International journal for parasitology最新文献

{"title":"Chromosome-contiguous genome for the Haecon-5 strain of Haemonchus contortus reveals marked genetic variability and enables the discovery of essential gene candidates","authors":"Yuanting Zheng ,&nbsp;Neil D. Young ,&nbsp;Tulio L. Campos ,&nbsp;Pasi K. Korhonen ,&nbsp;Tao Wang ,&nbsp;Sunita B. Sumanam ,&nbsp;Aya C. Taki ,&nbsp;Joseph J. Byrne ,&nbsp;Bill C.H. Chang ,&nbsp;Jiangning Song ,&nbsp;Robin B. Gasser","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.08.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.08.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Millions of livestock animals worldwide are infected with the haematophagous barber’s pole worm, <em>Haemonchus contortus</em>, the aetiological agent of haemonchosis. Despite the major significance of this parasite worldwide and its widespread resistance to current treatments, the lack of a high-quality genome for the well-defined strain of this parasite from Australia, called Haecon-5, has constrained research in a number of areas including host-parasite interactions, drug discovery and population genetics. To enable research in these areas, we report here a chromosome-contiguous genome (∼280 Mb) for Haecon-5 with high-quality models for 19,234 protein-coding genes. Comparative genomic analyses show significant genomic similarity (synteny) with a UK strain of <em>H. contortus</em>, called MHco3(ISE).N1 (abbreviated as “ISE”), but we also discover marked differences in genomic structure/gene arrangements, distribution of nucleotide variability (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and indels) and orthology between Haecon-5 and ISE. We used the genome and extensive transcriptomic resources for Haecon-5 to predict a subset of essential single-copy genes employing a “cross-species” machine learning (ML) approach using a range of features from nucleotide/protein sequences, protein orthology, subcellular localisation, single-cell RNA-seq and/or histone methylation data available for the model organisms <em>Caenorhabditis elegans</em> and <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em>. From a set of 1,464 conserved single copy genes, transcribed in key life-cycle stages of <em>H. contortus</em>, we identified 232 genes whose homologs have critical functions in <em>C. elegans</em> and/or <em>D. melanogaster</em>, and prioritised 10 of them for further characterisation; nine of the 10 genes likely play roles in neurophysiological processes, germline, hypodermis and/or respiration, and one is an unknown (orphan) gene for which no detailed functional information exists. Future studies of these genes/gene products are warranted to elucidate their roles in parasite biology, host-parasite interplay and/or disease. Clearly, the present Haecon-5 reference genome and associated resources now underpin a broad range of fundamental investigations of <em>H. contortus</em> and could assist in accelerating the discovery of novel intervention targets and drug candidates to combat haemonchosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 13","pages":"Pages 705-715"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142017329","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":"Micro RNA profiles of host extracellular vesicles are modulated by Ascaris suum infection but parasite extracellular vesicle miRNAs are systemically undetectable using in-depth miRNA sequencing","authors":"Bradley Whitehead ,&nbsp;Litten Sørensen Rossen ,&nbsp;Mads Zippor ,&nbsp;Anders T. Boysen ,&nbsp;Vineesh Indira Chandran ,&nbsp;Per Skallerup ,&nbsp;Stig M. Thamsborg ,&nbsp;Peter Nejsum","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.08.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.08.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The intestinal helminth <em>Ascaris lumbricoides</em> infects over 800 million people. Infections are often chronic and immunity is not sterilizing due to host-immune modulation, therefore reinfection is common after antihelmintic treatment. We have previously demonstrated a role for <em>Ascaris</em> spp. extracellular vesicles (EVs) in host immune modulation but whether EVs are recognized by the adaptive immune system and are present systemically in the host remains unknown. Therefore, we employed a well-established trickle infection model in pigs to mimic natural <em>Ascaris</em> infection in humans. EVs were isolated from adult <em>Ascaris suum</em> followed by immunoblotting of EV and EV-depleted secretory fractions using plasma from infected and uninfected pigs. Next, EVs were isolated from pig plasma at day 56 post first infection and subjected to deep small RNAseq analysis. RNAs were aligned to <em>A. suum</em> and <em>Sus scrofa</em> miRNA complements to detect <em>A. suum</em> EVs and elucidate the host EV micro RNA (miRNA) response to infection, respectively. Infection generates robust antibody responses against <em>A. suum</em> EVs that is distinct from EV-depleted fractions. However, <em>A. suum</em> miRNAs were not detectable in EVs from the peripheral blood. Notably, host plasma-derived EV miRNA profiles