Frontiers in parasitology最新文献

{"title":"Correction: Diagnostic accuracy of rapid and point-of-care tests for <i>Schistosoma haematobium</i> in African populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Erica Draxl, Eleanor Ochodo, Pavitra Pillay, Ntombizodwa Ndlovu","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1960349","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpara.2026.1960349","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpara.2026.1830789.].</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1960349"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13531762/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148876873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Navigating imaging artifacts: challenges with visualizing intrinsically fluorescent antimalarials.","authors":"Emily K Bremers, David Anaguano, Paul R Carlier, Vasant Muralidharan, Maria Belen Cassera","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1919904","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1919904","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Elucidating the target of an antiparasitic small molecule can aid in the drug development process. However, various technical challenges related to parasite biology prevent timely target identification. Microscopy methods determining the co-localization of a drug with subcellular markers is a powerful approach that provides evidence of its localization within the cell. This technique can help pinpoint the primary site of action of novel therapeutics, which can assist in elucidating their mode of action. Intrinsically fluorescent drugs allow for subcellular localization without extensive medicinal chemistry. We imaged the intrinsically fluorescent drugs PRC1590 and quinine with digestive vacuole stains to determine these compounds' localization in the malaria parasite, <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>. We observed that imaging intrinsically fluorescent compounds often produces imaging artifacts due to spectral overlap and autofluorescence of <i>P. falciparum</i>, resulting in false positive co-localization findings. Our work outlines critical methodological considerations when studying subcellular localization of intrinsically fluorescent antimalarials.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1919904"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13526941/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148868078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Ex vivo</i> maturation of the malaria parasite egress protease SERA6 aids pathway dissection and inhibitor development.","authors":"Chrislaine Withers-Martinez, Zahie Taha, Christine R Collins, Fiona Hackett, Michele S Y Tan, Christelle Soudy, Dhira Joshi, Joanna Redmond, Benedict Davies, Sarah Maslen, Mark Skehel, Roger George, Svend Kjaer, Michael J Blackman","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1823181","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1823181","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Release (egress) of malaria parasites from host red blood cells (RBC) is a protease-dependent process involving breakdown of the RBC cytoskeleton by a parasite cysteine protease-like protein called SERA6. In the penultimate step of the egress cascade, SERA6 undergoes autoproteolytic maturation triggered upon cleavage by a serine protease called SUB1 and requiring interactions between SERA6 and fragments of another parasite protein called MSA180. Egress can be blocked by treatment of intraerythrocytic parasites with small molecules that prevent the autocatalytic SERA6 maturation step, suggesting that SERA6 is a druggable target. Here we describe the development of a cell-free <i>in vitro</i> system that recapitulates SERA6 maturation. We use the assay to confirm the strict requirement for MSA180 in SERA6 maturation by SUB1. Using a synthetic peptide substrate based on a predicted autocatalytic cleavage site we demonstrate that the fully mature SERA6 is an active proteolytic enzyme and we validate improved small molecule inhibitors of SERA6. Our best inhibitory compound efficiently blocks egress of asexual blood-stage parasites, confirming SERA6 as a new potential antimalarial drug target.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1823181"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13519548/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148841736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Giardia</i> spp. in Brazil at human-animal-environment interfaces: a systematic review from a One Health perspective.","authors":"Mirella Andrade Fonseca, Elaine Santana Gonçalves Sarti, Elizângela Guedes","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1895842","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1895842","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Giardiasis, caused by <i>Giardia duodenalis</i>, remains one of the most relevant enteric parasitic diseases in Brazil, affecting both humans and animals. This systematic review aimed to analyze the occurrence of <i>Giardia</i> spp. in Brazil from a One Health perspective, integrating epidemiological and molecular evidence related to parasite circulation among different hosts and environments.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, using searches in the PubMed, LILACS, and SciELO databases for studies published between 2016 and March 2026.