Parasitology Research最新文献

{"title":"Besnoitia was detected in the fecal samples of a cattery in Shenyang, China.","authors":"HaoYan Yang, TingTing Zhang, Hao Wang, LiHui Yu, BaoShan Liu","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08469-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-025-08469-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Besnoitia are a genus of cyst-forming protozoa, with cats serving as the definitive host for several species of Besnoitia. In order to gain insight into the epidemiology of Besnoitia infection in cats in catteries in Shenyang City, 58 fecal samples were collected from six catteries, and oocysts conforming morphologically to Besnoitia as well as Besnoitia ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) sequences were detected, confirming the presence of this parasite in a single cattery located in Shenyang, China. The ITS1 sequences were 100% identical to Besnoitia acinonyx. The findings of this study contribute to the existing epidemiological data on the disease, providing a valuable reference for the prevention and treatment of the disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 4","pages":"39"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143753594","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":"Does the host matter? Testing the impact of host identity on the microbiome of a trematode parasite.","authors":"Xuhong Chai, Priscila M Salloum, Robert Poulin","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08486-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08486-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animal microbiomes have been recognized to have significant impact on animal behaviour, development, and health. For parasites, one of the sources of their associated microbes is likely their hosts, making host identity a potential factor explaining variation of microbial communities among conspecific parasites. Using the host-parasite system including the amphipod Paracalliope fluviatilis, and isopod Austridotea annectens, and their common trematode parasite Maritrema poulini, we hypothesized that host identity has an impact on the diversity and community composition of the microbiomes of M. poulini parasites. We focused on the bacterial component of the trematodes' microbiomes. We investigated the effect of host identity under both intraspecific (among individual isopods) and interspecific (between amphipods and isopods) host levels and predicted that the effect of host identity can be detected under both host hierarchical levels. We found an effect of host identity on both the diversity and community composition of parasite microbiomes between conspecific isopod hosts, while host identity only had an impact on microbiome community composition when comparing parasites infecting amphipod versus isopod hosts. Our study results show that host identity impacts both parasite microbiome composition and taxonomic diversity, providing indirect evidence that the assembly of parasite microbiomes is not merely random, and that horizontal transmission from the host to the parasite might play a key role in shaping parasite microbiomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"38"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11947000/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143731241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling shifts in cervical microbiota composition among Colombian women in the presence of Trichomonas vaginalis: a longitudinal study.","authors":"Milena Camargo, Laura Vega, Marina Muñoz, Lauren Hernández-Buelvas, Leidy Pedraza, Indira M Báez-Murcia, Juan David Ramírez, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08482-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08482-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated protozoan affecting human reproductive health. Although bacterial coinfections have been associated with T. vaginalis infection outcomes, pertinent data are scarce. This study was aimed at assessing vaginal bacterial community changes regarding T. vaginalis outcomes (infection, clearance, persistence) during patients' follow-up visits. This was a 1-year follow-up study involving Colombian women who provided two cytological scrapings from the cervix (one at baseline and another at follow-up), having an average 12 ± 1 month follow-up interval. T. vaginalis was detected by conventional PCR (Tvk3/7 and BTU9/2 primers). The Illumina Novaseq PE250-platform was used for assessing microbiota composition. This study involved 66 women (132 samples); 68.2% (n = 45) tested negative for T. vaginalis at baseline while 31.8% (n = 21) were initially diagnosed with T. vaginalis infection (99,304 amplicon sequence variants identified/categorised into 62 phyla and 1908 genera). Women who cleared T. vaginalis (n = 10) displayed increased microbial richness, while those having persistence (n = 11) had higher microbial diversity. Significant changes were observed regarding genus relative abundance: Lactobacillus abundance increased in the clearance group (p = 0.002), Prevotella in the persistence group (p = 0.045) and Gardnerella, Megasphaera and Sneathia in the group having acquired T. vaginalis infection (p = 0.045). Regarding relative abundance, logistic regression analysis revealed a positive trend concerning Sneathia increase (adjusted OR 2.23) and reduced Lactobacillus abundance (adjusted OR 0.39) in women with T. vaginalis persistence. DESeq analysis revealed a substantial decrease in the Ornithinimicrobium genus among women without infection during follow-up, while Ruminococcus increased in women having various T. vaginalis outcomes. The results suggested that specific bacterial genera present during T. vaginalis infection may influence its clearance, having potential implications for improving diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for enhancing women's reproductive health.