Parasites & Vectors最新文献

{"title":"SARM regulates cell apoptosis and inflammation during Toxoplasma gondii infection through a multistep mechanism.","authors":"Shumin Gao, Min Gao, Huanhui Du, Lingyu Li, Xudian An, Yongyu Shi, Xiaoyan Wang, Hua Cong, Bing Han, Chunxue Zhou, Huaiyu Zhou","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06721-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06721-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The sterile alpha and HEAT/Armadillo motif (SARM) is the fifth Toll-like receptor (TLR) adaptor protein containing the Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain, which is highly enriched in the brain. Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan that causes zoonotic toxoplasmosis, resulting in threats to human health, such as brain damage. Previous studies have shown that SARM plays crucial roles in cell death and triggers specific transcription programs of innate immunity in response to cell stress, viral, and bacterial infections. However, whether SARM is involved in T. gondii infection remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this report, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), western blot, flow cytometry, ethynyldeoxyuridine (EdU) assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to explore the relationship between SARM and T. gondii.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Here, we showed that T. gondii infection increased the expression of SARM in vitro and in vivo. SARM induced cell apoptosis during T. gondii infection, activating the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER) pathway, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, and prompting the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, SARM participated in the regulation of the inflammatory response through the nod-like receptor pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome signaling pathway during T. gondii in vitro infection.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results elucidate the relationship between SARM and T. gondii infection, suggesting that SARM may represent a potential target for T. gondii control.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"103"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11899056/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143616738","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":"Model development to assess the impact of a preventive treatment with sarolaner and moxidectin on Dirofilaria immitis infection dynamics in dogs.","authors":"Emilie Hendrickx, Thomas Geurden, Cedric Marsboom","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06734-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06734-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Dirofilaria immitis is a mosquito-transmitted filarial parasite causing heartworm disease in dogs. The parasite may cause a significant disease burden to the dog population in high prevalence areas and is mainly managed through prophylactic treatments.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this modelling study, the effect of a prophylactic treatment with moxidectin and sarolaner on heartworm disease dynamics was investigated in dogs. A compartmental model was developed to investigate different epidemiological settings considering different values for prevalence and host preference.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>When the mosquito host preference to dogs is low, a treatment compliance of only 40% decreases the proportion of infectious dogs. When the host preference of the mosquitoes however increases, an exponential increase in infectious dogs was observed, and a higher treatment compliance is required. In high transmission environments, with a high prevalence and a high mosquito host preference, a high treatment compliance (up to 100%) is required to have an impact on the number of infected animals. Notably, in scenarios with higher host preference towards dogs, more mosquitoes are exposed to sarolaner through the blood meal, leading to higher mortality of these mosquitoes and resulting in fewer infected and infectious dogs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The preventive efficacy, as measured by the number of non-infected dogs, increases with increasing treatment compliance, but the extent of the treatment effect differs with the epidemiological setting. Adding sarolaner to a heartworm prevention has a complimentary impact on mosquito survival and heartworm disease transmission, although this effect depends on the epidemiological settings, emphasizing the true complexity of disease dynamics of a vector-borne disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"102"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11900526/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143616735","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":"Capillariid diversity in archaeological material from the New and the Old World: clustering and artificial intelligence approaches.","authors":"Victor Hugo Borba, Ludmila Gurjão, Coralie Martin, Benjamin Dufour, Matthieu Le Bailly, Alena Mayo Iñiguez","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06715-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06715-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Capillariid nematode eggs have been reported in archaeological material in both the New and the Old World, mainly in Europe and South America. They have been found in various types of samples, as coprolites, sediments from latrines, pits, or burial. Modern parasitological records show that around 300 species of capillariids have been described in all vertebrate taxa, including humans, making it a very diversified group. The main proposal of this work is to characterize and identify capillariid eggs found in archaeological sites from Europe and Brazil.