International journal for parasitology最新文献

{"title":"Enigmatic host-mite relationships: Unraveling the distribution of quill mites on Birds-of-Paradise","authors":"Maciej Skoracki ,&nbsp;Markus Unsoeld ,&nbsp;Jakub Z. Kosicki ,&nbsp;Roland R. Melzer ,&nbsp;Stefan Friedrich ,&nbsp;Bozena Sikora","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.03.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.03.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Mites of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Cheyletoidea) are permanent and obligatory parasites of birds. This study presents an analysis of mite material collected from 22 avian species belonging to the family Paradisaeidae (Passeriformes), revealing the presence of four mite species belonging to four genera: <em>Syringophiloidus attenboroughi</em> n. sp., <em>Peristerophila regiusi</em> n. comb., <em>Picobia frankei</em>, and <em>Gunabopicobia garylarsoni</em>. In the present work, the genus <em>Neoperisterophila</em> is synonymized with the genus <em>Peristerophila</em>. While the genera <em>Syringophiloidus</em> and <em>Picobia</em> were expectedly found on paradisaeid birds, given their prevalence in passerines, the presence of <em>Peristerophila</em> and <em>Gunabopicobia</em> was intriguing, suggesting potential host-switching events. The specificity of these mites varies, with some showing occurrence on hosts of closely related genera and others infesting phylogenetically distant hosts. Notably, the distribution of specific mite species on the Birds-of-Paradise appears to be influenced by both long coevolutionary histories and incidental contacts between often unrelated or intergeneric hybrid species of paradisaeid birds. Furthermore, our research of 104 specimens from 22 Birds-of-Paradise species shows generally low infestation rates across the studied species, suggesting a nuanced interaction between these mites and their avian hosts. Additionally, our network analysis provides a deeper understanding of these host-parasite interactions, revealing a high level of specialization and complexity in these ecological relationships.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 8","pages":"Pages 415-427"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020751924000596/pdfft?md5=f2938c04895415fe18631e537c31713a&pid=1-s2.0-S0020751924000596-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140599005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the impact of epidemiological and clinical factors on the progression of canine leishmaniosis by statistical and whole genome analyses: from breed predisposition to comorbidities","authors":"Carolina R. Sanz ,&nbsp;Juliana Sarquis ,&nbsp;María Ángeles Daza ,&nbsp;Guadalupe Miró","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.03.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.03.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Canine leishmaniosis (CanL), caused by <em>Leishmania infantum</em>, is a complex disease of growing importance in Europe. Clinical manifestations result from the down-modulation of the host immune response through multiple host-parasite interactions. Although several factors might influence CanL progression, this is the first known study evaluating risk factors for its different clinical stages in a large referral hospital population (<em>n</em> = 35.669) from an endemic area, over a 20 year period. Genome-wide scans for selection signatures were also conducted to explore the genomic component of clinical susceptibility to <em>L. infantum</em> infection. The prevalence of CanL was 3.2% (16.7% stage I; 43.6% stage II; 32.1% stage III; 7.6% stage IV). Dog breed (crossbreed), bodyweight (&lt;10 kg), living conditions (indoors), regular deworming treatment, and being vaccinated against <em>Leishmania</em> significantly decreased the transmission risk and the risk for developing severe clinical forms. Conversely, the detection of comorbidities was associated with advanced clinical forms, particularly chronic kidney disease, neoplasia, cryptorchidism, infectious tracheobronchitis and urate urolithiasis, although those did not impact the clinical outcome. Significant associations between an increased risk of severe clinical stages and findings in the anamnesis (renal or skin-related manifestations) and physical examination (ocular findings) were also detected, highlighting their diagnostic value in referred cases of CanL. Sixteen breeds were found to be significantly more susceptible to developing severe stages of leishmaniosis (e.g. Great Dane, Rottweiler, English Springer Spaniel, Boxer, American Staffordshire Terrier, Golden Retriever), while 20 breeds displayed a clinical resistantance phenotype and, thus, are more likely to mount an efficient immune response against <em>L. infantum</em> (e.g. Pointer, Samoyed, Spanish Mastiff, Spanish Greyhound, English Setter, Siberian Husky). Genomic analyses of these breeds retrieved 12 regions under selection, 63 candidate genes and pinpointed multiple biological pathways such as the IRE1 branch of the unfolded protein response, which could play a critical role in clinical susceptibility to <em>L. infantum</em> infection.