Parasites & Vectors最新文献

{"title":"Vector-borne pathogens in dogs from the Republic of Kosovo.","authors":"Betim Xhekaj, Edwin Kniha, Linda Wiesmüller, Ina Hoxha, Barbara Eigner, Jovana Stefanovska, Aleksandar Cvetkovikj, Kurtesh Sherifi, Hans-Peter Fuehrer","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06777-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06777-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Canine vector-borne pathogens (CVBP) are transmitted by arthropod vectors such as ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, and phlebotomine sand flies and are of global veterinary and medical importance. Dogs are important reservoir hosts, which may develop potentially life-threatening clinical signs. The Balkan area harbors diverse vector fauna and associated CVBPs, and data, particularly from the Republic of Kosovo, are scarce. Considering the high number of stray and privately owned dogs primarily kept outside, living in close contact with dogs might promote spillover of zoonotic pathogens to human populations. To combat these diseases, a One Health approach is required. Therefore, our study molecularly analyzed samples of dogs for CVBP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Blood samples of 276 dogs originating from all seven districts of Kosovo collected from 2021 to 2022 were screened using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing for a substantial set of pathogens, including Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., Bartonella spp., Ehrlichia spp., Filarioidea, Hepatozoon spp., Mycoplasma spp., Rickettsia spp., and Trypanosoma spp. Prevalence rates were statistically assessed on the basis of various factors such as sex, breed, age, and district.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 150 (54.3%) dogs tested positive for at least one pathogen, comprising eight species of five genera. The most prevalent pathogens detected were Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum (55; 19.9%), Hepatozoon canis (52; 18.8%), and Mycoplasma haemocanis (49; 17.8%). We also detected double (32; 11.6%) and triple (5; 1.8%) infections, with the latter involving combinations of Mycoplasma spp., Dirofilaria repens, Dirofilaria immitis, H. canis, or Babesia vulpes. In addition, prevalence rates were calculated and mapped by district. Of all included factors, significant prevalence differences were found for purebred/mixed breed dogs as well as between age groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides the first comprehensive polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based screening and detection of vector-borne pathogens in dogs from Kosovo and highlights the circulation of pathogens with high veterinary importance and zoonotic potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"136"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11983783/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144036513","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":"The effects of urbanization, temperature, and rainfall on Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito abundance across a broad latitudinal gradient in Central Africa.","authors":"Matthew J Montgomery, James F Harwood, Aurelie P Yougang, Théodel A Wilson-Bahun, Armel N Tedjou, Christophe Rostand Keumeni, Charles S Wondji, Basile Kamgang, A Marm Kilpatrick","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06764-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06764-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Urbanization can influence disease vectors by altering larval habitat, microclimates, and host abundance. The global increase in urbanization, especially in Africa, is likely to alter vector abundance and pathogen transmission. We investigated the effect of urbanization and weather on the abundance of two mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, and infection with dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses at 63 sites in six cities spanning a 900-km latitudinal range in Cameroon, Central Africa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used human landing catches and backpack-mounted aspirators to sample mosquitoes and collected larval habitat, host availability, and weather (temperature, precipitation, humidity) data for each site in each city. We analyzed land use and land cover information and satellite photos at varying radii around sites (100 m to 2 km) to quantify the extent of urbanization and the number of structures around each site. We used a continuous urbanization index (UI; range 0-100) that increased with impermeable surface and decreased with forest cover.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Urbanization increased larval habitat, human host availability, and Ae. aegypti mosquito abundance. Aedes aegypti abundance increased 1.7% (95% CI 0.69-2.7%) with each 1 unit increase in the urbanization index in all six cities (Douala, Kribi, Yaounde, Ngaoundere, Garoua, and Maroua) with a 5.4-fold increase from UI = 0 to UI = 100, and also increased with rainfall. In contrast, Ae. albopictus abundance increased with urbanization in one city, but showed no influence of urbanization in two other cites. Across three cities, Ae. albopictus abundance increased with rainfall, temperature, and humidity. Finally, we did not detect Zika, dengue, or chikungunya viruses in any specimens, and found weak evidence of interspecific competition in analyses of adult population growth rates.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results show that urbanization consistently increases Ae. aegypti abundance across a broad range of habitats in Central Africa, while effects on Ae. albopictus were more variable and the abundance of both species were influenced by rainfall. Future urbanization of Africa will likely increase Ae. aegypti abundance, and climate change will likely alter abundance of both species through changes in precipitation and temperature.