Parasitology最新文献

{"title":"Unraveling the host range of <i>Plasmodium huffi</i>: morphological, histopathological and molecular characterization in red-legged seriemas from Brazil.","authors":"Lis Marques de Carvalho E Vieira, Sabrina Epiphanio, Natália Coelho Couto de Azevedo Fernandes, Juliana Mariotti Guerra, José Luiz Catão Dias, Maria Andreína Pacheco, Ananias A Escalante, Érika Martins Braga","doi":"10.1017/S003118202500006X","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S003118202500006X","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Avian <i>Plasmodium</i> parasites can be pathogenic to their vertebrate hosts. Although cases of anaemia are frequently reported in parasitized birds, the potential damage caused by the parasite during the exoerythrocytic reproduction phase remains poorly investigated. Here, we report 2 individuals of red-legged seriemas (<i>Cariama cristata</i>) infected with 2 different lineages of <i>Plasmodium huffi</i>, one of them exhibiting potential malarial-compatible tissue lesions in the spleen, liver, brain and lungs, alongside molecular confirmation of parasite presence in the spleen. Previously classified as specific to birds from the order Piciformes, this parasite has shown different associated lineages amplified across diverse host orders in South America (Anseriformes, Charadriiformes, Columbiformes, Galliformes, Pelecaniformes and Passeriformes). Those infections, however, were defined as abortive due to the absence of gametocytes visualized in blood smear slides. Herein, we confirm <i>P. huffi</i> as a generalist parasite based on the first morphological characterization in the peripheral blood of a bird outside the Piciformes order. This is also the first morphological and molecular description of a <i>Plasmodium</i> species in Cariamiformes. In addition to the morphological analyses, we have also proposed a novel phylogenetic hypothesis based on the partial <i>cytb</i> gene and the near-complete mitochondrial genome of this parasite. Our findings support that the division of the genus <i>Plasmodium</i> into subgenera is not monophyletic, as <i>P.</i> (<i>Huffia) huffi</i> and its associated lineages cluster more closely with <i>Plasmodium</i> (<i>Haemamoeba) gallinaceum</i> than with <i>Plasmodium</i> (<i>Huffia) elongatum</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":19967,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143047573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Pinus sylvestris</i> bark extract reduces the impact of <i>Heligmosomoides bakeri</i> infection on C57BL/6 but not on BALB/c mice (<i>Mus musculus</i>).","authors":"Berit Marie Blomstrand, Stig Milan Thamsborg, Håvard Steinshamn, Heidi Larsen Enemark, Inga Marie Aasen, Karl-Christian Mahnert, Kristin Marie Sørheim, Francesca Shepherd, Jos Houdijk, Spiridoula Athanasiadou","doi":"10.1017/S0031182024001148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182024001148","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) may improve gastrointestinal health by exerting immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and/or antiparasitic effects. Bark extracts from coniferous tree species have previously been shown to reduce the burden of a range of parasite species in the gastrointestinal tract, with condensed tannins as the potential active compounds. In the present study, the impact of an acetone extract of pine bark (<i>Pinus sylvestris</i>) on the resistance, performance and tolerance of genetically diverse mice (<i>Mus musculus</i>) was assessed. Mice able to clear an infection quickly (fast responders, BALB/c) or slowly (slow responders, C57BL/6) were infected orally with 200 infective third-stage larvae (L₃) of the parasitic nematode <i>Heligmosomoides bakeri</i> or remained uninfected (dosed with water only). Each infection group of mice was gavaged for 3 consecutive days from day 19 post-infection with either bark extract or dimethyl sulphoxide (5%) as vehicle control. Oral administration of pine bark extract did not have an impact on any of the measured parasitological parameter. It did, however, have a positive impact on the performance of infected, slow-responder mice, through an increase in body weight (BW) and carcase weight and reduced feed intake by BW ratio. Importantly, bark extract administration had a negative impact on the fast responders, by reducing their ability to mediate the impact of parasitism through reducing their performance and tolerance. The results indicate that the impact of PSMs on parasitized hosts is affected by host's genetic susceptibility, with susceptible hosts benefiting more from bark extract administration compared to resistant ones.