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 114 studies involving humans, animals, and environmental samples were included. Only nine of these studies (7.9%) adopted a genuinely integrated One Health design that simultaneously evaluated two or more compartments, and assemblage-level molecular characterization was available for only 17 studies (14.9%); these proportions should be considered when interpreting the One Health framing and the molecular inferences of this review. Substantial methodological heterogeneity was observed across studies, encompassing different coproparasitological, immunological, and molecular methods. In humans, occurrence was higher in vulnerable populations and in areas with inadequate basic sanitation. Among animals, dogs, cats, cattle, and wildlife stood out as important hosts. In environmental samples, a high frequency of detection was recorded in water, sewage, and food. Molecularly, assemblages A and B predominated, both associated with zoonotic and anthroponotic transmission.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The findings reinforce the importance of integrated surveillance and One Health approaches for the control of giardiasis in Brazil.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1895842"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13500657/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148815167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating angiotensin II concentration in modulating <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> infection and angiotensin receptor activation.","authors":"Auley De, Aparna Tiwari, Medha Agarwal, Veena Pande, Abhinav Sinha","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1852476","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1852476","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Angiotensin II (Ang II) has been proposed to protect from severe malaria by killing the parasite and maintaining the blood-brain barrier integrity by acting through type 1 (AT₁R) and type 2 (AT₂R) receptors. However, this protection from severe malaria is counterproductive in adulthood as the elevated plasma Ang II puts the individual at risk for developing hypertension. Various natural and synthetic peptides of Ang II have been explored to check its antiplasmodial actions despite Ang II being a significant vasopressor via its actions through AT₁R. Therefore, to be able to explore Ang II as a potential antiplasmodial agent, it is important to demonstrate its IC₅₀ against <i>P. falciparum in vitro</i> and its minimum effective concentration required for activation of AT₁R. It is desirable that IC₅₀ of Ang II against <i>P. falciparum</i> remains below the threshold for AT₁R activation and hence to verify this, the current study was planned as there are no previously published reports for determining the threshold Ang II concentration for AT₁R activation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>For invasion inhibition assay, Pf-infected RBCs (schizonts) were incubated with four different concentrations of Ang II for 16 hours. The activation of AT₁R and AT₂R in the presence of Ang II (from 10^-9 M to 10^-7 M) was tested by calcium and cGMP signaling assays, respectively using the human brain microvascular endothelial cell line as an <i>in vitro</i> model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Effective Ang II concentration among all tested concentrations was found to be 10^-6 M against <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> invasion. Statistically non-significant and negligible responses in AT₁R and AT₂R activation were observed below the desired Ang II concentration of 10^-6 M.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The results indicate that the IC₅₀ of Ang II against <i>P. falciparum</i> is below the threshold for AT₁R activation. However, the minimum effective Ang II concentration required for AT₁R activation remains unanswered which demands further improvement in experimental designs.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1852476"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13500605/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148815149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Differences in novel <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> Sm25 and Sm29 rapid diagnostic test performance based on sample matrix.","authors":"Madelaine Usey Talbot, KathyJean Farnam, Jean Saunders, E Brook Goodhew, Gabrielle Smith, Sylvia Ossai, Yong Wang, Sukwan Handali, Isaac O Onkanga, Pauline N Mwinzi, Maurice R Odiere, Matthias Schwarz, Marco Biamonte, W Evan Secor","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1891989","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1891989","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic worms of the genus <i>Schistosoma</i>. As schistosomiasis control programs approach elimination as a public health problem, there is an urgent need for sensitive diagnostic assays that can easily be deployed in the field at low cost. For schistosomiasis transmission interruption and surveillance use cases, the diagnostic Target Product Profile (TPP) proposed a two-step testing strategy involving an initial point-of-care screening test capable of detecting either current or former infections with sensitivity > 0.95, specificity > 0.80, and result stability ≥ 0.5 hours. To meet this need, Drugs and Diagnostics for Tropical Diseases designed two novel rapid diagnostic test (RDT) prototypes that detect antibodies against recombinant <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> antigens: Sm25 and Sm29.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We evaluated the performance of these RDT prototypes using serum, whole blood, and dried blood spots (DBS). RDT results were determined by two visual readers and a Lumos automated reader, which also provided a quantitative readout of test line intensity. Lumos results were used to quantify test line stability over time. Further, we compared RDT results to other serologic assays (ELISA and the multiplex bead assay) that detect antibodies against Sm25, Sm29 and two additional <i>S. mansoni</i> antigens.