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 39 samples of archeological sites from Europe, deposited in the paleoparasitological collection of the University Marie & Louis Pasteur, Besançon, France was analyzed. In addition, 80 coprolites from the pre-Colombian archaeological site Gruta do Gentio II, Brazil, deposited in the Paleogenetic Laboratory at Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, were evaluated. Samples were treated according to the protocols of each laboratory and then analyzed under light microscopy. Capillariid eggs were classified according to length, width, plugs, and eggshell sizes, and statistical analysis of the morphometric dataset was performed. Using a reference dataset of specimens provided by both Institutional Collections, three approaches to species identification were applied: discriminant analysis, hierarchical clustering, and artificial intelligence/machine learning.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 10 samples from Europe and 4 from Brazil were positive for capillariid eggs, showing 13 different morphotypes. As European samples were mainly collected from latrines and pits, parasite-host information was absent, and consequently, species identification was impaired. In contrast, the availability of host information rendered the identification of capillariid species for the Brazilian coprolites. The new methodology indicates capillariid species identified on various samples, resulting in the presence of Capillaria exigua (Dujardin, 1845) in feline coprolite, Baruscapillaria resecta (Dujardin, 1845) in opossum, and Aonchotheca bovis (Schnyder, 1906) in bovid, in the Brazilian site, while in European sites, Capillaria venusta (Freitas e Mendonça, 1958), Aonchotheca myoxinitelae (Diesing, 1851), Eucoleus madjerdae (Bernard, 1964), and Baruscapillaria spiculata (Freitas, 1933) were found.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study provides new results by applying innovative methodologies for parasite identification and gaining insights into the past host (human or animal)/parasite relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"104"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11905733/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143616732","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":"Adult Hymenolepis nana and its excretory-secretory products elicit mouse immune responses via tuft/IL-13 and FOXM1 signaling pathways.","authors":"Rong Mou, Xuan-Yin Cui, Yu-Si Luo, Yi Cheng, Qing-Yuan Luo, Zhen-Fen Zhang, Wen-Lan Wu, Jin-Fu Li, Ke Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06719-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06719-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hosts typically elicit diverse immune responses to the infection of various parasitic worms, with intestinal epithelial cells playing pivotal roles in detecting parasite invasion. Hymenolepis nana (H. nana) is a zoonotic parasitic worm that resides in the host's intestine. The contribution and underlying mechanisms of tuft cell-mediated immune reactions against H. nana remain unexplored.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study endeavors to examine the immune responses in the mouse intestine elicited by the adult H. nana and its excretory-secretory products (ESP). Ileal tissue alteration was detected using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, changes in the number of intestinal stem cells, goblet cells, tuft cells, and Paneth cells were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), etc., and changes in the expression of type 2 cytokines and FOXM1 were detected by Western blotting (WB) or real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The presence of adult H. nana and its ESP enhanced the number of tuft cells and goblet cells while fostering the production of type 2 cytokines. Furthermore, the surge in Paneth cells and FOXM1 triggered by H. nana aids in maintaining intestinal stem cells homeostasis and proliferation. Notably, the FOXM1 inhibitor RCM-1 dampened intestinal stem cells differentiation and type 2 cytokines secretion, potentially impeding the host's capacity to eliminate H. nana.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The adult H. nana and its ESP stimulate the immune responses in mice through tuft/interleukin (IL)-13 and FOXM1 signaling pathways and promote the elimination of H. nana from the host through the differentiation of intestinal stem cells into tuft cells, goblet cells, and Paneth cells, as well as the activation of type 2 immune responses. Meanwhile, RCM-1 inhibits the immune responses to H. nana in mice, thus affecting the excretion of H. nana by host.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"100"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11899370/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143606070","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":"Description of Heterorhabditis americana n. sp. (Rhabditida, Heterorhabditidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode species isolated in North America.","authors":"Ricardo A R Machado, Joaquín Abolafia, María-Cristina Robles, Alba N Ruiz-Cuenca, Aashaq Hussain Bhat, Ebrahim Shokoohi, Vladimír Půža, Xi Zhang, Matthias Erb, Christelle A M Robert, Bruce Hibbard","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06702-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06702-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Heterorhabditis are important biological control agents in agriculture. Two Heterorhabditis populations, S8 and S10, were isolated from agricultural soils in the United States of America. Molecular analyses, based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes, showed that these populations are conspecific and represent a novel species of the \"Bacteriophora\" clade. This species was named Heterorhabditis americana n. sp. and is described in this study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To describe H. americana n. sp., we carried out phylogenetic reconstructions using multiple genes, characterized their morphology, conducted self-crossing and cross-hybridization experiments, and isolated and identified their symbiotic bacteria.