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Research in Veterinary Science Mar 2021Echinococcus spp. have a global distribution and are found on every continent except Antarctica. Infections with these parasites are considered extremely serious,... (Review)
Review
Echinococcus spp. have a global distribution and are found on every continent except Antarctica. Infections with these parasites are considered extremely serious, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality in addition to substantial economic losses to the livestock industry. Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) and Echinococcus multilocularis, causing cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) respectively, are the two main species of interest from a human and veterinary perspective. This review collates the current state-of-the-art understanding of these two parasites within four key areas of relevance to human and veterinary professionals: transmission and epidemiology, clinical signs and pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment and prevention. This review should serve as a broad introduction to the most important Echinococcus spp. The reader is advised to seek out specific literature on individual diseases and their causative parasites for a deeper understanding.
Topics: Animals; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus granulosus; Echinococcus multilocularis; Humans
PubMed: 33246571
DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2020.11.010 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Mar 2016Echinococcosis is one of the 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) recognized by the World Health Organization. The two major species of medical importance are... (Review)
Review
Echinococcosis is one of the 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) recognized by the World Health Organization. The two major species of medical importance are Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis. E. granulosus affects over 1 million people and is responsible for over $3 billion in expenses every year. In this minireview, we discuss aspects of the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis or cystic hydatid disease caused by E. granulosus.
Topics: Animals; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus granulosus; Echinococcus multilocularis; Global Health; Humans; Neglected Diseases
PubMed: 26677245
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.02420-15 -
Acta Tropica Apr 2010The earlier recommendations of the WHO-Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis (WHO-IWGE) for the treatment of human echinococcosis have had considerable impact in... (Review)
Review
The earlier recommendations of the WHO-Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis (WHO-IWGE) for the treatment of human echinococcosis have had considerable impact in different settings worldwide, but the last major revision was published more than 10 years ago. Advances in classification and treatment of echinococcosis prompted experts from different continents to review the current literature, discuss recent achievements and provide a consensus on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Among the recognized species, two are of medical importance -Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis - causing cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE), respectively. For CE, consensus has been obtained on an image-based, stage-specific approach, which is helpful for choosing one of the following options: (1) percutaneous treatment, (2) surgery, (3) anti-infective drug treatment or (4) watch and wait. Clinical decision-making depends also on setting-specific aspects. The usage of an imaging-based classification system is highly recommended. For AE, early diagnosis and radical (tumour-like) surgery followed by anti-infective prophylaxis with albendazole remains one of the key elements. However, most patients with AE are diagnosed at a later stage, when radical surgery (distance of larval to liver tissue of >2cm) cannot be achieved. The backbone of AE treatment remains the continuous medical treatment with albendazole, and if necessary, individualized interventional measures. With this approach, the prognosis can be improved for the majority of patients with AE. The consensus of experts under the aegis of the WHO-IWGE will help promote studies that provide missing evidence to be included in the next update.
Topics: Animals; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus granulosus; Echinococcus multilocularis; Humans
PubMed: 19931502
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2009.11.001 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jan 2020Echinococcosis are considered to be potentially lethal zoonotic diseases that cause serious damage to hosts. The metacestode of and can result in causing the... (Review)
Review
Echinococcosis are considered to be potentially lethal zoonotic diseases that cause serious damage to hosts. The metacestode of and can result in causing the alveolar and cystic echinococcoses, respectively. Recent studies have shown that non-coding RNAs are widely expressed in spp. and hosts. In this review, the two main types of non-coding RNAs-long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs)-and the wide-scale involvement of these molecules in these parasites and their hosts were discussed. The expression pattern of miRNAs in spp. is species- and developmental stage-specific. Furthermore, common miRNAs were detected in three spp. and their intermediate hosts. Here, we primarily focus on recent insights from transcriptome studies, the expression patterns of miRNAs and lncRNAs, and miRNA-related databases and techniques that are used to investigate miRNAs in and echinococcosis. This review provides new avenues for screening therapeutic and diagnostic markers.