showed significant changes between infected and uninfected pigs, indicating that <em>Ascaris</em> infection drives systemic changes in host EV composition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 13","pages":"Pages 691-696"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141906580","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":"DNA N-glycosylases Ogg1 and EndoIII as components of base excision repair in Plasmodium falciparum organelles","authors":"Anupama Tiwari ,&nbsp;Neetu Verma ,&nbsp;Himadri Shukla ,&nbsp;Shivani Mishra ,&nbsp;Kit Kennedy ,&nbsp;Tribeni Chatterjee ,&nbsp;Jitendra Kuldeep ,&nbsp;Shahid Parwez ,&nbsp;MI Siddiqi ,&nbsp;Stuart A. Ralph ,&nbsp;Satish Mishra ,&nbsp;Saman Habib","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.06.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.06.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The integrity of genomes of the two crucial organelles of the malaria parasite — an apicoplast and mitochondrion in each cell − must be maintained by DNA repair mediated by proteins targeted to these compartments. We explored the localisation and function of <em>Plasmodium falciparum</em><span> base excision repair (BER) DNA N-glycosylase homologs </span><em>Pf</em>EndoIII and <em>Pf</em>Ogg1. These N-glycosylases would putatively recognise DNA lesions prior to the action of apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP)-endonucleases. Both Ape1 and Apn1 endonucleases have earlier been shown to function solely in the parasite mitochondrion. Immunofluorescence localisation showed that <em>Pf</em>EndoIII was exclusively mitochondrial. <em>Pf</em>Ogg1 was not seen clearly in mitochondria when expressed as a <em>Pf</em>Ogg1_leader-GFP fusion, although chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that it could interact with both mitochondrial and apicoplast DNA. Recombinant <em>Pf</em>EndoIII functioned as a DNA N-glycosylase as well as an AP-lyase on thymine glycol (Tg) lesions. We further studied the importance of Ogg1 in the malaria life cycle using reverse genetic approaches in <em>Plasmodium berghei</em>. Targeted disruption of <em>Pb</em>Ogg1 resulted in loss of 8-oxo-G specific DNA glycosylase/lyase activity. <em>Pb</em>Ogg1 knockout did not affect blood, mosquito or liver stage development but caused reduced blood stage infection after inoculation of sporozoites in mice. A significant reduction in erythrocyte infectivity by <em>Pb</em>Ogg1 knockout hepatic merozoites was also observed, thus showing that <em>Pb</em>Ogg1 ensures smooth transition from liver to blood stage infection. Our results strengthen the view that the <em>Plasmodium</em><span> mitochondrial genome is an important site for DNA repair by the BER pathway.</span></div></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 13","pages":"Pages 675-689"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141534413","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":"The concentration McMaster method for diagnosis of patent Ascaris and Trichuris infections in humans","authors":"Sozan Kader ,&nbsp;Christine E. Helmersen ,&nbsp;Stig M. Thamsborg ,&nbsp;Lise T. Erikstrup ,&nbsp;Peter Nejsum","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.08.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.08.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In tropical and subtropical regions, soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections such as <em>Ascaris lumbricoides</em>, <em>Trichuris trichiura</em>, and hookworms have a significant impact on public health. Globally, <em>A. lumbricoides</em> infects approximately 0.8 billion people, while <em>T. trichiura</em> infects around 500 million. This study involved a comparison of three diagnostic methods, Kato-Katz and two flotation methods (concentration McMaster, and simple McMaster), for the detection of <em>Ascaris</em> and <em>Trichuris</em> in human faeces. We conducted a comparison of the number of eggs in faeces (or faecal egg counts (FECs)) obtained with these methods using freshly collected samples that were positive for <em>T. trichiura</em> and spiked with a known quantity of <em>Ascaris</em> sp. eggs. Additionally, for the concentration McMaster method we assessed FECs after storing the samples at 5 °C for up to 21 days. The concentration McMaster method demonstrated superiority over the simple McMaster method in terms of higher detection levels for both helminths, while the Kato-Katz method yielded FEC values very close to the ’true’ spiking values. Importantly, the concentration McMaster method was considerably easier to read compared with the Kato-Katz method, and it allowed for sample storage at 5 °C for up to 14 days without affecting FEC results. Consequently, we conclude that the concentration McMaster method is an effective and user-friendly alternative for diagnosis of <em>Ascaris</em> and <em>Trichuris</em> infections in humans. Furthermore, it offers the advantage of sample storage before analysis, enhancing flexibility in the workflow.