rare in humans with cases reported from various parts of the world. Here, we reported a case of infection involving...
is a common parasite of rats and mice, but is very rare in humans with cases reported from various parts of the world. Here, we reported a case of infection involving both the respiratory and digestive tracts in a 49-year-old male patient whose initial imaging and symptoms were strikingly similar to pneumonia. Since no disease-causing pathogens were found during routine examinations, we considered respiratory infection by specific pathogens before metagenomic next-generation sequencing of broncho-alveolar lavage fluid confirmed the diagnosis of . After confirming the diagnosis, we retested the patient's stool repeatedly and found eggs finally. To help doctors better understand this condition and avoid misdiagnosis, this article provided a summary of the clinical characteristics, diagnostic techniques, and therapeutic options for infection by .
Topics: Male; Middle Aged; Hymenolepiasis; Humans; Hymenolepis diminuta; Animals; Feces; Lung Diseases, Parasitic
PubMed: 38858205
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112147-20240108-00012 -
[Histone deacetylase and histone acetyltransferase inhibitors as antischistosomal agents: a review].Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za... Mar 2024Schistosomiasis is a neglected zoonotic parasitic disease. Currently, praziquantel is the drug of choice for the treatment of schistosomiasis, and is the only effective... (Review)
Review
Schistosomiasis is a neglected zoonotic parasitic disease. Currently, praziquantel is the drug of choice for the treatment of schistosomiasis, and is the only effective chemical for treatment of schistosomiasis japonica. Since its introduction in the 1970s, praziquantel has been used for large-scale chemotherapy of schistosomiasis for over 40 years. However, there have been reports pertaining to the resistance to praziquantel in schistosomes. Therefore, development of novel antischistosomal agents as alternatives of praziquantel, is of great need. Histone deacetylases and histone acetyltransferases have been recently reported to play critical roles in the growth, development and reproduction of schistosomes, and are considered as potential drug targets for the treatment of schistosomiasis. This review summarizes the latest advances of histone deacetylase and histone acetyltransferase inhibitors in the research on antischistosomal drugs, so as to provide insights into research and development of novelantischistosomal agents.
Topics: Animals; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; Histone Acetyltransferases; Humans; Histone Deacetylases; Schistosoma; Schistosomiasis; Schistosomicides
PubMed: 38857968
DOI: 10.16250/j.32.1374.2023178 -
Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za... May 2024To investigate the prevalence of infections in small rodents around human residential areas in Yushu City, Qinghai Province in 2023, so as to provide insights into...
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of infections in small rodents around human residential areas in Yushu City, Qinghai Province in 2023, so as to provide insights into precision echinococcosis control.
METHODS
One or two quadrats, each measuring 50 m × 50 m, were randomly assigned in Shanglaxiu Township and Longbao Township, Yushu City, Qinghai Province on June 2023, respectively, and 300 plate-type mouse traps, each measuring 12.0 cm × 6.5 cm, were assigned in each quadrat. Small rodents were captured during the period between 10 : 00 and 18 : 00 each day for 4 days. Then, all captured small rodents were identified and dissected, and liver specimens with suspected infections were subjected to pathological examinations. The cytochrome c oxidase 1 () gene was amplified using PCR assay, and the sequence of the amplified product was aligned to that was recorded in the GenBank to characterize the parasite species. In addition, a phylogenetic tree of was generated based on the gene sequence using the neighbor-joining method.
RESULTS
A total of 236 small rodents were captured in Shanglaxiu and Longbao townships, Yushu City, including 65 Qinghai voles and 51 plateau pikas in Shanglaxiu Township, and 62 Qinghai voles and 58 plateau pikas in Longbao Township, and there was no significant difference in the constituent ratio of small rodents between the two townships (χ = 0.294, > 0.05). Seven plateau pikas and 12 Qinghai voles were suspected to be infected with by dissection, and pathological examinations showed unclear structure of hepatic lobules and disordered hepatocyte arrangement in livers of small rodents suspected of infections. PCR assay identified DNA in 7 Qinghai voles, which were all captured from Shanglaxiu Township. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the gene sequence of in small rodents was highly homologous to the gene sequence reported previously.
CONCLUSIONS
Plateau pika and Qinghai vole were predominant small rodents around human residential areas in Yushu City, Qinghai Province in 2023, and infection was detected in Qinghai voles.
Topics: Animals; Echinococcosis; China; Echinococcus; Rodentia; Prevalence; Phylogeny; Humans
PubMed: 38857961
DOI: 10.16250/j.32.1374.2024007