Journal of Parasitic Diseases最新文献

Trichinellosis is a foodborne parasitic infection, where the Trichinella spiralis larvae invade, grow and dwell in muscle cells, transforming them into nurse cells for nutrient supply and protective shelter. The present study evaluated the prophylactic and therapeutic impact of the antioxidants selenium (Se) and vitamin E (Vit E), alone and in combinations with albendazole (ALB), on muscular phase of experimental Trichinella spiralis infection in mice. Forty-eight Swiss albino mice were divided into 3 main groups: control, prophylactic, and therapeutic groups, with further subgrouping according to the received treatment. Larval count, inflammation around the encapsulated larvae, and oxidative stress markers were assessed. All groups receiving treatment showed a significant reduction in larvae count/gm muscle compared to the infected control group. In the prophylactic group, combined VitE-Se achieved the highest reduction, 58.4% and 51% in the diaphragm and intercostals, respectively. Whereas in the therapeutic group combined VitE-Se-ALB showed the maximum reduction rates of 90.4% and 84.4% in the diaphragm and intercostals, respectively. Varying grades of cellular inflammatory infiltration were detected around the capsule in various groups, with marked reduction in degree of inflammation in all combination groups containing ALB. Oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels showed a significant decrease in treated muscle tissues, the lowermost level was detected in the VitE-Se-ALB combination group. In conclusion, combined Vit E-Se reduced muscle larval burden in the prophylactic group, potentiated the antiparasitic action of ALB in the therapeutic group, and demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Bancroftian filariasis, one of the Philippines' neglected tropical diseases, is a parasitic disease caused by Wuchereria bancrofti and transmitted by Aedes poicilius, which thrive in the Musa plantations abundant in certain Philippine regions. Eliminating this disease is far from being achieved, thus emphasizing the need for a better control or elimination program by constructing a contemporary predictive model of the mosquito, A. poicilius, and identifying key environmental variables that favor the mosquito species. Modeling of the distribution of lymphatic filariasis was divided into two phases: data collection of disease occurrences and environmental variables from 1985 to 2019 and model calibration and testing utilizing the MaxEnt algorithm. Model sensitivity was validated through the area under the curve (AUC) method. The model had a mean training AUC of 0.995 ± 0.001. The Jackknife test was performed to determine the effect of the assessed variables on the prevalence of the disease and revealed that isothermality has the highest gain when used in isolation. The total frequency of lymphatic filariasis was mapped using the QGIS software to exhibit the suitability of agricultural plantations as breeding grounds for A. poicilius populations.

This study aimed to evaluate the health status of rabbits with Sarcoptes scabiei (S. scabiei) lesions scores. From August 2022 to August 2023, 200 domestic rabbits were thoroughly inspected for the presence of mange in their bodies. Lesion scores were recorded; moreover, sera were collected for biochemical analysis, along with infested skin and spleen samples from the infested animals. The clinical skin lesions were present around the head, ears, neck, trunk, feet, and genitalia, which determined the lesion score. The skin lesion scores on the external ear margins, head, nose, and toes were indexed for 5 scores. Infested and un-infested control rabbits were divided into two groups of 10 each according to lesion score, and blood samples were collected from the ear vein for five milliliters of blood. Serum nitric oxide (NOx) and Major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) were evaluated. The affected rabbits suffered from malnutrition and emaciation. There were also indications of scratching, itching, fur loss, hyperemia, and thickening of the skin with crust formation. The mite specimens in our study were identified as S. scabiei based on the ITS2 gene sequence submitted to GenBank (Accession No. PQ130162). The results of the phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS2 were performed using MEGA 7 software. Serum nitric oxide was evaluated according to the lesion scores; a score of 0 was negative healthy, and then the serum nitric oxide levels were elevated in accordance with the increase in the severity of the diseases as indicated by the lesion scores. There were measurable quantities of major histocompatibility class (MHC)-I mRNA that was examined in each group lesion score, either in the skin or the spleen. The spleen expression profile was higher in all groups than in the skin. With increasing of the score lesion the transcript levels increase.