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"135"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11972486/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143795826","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":"Development of a single-cell cloning technique for isolation of Pentatrichomonas hominis: a promising tool for diagnosing Trichomonas spp. infections in the pig breeding industry.","authors":"Yibin Zhu, Haiming Cai, Shenquan Liao, Juan Li, Siyun Fang, Hanqin Shen, Dingai Wang, Zhuanqiang Yan, Minna Lv, Xuhui Lin, Junjing Hu, Yongle Song, Xiangjie Chen, Lijun Yin, Jianfei Zhang, Nanshan Qi, Mingfei Sun","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06752-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06752-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pig breeding is a crucial sector of the global economy, playing a significant role in meat production. However, the prevalence of Trichomonas spp., a group of parasites known to induce diarrhea in various hosts, presents significant challenges in breeding facilities. These parasites pose a substantial threat to the pig breeding industry. Furthermore, despite its prevalence, diagnosing Trichomonas spp. is often challenging, primarily owing to the presence of mixed infections involving different species within clinical samples. To address this concern, we developed a novel isolation method that combines a single-cell isolation culture technique with an antimicrobial drug susceptibility test.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Trichomonas was isolated and cultured by using the established single-worm separation technology combined with antibacterial drug screening method, and it was identified as Pentatrichomonas hominis by molecular biological identification and morphological identification. The in vitro culture conditions of the isolate were optimized to establish a stable in vitro culture system.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The method developed in this study was effective in successfully isolating a pure species of trichomonad from fecal samples obtained from weaned piglets in Guangdong Province. By optimizing important variables such as the culture medium, serum type, and inoculum quantity, we established a stable in vitro culture system utilizing a modified Diamond medium supplemented with 10% Procell fetal bovine serum without the use of antibiotics. Subsequent analysis of the isolate's 18S rRNA gene, ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2 gene, and EF-α gene, through polymerase chain reaction, DNA sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis, revealed its close association to Pentatrichomonas hominis. Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the presence of various distinct cellular structures, including four anterior flagella, recurrent flagellum, undulating membrane, pelta and axostyle. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy revealed the existence of organelles such as the Golgi complex, rough endoplasmic reticulum, food vacuoles, and hydrogenosomes. This study represents the first successful isolation of monoclonal cells of P. hominis to our knowledge and serves as a valuable baseline for future research focused on the isolation and purification of various other parasites. Additionally, it offers practical guidance for the diagnosis and management of Trichomonas spp. infections in pigs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In summary, our findings underscore the efficacy of our novel isolation technique as a valuable tool for the diagnosis and management of Trichomonas spp. infections, which can help mitigate the significant economic losses encountered in the pig breeding industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"133"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11971829/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143788595","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 contamination of soil in different Peruvian locations and outside built environments.","authors":"Carlos Pineda, Maritza Dalí Camones Rivera, Eddyson Montalva Sabino, Lucia Estela Mejia, Katherine Elizabeth Keegan, Lizbet Pilar Patricio Alvarez, Javier Jorge Mora, Fernanda Espinoza Vega, Emilio Rey Mejia, Patrick Olivas Herrera, Elisa Palomino Pando, Zhen Zeng, Athos Silva De Oliveira, Maria Jose Villar Mondragon, Barton Slatko, Eric J Wetzel, Rojelio Mejia","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06762-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06762-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Soil is a reservoir for many parasites that can affect human and animal health, especially in tropical regions where soil-transmitted helminths and protozoa thrive. Understanding how environmental factors influence parasite distribution will provide a basis for relating how climate changes may intensify their impacts, altering parasite habitats and increasing transmission risks. We surveyed soil parasite prevalence, burden, and diversity in several different Peruvian environmental ecologies to catalog current parasite presence and provide a baseline for future surveys.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 198 soil samples from 43 locations across three Peruvian regions-Tingo María (TM) (Amazon rainforest), Andabamba/Marabamba (A/M) (Andean highlands), and Huánuco city parks-were analyzed using multi-parallel quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to detect soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and protozoan DNA from entry, patio, and latrine sites.