</p>","PeriodicalId":19967,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143047557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Size, spines, and primes: the drivers of collar spine numbers among echinostome trematodes.","authors":"Bronwen Presswell, Priscila M Salloum, Jerusha Bennett, Katherine E Buschang, Robert Poulin","doi":"10.1017/S0031182025000046","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0031182025000046","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19967,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143047563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How patient, infection, and cysticercus characteristics impact the evolution of <i>Taenia solium</i> larva in the human brain: a unique cyst-level analysis.","authors":"Hongbin Zhang, Meghana G Shamsunder, Pryanka Bawa, Arturo Carpio, W Allen Hauser, Karina Quinde-Herrera, Alex Jaramillo, Elizabeth A Kelvin","doi":"10.1017/S003118202400163X","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S003118202400163X","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19967,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1-47"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143029210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The prevalence and immune response to coinfection by avian haemosporidians in wild Eurasian blackbirds <i>Turdus merula</i>.","authors":"Ellie Lebeau, Jenny C Dunn","doi":"10.1017/S0031182024000829","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182024000829","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Coinfection of a host by more than 1 parasite is more common than single infection in wild environments and can have differing impacts, although coinfections have relatively rarely been quantified. Host immune responses to coinfection can contribute to infection costs but are often harder to predict than those associated with single infection, due to the influence of within-host parasite–parasite interactions on infection virulence. To first quantify coinfection in a common bird species, and then to test for immune-related impacts of coinfection, we investigated the prevalence and immune response to avian haemosporidian (genera: <i>Plasmodium</i>, <i>Haemoproteus</i> and <i>Leucocytozoon</i>) coinfection in wild blackbirds. Coinfection status was diagnosed using a 1-step multiplex polymerase chain reaction, immune response was quantified through white blood cell counts and heterophil: lymphocyte ratios, and parasitaemia was quantified for each infected sample. We detected high rates of haemosporidian infection and coinfection, although neither impacted immune activity, despite a significantly higher parasitaemia in individuals experiencing double <i>vs</i> single infection. This suggests that immune-related costs of haemosporidian single and coinfection are low in this system. This could be due to long-term host–parasite coevolution, which has decreased infection virulence, or a consequence of reduced costs associated with chronic infections compared to acute infections. Alternatively, our results may obscure immune-related costs associated with specific combinations of coinfecting haemosporidian genera, species or lineages. Future research should investigate interactions that occur between haemosporidian parasites within hosts, as well as the ways in which these interactions and resulting impacts may vary depending on parasite identity.</p>","PeriodicalId":19967,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143033024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and diversity of <i>Aphanomyces astaci</i> in cambarid crayfish of Pennsylvania: where native and introduced hosts meet.","authors":"Adam Petrusek, Michaela Mojžišová, Adéla Mikešová, Radka Piálková, David A Lieb","doi":"10.1017/S0031182025000022","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0031182025000022","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The crayfish plague pathogen <i>Aphanomyces astaci</i> (Oomycota: Saprolegniales) is native to North America but expanded with its crayfish hosts to other regions. In most of its invaded range, <i>A. astaci</i> haplotypes are associated with specific American crayfish, probably due to introduction bottlenecks, but haplotype diversity is higher and clear host-specific associations are lacking in its native range. However, little is known about the infection rate and load of this pathogen in North America. We investigated the distribution, prevalence and genetic variation of <i>A. astaci</i> in Pennsylvania (eastern USA), where multiple native and introduced crayfish species (family Cambaridae) occur. We used <i>A. astaci</i>-specific quantitative PCR to screen 533 individuals representing 8 crayfish species (2 <i>Cambarus</i> and 6 <i>Faxonius</i>) from 49 sites. <i>Faxonius limosus</i>, an American species first introduced to Europe and carrier of <i>A. astaci</i> genotype group E, was of particular interest. We confirmed <i>A. astaci</i> infections in 76% of sites in all but 1 host taxon, with the pathogen infection rate and load comparable to established populations of North American crayfish studied in Europe and Japan. Despite the absence of highly infected hosts, we genotyped <i>A. astaci</i> from 14 sites. We only detected 2 mitochondrial haplotypes, but nuclear markers indicated the presence of at least 4 distinct pathogen genotypes, none documented from invaded areas in Europe or Asia. Genotype group E was not detected in <i>F. limosus</i>, possibly due to limited spatial distribution of the original strain. Our results highlight