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 8","pages":"Pages 401-414"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020751924000584/pdfft?md5=e9c3ae64bd21162d6d329f35d626ef30&pid=1-s2.0-S0020751924000584-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140602247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular characteristics of Cryptosporidium spp. in human cases in five Finnish hospital districts during 2021: first findings of Cryptosporidium mortiferum (Cryptosporidium chipmunk genotype I) in Finland","authors":"Tessa Häkkänen ,&nbsp;Ruska Rimhanen-Finne ,&nbsp;Jenni Antikainen ,&nbsp;Eeva Ruotsalainen ,&nbsp;Anni Vainio","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.01.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.01.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The aims of the study were to characterise the distribution of <em>Cryptosporidium</em> spp. and subtypes causing infections in Finland during 2021. This was carried out with 60 clinical samples from the hospital districts of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Vaasa, Kymenlaakso, South Karelia, and Central Finland, as well as with Finnish Infectious Diseases Register (FIDR) data. Additionally, the study aimed to explore the potential exposures related to <em>Cryptosporidium mortiferum</em> (<em>Cryptosporidium</em> chipmunk genotype I) infections via interview. Species identification was carried out with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and 18S sequencing. Further typing was performed with <em>gp</em>60 subtyping. Over 70% of the samples were identified as <em>Cryptosporidium parvum</em> and 20% as <em>C. mortiferum</em>, which had not been identified in Finland before. Two cases of <em>Cryptosporidium hominis</em> were identified from patients reported to have travelled outside Europe. The <em>C. parvum</em> subtype IIaA15G2R1 and the <em>C. mortiferum</em> subtype XIVaA20G2T1 were the most common subtypes identified. The interviewed <em>C. mortiferum</em> cases did not report shared exposures such as contact with wild rodents. In conclusion, <em>C. parvum</em> and <em>C. mortiferum</em> were the major causes of cryptosporidiosis in the five studied Finnish hospital districts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 5","pages":"Pages 225-231"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020751924000134/pdfft?md5=5a2c45c0fc4306e2f28dd86fc1e52491&pid=1-s2.0-S0020751924000134-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139500201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geographic expansion of Fasciola hepatica (Linnaeus, 1758) due to changes in land use and cover in Brazil","authors":"Thayany Magalhães de Almeida,&nbsp;Irineu Romero Neto,&nbsp;Yara de Oliveira Brandão,&nbsp;Marcelo Beltrão Molento","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.12.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.12.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Fasciolosis is caused by parasites of the genus <em>Fasciola,</em> affecting animals and humans worldwide. In South America, the disease is a result of infection with <span><em>Fasciola hepatica</em></span> and although animal infections are more frequently reported, the full extent of the impact on human health due to underdiagnosis remains uncertain. This study analyzed changes in land use and the distribution of <em>F. hepatica</em> in bovine livers in Brazil over 18 years. Data on land use and land cover were collected from the Mapbiomas Project. Data on 414,481,963 slaughtered cattle and condemned livers due to <em>F</em>. <em>hepatica</em> infection were obtained from 4,433 municipalities. Joinpoint analysis was used to study the time series, and the Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model was utilized to explore the behavior of <em>F</em>. <em>hepatica</em> infection. In the North, pasture areas significantly increased (<em>P</em> = 0.000001), while forested areas decreased (<em>P</em> = 0.000001). The midwestern and northern regions concentrated the highest number (&gt;290 million) of cattle slaughtered in Brazil. More than 2 million bovine livers were infected by <em>F</em>. <em>hepatica</em>. The infected cattle originated from 194 municipalities in 2002, increasing to 747 in 2020. We consider that the changes in land use and intense cattle transportation may have caused the expansion of <em>F</em>. <em>hepatica</em>. The SIR model analyzed the spread of the disease looking at all six biomes: Caatinga, Amazon Forest, Cerrado, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest, and Pampa. Moreover, this infection not only threatens the health of animals but is also a major concern to biodiversity and vulnerable human communities in South America. Emblematic biomes such as the Amazon basin already face challenges with logging, desertification, and loss of biodiversity. Therefore, strategies for mitigating infection should include controlling illegal pasture areas, establishing health inspections of animal transport, quarantine of newly arrived animals, and livestock zoning, as well as clear One Health policies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 5","pages":"Pages 201-212"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139062164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Laboratory and field validation of the recombinase polymerase amplification assay targeting the Schistosoma mansoni mitochondrial minisatellite region (SmMIT-RPA) for snail xenomonitoring for schistosomiasis","authors":"Silvia Gonçalves Mesquita ,&nbsp;Grace Gadd ,&nbsp;Fernanda Sales Coelho ,&nbsp;Adam Cieplinski ,&nbsp;Aidan Emery ,&nbsp;Elena Birgitta Lugli ,&nbsp;Taynãna César Simões ,&nbsp;Cristina Toscano Fonseca ,&nbsp;Roberta Lima Caldeira ,&nbsp;Bonnie Webster","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.01.