Jiaying Guo, Fangjie Li, Lingna Wang, Han Deng, Lan He, Junlong Zhao
{"title":"Molecular identification of a thioredoxin peroxidase in Babesia gibsoni with potential against oxidative stress.","authors":"Jiaying Guo, Fangjie Li, Lingna Wang, Han Deng, Lan He, Junlong Zhao","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08472-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08472-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Babesia gibsoni is the infectious agent of canine babesiosis, a vector-borne infection that poses a global threat to the canine health. As B. gibsoni is an erythrocytic intracellular parasite, the completion of its genome and transcriptome sequencing and analysis facilitates the elucidation of the mechanism of B. gibsoni residue in the erythrocyte. The main function of red blood cells (RBCs) is oxygen delivery; thus, B. gibsoni may be exposed to high levels of oxidative stress. To date, no report is available on the mechanism by which B. gibsoni survives oxidative stress inside the RBCs. In this study, the thioredoxin peroxidase, an important type of peroxidoxin, was identified from B. gibsoni, with 255 amino acids and a molecular weight of 27.7 kDa. There are two conserved \"VCP\" domains at the N- and C-termini, respectively, indicating that this gene was a 2-Cys peroxiredoxin belonging to the PTZ00137 superfamily. It was named BgTPx-2 and was detected to be located in the B. gibsoni-infected erythrocytes through an indirect immunofluorescence assay using the polyclonal antibody against the recombinant TPx-2. Additionally, its antioxidant activity was analyzed by mixed-function oxidation assay, and BgTPx-2 could protect the pBluescript SK ( +) plasmid from oxidative damage, suggesting an antioxidant function of BgTPx-2. Moreover, the immunogenicity of BgTPx-2 was tested by Western blotting and ELISA using the serum of beagle dogs infected with B. gibsoni, and the positive serum exhibited a detectable and significant antibody response against BgTPx-2 on day 4 and day 9 post-infection, respectively.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"28"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11882686/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143567907","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}
Alpha Kargbo, Stella Dafka, Aamir M Osman, Herve Kouakou Koua, Rafael F C Vieira, Joacim Rocklöv
{"title":"Impact of climate change and variability on the occurrence and distribution of Trypanosoma vectors in The Gambia.","authors":"Alpha Kargbo, Stella Dafka, Aamir M Osman, Herve Kouakou Koua, Rafael F C Vieira, Joacim Rocklöv","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08475-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08475-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Extreme weather events can lead to infectious disease outbreaks, especially those spread by hematophagous flies, and The Gambia is particularly vulnerable to climate change. To the best of our knowledge, no one has ever documented the relationship between climate variability and change and the distribution of the hematophagous flies belonging to the families Glossinidae, Tabanidae, and Stomoxyinae. This paper aims to study the association of temperature and humidity on the distribution of the above species and their families in The Gambia in the recent past and to provide predictions of species abundance and occurrence in the future. A line transect survey was carried out in all the administrative regions of The Gambia to study the prevalence of the flies. Generalized additive models were used to analyze the relationships between the distribution of the insects and their families and the variability in climate conditions in the recent past and in three different future periods. Regarding the recent past, our results show that temperature has significantly impacted the presence of Glossinidae and Tabanidae species, with maximum temperature being the most important factor. Relative humidity was also statistically significantly associated with Tabanidae species. None of the climate variables was found to be associated with the Tabanus par and Tabanus sufis. Minimum temperature and relative humidity were statistically significantly associated with Glossina morsitan submorsitan, while maximum temperature was statistically significantly associated with Atylotus agrestis and Stomoxys calcitrans. Only relative humidity was statistically significantly associated with the Glossina palpalis gambiense. As for the future projections, the results show that rising temperatures impacted the distribution of Tabanus species, Glossina species, and Stomoxys calcitrans in The Gambia. The distribution of Trypanosoma vectors in The Gambia is mostly influenced by maximum temperature. The research's conclusions gave climate and public health policymakers crucial information to take into account.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11882701/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143567906","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":"Host blood meal analysis of Culicoides oxystoma (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Tunisia.","authors":"Darine Slama, Rania Essid, Soufien Sghaier, Hamouda Babba","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08471-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08471-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Culicoides are small hematophagous biting midges belonging to the family Ceratopogonidae. The genus is distributed worldwide yet remains poorly studied. This study investigated the vector and host specificity of Culicoides oxystoma, a species of significant relevance to the surveillance of vector-borne diseases in Tunisia and globally. The research was conducted in two Tunisian governments: Tozeur and Kairouan. A total of 24,366 adult midges were collected using two types of suction traps: the Center for Disease Control trap and the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute trap. Females