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Parasites were detected in 93% of locations, with 84% showing polyparasitism. TM houses had a higher odds ratio of contamination with Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura than those in A/M. TM also showed significantly higher odds of helminth contamination in patios than entries. TM had significantly more parasite species, with helminth species significantly higher in the patio versus entry. A/M had higher protozoan prevalence with Blastocystis species, with a greater odd ratios to TM. A/M had an increase of Acanthamoeba species in patios versus entries, indicating a niche favoring protozoans in these arid conditions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The observed variability in soil parasite prevalence between tropical rainforest and highland regions highlights the influence of environmental niches on parasite distribution, which may shift further due to climate change. This study demonstrates a sensitive approach to monitoring environmental contamination with parasites by leveraging qPCR. The findings underscore the importance of ecological surveillance for assessing parasitic transmission risks, which is crucial for guiding public health interventions, especially as environmental changes accelerate.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"134"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11972504/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143788695","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":"Laboratory evidence on the vector competence of European field-captured Culex theileri for circulating West Nile virus lineages 1 and 2.","authors":"Albert Burgas-Pau, Jaume Gardela, Carles Aranda, Marta Verdún, Raquel Rivas, Núria Pujol, Jordi Figuerola, Núria Busquets","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06763-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06763-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Culex theileri (Theobald, 1903) is distributed in Afrotropical, Paleartic, and Oriental regions. It is a mainly mammophilic floodwater mosquito that is involved in the transmission of West Nile virus (WNV, renamed as Orthoflavivirus nilense by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses [ICTV]) in Africa. This virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that is kept in an enzootic cycle mainly between birds and mosquitoes of the Culex genus. Occasionally, it affects mammals including humans and equines causing encephalopathies. The main purpose of the present study was to evaluate the vector competence of a European field-captured Cx. theileri population for circulating WNV lineages (1 and 2).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Field-collected Cx. theileri larvae from Sevilla province (Spain) were reared in the laboratory under summer environmental conditions. To assess the vector competence for WNV transmission, 10-12 day old Cx. theileri females were fed with blood doped with WNV lineages 1 and 2 (7 log₁₀ TCID₅₀/mL). Females were sacrificed at 14- and 21- days post exposure (dpe), and their head, body, and saliva were extracted to assess infection, dissemination, and transmission rates, as well as transmission efficiency.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A Culex theileri population was experimentally confirmed as a highly competent vector for WNV (both lineages 1 and 2). The virus successfully infected and disseminated within Cx. theileri mosquitoes, and infectious virus isolated from their saliva indicated their potential to transmit the virus. Transmission efficiency was 50% for lineage 1 (for both 14 and 21 dpe), while it was 24% and 37.5% for lineage 2, respectively. There was barely any effect of the midgut infection barrier for lineage 1 and a moderate effect for lineage 2. The main barrier which limited the virus infection within the mosquito was the midgut escape barrier.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In the present study, the high transmission efficiency supports that Cx. theileri is competent to transmit WNV. However, vector density and feeding patterns of Cx. theileri mosquitoes must be considered when estimating their vectorial capacity for WNV in the field.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"132"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11971848/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143788599","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":"The mitogenome of Triatoma brasiliensis brasiliensis (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), the main Chagas disease vector in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil.","authors":"Carlos E Almeida, Lifeng Du, Jingwen Wang, Dayane Pires-Silva, Elaine Folly-Ramos, Myrian Harry, Cleber Galvão","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06769-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06769-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Triatoma brasiliensis brasiliensis is the primary vector of Chagas disease in Brazil's semi-arid regions, exhibiting adaptability to various environments, including domestic and peridomestic. Despite its significance, comprehensive genomic data for this subspecies remain limited.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We assembled the complete mitochondrial genome of T. b. brasiliensis using a combination of Illumina and Sanger sequencing technologies, the latter being necessary to obtain the control region with eight primers designed in this study. The mitogenome was annotated to identify gene content and organization. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using conserved blocks of 13 protein-coding genes and 22 transfer RNA genes. For this analysis, 18 representative triatomines with near-complete mitogenomes were selected, and phylogenetic reconstruction was performed using the maximum ikelihood method.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The complete mitogenome spans 16,575 base pairs and includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes, consistent with the typical structure of insect mitochondrial genomes. The control region exhibited tandem and inverted repeats arranged in blocks, as observed for other Reduviidae. Given the limited availability of mitogenomes, our phylogenetic analysis provided statistical support for T. b. brasiliensis as a sister taxon to Triatoma infestans, forming a well-supported clade that is sister to Triatoma vitticeps.