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>While both Sm25 and Sm29 RDTs exhibited high specificity and stability that surpassed TPP criteria, their sensitivity fell short of TPP goals. Sensitivity was highest with serum, followed by DBS, then whole blood, which would be the most useful for point-of-care settings. In addition, we identified a gap in the ability of currently used recombinant antigens to detect all people infected with <i>S. mansoni</i>, regardless of test platform.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Our findings underscore that while these prototypes represent a promising start, there is still a case for novel antigen discovery and generation of RDTs with increased sensitivity to meet TPP criteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1891989"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13494702/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148802475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Management-associated herd-level risk factors for cryptosporidiosis in dairy calves in Finland.","authors":"Tuulia Enbom, Leena Seppä-Lassila, Päivi J Rajala-Schultz, Kristiina Sarjokari, Jenni Suolaniemi, Helena Rautala, Olli Ruoho, Sinikka Pelkonen, Tiina Autio","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1799503","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1799503","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Cryptosporidiosis is a prevalent diarrheal disease in young calves caused by the zoonotic protozoan parasite <i>Cryptosporidium parvum</i>. The etiology of the disease is multifactorial. This case-control study investigated herd-level risk factors associated with clinical cryptosporidiosis on dairy farms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The case farms (n=77) were Finnish dairy farms with clinical, laboratory-confirmed cryptosporidiosis and the control farms (n=152) were Finnish dairy farms without any recent clinical calf diarrhea outbreaks recorded in the most recent veterinarian's herd health visit. Control farms were not tested for the presence of <i>C. parvum</i>. Data were collected on overall herd health, management practices, environmental factors, and other factors potentially affecting the care of the calves. The data were analyzed with multivariable logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results indicate that a large herd size, cattle transfers between farms, insufficient isolation of sick calves from healthy ones, insufficient time for calf care, and five or more individuals involved in daily cattle work were all associated with increased risk of cryptosporidiosis.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The findings of this study suggest that several herd-level management factors were associated with the occurrence of cryptosporidiosis on dairy farms, and the external and internal biosecurity of farms should be improved. Information on potential factors predisposing to cryptosporidiosis can be used to target preventive management practices more effectively on cattle farms to prevent cryptosporidiosis in calves.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1799503"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13462212/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148726967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Routine stool microscopy unmasking strongyloidiasis: a case report from Eastern Uttar Pradesh.","authors":"Shalini Mann, Harsh Raj, Anjan Trivedi","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1892905","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1892905","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Strongyloidiasis is an intestinal parasitic disease caused by Strongyloides stercoralis, a soil-transmitted nematode. It is a common infection in Southeast Asia, including India, and is related to poor sanitation, rural residence, barefoot walking, and occupational exposure to soil. We report a case of a 71-year-old male farmer from rural Gorakhpur, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, who presented with intermittent watery diarrhoea for 2 years and tenesmus for 15 days. He was admitted with a diagnosis of fever of unknown origin. Routine stool microscopy revealed motile rhabditiform larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis, which were identified by their characteristic morphology, including a short buccal capsule and prominent genital primordium. Haematological examination revealed mild anaemia and eosinophilia. No other ova, cysts, or trophozoites were observed in the stool samples. The patient was treated with 200 µg/kg/day ivermectin for 2 days and showed clinical improvement. This case highlights the importance of routine stool microscopy in patients with chronic gastrointestinal complaints, especially in elderly patients from rural agricultural backgrounds.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1892905"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13461727/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148723201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diagnostic accuracy of rapid and point-of-care tests for <i>Schistosoma haematobium</i> in African populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Erica Draxl, Eleanor Ochodo, Pavitra Pillay, Ntombizodwa Ndlovu","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1830789","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1830789","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Accurate and accessible point-of-care testing for urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS) is vital for control and prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. Point-of-care (POC) rapid diagnostic tests with high sensitivity for both high and low parasite burdens have been developed. These tests need to be assessed for their applicability in poorly resourced UGS-endemic areas so that control programs can be initiated, and improved screening and routine diagnosis can be implemented.