of Culicoides oxystoma were isolated, carefully dissected, and slide mounted in a phenol alcohol balsam mixture. A portion of the abdomen was excised for total DNA extraction to identify the origin of the blood meal. A total of 108 engorged females were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify specific fragments of the cytochrome b gene, followed by sequencing and sequence analysis. However, DNA sequences were successfully obtained for only 56 individuals. Sequence analysis revealed that the midges fed on a variety of mammalian hosts, including humans, with a prevalence of Mus musculus and Bos taurus. This represents the first study aiming to identify a wide range of hosts in Tunisia and North Africa, providing valuable insights into the hosts utilized by Culicoides oxystoma for blood feeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"27"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11882646/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143557662","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":"Epidemiology and risk factors of Clonorchis sinensis infection in the mountainous areas of Longsheng County, Guangxi: insights from automated machine learning.","authors":"Xiaowen Li, Yu Chen, Guoyang Huang, Xuerong Sun, Gang Mo, Xiaohong Peng","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08470-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08470-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) is mainly prevalent in Northeast and South China, with Guangxi being the most severely affected region. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and identify the risk factors of C. sinensis infection in Longsheng County, a mountainous area in northern Guangxi. In 2023, a comprehensive study was conducted in Longsheng County, utilizing longstanding inhabitants as study participants. Questionnaires were employed to gather data on fish consumption, awareness of C. sinensis, and residential coordinates, while fecal examinations were utilized to identify C. sinensis infection. Important risk factors for the C. sinensis infection were identified through the development of individual infection risk models using automated machine learning techniques. A total of 740 fecal samples were collected, revealing an overall C. sinensis infection rate of 69.59%. The gradient boosting machine (GBM) was the most accurate predictor with an area under the precision-recall Curve (AUPRC) of 0.997. The model identified years of raw fresh fish consumption, frequency of raw fresh fish consumption, elevation, and water distance as the top four predictors of C. sinensis infection risk. In conclusion, our study has revealed a high infection rate of C. sinensis in the mountainous areas of Longsheng County, with adults, men, and farmers particularly susceptible to both high incidence and infection severity. We developed a high-performance predictive model for individual C. sinensis infection within the county, identifying the key risk factors for local infections. These findings offer valuable guidance for the control and prevention of clonorchiasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 3","pages":"26"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11880149/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143557660","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}
Phyllis Munyiva Isaiah, Bryan Nyawanda, Collins Okoyo, Peter Steinmann
{"title":"Kato-Katz versus urine POC-CCA for the diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni in preschool-aged children in Homa Bay County, Kenya.","authors":"Phyllis Munyiva Isaiah, Bryan Nyawanda, Collins Okoyo, Peter Steinmann","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08467-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08467-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The diagnosis of schistosomiasis in preschool-aged children (PSAC) is challenging. The point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) assay offers potential improvements in diagnostic access in hard-to-reach areas over the conventional Kato-Katz (KK) test. This study compared the diagnostic accuracy of KK versus POC-CCA in stool and urine samples from PSAC in a PSAC population residing in a S. mansoni endemic hard-to-reach area in Kenya. Using combined positive results of both KK and POC-CCA tests as the \"gold standard,\" the overall sensitivity of KK (57.6%; 95% CI, 49.1-65.8) was significantly lower than that of POC-CCA (73.2%; 95% CI, 65.0-80.4); <math><msubsup><mi>χ</mi> <mrow><mi>m</mi></mrow> <mn>2</mn></msubsup> </math> = 5.88, p = 0.015. There was moderate agreement between KK and the combined results (k = 0.599, p < 0.001, concordance 80.9%) and a substantial agreement between POC-CCA and the combined results (k = 0.753, p < 0.001, concordance 88.1%). POC-CCA is a more sensitive diagnostic tool for schistosomiasis surveillance in PSAC compared to KK, particularly in hard-to-reach endemic areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 2","pages":"25"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11845413/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143468366","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":"In vitro analysis of the activities of commercial anthelmintics in the presence of inhibitors of xenobiotic detoxification pathways in Haemonchus contortus exsheathed L3 stage.","authors":"Magdalena Nieves, Gerardo Duarte, Jenny Saldaña, María Elisa Melian, Beatriz Munguía","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08468-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08468-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Haemonchus contortus is a pathogenic nematode that infects small ruminants. Chemotherapy is the main treatment for these parasitic infections, but the rapid rise of drug resistance calls for the development of new anthelmintics. To support this, optimizing screening assays is vital for identifying new drugs. The exsheathed L3 (xL3) stage of H. contortus is