Recently, testing existing drugs for new therapeutic purposes has been highly recommended. Trichinellosis is a parasitic infection caused by roundworms from the genus Trichinella. Treating trichinellosis is facing many challenges and offering new pharmacological therapeutics is needed. In this study, Amiodarone, the antiarrhythmic medication was repurposed for the first time for treating the muscle phase of trichinellosis in experimental mice. Thirty-five mice were used and divided as follows; normal, infected, infected, and treated with Albendazole (ALB), and the infected and treated with Amiodarone (AMD). Thirty-five days post inoculation of infection and after euthanasia; the diaphragms of all mice were subjected to histopathological examination while the whole muscle masses of the infected and infected-treated mice were subjected to digestion and examination for assessing the number of larvae per gram. Compared to ALB, AMD showed the best results in this study. A significant reduction of muscle larval burden (71.43%, versus ALB 62.36%; P <.001) and improvement of the diaphragmatic histopathological changes with a significant reduction of inflammatory infiltrates (P <.001). According to our results, AMD showed an anti-inflammatory plus antiparasitic action against the muscular phase of experimental trichinellosis. In addition, ALB, the drug of choice till now should be tested in combination with other treatments to improve its intestinal absorption and subsequently its anti-larval efficacy, plus reducing its consequential severe inflammatory reaction.

Utilizing retrospective data collected over a period of nine years during the period from 2010 till 2019, an attempt was made to study various aspects of microfileremia in adult buffaloes in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. This study involves an analysis of epidemiological aspects of microfilariosis, clinical presentation and therapeutic efficacy of Ivermectin. The study involved initial examination of 15,851 blood samples of buffaloes collected in the district from different sources and various predisposing factors influencing the incidence like season, stocking density, vector propagation, individual and herd stressors, age and lactation status were considered. Diagnostic specificity and applicability of available tests like wet blood smear examination, methylene blue staining, Giemsa's staining and Modified Knott's test were evaluated. The incidence was highest during July-September (6.6%) followed by October-December (6.1%), January-March (5.2%) and April-June (4.9%). Post monsoon warm and humid weather appears to favour the vector propagation and incidence. High proportion of microfilaremia at least 2-3 per alternate microscopic fields was presumed to be responsible for clinical microfilariosis than low infection like one motile parasite for every 3-6 microscope fields. Fourteen (14) clinical cases and equal number of healthy control animals, both are lactating, calved 4-5 month back, with an average milk yield of 6.8 L were selected for clinical studies and evaluation of hematological and biochemical parameters. Therapeutic efficacy of Ivermectin was evaluated by assessing the circulatory clearance rate of microfilaria, improvement in clinical signs and return to productivity. The possibility of spontaneous elimination of parasite without specific treatment was not considered with an aim for rapid recovery without complications. Supportive therapy aided in the correction of anemia and speedy recovery. Recurrence of microfileremia was not observed after two months of periodic post therapeutic evaluation and follow-up.

Fascioliasis and Dicrocoeliasis are important trematode infections that affect humans and ruminants worldwide. Molecular techniques have a conclusive role in detection of liver flukes. The purpose of the current study was to find outthe genotypic diversity of Fasciola and Dicrocoelium spp. isolated from different hosts in Iran. Totally, 160 and 200 adult Fasciola and Dicrocoelium spp. isolates were collected from infected cattle, sheep, and goatsfrom two abattoirs in the center of Iran.PCR-RFLP, and DNA sequences nuclear markers (18 S, 28 S, ITS) and the mitochondrial marker (ND1, CO1) were applied. PCR products of Dicrocoelium and Fasciola samples were subjected to digestion by BfaI, Tru1I, BsrBI, ECO881, and Hind III enzymes. DNA from 60 isolates of Fasciola and Dicrocoelium of different hosts were sequenced and evaluated. The PCR reaction showed the length of 18 S, 28 S, ND1, CO1 of Fasciola at 260 bp, 618 bp, 700 bp, and 500 bp, and the length of the ITS2 and 28 S of Dicrocoelium was 236 bp and 963 bp respectively. D. dendriticum has an RFLP pattern of 110, and 126 bp (ITS2), and 116, 293, 409 bp (28 S) using, BfaI and Tru1I restriction enzymes. F. gigantica has a profile of 333, and 285 bp (28 S) using BsrBI enzyme. The RFLP pattern of genotype F. hepatica was 73, 120, and 507 bp (ND1) and 119 and 381 bp (CO1) in size using Hind III and ECO881 enzymes. Using the PCR-RFLP, two species of Fasciola (F. hepatica and F. gigantica), and one species of Dicrocoelium (D. dendriticum) were identified. To uncover the genetic population structure of liver flukes across the country, future studies are still required.