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 13","pages":"Pages 717-722"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142107085","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":"Potential effects of host competence and schooling behavior on parasite transmission in a host-pathogen system: a test of the dilution effect","authors":"Shun Zhou ,&nbsp;Xiao Jin ,&nbsp;Ming Duan ,&nbsp;Hong Zou ,&nbsp;Ming Li ,&nbsp;David J. Marcogliese ,&nbsp;Guitang Wang ,&nbsp;Wenxiang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.08.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.08.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High species diversity in a community may reduce the risk of infectious disease, termed the dilution effect. However, the generality of the dilution effect in different disease systems remains controversial as both host competence and behaviors of hosts may play roles in dilution or amplification of disease. Using the goldfish (<em>Carassius auratus</em>)-monogenean ectoparasite (<em>Gyrodactylus kobayashii</em>) system, effects of host competence and schooling behavior on parasite transmission were investigated while holding focal host density constant. Following competency tests of 12 fish species as potential hosts for the parasite, infection by <em>G. kobayashii</em> was determined on fins of goldfish mixed with each of three different species based on their level of host competence, including Prussian carp, <em>Carassius gibelio</em> (low competence), grass carp, <em>Ctenopharyngodon idellus</em> (non-competent), swordtail, <em>Xiphophorus helleri</em> (non-competent), and the four species combined. Compared with mean abundance (85.8 ± 25.1) on goldfish in the control group, the mean abundance on goldfish decreased significantly when paired with 10 Prussian carp (30.0 ± 16.5), but did not differ significantly when paired with 10 swordtail (70.0 ± 22.2), 10 grass carp (116.1 ± 33.2), or the multi-species of three Prussian carp, four grass carp and three swordtail (75.9 ± 30.8) during the 11-day experiment. The parasite was also found on the Prussian carp in the Prussian carp group and the multi-species group at a mean abundance of 7.1 and 10.9, respectively. Video recording showed that the school of goldfish mixed well with the Prussian carp, while they maintained separation from the grass carp and swordtail when mixed together. The distance between goldfish increased, and swimming speed and contact time decreased with the additional of other fish species for all groups. The results suggested that the presence of a low-competence host in sufficient numbers was a necessary condition for a dilution effect due to encounter reduction, and the dilution effect may also be enhanced by changes in schooling behavior of goldfish in the presence of low competence hosts. However, the presence of non-competent hosts did not result in any dilution effect owing to the specialist nature of the parasites and the lack of mixing with schools of goldfish.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 13","pages":"Pages 697-703"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141987900","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":"Optimized plasmid loading of human erythrocytes for Plasmodium falciparum DNA transfections","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.04.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.04.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In vitro modification of <span><span>Plasmodium falciparum</span></span> genes is the cornerstone of basic and translational malaria research. Achieved through DNA transfection, these modifications may entail altering protein sequence or abundance. Such experiments are critical for defining the molecular mechanisms of key parasite phenotypes and for validation of drug and vaccine targets. Despite its importance, successful transfection remains difficult and is a resource-intensive, rate-limiting step in <em>P. falciparum</em> research. Here, we report that inefficient loading of plasmid into erythrocytes limits transfection efficacy with commonly used electroporation methods. As these methods also require expensive instrumentation and consumables that are not broadly available, we explored a simpler method based on plasmid loading through hypotonic lysis and resealing of erythrocytes. We used parasite expression of a sensitive NanoLuc reporter for rapid evaluation and optimization of each step. Hypotonic buffer composition, resealing buffer volume and composition, and subsequent incubation affected plasmid retention and successful transfection. While ATP was critical for erythrocyte resealing, addition of Ca⁺⁺ or glutathione did not improve transfection efficiency, with increasing Ca⁺⁺ concentrations proving detrimental to outcomes. Compared with either the standard electroporation method or a previously reported hypotonic loading protocol, the optimized method yields greater plasmid loading and higher expression of the NanoLuc reporter 48 h after transfection. It also produced significantly faster outgrowth of parasites in transfections utilizing either episomal expression or CRISPR-Cas9 mediated integration. This new method produces higher <em>P. falciparum</em> transfection efficiency, reduces resource requirements and should accelerate molecular studies of malaria drug and vaccine targets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 12","pages":"Pages 597-605"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140891695","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":"Tick salivary proteome and lipidome with low glycan content correlate with allergic type reactions in the zebrafish model","authors":"Rita Vaz-Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Lorena Mazuecos ,&nbsp;Margarita Villar ,&nbsp;Marinela Contreras ,&nbsp;Almudena González-García ,&nbsp;Paolo Bonini ,&nbsp;Ruth C Scimeca ,&nbsp;Albert Mulenga ,&nbsp;José de la Fuente","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.07.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.07.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ticks, as hematophagous ectoparasites, can manipulate host immune and metabolic processes, causing tick-borne allergies such as α-Gal syndrome (AGS). Glycolipids with bound galactose-alpha-1–3-galactose (α-Gal) are potential allergenic molecules associated with AGS. Nevertheless, proteins and lipids lacking α-Gal modifications may contribute to tick salivary allergies and be linked to AGS. In this study, we characterized the effect of deglycosylated tick salivary proteins without lipids on treated zebrafish fed with dog food formulated with mammalian (beef, lamb, pork) meat by quantitative proteomics analysis of intestinal samples. The characterization and functional annotations of tick salivary lipids with low representation of glycolipids was conducted using a lipidomics approach. Results showed a significant effect of treatment with saliva and saliva deglycosylated protein fraction on zebrafish abnormal or no feeding (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.005). Treatment with this fraction affected multiple metabolic pathways, defense responses to pathogens and protein metabolism, which correlated with abnormal or no feeding. Lipidomics analysis identified 23 lipid classes with low representation of glycolipids (0.70% of identified lipids). The lipid class with highest representation was phosphatidylcholine (PC; 26.66%) and for glycolipids it corresponded to diacylglycerol (DG; 0.48%). Qualitative analysis of PC antibodies revealed that individuals bitten by ticks were more likely to produce PC-IgG antibodies (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). DG levels were significantly higher in tick salivary glands (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) compared with tick saliva and salivary fractions. The α-Gal content was higher in tick saliva than in deglycosylated saliva and lipid fractions. These results support a possible role for tick salivary proteins and lipids without α-Gal modifications in AGS.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 12","pages":"Pages 649-659"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141792396","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":"Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in wild bivalves from the Kerguelen and Galapagos archipelagos: influence of proximity to cat populations, exposure to marine currents and kelp density","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Oocysts of the protozoan <em>Toxoplasma gondii</em> are found in felid feces and can be washed into coastal waters, where they persist for months, attaching to algae and accumulating in invertebrates. We used wild bivalves to assess contamination of coastal waters of the Kerguelen and Galapagos archipelagos by this zoonotic parasite. Additionally, we leveraged the contrasting situations of these archipelagos to identify some potential drivers of contamination. In the Galapagos, with a cat density reaching 142 per km², 15.38% of the sampled oysters (<em>Saccostrea palmula</em>) tested positive for <em>T. gondii</em> by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) (<em>n</em> = 260), and positive samples were found in all eight sampling sites. In Kerguelen, with 1-3 cats per km², 40.83% of 120 tested mussels (<em>Mytilus edulis platensis</em>) were positive, and positive samples were found in four out of the five sampling sites. These findings provide evidence of <em>T. gondii</em> contamination in the coastal waters of these archipelagos. Furthermore, <em>T. gondii</em>-positive bivalves were found on islands located 20 km away (Galapagos) and 5 km away (Kerguelen) from the nearest cat population, indicating that <em>T. gondii</em> oocysts can disperse through waterborne mechanisms over several kilometers from their initial deposition site. In the Galapagos, where runoff is infrequent and all sites are exposed to currents, the prevalence of qPCR-positive bivalves did not show significant variations between sites (<em>p</em> = 0.107). In Kerguelen where runoff is frequent and site exposure variable, the prevalence varied significantly (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). The detection of <em>T. gondii</em> in Kerguelen mussels was significantly correlated with the site exposure