often used in in vitro evaluations; however, it has been observed that it is less sensitive than the adult stage, possibly due to enhanced detoxification pathways. To explore this hypothesis, inhibitors of xenobiotic detoxification pathways were tested on the activity (IC<sub>50</sub>) of four anthelmintics-monepantel (MOP), levamisole (LEV), ivermectin (IVM), and albendazole sulfoxide (ABZ SO)-in xL3 using an automated motility assay. The inhibitors used were piperonyl butoxide (PBO) for phase I metabolism, 5-nitrouracil (5-NU) for phase II metabolism, and zosuquidar (ZOS) inhibiting efflux transport proteins. PBO increased MOP IC<sub>50</sub>, likely due to reduced formation of the active metabolite monepantel sulfone. IC<sub>50</sub> of MOP with 5-NU and IVM with PBO were both diminished, suggesting differences in metabolism between xL3 and the existing reports for the adult stage. Coincubation of LEV and IVM with ZOS also reduced IC<sub>50</sub>, confirming previous studies. ABZ SO was unaffected by the inhibitors. The use of inhibitors of xenobiotic detoxification pathways led to significant changes in the in vitro activity of the anthelmintics evaluated in H. contortus xL3 stage. Further studies, as ex vivo parasite diffusion assays in the xL3 stage, should be conducted to directly assess the impact on detoxification pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 2","pages":"24"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11842493/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143458926","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":"Exploring Fasciola infection dynamics in Coastal Caspian Sea region: implications of growing degree days (GDD) and Malone index across varied climatic zones in Iran.","authors":"Behnam Meshgi, Galia Modabbernia, Kourosh Meshgi","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08465-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08465-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fasciolosis, a neglected tropical disease caused by Fasciola spp., is a global parasitic infection whose prevalence is on the rise, particularly in warmer regions with favorable temperature and humidity conditions. This study examines the temporal presence of Fasciola spp. in various climatic zones across Iran, focusing on Gilan province as an endemic area. We calculated the Malone index for 5-year intervals spanning significant epidemics in 1988 and 1999 in Gilan, as well as 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The results revealed a significant increase in Malone indices during August, September, and October in 1988, indicating a higher risk for Fasciola presence than in other months. These months were categorized as moderate risk. In 1999, September exhibited moderate risk, while October was classified as low risk. The risk levels remained relatively low in 2005, with the highest value in September and October. Similarly, October and September showed the highest risks in 2010, while October was identified as highly risky in 2015. In 2020, August displayed a higher risk, while September, October, and November indicated low risk. The analysis highlights the variability of risk levels across different years, with September and October consistently appearing as months with a higher probability of Fasciola presence. Conversely, the risk diminishes from January to July, which is considered a low-risk period in the region. Interestingly, a comparison with three different geographical regions in central, southern, and western Iran revealed that the Malone index was zero in all months of the year, except for two cases, suggesting unfavorable conditions for Fasciola presence in these areas. This research sheds light on the complex interplay between climatic variables and the presence of Fasciola spp., with the potential to inform the development of targeted strategies for preventing and controlling this parasite in Gilan province, a known hotspot for fasciolosis, as well as in other regions with similar climatic conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 2","pages":"22"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11835887/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143441666","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}
José Miguel Padilla-Valdez, Alberto Antonio-Campos, Yessenia Montes-Vergara, José Luis González-Quiroz, María Lilia Domínguez-López, Fernando Martínez-Hernández, Fernando Buendía-Salcedo, Felipe Bolaños-Rosales, Ricardo Alejandre-Aguilar, Nancy Rivas
{"title":"Serological determination of Trypanosoma cruzi in northern region of the State of Mexico.","authors":"José Miguel Padilla-Valdez, Alberto Antonio-Campos, Yessenia Montes-Vergara, José Luis González-Quiroz, María Lilia Domínguez-López, Fernando Martínez-Hernández, Fernando Buendía-Salcedo, Felipe Bolaños-Rosales, Ricardo Alejandre-Aguilar, Nancy Rivas","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08464-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08464-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, remains a significant public health problem in Mexico, particularly challenging to diagnose during its chronic phase, due to low parasitemia and the complex immune response. According to the Pan American Health Organization, no single test is sufficiently sensitive or specific to reliably detect chronic Chagas disease, requiring the use of multiple serological methods when results are inconclusive. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of Chagas disease in the largely uncharted municipalities of the North of State of Mexico. A total of 250 serum samples from 17 municipalities were analyzed using a comprehensive approach involving three serological tests: the BIO-CHAGAS commercial kit (MEXLAB®), an ELISA test with antigens derived from an endemic strain, and a confirmatory Western blot analysis. The results revealed that 240 samples were negative, 3 were inconclusive, and 7 were positive, yielding a seroprevalence rate of 2.8% (7/250). The endemicity demonstrated in the municipalities of Hueypoxtla and Tequixquiac, combined with the documented presence of the vector Triatoma barberi in these areas, suggests an ongoing risk of T. cruzi transmission. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted public health interventions, including increased surveillance, community awareness, vector control programs, screening tests to identify cases, and prompt treatment, to curb the spread of Chagas disease in this region.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 2","pages":"23"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11835914/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143441668","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}
