Journal of Parasitic Diseases最新文献

Parasitic nematodes pose a significant threat to global livestock production, with Haemonchus contortus emerging as a particularly devastating pathogen in small ruminants. Despite widespread use of anthelmintics, H. contortus continues to evade control measures by developing anthelmintic resistance and adapting to diverse environments. Here, we investigate morphological and morphometric characteristics and the associated variations in recently reported anthelmintic resistant population of H. contortus in sheep from Kashmir valley, a region where small ruminant production faces persistent challenges from this parasite. Examination of 38 Corriedale sheep revealed a prevalence of 47.4%, yielding 864 Haemonchus specimens. Morphometric analysis confirmed all the specimens as H. contortus, with some notable intraspecific variations including larger female body length, male body width, and male esophageal length, as well as more posteriorly positioned cervical papillae in both sexes. Female specimens exhibited three distinct types of vulvar flaps: linguiform (69.09%), knobbed (24.55%), and smooth (6.36%). These findings provide critical insights into the adaptive changes occurring in H. contortus, potentially reflecting evolutionary changes related to anthelmintic resistance, immune evasion, and local selective pressures which can help in developing targeted control strategies and understanding the evolutionary dynamics of this economically significant nematode.

At the end of June 2019, out of 1000 oligochaetes, consisting of several species, collected in the coastal zone of Lake Baikal at a depth of 1 m, 1 specimen of the oligochaete Limnodrilus udekemianus (0.1%) was infected with actinospores of Triactinomyxon type MNV. Actinospores developed in the intestinal epithelium of the oligochaete. Hypertrophy and death of infected epithelial cells were observed. The nucleotide sequence of the 18 S rDNA gene region with a length of 1064 bp was deposited in the Genbank database under the number PP575756. Sequence comparison in the Blast program revealed that Triactinomyxon type MNV is 97.51% similar to Chloromyxum legeri and 91% similar to Triactinomyxon type "changzou". Phylogenetically, Triactinomyxon type MNV clusters with Chloromyxum species that infect cyprinids.

This study extensively evaluated the therapeutic potential of Mitragyna parvifolia in treating filariasis-induced secondary lymphedema, with a specific focus on validating its efficacy as a dermal application for acute dermatolymphangioadenitis (ADLA). The research investigated the effects of M. parvifolia leaf extract, green-synthesized silver nanoparticles (Mp-AgNPs), and the primary alkaloid Mitraphylline through various assays. Silver nanoparticles were successfully synthesized from M. parvifolia leaves, confirmed by observable color changes and UV-Vis spectroscopy, highlighting their potential as enhanced wound dressing components. FTIR analysis revealed the presence of functional groups indicative of biochemical activities in Mp-AgNPs, while DLS and SEM studies elucidated their size and morphology characteristics, essential for understanding their application in therapeutic settings. Biocompatibility assessments demonstrated that all tested samples exhibited minimal hemolytic activity, supporting their suitability for further studies. Antioxidant assays showed significant radical scavenging activity in M. parvifolia extracts and Mp-AgNPs, surpassing that of Mitraphylline and demonstrating potential therapeutic benefits. The M. parvifolia leaf extract and its silver nanoparticles exhibited effective macrofilaricidal activity, with the nanoparticles showing enhanced inhibition at higher concentrations. Cytotoxicity evaluations on a Tilapia gill (TG) cell line revealed dose-dependent effects, suggesting Mp-AgNPs and the leaf extract's higher toxicity thresholds compared to purified Mitraphylline. Furthermore, wound healing assays indicated comparable efficacy among M. parvifolia derivatives in promoting wound closure, emphasizing their potential in managing lymphedema-related infections. Overall, this comprehensive evaluation underscores the therapeutic promise of M. parvifolia and its derivatives, particularly Mp-AgNPs, as effective topical treatments for secondary infections in lymphedema. The integration of nanoparticles in treatment strategies offers a novel approach to mitigate antimicrobial resistance, marking a significant advancement in enhancing therapeutic outcomes.