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Heterorhabditis americana n. sp. is molecularly and morphologically similar to H. georgiana. Morphological differences between the males of H. americana n. sp. and H. georgiana include variations in the excretory pore position, the gubernaculum size, the gubernaculum-to-spicule length ratio, the tail length, and the body diameter. Infective juveniles (IJs) of H. americana n. sp. differ from H. georgiana IJs because H. americana n. sp. IJs have an invisible bacterial cell pouch posterior to the cardia and a small posterior phasmid, whereas H. georgiana IJs have a visible bacterial cell pouch and an inconspicuous phasmid. Hermaphrodites of H. americana n. sp. and H. georgiana are differentiated by the body length, the nerve ring distance from the anterior end, the excretory pore distance from the anterior end, the anal body diameter, and the c' ratio. Females of H. americana n. sp. can be differentiated from H. georgiana females by the anal body diameter and the c' ratio. Reproductive isolation was confirmed, as H. americana n. sp. does not produce viable offspring with any of the species of the \"Bacteriophora\" clade. Heterorhabditis americana n. sp. is associated with the symbiotic bacterium Photorhabdus kleinii.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Based on the observed morphological and morphometric differences, the distinct phylogenetic placement, and the reproductive isolation, the nematode isolates S8 and S10 represent a novel species, which we named Heterorhabditis americana n. sp. This study provides a detailed characterization of this novel species, contributing to enhancing our knowledge of species diversity and evolutionary relationships of the Heterorhabditis genus.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"101"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11899345/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143606077","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":"Efficacy of a novel chewable tablet (Credelio Quattro^™) containing lotilaner, moxidectin, praziquantel, and pyrantel for the treatment and control of Echinococcus multilocularis and E. granulosus infections in dogs.","authors":"Samuel Charles, Gertraut Altreuther, Xinshuo Wang, Scott Wiseman, Craig R Reinemeyer, Daniel E Snyder, Michael Ulrich, Padraig Doherty, Lisa Young","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06735-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06735-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>While generally harmless to dogs, the cestode species Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis have significant zoonotic importance, causing cystic echinococcosis and alveolar echinococcosis in humans, respectively. Regular deworming is essential to treat intestinal cestode infections in dogs and to reduce environmental egg contamination and thus the subsequent zoonotic risk of infection to intermediate hosts and humans. The studies described here evaluated the efficacy of a new novel chewable tablet combination containing lotilaner, moxidectin, praziquantel and pyrantel (Credelio Quattro, Elanco Animal Health) against E. granulosus and E. multilocularis infections in dogs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Four negative-controlled, masked, randomized laboratory studies were conducted. Two studies each evaluated the efficacy of Credelio Quattro at the minimum dosages of 20.0 mg/kg lotilaner, 0.02 mg/kg moxidectin, 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel and 5.0 mg/kg pyrantel against E. granulosus (Studies 1 and 2) and E. multilocularis (Studies 3 and 4). Studies 2 and 4 also included treatment groups that received praziquantel alone or lotilaner alone, at the same minimum dosages, to assess whether lotilaner, moxidectin or pyrantel interfered with the activity of praziquantel in Credelio Quattro against these two cestode species. In Studies 1 and 3, 16 purpose-bred dogs were divided into two groups of eight, while in Studies 2 and 4, 32 dogs were divided into four groups of eight. Dogs were experimentally inoculated with protoscolices on Day - 28 for E. granulosus studies and on Day - 18 or - 20 for E. multilocularis studies. Credelio Quattro, placebo, praziquantel, or lotilaner tablets were administered orally at the lower half of the dosage range on Day 0. Efficacy was calculated based on the number of worms recovered at necropsy, 4 or 5 days post-treatment, in the treated group compared to the control.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Credelio Quattro was well tolerated in all dogs. Based on geometric mean worm counts, Credelio Quattro was 100% effective against both E. granulosus and E. multilocularis.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Credelio Quattro administered once orally at the minimum dosages of 20 mg/kg of lotilaner, 0.02 mg/kg of moxidectin, 5.0 mg/kg of praziquantel and 5.0 mg/kg of pyrantel was safe and effective for the treatment and control of adult E. granulosus and E. multilocularis in dogs.