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.01.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Improvements in diagnostics for schistosomiasis in both humans and snail hosts are priorities to be able to reach the World Health Organization (WHO) goal of eliminating the disease as a public health problem by 2030. In this context, molecular isothermal amplification tests, such as Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA), are promising for use in endemic areas at the point-of-need for their accuracy, robustness, simplicity, and time-effectiveness. The developed recombinase polymerase amplification assay targeting the <em>Schistosoma mansoni</em> mitochondrial minisatellite region (<em>Sm</em>MIT-RPA) was used to detect <em>S</em>. <em>mansoni</em> DNA from both laboratory and field <em>Biomphalaria</em> snails. Laboratory snails were experimentally infected and used at one, seven, and 28 days post-exposure (dpe) to 10 <em>S. mansoni</em> miracidia to provide samples in the early pre-patent infection stage. Field samples of <em>Biomphalaria</em> spp. were collected from the Mucuri Valley and Jequitinhonha Valley regions in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, which are endemic for <em>S. mansoni</em>. The sensitivity and specificity of the <em>Sm</em>MIT-RPA assay were analysed and compared with existing loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), PCR-based methods, parasitological examination of the snails, and nucleotide sequencing. The <em>Sm</em>MIT-RPA assay was able to detect <em>S. mansoni</em> DNA in the experimentally infected <em>Biomphalaria glabrata</em> as early as one dpe to 10 miracidia. It also detected <em>S. mansoni</em> infections (55.5% prevalence) in the field samples with the highest accuracy (100% sensitivity and specificity) compared with the other molecular tests used as the reference. Results from this study indicate that the <em>Sm</em>MIT-RPA assay is a good alternative test to be used for snail xenomonitoring of <em>S. mansoni</em> due to its high sensitivity, accuracy, and the possibility of detecting early pre-patent infection. Its simplicity and portability also make it a suitable methodology in low-resource settings.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 5","pages":"Pages 247-256"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020751924000183/pdfft?md5=c5d16f79879b4b553f6d1568249be78e&pid=1-s2.0-S0020751924000183-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139679104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strong mitonuclear discordance in the phylogeny of Neodermata and evolutionary rates of Polyopisthocotylea","authors":"Dong Zhang ,&nbsp;Ivan Jakovlić ,&nbsp;Hong Zou ,&nbsp;Fei Liu ,&nbsp;Chuan-Yu Xiang ,&nbsp;Qunzong Gusang ,&nbsp;Sonam Tso ,&nbsp;Shenggui Xue ,&nbsp;Wen-Jin Zhu ,&nbsp;Zhenxin Li ,&nbsp;Jihua Wu ,&nbsp;Gui-Tang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.01.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.01.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The genomic evolution of Polyopisthocotylea remains poorly understood in comparison to the remaining three classes of Neodermata: Monopisthocotylea, Cestoda, and Trematoda. Moreover, the evolutionary sequence of major events in the phylogeny of Neodermata remains unresolved. Herein we sequenced the mitogenome and transcriptome of the polyopisthocotylean <em>Diplorchis</em> sp., and conducted comparative evolutionary analyses using nuclear (nDNA) and mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomic datasets of Neodermata. We found strong mitonuclear discordance in the phylogeny of Neodermata. Polyopisthocotylea exhibited striking mitonuclear discordance in relative evolutionary rates: the fastest-evolving mtDNA in Neodermata and a comparatively slowly-evolving nDNA genome. This was largely attributable to its very long stem branch in mtDNA topologies, not exhibited by the nDNA data. We found indications that the fast evolution of mitochondrial genomes of Polyopisthocotylea may be driven both by relaxed purifying selection pressures and elevated levels of directional selection. We identified mitochondria-associated genes encoded in the nuclear genome: they exhibited unique evolutionary rates, but not correlated with the evolutionary rate of mtDNA, and there is no evidence for compensatory evolution (they evolved slower than the rest of the genome). Finally, there appears to exist an exceptionally large (≈6.3 kb) nuclear mitochondrial DNA segment (numt) in the nuclear genome of newly sequenced <em>Diplorchis</em> sp. A 3′-end segment of the 16S rRNA gene encoded by the numt was expressed, suggesting that this gene acquired novel, regulatory functions after the transposition to the nuclear genome. In conclusion, Polyopisthocotylea appears to be the lineage with the fastest-evolving mtDNA sequences among all of Bilateria, but most of the substitutions were accumulated deep in the evolutionary history of this lineage. As the nuclear genome does not exhibit a similar pattern, the circumstances underpinning this evolutionary phenomenon remain a mystery.