to currents (odds ratio (OR) 60.2, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) and the on-site density of giant kelp forests (OR 2.624, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). This suggests that bivalves can be contaminated not only by oocysts transported by currents but also by consuming marine aggregates containing oocysts that tend to form in kelp forests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 12","pages":"Pages 607-615"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141410628","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":"Unraveling new players in helminth pathology: extracellular vesicles from Fasciola hepatica and Dicrocoelium dendriticum exert different effects on hepatic stellate cells and hepatocytes","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.06.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.06.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Fasciola hepatica</em> and <em>Dicrocoelium dendriticum</em> are parasitic trematodes residing in the bile ducts of mammalian hosts, causing, in some cases, impairment of liver function and hepatic fibrosis. Previous studies have shown that extracellular vesicles released by <em>F. hepatica</em> (<em>Fh</em>EVs) and <em>D. dendriticum</em> (<em>Dd</em>EVs) induce a distinct phenotype in human macrophages, but there is limited information on the effect of parasitic EVs on liver cells, which interact directly with the worms in natural infections. In this study, we isolated <em>Fh</em>EVs and <em>Dd</em>EVs by size exclusion chromatography and labeled them with a lipophilic fluorescent dye to analyze their uptake by human hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and hepatocytes, important cell types in liver pathology, using synthetic liposomes as internal labeling and uptake control. We analyzed EV uptake and the proteome profiles after the treatment with EVs for both cell types. Our results reveal that EVs establish unique and specific interactions with stellate cells and hepatocytes, suggesting a different role of EVs derived from each parasite, depending on the migration route to reach their final niche. <em>Fh</em>EVs have a cytostatic effect on HSCs, but induce the extracellular matrix secretion and elicit anti-inflammatory responses in hepatocytes. <em>Dd</em>EVs have a more potent anti-proliferative effect than <em>Fh</em>EVs and trigger a global inflammatory response, increasing the levels of NF-κB and other inflammatory mediators in both cell types. These interactions may have a major influence on the progression of the disease, serving to generate conditions that may favor the establishment of the helminths in the host.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 12","pages":"Pages 617-634"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141456592","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":"Parasite airlines: mapping the distribution and transmission of avian blood parasites in migratory birds","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.06.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.06.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During their journeys, migratory birds encounter a wider range of parasites than residents, transporting them over vast distances. While some parasites are widely distributed, transmission is not inevitable and depends on the presence of competent arthropod vectors as well as parasite compatibility with native bird species. Distinguishing between parasite distribution and transmission areas is crucial for monitoring and assessing risks to native bird species, as distribution areas, with the appropriate conditions, could become potential transmission areas. In this study, blood samples from 455 reed-living birds of the genera <em>Acrocephalus</em>, <em>Locustella</em>, and <em>Emberiza,</em> collected in the nature reserve “Die Reit” in Hamburg, Germany were screened, targeting haemosporidian parasites, trypanosomes, and filarioid nematodes. Determination of migratory bird age was employed to ascertain the transmission area of the detected parasites. Transmission areas were determined, based on information provided by resident and juvenile birds as well as findings in competent vectors. Long-distance migratory birds of the genus <em>Acrocephalus</em> showed a higher prevalence and diversity of blood parasites compared with partially migratory birds such as <em>Emberiza schoeniclus</em>. Notably, an age-dependent difference in parasite prevalence was observed in <em>Acrocephalus</em> spp., but not in <em>E. schoeniclus</em>. Nematodes were absent in all examined bird species. Proposed transmission areas were identified for nine haemosporidian lineages, showing three different types of transmission area, either with limited transmission in Europe or Africa, or active transmission in both regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13725,"journal":{"name":"International journal for parasitology","volume":"54 12","pages":"Pages 635-648"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141467799","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}