Hepatozoon canis infects the haemolymphatic tissues of both domestic and wild dogs, resulting in symptoms such as anemia and lethargy. The transmission of this parasite occurs primarily through Rhipicephalus sanguineus and various other ixodid tick species. A study was conducted to determine the tick vector of H. canis in dogs in the Mashhad region, Khorasan Razavi province, from 2018 to 2021. A total of 976 ixodid ticks were collected from 39 sheepdogs and 76 shelterdogs during activating seasons of ticks. Adult ticks were identified according to general identification keys. The collected female ticks were separated into 81 tick pools according to their species. The hemolymph smear was prepared from engorged and semi-engorged female ticks and stained with the Giemsa method, Then, the DNA of each tick pool was extracted using a commercial kit and analyzed by PCR. Two ixodid species, R. sanguineus and R. turanicus were identified in infested dogs. The frequency of R. sanguineus and R. turanicus infestation in sheepdogs was 80.25% and 19.75% and in shelterdogs 76.5% and 23.5%, respectively. H. canis DNA has only been detected in 15 (18.5%) tick pool samples of R. sanguineus. Immature oocysts of Hepatozoon were detected in two hemolymph smears obtained from engorged female R. sanguineus that tested positive via PCR and were collected from shelter dogs. It is concluded that R. sanguineus was the dominant tick in sheepdogs and shelter dogs in the Mashhad area. Moreover, the results of the molecular and parasitological examination indicated that R. sanguineus ticks could be a vector of H. canis in dogs in Iran for the first time.

Intestinal perforations by worms are rare. Ascariasis is the commonest helminthic infestation in the world. Ascariasis must be considered as a differential diagnosis in intestinal obstruction and perforation especially in endemic regions. The clinical presentation can vary from an asymptomatic patient to severe complicated disease. Symptoms depend on the intestinal worm load and intestinal obstruction is a common complication. Because of the rarity of helminthic intestinal perforations and more so given the large-scale migration from developing countries, we wish to emphasize the need to inculcate awareness among treating clinicians, even from the developed world, about this potentially dangerous yet treatable condition. Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial to prevent significant mortality and morbidity from disease complications. Conservative treatment is advised for uncomplicated intestinal Ascariasis. Surgery is life saving in Ascaris complications. There is no effective vaccine available till date. Prevention is better than cure. We present a case series analysis of five children with worm infestation and intestinal perforation, and report clinical presentations, imaging modalities used, treatment and outcomes for each of the case.

The invasion of endoparasites into the human organ system causes a significant number of health issues and other clinical problems. In developing countries like India, such health predicaments are a well-established fact due to individuals' lifestyles as well as environmental factors to some extent. A very common case of parasitic infestation is seen with Ascaris sp., which is often overlooked in rural areas. Therefore, this study primarily focuses on determining the parasitic roundworms extracted from the common bile duct (CBD) of patients who came forward after experiencing severe conditions. The general trend of children being more affected than adults was observed in the study, with a maximum of 20 worms extracted from a 4-year-old child. All the patients who reported the same symptoms were thoroughly diagnosed and observed to exhibit normal health conditions. The rate of infection was higher in the case of female patients, indicating that females are more susceptible to the effects. The results provide valuable information about CBD parasites from cases in rural parts of eastern Meghalaya.

Cryptosporidiosis is one of the main causes of fatal watery diarrhea, especially in immunocompromised patients worldwide. Although nitazoxanide (NTZ) is the only effective FDA approved drug for cryptosporidiosis, it is partially effective in immunocompromised patients. So, there is an urgent need for new alternatives for treating cryptosporidiosis in those patients. The present study aims to assess the efficacy of ivermectin (IVM) and albendazole (ALB) as compared to NTZ and their combinations in treatment of cryptosporidiosis in immunosuppressed infected mice. Mice were divided into 7 groups (G) with 10 mice each; GI: treated with NTZ. GII: treated with IVM. GIII: treated with ALB. GIV: treated with combined NTZ and IVM. GV: treated with combined NTZ and ALB. GVI: non-infected non-treated (negative control). GVII: infected non-treated (positive control). Parasitological, histopathological, and immunological studies were done for all studied groups. The combined therapy of NTZ and IVM showed the best results in reducing the oocysts shedding (reduction rate of 91.9%), healing the histopathological inflammatory changes of ileum, in addition to enhancing the cellular immune response by marked elevation of serum INF-γ levels as compared to the other treatment regimens. Therefore, we concluded that this synergistic combination is promising in controlling cryptosporidiosis in immunocompromised patients.