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) review evaluates the sensitivity and specificity of eligible field-based index tests compared to laboratory-based reference tests for the diagnosis of UGS among individuals from Africa. Four databases were systematically searched for DTA studies on <i>S. haematobium</i>-exposed patients in endemic settings from 2000 to 2026. Methodological quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. Using the variability of test thresholds, a bivariate or HSROC model was used to calculate the diagnostic performance for each eligible test. Heterogeneity and subgroup analyses were conducted for the following variables: reference-standard comparators, age groups, and prevalence settings.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-nine studies were evaluated, in which nine different POC and rapid tests were eligible, and four were included in a meta-analysis. Two field-based molecular tests, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), demonstrated high accuracy (sensitivity, 94.7%; specificity, 66.4%; and sensitivity, 94.1%; specificity, 96.6%, respectively). The immunochromatographic-rapid diagnostic test (ICT-RDT) and <i>S. mansoni</i> cercarial transformation fluid RDT (SmCTF-RDT) serological tests are easy-to-use POC cassettes and have high sensitivity (98.6% and 98.4%, respectively) but require a portable centrifuge to obtain serum samples. Other serological tests: dipstick dye immunoassay (DDIA) and indirect haemagglutination assay (IHA) had lower sensitivities (64.8% and 59.5%, respectively). The POC circulating cathodic antigen test (POC-CCA) demonstrated a sensitivity of 49.8% and specificity of 77.0% and has low diagnostic accuracy for <i>S. haematobium</i>. Portable and mobile-phone microscopes (sensitivity, 81.5%, specificity, 91.4%) were less sensitive than conventional microscopy but can have benefits in field-based low-resource laboratories.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Further validation with improved reference standards is required to assess the diagnostic accuracy of many of the tests identified. RPA and LAMP emerged as promising field-applicable rapid tests for schistosomiasis control.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1830789"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439233/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular taxonomic study of <i>Strongyloides</i> spp. in Sri Lanka with emphasis on <i>Strongyloides fuelleborni</i> on the premises of a Sri Lankan university.","authors":"Veroni de Ree, Lakshitha Kumara, W A A H Kalhari, Sandra S Gyarteng Mensah, Dorothee Harbecke, H K S de Zoysa, Ajith I Rathnayake, Jagath C Ranasinghe, Christian Rödelsperger, Kosala Weerakoon, Adrian Streit","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1821438","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2026.1821438","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong><i>Strongyloides stercoralis</i> is the main cause of human strongyloidiasis, but increasingly, presumably mostly zoonotic, human infections with <i>S. fuelleborni</i> are reported. Recently, a number of studies investigated the population structures, host specificities and zoonotic potentials of these two species, using molecular taxonomy. This is the first such study from Sri Lanka.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We collected stool samples from humans, dogs and monkeys and used the Baermann after culture method to isolate individual live <i>Strongyloides</i> worms and determined parts of the <i>cox-1</i> (mitochondrial) and the 18S rDNA (nuclear) and, for a subset, whole genome sequences.</p><p><strong>Results and discussion: </strong>Despite a predicted high prevalence, we did not detect any <i>Strongyloides</i> in 126 human stool samples from the plantation sector. This may reflect the impact of improvements in sanitation and hygiene, reducing the worm burden to below our detection threshold. On the other hand, we observed a rather high incidence of <i>S. fuelleborni</i> in monkeys from within a university campus. Unexpectedly, also the two <i>Strongyloides</i> positive dogs we found on campus passed <i>S. fuelleborni</i>, one along with the expected <i>S. stercoralis</i>. Based on the mitochondrial sequences, the <i>S. fuelleborni</i> formed three subclusters within the previously described Asian clade. At the nuclear 18S rDNA locus, all <i>S. fuelleborni</i> carried haplotypes that had previously been described in Asia but some were heterozygous for one Asian allele and one that had so far been considered Africa specific. This suggests that Sri Lanka might be a hybridization zone for the two clades. The <i>S. stercoralis</i> found in this study clustered with the previously proposed 'human and dog shared' type of <i>S. stercoralis</i>.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The presence of possible hybrids between the African and the Asian clade of <i>S. fuelleborni</i> and the presence of this species in dog faeces are interesting findings that need to be confirmed in additional studies. The presence of <i>S. stercoralis</i> and <i>S. fuelleborni</i> in animal faeces within the University premises, including the dormitory and the swimming pool area, raises concerns of possible exposure of the University community to these parasites in spite of sanitary conditions that render human to human transmission unlikely.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":"5 ","pages":"1821438"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13388871/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148564019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}