Cockroach gut houses mostly anaerobic microbial communities. Most of these eukaryotes live as endocommensal rather as pathogens. The morphological diversity of the eukaryotic microorganisms present in the intestinal tract of American cockroach, Periplanata americana were investigated. Cockroaches were dissected in 0.67% saline and temporary iodine wet mount were prepared. Microrganisms were stained permanently with Delafield and Heidenhain haematoxylin. Feulgen methods were used to study nuclear organization and Periodic acid-Schiff method was performed to observe mucopolysaccharide localization. Prevalence of isolated specimens was also determined. The study revealed the assemblage of complex eukaryotic fauna showing unique morphological peculiarities. Two oxyurid helminth genera namely Hammerschmidtiella and Thelastoma were isolated with 47.1 and 67.6% prevalence respectively. Among the protozoans the highest prevalence was shown by Nyctotherus ovalis (91.2%). Feulgen reaction revealed that in most of the specimens micronucleus was embedded over the macronucleus of N. ovalis. Periodic acid-Schiff positive granules were mostly located in the anterior one third region of the cell. Here, a new species of Nyctotherus (Nyctotherus membranfoldis n.sp.) was found in the hind gut of Periplaneta americana showing characteristic membrane folds with a prevalence rate of 11.8%. We also report the occurrence of Iodamoeba bütschlii (prevalence 2.94%) from hind gut smear of cockroach not previously reported in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Another human pathogen reported to cause lung infection, Lophomonas striata was also detected with a prevalence of 11.8%. A moderate number of Endamoeba blattae (41.2%) and Gregarine blattarum (14.7%) were isolated from the hind gut and mid gut of Periplaneta americana respectively. Iodamoeba bütschlii was detected in Kolkata not previously detected in the city. The isolation of Lophomonas striata, a potential pathogen of human lungs, from cockroach gut constitutes major health risk for humans. Discovery of new species of the ciliate Nyctotherus (Nyctotherus membranfoldis) from cockroach hind intestine also may have a role in the host physiology as well disease causing potentiality in humans.

Anthelmintic resistance (AR) is a major problem in the profitable production of livestock. Therefore, this study evaluated AR status in cattle farms at Mymensingh Sadar using in vivo, fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and in vitro, egg hatch assay (EHA) techniques. For this, ten cattle farms and forty animals from individual farms with more than 200 eggs per gram (EPG) of feces were selected by employing the McMaster technique. For FECRT, four groups having ten animals in each group were designed and animals of group I were treated with albendazole (ABZ), group II with levamisole (LEV), group III with ivermectin (IVM) according to the bodyweight and group IV was served as control (untreated). Fecal samples were collected at day 0 (pre-treatment) and day 14 of post-treatment (p. t) from animals of all treated and untreated groups directly from the rectum to calculate EPG and subsequently considered for copro-culture to detect resistant parasitic larvae. For EHA, following the collection of pooled fecal samples from ten farms, eggs were isolated and incubated with different concentrations of albendazole such as 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5 µg/ml. In FECRT, the result revealed that all three drugs such as ABZ, LEV and IVM were resistant in all farms except one where IVM was suspected resistance (SR). The identified resistant larvae from copro-culture were Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus and Oesophagostomum. In EHA, the EC₅₀ value of ABZ ranged from 0.14 to 0.29 µg ABZ/ml (> 0.1 µg/ml designated as resistance) with the coefficient of correlation (R2) > 0.97 confirming ABZ resistance in all cattle farms. The present study suggests that AR is increasing and creates an alarming condition in controlling GI nematodes in Bangladesh.