both benefits and limitations of combining multiple pathogen genotyping methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":19967,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143024347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A roadmap for understanding sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in malaria chemoprevention.","authors":"Thiery Masserey, Lydia Braunack-Mayer, R Scott Miller, Jörg J Möhrle, Melissa A Penny","doi":"10.1017/S0031182025000071","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0031182025000071","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is the standard of care for <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> malaria chemoprevention among pregnant women, infants and children. Developing alternative chemoprevention products and other prevention products, such as vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, requires significant investment. However, knowledge gaps surrounding the activity of SP and resistance put these investments at risk. Therefore, we reviewed SP's combined antimalarial action, including the individual antiplasmodial components, other antimicrobial effects, impact on malaria immunity development and continued effectiveness in settings with high SP resistance. We created a roadmap of non-clinical and clinical evidence to better understand the effectiveness of SP for chemoprevention and inform the development of new prevention tools.</p>","PeriodicalId":19967,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143024346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Passage of <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> through the trophic web: an experimental study on reptiles.","authors":"Lucia Anettová, Anna Šipková, Vivienne Velič, Jana Kačmaříková, Kristýna Javorská, Ladislav Novotný, Petr Cibulka, Martin Květoň, David Modrý","doi":"10.1017/S0031182025000034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182025000034","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19967,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1-29"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Hydatigera parva</i> population genetics in Iberian rodents provides insights into its introduction from Africa.","authors":"Milan Miljević, Marija Rajičić, Javier Marco, Jelena Blagojević, Ruth Rodríguez-Pastor, Branka Bajić, Javier Millán","doi":"10.1017/S0031182025000058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182025000058","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19967,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1-24"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of the recombinant protein <i>Sh</i>-TSP-2 for the serological diagnosis of imported urogenital schistosomiasis and comparison with commercially available tests.","authors":"María Pilar Luzón-García, Laura Navarro, Esther Rodríguez, Manuel Jesús Soriano-Pérez, José Vázquez-Villegas, María Isabel Cabeza-Barrera, Alex Loukas, Nerea Castillo-Fernández, María Jesús Perteguer, Javier Sotillo, Joaquín Salas-Coronas","doi":"10.1017/S0031182024001574","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182024001574","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Different agencies have emphasized the need to evaluate current serological methods for screening patients with suspected urogenital schistosomiasis. However, there is still a lack of evidence regarding the most appropriate methods for this purpose. Here we assessed the diagnostic efficacy of a newly developed serological technique that utilizes the recombinant protein <i>Sh</i>-TSP-2, applied to the urine and serum of migrants suspected of having urogenital schistosomiasis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the recombinant protein <i>Sh</i>-TSP-2 were analysed and compared with other commercial serological methods. Due to the limitations of microscopy as a perfect reference method, a latent class analysis (LCA) and composite reference standard (CRS) approach was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of each test. According to the LCA model, the commercial tests NovaLisa^® and immunochromatography test (ICT) immunoglobulin G–immunoglobulin M (IgG–IgM) presented the highest sensitivity (100%), whereas the <i>Sh</i>-TSP-2 serum ELISA test had 79.2%. The <i>Sh</i>-TSP-2 urine and serum ELISA tests had the highest specificities among the serological methods (87.5 and 75%, respectively). CRS modelling showed that the ICT IgG–IgM, NovaLisa^® and <i>Sh</i>-TSP-2 serum tests led in sensitivity at 97.1, 88.6 and 71.4%, respectively, with all tests except that the ICT IgG–IgM test having a specificity >90%. <i>Sh</i>-TSP-2 has been validated as a screening tool for patients suspected of having urogenital schistosomiasis. Although commercial serological tests have shown higher sensitivities, <i>Sh</i>-TSP-2 could be valuable for confirming results from tests with lower specificity. Nevertheless, further studies with larger patient cohorts are necessary to fully verify its potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":19967,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}