Frontiers in parasitology最新文献

{"title":"Molecular detection and quantification of <i>Plasmodium vivax</i> DNA in blood pellet and plasma samples from patients in Senegal.","authors":"Babacar Souleymane Sambe, Aissatou Diagne, Hélène Ataume Mawounge Diatta, Folly Mawulolo Gaba, Ibrahima Sarr, Arona Sabène Diatta, Serigne Ousmane Mbacké Diaw, Rokhaya Sané, Babacar Diouf, Inès Vigan-Womas, Babacar Mbengue, Makhtar Niang","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1149738","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1149738","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The first discovery of <i>Plasmodium vivax</i> infections in Senegal used archived patients' sera in place of blood pellet, the preferred specimen for the molecular diagnosis of <i>Plasmodium</i> species. The present study assessed the reliability of detecting <i>P. vivax</i> DNA in plasma in comparison to blood pellet from the same patient's samples.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 616 blood samples obtained from febrile patients living in Kolda (2015 and 2020), Tambacounda (2017 and 2020), and Kedougou (2020) regions in Senegal, were first screened for <i>Plasmodium</i> species composition by 18S ssrRNA-based nested PCR. Paired blood pellets and plasma samples were selected from a subset of 50 <i>P. vivax</i>-positive patients matched by age and sex with 50 <i>P. vivax</i>-negative patients, and subjected to a cytochrome b-based qPCR to compare the detection and quantification of <i>P. vivax</i> genomic DNA between the two specimen types.</p><p><strong>Results and discussion: </strong>The study reports 1.8% and 14.77% of single and mixed <i>P. vivax</i> infections in the study population, and a high concordance (84%) between the qPCR detection of <i>P. vivax</i> genomic DNA from paired blood pellets and plasma samples. Importantly, all <i>P. vivax</i> negative samples from the blood pellets were also confirmed plasma-negative, and parasitaemia in blood pellets was higher compared to plasma samples. The results support investigations of <i>P. vivax</i> infections in archived sera or plasma collections with a high degree of confidence to generate additional data on the neglected <i>P. vivax</i> malaria, and ultimately guide strategies to control the disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1149738"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11731676/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43470739","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":"An integral approach to address Chagas disease.","authors":"Marina Gold, Maria Julia Hermida","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1114563","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1114563","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chagas is a zoonotic disease conditioned by the need to eliminate or control the vector in human settlements before targeting infected individuals. Simultaneously it is necessary to raise awareness of health problems generated by chronic Chagas disease (ChD), for people to participate actively in vector control programs that will then enable the implementation of screening, treatment and follow-up strategies. Therefore, it is essential to engage the participation of the community in holistically designed integral programs to address ChD in all its complexity. This Perspective presents the case of Chagas management programs in the Department of General Taboada, Province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina, to showcase a possible strategy in vector control, diagnosis and treatment programs that integrate ChD into the local public health system and engage community participation. Through this Perspective we argue for the importance of the contribution of social science methodologies and epistemologies in the process of integrating ChD into the public (and primary) health care system.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1114563"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11731663/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43733616","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":"Intersectoral partnerships, a necessary path to overcome the challenges presented by Chagas disease.","authors":"Marcelo Claudio Abril","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1150041","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1150041","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1150041"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11732044/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47814755","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":"Using qPCR to compare the detection of <i>Plasmodium vivax</i> oocysts and sporozoites in <i>Anopheles farauti</i> mosquitoes between two DNA extraction methods.","authors":"Lincoln Timinao, Esther W Jamea, Michelle Katusele, Thomas R Burkot, Stephan Karl","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1063452","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1063452","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Currently, the gold standard to assess parasite developmental stages in mosquitoes is light microscopy. Microscopy can miss low-density infections, is time-consuming and not species-specific. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been the alternative technique to evaluate the infectivity of mosquitoes especially in field studies however it is semi-quantitative. Molecular techniques that have been used to detect the mosquito stages of malaria parasites including <i>P. vivax</i>. Here, we present a quantitative real-time assay (qPCR) that can be used to detect low-density <i>P. vivax</i> oocyst and sporozoite infections while comparing parasites extracted by the conventional DNA extraction and heating methods.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Colony reared <i>Anopheles farauti</i> mosquitoes were exposed to blood samples collected from infected individuals using a direct membrane feeding assay. The fully fed mosquitoes were kept for 7 and 14 days post-feed before dissection to confirm presence of oocysts and sporozoites. Infected mosquito guts and the salivary glands (with the head and thorax) were stored and DNA was extracted either by heating or by performing conventional column-based DNA extraction. Following DNA extraction the infected samples were subjected to qPCR to detect <i>P. vivax</i> parasites.