Coccidiosis is an enteric protozoan parasitic disease that results in significant economic losses due to high mortality and morbidity, particularly in poultry farms run on a deep litter system, as well as the costs associated with its treatment and control. From time to time, several approaches have been adopted for its prevention and control, among which current approaches include the use of anticoccidial drugs, herbal plants, and vaccines. Anticoccidial drugs work well to stop coccidiosis, but their use is limited because some Eimeria strains are becoming partially or completely resistant to them. As a result, new anticoccidial drugs are urgently needed that will take years to commercialize, and there is an increasing demand for drug-free poultry meat. Safe alternatives are herbal plants and their mixtures like Natustat^®, Cocciban^®, Herbacox^®, Coxynil^®, Peptasan^®, of which many have been evaluated. Moreover, various essential oils and oocyst-based vaccines are available to control the disease. A few vaccines have even been commercialized, like Immunocox, Paracox, Livacox, Coocivac, etc. As a result, the emphasis should now be on peptide, plant-based, and transgenic vaccines. This review provides a thorough examination of the anticoccidial activities exhibited by various interventions, including commercial drugs, herbal mixtures, probiotics, nanoparticles, essential oils, and vaccines, in the context of coccidiosis. Additionally, the review sheds light on the comparative effectiveness of these interventions as opposed to conventional drugs commonly employed to manage diseases in poultry.

Poultry production is crucial for food and nutrition security level through the provision of eggs and meat and it also generates income. However, parasitic diseases are among the major constraints to the poultry industry across the world as they can affect the health, welfare, and production performance. These parasitic diseases can be broadly classified as endo-, ecto- and haemoparasites and they occur as single infection or in combination and affect productivity of poultry in Nigeria. This review focuses on summarizing all the major classes of parasitic diseases of poultry in Nigeria from 1980 to 2022. We search two electronic databases (Google Scholar and AJOL) to retrieve relevant articles published from 1980 to 2022 across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria comprising both North and South. Our findings regarding endo-parasites, indicates that the major species of nematodes registered includes Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum, Subuluru brumpti and Capillaria species. As per cestodes, some of the documented species from published literature were Raillietina species (specifically R. tetragona, R. cesticillus and R. echinobothrida) and Choanotaenia infundibulum. Prosthogonimus species was the only documented trematodes infecting poultry in Nigeria. On the side of ecto-parasites, almost all the major groups which include ticks (Argas persicus, and Ornothodoros moubata), mites (Dermanyssus gallinae and Knemidocoptes mutans), fleas (Echinophaga gallinacean) and lice (Menacanthus stramineus, Menopon gallinae, Lipeurus caponis and Columbicola columbae) have all been documented infesting poultry across the country. Lastly, protozoan parasites including haemoparasites (Plasmodium spp., Haemoproteus spp. and Leucocytozoon spp.) and coccidian (Eimeria spp. and Cryptosporidium spp.) were observed to infect poultry in Nigeria. In conclusion, this review has provided available information on the occurrence and distribution of the ecto-, endo- and haemoparasites in different types of poultry in Nigeria.

Intestinal parasitic infections are still considered to be a serious public health problem, which are caused by intestinal helminths and protozoa. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in Thi-Qar Province, south of Iraq during a 6-year period. Epidemiological data and medical information regarding intestinal parasitic infections were obtained from patient records at the Public Health Department of the Thi-Qar Health Office, after diagnosing their infection microscopically. This study started from the beginning of January 2015 until the end of December 2020. During the study period, 341,505 intestinal parasitic infections were classified. Total annual infections were successively recorded in the following proportions: 17.17, 12.47, 13.94, 21.56, 24.73 and 10.14. Of the 341,505 patients; 170,208 (49.84%) and 171,297 (50.16%) were males and females, respectively, without a significant difference. The top of total infection cases was shown in the age group of 5-14 years (35.13%), whereas the lowest proportion (4.12%) was recorded in the < 1-year age group. Although the intestinal parasitic infections recorded in the province's districts, Al-Shatra (24.64%) and Al-Nassriya (22.12%) showed the highest proportions. Total infections occurred in all months. Of the 341,505 intestinal parasitic infections, 292,897 (85.76%), 38,005 (11.13%), 10,505 (3.08%), 96 (0.03%), 1 (0.0003%) and 1 (0.0003%) were infected with enterobiasis, amoebiasis, giardiasis, hymenolepiasis, ascariasis and taeniasis, respectively. The intestinal parasitic infections are considered an uncontrolled health problem in Thi-Qar Province that increase in low-hygienic rural regions, and also in young ages. By tracking indicator of annual infections, we observed growing height with infection rates during the study years, especially enterobiasis and amoebiasis.