Topics: Animals; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus granulosus; Echinococcus multilocularis; Humans; MicroRNAs; RNA, Long Noncoding; Transcriptome
PubMed: 31979099
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21030730 -
Veterinary Parasitology Oct 2015Diagnosis and detection of Echinococcus granulosus (sensu lato) infection in animals is a prerequisite for epidemiological studies and surveillance of echinococcosis in... (Review)
Review
Diagnosis and detection of Echinococcus granulosus (sensu lato) infection in animals is a prerequisite for epidemiological studies and surveillance of echinococcosis in endemic, re-emergent or emergent transmission zones. Advances in diagnostic approaches for definitive hosts and livestock, however, have not progressed equally over the last 20 years. Development of laboratory based diagnostics for canids using coproantigen ELISA and also coproPCR, have had a huge impact on epidemiological studies and more recently on surveillance during hydatid control programmes. In contrast, diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in livestock still relies largely on conventional post-mortem inspection, despite a relatively low diagnostic sensitivity especially in early infections, as current serodiagnostics do not provide a sufficiently specific and sensitive practical pre-mortem alternative. As a result, testing of dog faecal samples by coproantigen ELISA, often combined with mass ultrasound screening programmes for human CE, has been the preferred approach for monitoring and surveillance in resource-poor endemic areas and during control schemes. In this article we review the current options and approaches for diagnosis of E. granulosus infection in definitive and animal intermediate hosts (including applications in non-domesticated species) and make conclusions and recommendations for further improvements in diagnosis for use in epidemiological studies and surveillance schemes.
Topics: Animals; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus granulosus; Epidemiology; Humans; Population Surveillance
PubMed: 26321135
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.07.028 -
Genomics Mar 2021Over one million people are living with cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE). For CE, long-term albendazole treatment is often needed, which...
Over one million people are living with cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE). For CE, long-term albendazole treatment is often needed, which requires regular follow-up. Follow-up is mainly through imaging which is insensitive to subtle changes and subjective to experience. We investigated the changes of Echinococcus granulosus (Eg) cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in plasma of CE patients before and after albendazole treatment to evaluate its potential as an objective marker for treatment follow-up. Plasma samples of nine CE patients were collected before and after treatment. We identified Eg cfDNA from every sample through high-throughput sequencing. Eg cfDNA concentration and fragment length increased significantly after the treatment period. Ultrasound examination before and after the treatment initiation reflected the drug effects to a certain extent, as the cyst size of four patients reduced. Our findings indicated that Eg cfDNA from plasma could be a potential marker in the monitoring of CE treatment.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Albendazole; Animals; Anticestodal Agents; Cell-Free Nucleic Acids; DNA, Helminth; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus granulosus; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged
PubMed: 33383141
DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.12.035 -
Clinical & Developmental Immunology 2012The larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus causes cystic echinococcosis, a neglected infectious disease that constitutes a major public health problem in developing... (Review)
Review
The larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus causes cystic echinococcosis, a neglected infectious disease that constitutes a major public health problem in developing countries. Despite being under constant barrage by the immune system, E. granulosus modulates antiparasite immune responses and persists in the human hosts with detectable humoral and cellular responses against the parasite. In vitro and in vivo immunological approaches, together with molecular biology and immunoproteomic technologies, provided us exciting insights into the mechanisms involved in the initiation of E. granulosus infection and the consequent induction and regulation of the immune response. Although the last decade has clarified many aspects of host-parasite relationship in human cystic echinococcosis, establishing the full mechanisms that cause the disease requires more studies. Here, we review some of the recent developments and discuss new avenues in this evolving story of E. granulosus infection in man.
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Helminth; Antigens, Helminth; Cytokines; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus granulosus; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Immunologic Factors; Proteomics
PubMed: 22110535
DOI: 10.1155/2012/639362 -
Parasite (Paris, France) 2018Echinococcosis, which causes a high disease burden and is of great public health significance, is caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus species. It has been...
Echinococcosis, which causes a high disease burden and is of great public health significance, is caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus species. It has been suggested that tubulin is the target of benzimidazoles, the only drugs for the treatment of echinococcosis. This study evaluated the characteristics of tubulins from Echinococcus granulosus. The full-length cDNAs of E. granulosus α- and β-tubulin isoforms were cloned by reverse transcription PCR from protoscolex RNA. Then, these two tubulin isoforms (α and β) were recombinantly expressed as insoluble inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. Nickel affinity chromatography was used to purify and refold the contents of these inclusion bodies as active proteins. The polymerization of tubulins was monitored by UV spectrophotometry (A) and confirmed by confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that E. granulosus 1356 bp α-tubulin and 1332 bp β-tubulin encode corresponding proteins of 451 and 443 amino acids. The average yields of α- and β-tubulin were 2.0-3.0 mg/L and 3.5-5.0 mg/L of culture, respectively. Moreover, recombinant α- and β-tubulin were capable of polymerizing into microtubule-like structures under appropriate conditions in vitro. These recombinant tubulins could be helpful for screening anti-Echinococcus compounds targeting the tubulins of E. granulosus.