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"99"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11895180/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143597473","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":"Characterisation and evaluation of predisposing factors for the development of xanthinuria in dogs with leishmaniosis under allopurinol therapy.","authors":"Sara Clemente Oliveira, Carolina Arenas, Marina Domínguez-Ruiz, Eva Prosper, Maria Joana Dias, Rodolfo Oliveira Leal","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06731-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06731-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Allopurinol, one of the drugs routinely used to treat canine leishmaniosis (CanL), is an inhibitor of the enzyme xanthine oxidase, which plays a fundamental role in purine metabolism. Its inhibitory action on this enzyme leads to a state of hyperxanthinuria, favouring the development of xanthine crystals and/or uroliths. However, not all dogs with CanL treated with allopurinol develop xanthinuria and/or xanthine uroliths, and there is not much information on the possible risk factors that contribute to this event. This study aims to evaluate potential predisposing factors associated with the development of xanthinuria in dogs with a previous diagnosis of CanL that were treated with allopurinol.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A multicentric, retrospective, observational study was conducted and included dogs with CanL undergoing allopurinol therapy. Dogs that developed xanthinuria (Xgroup) and those without xanthinuria (NXgroup) were selected from cases admitted to three referral hospitals between 2011 and 2022. Medical records were reviewed, and clinical and laboratorial variables were compared between groups. Descriptive statistics, contingency tables and non-parametric tests were used (P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 90 dogs were selected, 45 for each group. Only age and serum alpha-1 globulin concentration were significantly different between groups at day 0. Dogs from Xgroup were younger (median 4 years; interquartile range (IQR) 2-7) than those from NXgroup (median 6 years; IQR 4-9; P = 0.002). At the time of CanL diagnosis, a higher percentage of dogs from NXgroup had decreased serum alpha-1 globulin concentrations (38.9% versus 13.3% in Xgroup, respectively; P = 0.020). In Xgroup, the median time to xanthinuria development after starting allopurinol was 150 days (IQR 31-455).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results suggest that closer monitoring of young dogs (< 4 years) and those with normal alpha-1 globulin levels at diagnosis is recommended to ascertain the possible development of xanthinuria at an early stage, allowing for early application of measures to reduce the likelihood of its development.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"98"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11895311/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143597472","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":"Morphological and molecular characterisation of Sarcocystis capracanis, Sarcocystis cornagliai and Sarcocystis rossii n. sp. infecting the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex).","authors":"Eglė Rudaitytė-Lukošienė, Steffen Rehbein, Rafael Calero-Bernal, Dalius Butkauskas, Petras Prakas","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06737-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06737-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The cyst-forming coccidia of the genus Sarcocystis (Sarcocystidae) are widespread protists of mammals, particularly of domestic and wild ruminants. Research on genus Sarcocystis in wild members of the subfamily Caprinae is, however, rather limited. Sarcocystis in the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) have only been investigated in depth once and then solely by morphological techniques. In the current investigation we aimed to morphologically and genetically characterise Sarcocystis species of Alpine ibex in Austria.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Sarcocysts detected in the diaphragm and myocardium muscles were morphologically described using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Isolated sarcocysts were molecularly identified and characterised at the level of the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and cytochrome c oxidase I gene (cox1). The obtained sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three Sarcocystis species, namely S. capracanis, S. cornagliai and S. rossii n. sp., were found in Alpine ibex. For the first time, we genetically characterised S. cornagliai, which is most closely related to Sarcocystis species that are transmitted by corvid birds. Sarcocysts of S. rossii n. sp. were found to be ribbon-shaped, with pointed tips. Hair-like protrusions about 5 μm in length were observed on sarcocyst walls. Observation of toluidine blue-stained semi-thin sections revealed that the sarcocyst of S. rossii n. sp. was thin-walled. Using TEM, cyst walls were observed to be similar to type 7a, with thin hair-like villar protrusions on the cyst wall, which were filled with many fine electron-dense granules. The ground substance layer was particularly thin, measuring 0.2-0.4 μm. The cox1 sequences of S. rossii n. sp. had the highest similarity to those of Sarcocystis arieticanis and Sarcocystis hircicanis. Sarcocystis rossii n. sp. had a close phylogenetic relationship with species that use canids as definitive hosts.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study confirms the role of the Alpine ibex as an intermediate host of three Sarcocystis species and sets a new host record for S. capracanis. It also provides the first molecular data on Sarcocystis from Alpine ibex and on S. cornagliai. In addition, a new species, S. rossii, was identified and described. Phylogenetic analyses suggested corvid birds and canids as potential definitive hosts for S. cornagliai and S. rossii n. sp., respectively.