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"37"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11946947/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143731243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Krüppel homolog 1, a juvenile hormone transcription factor, regulates the reproduction and development of Aedes albopictus(Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae).","authors":"Ya-Hui Chen, Cheng Wu, Yu-Yang Xie, Yan-Hui Zhang, Xi-Tong Huang, Fen Hu, Li-Hua Xie","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08479-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08479-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The control of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae), a vector for several important viral diseases, is crucial for mitigating mosquito-borne diseases. This study focused on the Krüppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1) gene, a transcription factor in juvenile hormone (JH) signaling, which plays a pivotal role in inhibiting metamorphosis and promoting adult reproduction. We characterized Aedes albopictus Kr-h1(AalbKr-h1), identified its eight zinc finger domains, and confirmed its orthology among insects through phylogenetic analysis. Expression profiling across life stages showed high level of expression in eggs, late larvae, and adults, with minimal expression in pupae. In adults, AalbKr-h1 was most active in the fat body and ovaries. Exposing larvae to a JH analogue significantly upregulated AalbKr-h1 expression in both larval and adult stages. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Kr-h1 protein reduced egg reproduction, survival rate and gene expression levels. These results provide a solid foundation for further exploration of the function of the AalbKr-h1 gene and the potential development of novel strategies for mosquito control and prevention of mosquito-borne diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"36"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11928384/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143676941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Use of snail traps for surveillance of schistosome-shedding snails in rice fields and fragile ecosystems.","authors":"Alexandra Sack, Emily Selland, Sidy Bakhoum, Jason R Rohr","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08461-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08461-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human schistosomiasis is a waterborne trematode disease that often affects communities already dealing with poverty and limited access to health care. Sampling to look for the snail intermediate host of schistosomiasis is often done in resource-poor settings with a sweep net, but this can be damaging to aquatic plants, such as rice. To address this issue, we tested a baited snail trap to use in fragile ecosystems and rice fields where sweep netting might not be advisable. The trap design and bait options were first tested in the laboratory with Biomphalaria glabrata and Bulinus truncatus before being tested in the Senegal River Basin in rice fields and canals. The best option was a funnel trap that was also environmentally friendly because it reuses a 1.0- to 1.5-L water bottle and includes mango as bait, a very common fruit in the region. This trap can be used by others looking to sample fragile ecosystems or rice fields for intermediate host snails of human schistosomiasis and the trematodes they harbor.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"35"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11926025/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143670559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysis of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) and associated microorganisms collected on the North Sea Island of Heligoland.","authors":"Robert E Rollins, Jochen Dierschke, Anna Obiegala, Heiner von Buttlar, Lidia Chitimia-Dobler, Miriam Liedvogel","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08478-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08478-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heligoland is an island located in the North Sea, where vegetation was almost destroyed as a result of heavy bombardment during and after the Second World War. However, over the past 70 years, the vegetation has developed from scrub towards bushy or even forested environments. This change has most likely altered habitat suitability for various organisms, including many species of ticks. Ticks can act as major vectors for various pathogens of humans and animals; thus, characterizing the occurrence of a tick population and associated microorganism on the island is of great importance in relation to public and animal health. For this characterization on Heligoland, we flagged ticks at four different locations during June 2023 and 2024. In 