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The availability of this mitogenome provides insights into the systematics, biology, and genomics of triatomine species while also enhancing our understanding of their evolutionary relationships. However, the limited number of available mitogenomes, particularly for South American Triatoma species, underscores the need for further sequencing efforts to improve phylogenetic resolution and support comparative genomic studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"131"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11969816/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143788697","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":"Brazilian fleas (Hexapoda: Siphonaptera): diversity, host associations, and new records on small mammals from the Atlantic Rainforest, including Rickettsia screening.","authors":"Isabella Pereira Pesenato, Jaciara de Oliveira Jorge Costa, Fernando de Castro Jacinavicius, Ricardo Bassini-Silva, Herbert Sousa Soares, Thiago Fakelmann, Giovanna Nosberto Castelli, Gledson Bandeira Maia, Valeria Castilho Onofrio, Fernanda Aparecida Nieri-Bastos, Arlei Marcili","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06755-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06755-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Insects belonging to the Siphonaptera order are obligatory ectoparasites of vertebrates, including humans. Their life cycle is marked by holometabolous development, and adults are adapted to have a bloodmeal out of their hosts. The objective of this study is to review the families occurring in Brazil with their species and report new records from fleas collected in an Atlantic Rainforest preserved area, including Rickettsia sp. monitoring.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Literature research was carried out, including journal articles and books available in scientific databases. The sample collection took place at Legado das Águas-Reserva Votorantim private reserve, where wild rodents, marsupials, and bats were captured and inspected for the presence of fleas. The fleas were identified, and their genetic material was extracted and subjected to two polymerase chain reactions (PCRs): an endogenous control to validate the extraction and a Rickettsia screening.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 8 families were reviewed, resulting in 63 valid species that interact with a wide range of hosts. Among the collected fleas, 7 species were identified as interacting with 19 different host genera belonging to the Rodentia, Didelphimorphia, and Chiroptera orders. We highlight the presence of 2 new locality records and 15 new host interactions. Of the collected fleas, 105 specimens were tested individually for Rickettsia bacteria, but none showed expected amplicons for the bacterium.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides an extensive revision of the Siphonaptera order present in Brazil with new insights, since the last robust revision made was from 2000, along with new information regarding host association and locality based on field collections conducted by the authors, which helps understanding the host-parasite interaction and encourages new studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"130"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11969852/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143780674","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":"Upregulation of Nrf2 attenuates Angiostrongylus cantonensis-induced parasitic meningitis in mice.","authors":"Chii-Wen Chou, Chia-Chun Huang, Ke-Min Chen, Chun-I Wang, Wan-Jing Chen, Chiung-Hung Hsu, Shih-Chan Lai, Shyun Chou, Yu-Kang Chang, Kuan-Yu Lin, Chih-Hao Chiu, Cheng-You Lu","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06724-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06724-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a food-borne parasite that can infect mammals, including humans, causing angiostrongyliasis. The nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that plays a crucial role in the host's antioxidant defense and inflammation mechanisms. Herein, this study investigates the anti-inflammatory effects of Nrf2 in A. cantonensis-induced parasitic meningitis in mice.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used animal infection and treatment, larvae collection, western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability assays, and an NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) enzyme activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) assay kit in this study.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our findings revealed that larvae recovery, BBB permeability, and inflammatory mediators (interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α) were increased in A. cantonensis-infected mice. However, p-Nrf2 levels were slightly increased in infected groups. To better understand the modulatory role of Nrf2 in the parasitic meningitis, we also treated A. cantonensis-infected mice with oltipraz (an Nrf2 activator) and trigonelline (an Nrf2 inhibitor). The larvae recovery, BBB permeability, and levels of inflammatory mediators were significantly decreased in the albendazole alone, oltipraz, and albendazole-oltipraz co-treatment groups, particularly in albendazole-oltipraz co-treatment groups. In contrast, trigonelline treatment resulted in increased levels of larvae recovery, BBB permeability, and inflammatory mediators. Moreover, since Nrf2 is involved in the regulation of antioxidant enzymes, we also examined the expression of ROS, NQO1, and SOD. ROS levels were significantly increased in infected groups but decreased in the albendazole alone, oltipraz alone, and albendazole-oltipraz co-treatment groups. NQO1 and SOD levels were significantly decreased in infected groups, but these levels were notably restored during treatment with albendazole alone, oltipraz alone, and albendazole-oltipraz co-treatment.