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"96"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11892209/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143597474","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":"Wolbachia bacteria in Mansonella perstans isolates from patients infected in different geographical areas: a pilot study from the ESCMID Study Group for Clinical Parasitology.","authors":"Elena Pomari, Denis Voronin, Miriam J Alvarez-Martinez, Marta Arsuaga, Emmanuel Bottieau, María Pilar Luzón-García, Beatrice Nickel, Jose Miguel Rubio, Joaquín Salas-Coronas, Fernando Salvador, Manuel Jesús Soriano-Pérez, Elena Sulleiro, Lidia Goterris, Marjan Van Esbroeck, Jaap J van Hellemond, Linda J Wammes, Lorenzo Zammarchi, Denise Lavezzari, Monica Degani, Stefano Tais, Jana Held, Federico Gobbi, Francesca Tamarozzi","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06723-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06723-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Mansonella perstans is a vector-borne filarial parasite widely endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, with sporadic cases in Latin America. Infection is often overlooked; treatment is not standardized, and effectiveness of common regimes is difficult to ascertain. Anti-Wolbachia macrofilaricidal treatment with doxycycline has been applied, but there are scant and contrasting reports about the presence of Wolbachia in M. perstans isolates from different geographical locations. Taking advantage of a network of European centres expert in traveller and migrant health, we aimed to expand the knowledge concerning the distribution of Wolbachia in M. perstans to contribute to the design of optimal treatment approaches.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analysed 19 samples of concentrated microfilariae or whole blood from M. perstans-infected patients who reported having resided or travelled in one or more of 10 West African countries. Wolbachia was detected by PCR targeting 16S and ftsZ genes and phylogenetic analysis of M. perstans was performed based on COX1 gene sequencing.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Wolbachia was identified in 14/19 (74%) samples. With the possible inaccuracy deriving from potential origin of infection being identified retrospectively from routine clinical visit's documents, this study identified Wolbachia in M. perstans from Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Guinea and Senegal for the first time to our knowledge. Furthermore, Wolbachia might also be present in M. perstans from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The retrieval of Wolbachia-positive and Wolbachia-negative M. perstans samples can either be explained by technical limitations or reflect the real existence of Wolbachia-positive and Wolbachia-negative M. perstans populations. However, this latter hypothesis was not supported by our phylogenetic analysis. Our results suggest that doxycycline could be used for the treatment of M. perstans infection upfront or, if possible, after ascertaining the presence of Wolbachia by PCR performed on concentrated microfilariae using two targets to avoid false-negative results.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"97"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11895188/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143597475","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":"Diagnostic dilemma: application of real-time PCR assays for the detection of Dientamoeba fragilis in medical and veterinary specimens.","authors":"Luke M Hall, John T Ellis, Damien J Stark","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06730-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06730-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Real-time PCR (qPCR) diagnostics developed for use in human clinical settings have been implemented to identify new animal hosts of the gastrointestinal protozoan Dientamoeba fragilis. The gut microbiome varies between species; unrecognised cross-reactivity could occur when applying these assays to new animal hosts. The use of qPCR diagnostics was assessed for the identification of new animal hosts of the gastrointestinal protozoan Dientamoeba fragilis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Forty-nine cattle, 84 dogs, 39 cats and 254 humans were screened for D. fragilis using two qPCR assays: EasyScreen (Genetic Signatures) and a laboratory-based assay commonly used in Europe. The reliability of the identifications made by these assays were assessed using melt curve analysis of qPCR products, conventional PCR targeting the SSU rDNA sequencing and NGS amplicon sequencing of qPCR product.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>PCR products from the D. fragilis identified in cattle had a 9 °C cooler melt curve than when detected in humans. This melt curve discrepancy, indicative of cross-reactivity with an unknown organism, was investigated further. DNA sequencing determined that Simplicimonas sp. was the genera responsible for this cross-reactivity in cattle specimens. Dientamoeba fragilis was not detected in either dogs or cats. There was a discrepancy in the number of positive samples detected using the two qPCR assays when applied to human samples. The EasyScreen assay detected 24 positive samples; the laboratory-based assay detected an additional 34 positive samples. Of the discrepant samples, 5 returned sequence data for D. fragilis, and 29 were unsupported (false) positive samples.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Analysis of the melt curve after the qPCR reaction is a valuable technique to help differentiate samples containing D. fragilis compared to cross-reactions with non-target organisms. The identification of new animal hosts requires further evidence from either microscopy or DNA sequencing to confirm the presence of D. fragilis. Additionally, to reduce the risk of false-positive results due to non-specific amplification, we recommend reducing the number of PCR cycles to less than 40. Based on these results, we consider the ramifications of this identified cross-reactivity to the known host species distribution of D. fragilis.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"94"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11889766/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143586532","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}