2024, ticks were opportunistically sampled from house pets living on the island and during the annual ringing of common murre (Uria aalge) fledglings. In total, 267 ticks were collected over the 2 years which were identified morphologically, and confirmed molecularly if needed, to four species: Ixodes ricinus (n = 132), Haemaphysalis punctata (n = 47), Ixodes uriae (n = 3), and Alectorobius maritimus (n = 85), which for the latter represents the first report in Germany. Questing tick samples positive for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia spp. were found in one or both years. Subsequent sequencing showed the presence of two Rickettsia species (R. helvetica, R. aeschlimannii), multiple Borrelia species (B. garinii, B. valaisiana, B. bavariensis, B. afzelii), and two Babesia species (Ba. venatorum, Ba. capreoli). Our research highlights a diverse tick and associated microorganism population on the island, which could pose public and animal health risks that will need to be monitored in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"34"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11914315/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143649478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of Naegleria fowleri antigens recognized by serum antibodies from people of Mexicali Valley, México.","authors":"Itzel Berenice Rodríguez-Mera, Saúl Rojas-Hernández, Patricia Bonilla-Lemus, Mariela Esquivel-Solís, Frida Carrillo-Morales, Mara Gutiérrez-Sánchez, Israel López-Reyes, José Luis Osornio-Rojas, María Maricela Carrasco-Yépez","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08476-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08476-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba that causes a fatal disease in the central nervous system known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in humans. Most of the infections are acquired by people who practice recreational activities in water contaminated with trophozoites. Swimming and wading in irrigation channels of Mexicali are common practices for local people. Although there are some warning signposts in the surrounding sites, people continue using these channels for recreational purposes. In that region, cases of PAM have been reported; however, not everyone who comes into contact with contaminated water containing trophozoites becomes infected, and the factors influencing their immune response to N. fowleri remain unknown. We analyzed the levels of antibodies against N. fowleri in two groups: local individuals, including visitors who swam in the Mexicali channels, and a group from Mexico City (CDMX). In both groups, specific antibody responses were analyzed using immunoassays, including Western blot, ELISA, and cytochemistry. The highest levels of both IgG and IgA were found in samples from Mexicali, compared to those from CDMX. In both groups, IgG recognized polypeptide bands from N. fowleri at molecular weights of 100, 50, and 19 kDa, bands that we have already reported as immunogenic. Moreover, the IgG subjects recognized trophozoite structures such as membrane, pseudopodia, food cups, and even small like-vesicles. This antibody immune response directed against these polypeptide bands and trophozoite structures along with other factors could be participating in the defense of these people against PAM.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"33"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11910403/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143634386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating fatty acid profiles in anisakid nematode parasites and adjacent tissue of European hake (Merluccius merluccius): a first insight into local host-parasite lipid dynamics.","authors":"João P Monteiro, Tiago Sousa, Marisa Pinho, Fernando Atroch, Luís Filipe Rangel, Camilo Ayra Pardo, Maria João Santos, Rita Barracosa, Felisa Rey, M Rosário Domingues, Ricardo Calado","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08477-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08477-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parasitism in fish is a widespread and ecologically significant phenomenon, affecting fish in both wild and aquaculture environments. Comprehending parasitism is essential for managing fish populations, protecting fish health, and preventing human exposure to zoonotic parasites. Understanding lipid dynamics between parasitic organisms and their hosts is crucial for elucidating host-parasite interactions. Although the third larval (L3) stage of anisakid larvae is not a developing stage, and therefore not as dependent on the host for the acquisition of nutrients, there are hints of interplay between parasites and fish hosts, also in terms of lipid content. This study aimed to characterize for the first time the fatty acid profiles of anisakid nematode parasites and adjacent tissue in the European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in order to shed some light on these intricate relationships. Fatty acid analysis revealed significant differences in the percentages of individual fatty acids between anisakid nematodes and adjacent European hake tissue. Anisakids presented a higher content in stearic (18:0), vaccenic (18:1n-7), and linoleic (18:2n-6) acids, while in turn, the belly flap tissue of the fish presented significantly higher contents in palmitic (16:0) and especially docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) than the parasite. These differences suggest unique lipid metabolic pathways between parasite and fish, and that parasitism and the possible acquisition of lipids from the host (hake) do not profoundly shape the fatty acid profile of the parasites. Furthermore, the distinct fatty acid signatures described for parasites and hosts may serve as baselines to follow possible changes in the ecological statuses of both species and even to appraise the nutritional features of European hake when affected by parasitism. This study provides valuable insights into the lipid dynamics within host-parasite systems and underscores the importance of further research to unravel the complexities of these interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"32"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11906546/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143625502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Eggs of Schistosoma japonicum deposited in the spleen induce apoptosis of splenic T cells in C57BL/6 mice.","authors":"Yanjuan Wang, Yuan Hu, Jing Zhang, Danling Zhou, Yanjun Zhang, Jianping Cao","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08474-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08474-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To explore the relationship between Schistosoma japonicum egg deposition and the resultant structural damage to the spleen, mice were infected percutaneously with cercariae or eggs were surgically injected into their spleens. Terminal transferase dUTP nick-end-labeling (TUNEL) showed that cells around the S. japonicum eggs were apoptotic in vivo. Flow cytometry revealed a sharp reduction in splenic B and T cells at 8 weeks post-infection (p.i.) and a significant increase in Annexin V positive T cells. Immunochemistry showed that the remaining follicles in the spleen at 16 weeks p.i. comprised mainly B lymphocytes. Comparing T lymphocytes in the spleen and liver egg granulomas showed obvious CD3⁺ positive areas in the spleen, indicating that splenic egg granulomas have a different cellular composition to liver granulomas. S. japonicum eggs deposited in the spleen might induce apoptosis of splenic cells, especially T lymphocytes. When splenic lymphocytes were cultured in vitro with S. japonicum soluble egg antigen (SEA), more cells underwent apoptosis at an antigen concentration of 120 μg/ml compared to 60 μg/ml at all times p.i.. Cells from 8 weeks p.i. seemed more susceptible to SEA-induced apoptosis. Further research should be focus on the molecule(s) that induce T cells apoptosis, which might provide clues to the mechanisms of immunosuppression during S. japonicum infection and will promote vaccine research.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"31"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11891099/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143586639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Immunolocalization and 3D modeling of three unique proteins belonging to the costa of Tritrichomonas foetus.","authors":"Paula Terra Bandeira, Camila Rodrigues Chaves, Pedro Henrique Monteiro Torres, Wanderley de Souza","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08466-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08466-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nowadays, even in light of all the massive advances in cell biology, we still find some cellular structures that are not entirely understood. Among those, we highlight the costa, a structure from the mastigont system existent only in some members of the orders Trichomonadida and Tritrichomonadida, including the pathogens of venereal diseases in humans and cattle, Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) and Tritrichomonas foetus (T. foetus), respectively. The costa is a prominent striated fiber and, although part of the cytoskeleton, differs from its classical components, and its molecular composition is still not fully characterized. Using proteomics of T. foetus's costa fraction, we previously identified hypothetic proteins, and among these, the protein ARM19800.1 positively localized in the costa and named costain-1. In this study, two other protein candidates were analyzed. To achieve the specific localization of 11810 and 32137 proteins in T. foetus's cells, it was used expansion microscopy and immunocytochemistry. The immunofluorescence revealed the presence of both proteins throughout the whole costa but with different intensities. Immunocytochemistry using negative staining, LR-White, and Epon embedding revealed further analyses of the protein's localization. All techniques confirmed the distinct and distributed localization of both proteins: costain-2 (11810) and costain-3 (32137). Also, AlfaFold3 was used to generate 3D models of the three identified proteins, showing a major prevalence of α-helical spans. Nonetheless, the identification and further characterization of these unique proteins can help understand their functional role in the assembled costa and, therefore, better understand the organization and function of this structure in these organisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"30"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11889022/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143573609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}