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 5","pages":"Pages 213-223"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139374036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of adult Dirofilaria immitis worms in the Rag2/Il-2rγ-/- mouse model","authors":"Frederic Risch ,&nbsp;Carolin Ludwig-Erdmann ,&nbsp;Achim Hoerauf ,&nbsp;Heinz Sager ,&nbsp;Marc P. Hübner","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.01.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Dirofilaria immitis</em> is the causative agent for one of the major parasitic infections in dogs. It is currently not possible to reliably diagnose the infection before the development of fertile adult female worms and the presence of microfilariae which takes six to 7 months. However, at this point adult worms already reside in the pulmonary arteries and can cause significant damage. Novel in vivo models may facilitate the development of new diagnostic tools and improve treatment options for both the early and late stages of <em>D. immitis</em> infections. In this paper, we aimed to increase the capabilities of recently published mouse models in which severely immune-deficient mice were shown to be susceptible to <em>D. immitis</em>. Our data shows that <em>D. immitis</em> may grow into fully developed mature male and female worms in C57BL/6 <em>Rag2/Il-2rγ^-/-</em> mice with comparable growth rates to the natural canine host. The adult worms of <em>D. immitis</em> were shown to migrate into body cavities as well as the heart in this model. However, the presence of adult worms inside the heart of infected mice led to the development of caval syndrome in 36% of infected mice after five to 6 months. Overall, the current study complements recently published efforts to establish a <em>D. immitis</em> mouse model by extending the development of <em>D. immitis</em> into mature adult stages and will facilitate further preclinical research.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 5","pages":"Pages 195-200"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020751924000158/pdfft?md5=b11a7641a3f6e7714f7d221edeeb376f&pid=1-s2.0-S0020751924000158-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139500066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mitochondrial genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of Echinococcus multilocularis in Europe","authors":"Azzurra Santoro ,&nbsp;Federica Santolamazza ,&nbsp;Simone M. Cacciò ,&nbsp;Giuseppe La Rosa ,&nbsp;Daniela Antolová ,&nbsp;Herbert Auer ,&nbsp;Guna Bagrade ,&nbsp;Petra Bandelj ,&nbsp;Walter Basso ,&nbsp;Relja Beck ,&nbsp;Carlo V. Citterio ,&nbsp;Rebecca K. Davidson ,&nbsp;Gunita Deksne ,&nbsp;Caroline F. Frey ,&nbsp;Eva Fuglei ,&nbsp;Walter Glawischnig ,&nbsp;Bruno Gottstein ,&nbsp;Jiří Harna ,&nbsp;Heidi Huus Petersen ,&nbsp;Jacek Karamon ,&nbsp;Adriano Casulli","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.01.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.01.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The cestode <em>Echinococcus multilocularis</em> is the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis, a fatal zoonotic parasitic disease of the northern hemisphere. Red foxes are the main reservoir hosts and, likely, the main drivers of the geographic spread of the disease in Europe. Knowledge of genetic relationships among <em>E. multilocularis</em> isolates at a European scale is key to understanding the dispersal characteristics of <em>E. multilocularis</em>. Hence, the present study aimed to describe the genetic diversity of <em>E. multilocularis</em> isolates obtained from different host species in 19 European countries. Based on the analysis of complete nucleotide sequences of the <em>cob</em>, <em>atp6</em>, <em>nad2</em>, <em>nad1</em> and <em>cox1</em> mitochondrial genes (4,968 bp), 43 haplotypes were inferred. Four haplotypes represented 62.56 % of the examined isolates (142/227), and one of these four haplotypes was found in each country investigated, except Svalbard, Norway. While the haplotypes from Svalbard were markedly different from all the others, mainland Europe appeared to be dominated by two main clusters, represented by most western, central and eastern European countries, and the Baltic countries and northeastern Poland, respectively. Moreover, one Asian-like haplotype was identified in Latvia and northeastern Poland. To better elucidate the presence of Asian genetic variants of <em>E. multilocularis</em> in Europe, and to obtain a more comprehensive Europe-wide coverage, further studies, including samples from endemic regions not investigated in the present study, especially some eastern European countries, are needed. Further, the present work proposes historical causes that may have contributed to shaping the current genetic variability of <em>E. multilocularis</em> in Europe.