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>DNA extraction of 1 or more oocysts by heating resulted in an overall sensitivity of 78% (57/73) and single oocysts infections were detected with a sensitivity of 82% (15/17) in the heating arm. We observed a 60% (18/30) sensitivity with sporozoites where DNA was extracted using the conventional DNA extraction method. We show that the heating method significantly improved the detection of oocysts over conventional DNA extraction. There was no significant difference in the DNA copy numbers when comparing the detection of oocysts from the conventional DNA extraction versus heating. However, we observed that the DNA copy numbers of the sporozoites detected in the heating arm was significantly higher than in the conventional DNA extraction arm.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We have adapted a qPCR assay which, when coupled with heating to release DNA reduces sample processing time and cost. Direct qPCR after heating will be a useful tool when investigating transmission blocking vaccines or antimalarials or when evaluating field caught mosquitoes for the presence of malaria parasites.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1063452"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11731789/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46111052","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":"Host spatiotemporal overlap in a park with high endemicity of <i>Echinococcus multilocularis</i>.","authors":"Darcy R Visscher, Emilie Toews, Jesse Pattison, Philip D Walker, Colborne Kemna, Marco Musiani, Alessandro Massolo","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1161108","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1161108","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There has been a spate of recent cases of human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in Alberta, Canada. Alveolar echinococcosis is caused by <i>Echinococcus multilocularis</i>, which is prevalent among coyote populations and present in domestic dogs in Alberta.</p><p><strong>Methods and results: </strong>Using qPCR, we estimated the seasonal fecal prevalence of <i>E. multilocularis</i> in coyotes and dogs in a multiuse recreation area close to Edmonton, Alberta, where we also setup remote cameras to model seasonal changes in the overlap in temporal activity and the spatial intensity of use among coyotes, humans, and dogs, as a proxy of potential transmission. We detected <i>E. multilocularis</i> in 18 of 137 wild canid feces and none in 44 dog feces. After correcting for the qPCR test's sensitivity and specificity, we estimated at 15.7% (9.7-22.7%, 95% CrI) the true fecal prevalence for coyotes. Temporal overlap between coyotes and both humans and dogs increased in the fall and winter relative to the spring and summer. Coyote intensity of use showed seasonal variations and was higher on maintained trails and locations closer to visitor parking and at sites with high intensity of dog use.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results reinforce the need of an integrated approach, typical of both One-Health and Eco-Health, to park management for minimizing the likelihood of transmission where human and dog activity results in significant overlap with the one of the natural definitive hosts of zoonotic parasites.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1161108"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11732005/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47325815","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":"Hidden in plain sight: How helminths manage to thrive in host blood.","authors":"Maude Dagenais, Lucienne Tritten","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1128299","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1128299","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parasitic helminths have evolved a plethora of elegant stratagems to regulate and evade the host immune system, contributing to their considerable persistence and longevity in their vertebrate hosts. Various mechanisms to achieve this state have been described, ranging from interfering with or actively modulating host immune responses to hiding from immune recognition. Because they damage surrounding vessels and disturb blood flow, blood-borne and blood-feeding parasites in particular must deal with much more than immune effector cells. Management of the host complement system and coagulation cascade, as well as the development of processes of hiding and masking, represent hallmarks of life in blood. Here we review recent findings on putative evasion strategies employed by blood-borne parasitic helminths, focusing on the interaction with and utilisation of host serum components by nematodes and trematodes.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1128299"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11732017/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42040701","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":"A review of Gabonese gorillas and their pathogens: Diversity, transfer and One Health approach to avoid future outbreaks?","authors":"Larson Boundenga, Patrice Makouloutou-Nzassi, Barthelemy Ngoubangoye","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1115316","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1115316","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In Africa, great apes, among which gorillas, are the reservoir of several infectious agents, some of which have zoonotic potential. However, scientific reports summarizing data on the pathogens harbored by some primate species still need to be published for the scientific community, conservation, and public health actors. In the case of Gabon, despite its outstanding biodiversity, particularly in great apes, and the history of outbreaks involving wildlife, there is a lack of reports on pathogens found in some ape species living in the vicinity of the human being. Thus, it is becoming urgent for us to synthesize the available data on pathogens (parasites, bacteria, and viruses) identified in gorillas living in different ecosystems of Gabon to assess the risks for the human population. Therefore, this review article presents the diversity of pathogens identified in gorillas in Gabon, their impact on primates' health, the cases of transfer between gorillas and humans, and the interest in a One Health approach for prevention and a better understanding of the ecology of gorilla's diseases infection in Gabon.