Topics: Animals; Cloning, Molecular; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus granulosus; Gene Expression; Microtubules; Polymerization; RNA Isoforms; Recombinant Proteins; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Tubulin
PubMed: 30516131
DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2018063 -
Parasites & Vectors Dec 2022Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is recognized as one of the most prevalent zoonotic diseases in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, no systemic investigation of the genetic...
BACKGROUND
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is recognized as one of the most prevalent zoonotic diseases in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, no systemic investigation of the genetic diversity of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato circulating among animals and humans in the country has been performed to date.
METHODS
In this preliminary study, we analysed one cyst each from 36 sheep, 27 cattle, 27 pigs, 11 wild boars and 16 human patients for amplification and partial sequencing of the adenosine triphosphate 6 (atp6) and cytochrome c oxidase 1 (cox1) genes. The host species, fertility rate and organ cyst location were recorded for each subject involved in the study.
RESULTS
Overall, the atp6 gene was successfully amplified and sequenced from 110 samples, while 96 of the PCRs for cox1 were positive. Three zoonotic genotypes of E. granulosus sensu stricto (G1 and G3) and Echinococcus canadensis (G7) were identified in our isolates based on analyses of the atp6 gene. These genotypes were represented by 11 different genetic variants (haplotypes), six of which were identified for the first time in the present study.
CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates, for the first time, that CE in Bosnia and Herzegovina is predominantly caused by E. granulosus sensu stricto and E. canadensis clusters, which exhibited a lower genetic diversity compared to isolates from other European countries. Further molecular studies employing other mitochondrial and nuclear genes are required to better understand the transmission cycles of E. granulosus sensu stricto among intermediate and definitive hosts in the country.
Topics: Humans; Sheep; Cattle; Animals; Swine; Echinococcus granulosus; Echinococcus; Echinococcosis; Genotype; Genetic Variation; Cysts
PubMed: 36482478
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05598-9 -
Iranian Journal of Immunology : IJI Sep 2023Different subtypes of dendritic cells (DCs) can induce different types of immune responses. Our previous study found that Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus)...
BACKGROUND
Different subtypes of dendritic cells (DCs) can induce different types of immune responses. Our previous study found that Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) antigens (Eg.ferritin, Eg.mMDH and Eg.10) stimulated DC differentiation to different subtypes and produced different immune responses.
OBJECTIVE
To further understand whether Eg.ferritin, Eg.mMDH and Eg.10 affect the DC-mediated immune response by promoting the differentiation of monocytes to DCs.
METHODS
Bone marrow-derived monocytes were exposed to three antigens of E. granulosus on days 0, 3, 5, and 7. The percentage of monocyte-derived DCs (moDCs), DCs subsets, and the expression of surface molecules of DCs at different time points in different groups were assessed by flow cytometry. The levels of cytokines of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12p70, IL-18, IL-23, and IL-27 in the cell culture supernatant were detected by multi-factorial detection technology.
RESULTS
The percentage of moDCs revealed that none of the three antigens blocked monocyte differentiation to DCs. The monocytes of 7-day-old cultures showed increased sensitivity to these antigens. The Eg.ferritin induced more mature DCs, which expressed high levels of MHC II and costimulatory molecules, and secreted Th1 cytokines. Eg10 and Eg.mMDH induced lower degrees of DC maturation, however differentiated DCs were in a semi-mature state due to low expression of MHC II and costimulatory molecules and secretion of higher Th2 and lower Th1 cytokines.
CONCLUSION
Eg.ferritin promotes full maturation of DCs and induces Th1 immune response, whereas Eg.10 and Eg.mMDH induce semi-mature DCs producing higher levels of Th2 cytokines.
Topics: Animals; Monocytes; Echinococcus granulosus; Dendritic Cells; Cytokines; Cell Differentiation; Transcription Factors; Ferritins
PubMed: 37458144
DOI: 10.22034/iji.2023.98163.2557