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings revealed the albendazole-Nrf2 activator co-treatment effectively suppressed excessive inflammation compared with the anthelmintics drug (albendazole) treatment alone, and Nrf2 activation might produce a synergistic effect in the inflammatory response of the brain in mice with angiostrongyliasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"129"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11969990/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143780676","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":"Spatial epidemiology of Tabanus (Diptera: Tabanidae) vectors of Trypanosoma.","authors":"Roberta Marques, Daniel Jiménez-García, Luis E Escobar, Tiago Kütter Krolow, Rodrigo Ferreira Krüger","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06708-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-025-06708-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Trypanosoma are protozoa parasites that infect animals and can cause economic losses in cattle production. Trypanosoma live in the blood and are transmitted by hematophagous insects, such as flies in the genus Tabanus. Using ecological niche models, we explored the current geography of six common Tabanus species in Brazil, which are considered vectors of Trypanosoma vivax and Tr. evansi in the Neotropics.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used georeferenced data and biotic and abiotic variables integrated using a fundamental ecological niche modeling approach. Modeling results from six Tabanus species were used to identify risk areas of Trypanosoma transmission in Latin America accounting for area predicted, landscape conditions, and density of livestock. We performed Jaccard, Schoener, and Hellinger metrics to indicate the ecological niche similarities of pairs of Tabanus species to identify known and likely vectors overlapping in distribution across geographies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our results revealed significant ecological niche similarities for two Tabanus species (T. pungens and T. sorbillans), whereas T. triangulum and T. importunus have low ecological similarity. Ecological niche models predicted risk of Trypanosoma transmission across Neotropical countries, with the highest risk in southern South America, Venezuela, and central Mexico.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>More than 1.6 billion cattle and 38 million horses are under a threat category for infection risk. Furthermore, we identified specific areas and livestock populations at high risk of trypanosomiasis in Latin America. This study reveals the areas, landscapes, and populations at risk of Trypanosoma infections in livestock in the Americas.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"128"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11969902/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143780675","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":"Scent detection dogs detect a species of hard tick, Dermacentor albipictus, with comparable accuracy and efficiency to traditional tick drag surveys.","authors":"Troy Koser, Aimee Hurt, Laura Thompson, Alyson Courtemanch, Benjamin Wise, Paul Cross","doi":"10.1186/s13071-024-06519-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13071-024-06519-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Accurate surveillance data are critical for addressing tick and tick-borne pathogen risk to human and animal health. Current surveillance methods for detecting invading or expanding tick species are limited in their ability to scale efficiently to state or national levels. In this study we explored the potential use of scent detection dogs to assist field surveys for a hard tick species: Dermacentor albipictus.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used a series of indoor and in situ training simulations to teach scent detection dogs to recognize D. albipictus scent, distinguish tick scent from associated vegetation, and develop a cautious search pattern. After training, we deployed both a scent detection dog survey team and a human-only survey team on transect and surveillance plot surveys then compared the detection rates and efficiency of both methods.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Scent detection dogs required more time and money to train on field surveys but were comparable to traditional tick drags when accounting for cost per unit area surveyed. There was a lack of agreement on positive (ticks present) versus negative (ticks not present) sites between the two methods, implying that neither method is particularly reliable at detecting D. albipictus.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Estimating detection bias and false negative rates for tick surveillance methods such as tick drags will be important for accurately evaluating tick-borne disease risk across space and into the future. We found scent detection dogs to be a reasonable alternative sampling approach to consider when ticks are at low abundance or patchily distributed such as during tick range expansion or novel invasions. Scent detection dogs may also be useful for sampling for ticks in areas or along surfaces that are difficult to sample with the traditional tick drag technique like at ports of entry or livestock competitions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"126"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11967051/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143772915","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}