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1115316"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11731632/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46800716","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":"The luminal domain of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> sortilin adopts a ring-shaped structure exhibiting motifs specific to apicomplexan parasites.","authors":"Ariane Honfozo, Rania Ghouil, Tchilabalo Dilezitoko Alayi, Malika Ouldali, Ana-Andreea Arteni, Cynthia Menonve Atindehou, Lucie Ayi Fanou, Yetrib Hathout, Sophie Zinn-Justin, Stanislas Tomavo","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1103772","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1103772","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rhoptries and micronemes are essential for host cell invasion and survival of all apicomplexan parasites, which are composed of numerous obligate intracellular protozoan pathogens including <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> (malaria) and <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> (toxoplasmosis) that infect humans and animals causing severe diseases. We identified <i>Toxoplasma gondii Tg</i>SORT as an essential cargo receptor, which drives the transport of rhoptry (ROP) and microneme (MIC) proteins to ensure the biogenesis of these secretory organelles. The luminal domain of 752 amino acid long situated at the N-terminus end of TgSORT has been described to bind to MIC and ROP proteins. Here, we present an optimized protocol for expression of the entire luminal N-terminus of TgSORT (Tg-NSORT) in the yeast <i>Pichia pastoris</i>. Optimization of its coding sequence, cloning and transformation of the yeast <i>P. pastoris</i> allowed the secretion of Tg-NSORT. The protein was purified and further analyzed by negative staining electron microscopy. In addition, molecular modeling using AlphaFold identified key differences between the human and the <i>T gondii</i> sortilin. The structural features that are only present in <i>T. gondii</i> and other apicomplexan parasites were highlighted. Elucidating the roles of these specific structural features may be useful for designing new therapeutic agents against apicomplexan parasites.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1103772"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11731604/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43641299","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":"Serology reveals micro-differences in <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> transmission in the Hohoe municipality of Ghana.","authors":"Eric Kyei-Baafour, Kwadwo A Kusi, Mavis Oppong, Abena F Frempong, Belinda Aculley, Ebenezer A Ofori, Michael Theisen, Margaret Kweku, Bright Adu, Lars Hviid, Michael F Ofori","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1081083","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2023.1081083","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>With the decline in malaria transmission due to global efforts, a more sensitive tool is needed to monitor transmission intensity and pattern at the micro-level. Though transmission in a broader area may be similar, factors such as sanitation, practices of open water storage, early morning and evening activities, outdoor sleeping and agricultural practices within communities could cause differences in exposure and thus transmission. This study thus probed malaria transmission at a micro-level using serology in the Hohoe Municipality of Ghana.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study involved 327 asymptomatic children aged 1-12 years in both rural (196) and urban (131) communities in the Hohoe municipality. Total IgG responses specific for three P. falciparum antigens (CSP, MSP2-FC27, MSP2-3D7) were determined in plasma eluted from dried blood spots using indirect ELISA.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A higher proportion of individuals in the rural area had parasites by both microscopy and PCR. Total IgG levels and seroprevalence were higher in rural compared to urban communities (p<0.05). In a multiple regression model, adjusting for confounders, levels of PfMSP2-3D7-specific IgG was associated with the higher transmission which occurs in the rural community.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results suggest that though the district is categorized as having medium malaria transmission, differences within settlements may influence malaria transmission reflecting in antibody levels and prevalence of malaria antigen-specific IgG.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1081083"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11731606/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49290019","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":"Immunomodulators secreted from parasitic helminths act on pattern recognition receptors.","authors":"Daigo Tsubokawa","doi":"10.3389/fpara.2022.1091596","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpara.2022.1091596","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Excretory-secretory (ES) products from parasitic helminths contain immunomodulatory molecules, which can regulate host immune responses. These immunomodulatory molecules are crucial for successful parasitism, and play roles in tissue migration, maturation, and reproduction. Some target pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), including toll-like receptor, C-type lectin receptor, receptor for advanced glycation end products, and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor. PRRs trigger activation of signaling cascades, inducing innate inflammatory responses and adaptive immunity in hosts. This article reviews ES immunomodulators identified in parasitic helminths that act on PRRs, and their PRR-facilitated immune-regulatory mechanisms. In addition, we describe the therapeutic potential of ES immunomodulators for allergic and inflammatory diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":73098,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"1091596"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11731691/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47874269","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}