Ana Paunkov, Doris Strasser, Philipp Huber, David Leitsch
{"title":"Roles of efflux pumps and nitroreductases in metronidazole-resistant Trichomonas vaginalis.","authors":"Ana Paunkov, Doris Strasser, Philipp Huber, David Leitsch","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08463-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08463-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trichomonas vaginalis infections significantly impact public health and are associated with increased likelihood of HIV infection, prostate cancer, and pregnancy complications. Current treatment relies almost exclusively on 5-nitroimidazoles, particularly metronidazole, raising concerns about drug resistance and treatment efficacy. This study is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of metronidazole and tinidazole on metronidazole-resistant strains of T. vaginalis and at determining whether efflux pump inhibitors could reverse metronidazole resistance. Additionally, the roles of nitroreductases in metronidazole resistance were also studied. Metronidazole and tinidazole were tested on both metronidazole-sensitive and -resistant T. vaginalis strains. A checkerboard assay was conducted to assess the potential synergy between metronidazole or tinidazole and efflux pump inhibitors. Nitroreductase activity and ferric iron reduction assays were employed to study the functions of nitroreductases. Tinidazole demonstrated better effectiveness against metronidazole-resistant strains compared to metronidazole, with lower minimal lethal concentration levels. However, the tested efflux pump inhibitors did not significantly enhance the efficacy of metronidazole or tinidazole. Pyrimethamine showed some activity but did not improve the efficacy of the 5-nitroimidazoles in combination. Investigations into the role of nitroreductases and other enzymes in metronidazole resistance revealed no clear downregulation trend in resistant strains. Notably, nitroreductase 8 was capable of reducing ferric iron. While tinidazole remains a viable alternative for treating metronidazole-resistant T. vaginalis, efflux pump inhibitors do not effectively reverse resistance. The identification of nitroreductase's 8 iron-reducing activity suggests its involvement in metronidazole resistance mechanisms. This finding highlights the need for continued research to develop new treatment strategies and improve the management of trichomoniasis, ultimately reducing its public health burden.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 2","pages":"21"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11821713/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143399732","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}
María Teresa Galán-Puchades, Mercedes Gómez-Samblás, María Trelis, Antonio Osuna, Rubén Bueno-Marí, Sandra Sáez-Durán, David Bruce Conn, Màrius V Fuentes
{"title":"New data on the life cycle of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Travassos, 1914) (Nematoda: Heligmosomidae): development of eggs and larval stages in the intestine of naturally infected Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769).","authors":"María Teresa Galán-Puchades, Mercedes Gómez-Samblás, María Trelis, Antonio Osuna, Rubén Bueno-Marí, Sandra Sáez-Durán, David Bruce Conn, Màrius V Fuentes","doi":"10.1007/s00436-025-08462-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00436-025-08462-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nippostrongylus brasiliensis is an intestinal parasite of rodents with a worldwide distribution. Due to the similarities between its life cycle and that of the human hookworms Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, N. brasiliensis has been widely used as a model in experimental research. We provide new data on the embryonation and hatching processes of N. brasiliensis eggs, not in the soil, but in the large intestine of naturally infected Rattus norvegicus. The parasite was investigated in 109 rats trapped in urban and periurban areas of Valencia, Spain. Rats were preserved at - 20 °C. After thawing, all the rat organs were examined. The contents of the large intestine were analysed by the Midi-Parasep® technique. N. brasiliensis (adult prevalence 69.72%) was identified by morphological and molecular techniques. Parasite eggs were found in 88.16% of the sediments. In addition to unembryonated eggs, eggs in different stages of embryonation were encountered in 67 of the 76 contents (88.16%). Free larval stages (L1 and more developed larvae) were also found in 47 of the 76 (61.84%) sediments studied. Filariform larval stages of N. brasiliensis were also sporadically detected in the lungs of the infected rats. According to our results, the development of eggs and larvae in the intestine of naturally infected rats opens up the possibility of autoinfection in the natural life cycle of N. brasiliensis, which could explain the high burdens of adult stages frequently found in the small intestine of infected rats.</p>","PeriodicalId":19968,"journal":{"name":"Parasitology Research","volume":"124 2","pages":"20"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11799119/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143255911","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}