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 5","pages":"Pages 233-245"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020751924000146/pdfft?md5=8c03617351e89b7d26cb1cd0b9afa292&pid=1-s2.0-S0020751924000146-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139509572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-based tools for onchocerciasis elimination: utility of the mitochondrial genome for delineating Onchocerca volvulus transmission zones","authors":"Katie E Crawford ,&nbsp;Shannon M Hedtke ,&nbsp;Stephen R Doyle ,&nbsp;Annette C Kuesel ,&nbsp;Samuel Armoo ,&nbsp;Mike Y Osei-Atweneboana ,&nbsp;Warwick N Grant","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.11.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.11.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>National programs in Africa have expanded their objectives from control of onchocerciasis (river blindness) as a public health problem to elimination of parasite transmission, motivated by the reduction of <em>Onchocerca volvulus</em> infection prevalence in many African meso- and hyperendemic areas due to mass drug administration of ivermectin (MDAi). Given the large, contiguous hypo-, meso-, and hyperendemic areas, sustainable elimination of onchocerciasis in sub-Saharan Africa requires delineation of geographic boundaries for parasite transmission zones, so that programs can consider the risk of parasite re-introduction through vector or human migration from areas with ongoing transmission when making decisions to stop MDAi. We propose that transmission zone boundaries can be delineated by characterising the parasite genetic population structure within and between potential zones. We analysed whole mitochondrial genome sequences of 189 <em>O. volvulus</em> adults to determine the pattern of genetic similarity across three West African countries: Ghana, Mali, and Côte d’Ivoire. Population genetic structure indicates that parasites from villages near the Pru, Daka, and Black Volta rivers in central Ghana belong to one parasite population, indicating that the assumption that river basins constitute individual transmission zones is not supported by the data. Parasites from Mali and Côte d’Ivoire are genetically distinct from those from Ghana. This research provides the basis for developing tools for elimination programs to delineate transmission zones, to estimate the risk of parasite re-introduction via vector or human movement when intervention is stopped in one area while transmission is ongoing in others, to identify the origin of infections detected post-treatment cessation, and to investigate whether persisting prevalence despite ongoing interventions in one area is due to parasites imported from others.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 3","pages":"Pages 171-183"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020751923002072/pdfft?md5=60e1dc5fde3bcc2c183db7791a26a798&pid=1-s2.0-S0020751923002072-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138295162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative analysis of Presence-Absence gene Variations in five hard tick species: impact and functional considerations","authors":"Umberto Rosani ,&nbsp;Marco Sollitto ,&nbsp;Nicolò Fogal ,&nbsp;Cristiano Salata","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.08.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.08.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tick species are vectors of harmful human and animal diseases, and their expansion is raising concerns under the global environmental changes’ scenario. Ticks host and transmit bacteria, protozoa and viruses, making the understanding of host-pathogen molecular pathways critical to development of effective disease control strategies. Despite the considerable sizes and repeat contents of tick genomes, individual tick genomics is perhaps the most effective approach to reveal genotypic traits of interest. Presence-Absence gene Variations (PAVs) can contribute to individual differences within species, with dispensable genes carried by subsets of individuals possibly underpinning functional significance at individual or population-levels. We exploited 350 resequencing datasets of <em>Dermacentor silvarum, Haemaphysalis longicornis, Ixodes persulcatus, Rhipicephalus microplus</em> and <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em> hard tick specimens to reveal the extension of PAV and the conservation of dispensable genes among individuals and, comparatively, between species. Overall, we traced 550–3,346 dispensable genes per species and were able to reconstruct 5.3–7 Mb of genomic regions not included in the respective reference genomes, as part of the tick pangenomes. Both dispensable genes and <em>de novo</em> predicted genes indicated that PAVs preferentially impacted mobile genetic elements in these tick species.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 3","pages":"Pages 147-156"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020751923001893/pdfft?md5=e9cc4390769d304198073939eba491ba&pid=1-s2.0-S0020751923001893-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41113953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}