Mosquito-borne diseases continue to pose significant public health challenges globally. Synthetic insecticides, raise concerns regarding their environmental impact and human health risks. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Crateva adansonii crude extracts against malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. The leaf, stem and root were extracted with ethanol, GC-MS analysis was done and a concentration of 1%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% was used for the bioassay. Mortality data was recoded, and the lethal concentrations were estimated. Bioactive profiling of the crude extracts revealed the presence of hexadecanoic acid, 1-(2-cyclohexyliminocyclopentyl) ethanone, heptadecanoic acid, N-(2-amino-2-oxoethyl) tetradec-2-ynamide and octadecanoic acid for leaf extract. Presence of tetradecane, hexadecane, octadecane, 5-methoxyquinoline-6-carbonitrile, 1-methoxy-3-methylsulfanylbenzene, and Octadecanoic acid was revealed for bark extracts. Additionally, presence of (E)-octadec-6-enoic acid, diethyl bis(trimethylsilyl) silicate, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-5-sulfanylidene-1,2,4-triazolidin-3-one and 3-(furan-2-yl)-4-prop-2-enyl-1 H-1,2,4-triazole-5-thione was revealed for bark extracts. Larvicidal activity recorded 100% larval mortality at 15% and 20% concentrations within 12, 18, and 24 h for the root extracts. 20% concentration of the leaf extract recorded 100% mortality in 6 h. The root extract recorded the lowest lethal concentration against the larvae at 0.04% and 8.07% for LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ respectively at 24 h. Similarly, complete mortality was observed in the leaf and bark extract at 20% concentration in 6 h with the lowest LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ being 1.78 and 14.75 respectively. Ethanolic extract of C. adansonii plant exhibited strong insecticidal activities against malaria vector. Use of plant product as plant-based mosquito control agent will help in reducing the eco-toxic effects of synthetic chemicals.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of urinary schistosomiasis among school pupils in Jama'are Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria, a parasitic infection affecting over 250 million people, with most cases concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the study area from January 2024 to May 2024 to address these issues. The urine samples of 384 school pupils aged 6-15 were examined to detect Schistosoma haematobium eggs. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data on socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors. Chi-square, univariate, and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine relationships. DNA extraction, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene amplification, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis were performed to determine the S. haematobium strain. The prevalence of S. haematobium was 14.60% (95% CI 11.20-18.50) among primary school pupils. The chi-square analysis revealed a significant association with all socio-demographic variables except age. Other risk factors, such as water source, fishing, playing in shallow water, toilet facility, itching experience, and blood in urine, were significantly associated with schistosomiasis infection. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that pupils who defecated anywhere were 43 times more likely to contract schistosomiasis compared to those who used the water system at homes [AOR (95% CI): 43.56 (1.15-1646.52)]. Children experiencing itching had a 105 times higher risk of contracting the infection [AOR (95% CI): 104.84 (15.45-771.37)], while those with haematuria had a significantly higher likelihood of becoming infected [AOR (95% CI): 281.88 (32.70-2429.96). A phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that S. haematobium isolates were primarily pure strains closely related to S. haematobium from Nigeria and other African nations. The study found a moderate S. haematobium infection among primary school pupils, recommending that government authorities implement chemotherapeutic interventions, educational campaigns, and safe water sources.