Trends in parasitology最新文献

Anthelmintic resistance (AR) in parasitic nematodes poses a global health problem in livestock and domestic animals and is an emerging problem in humans. Consequently, we must understand the mechanisms of AR, including target-site resistance (TSR), in which mutations affect drug binding, and non-target site resistance (NTSR), which involves alterations in drug metabolism and detoxification processes. Because much of the focus has been on TSR, NTSR has received less attention. Here, we describe how metabolomics approaches using Caenorhabditis elegans offer the ability to disentangle nematode drug metabolism, identify metabolic changes associated with resistance, uncover novel biomarkers, and enhance diagnostic methods.

Tick vaccines are an environmentally friendly intervention for the prevention and control of tick-borne diseases affecting humans and animals worldwide. From our perspective, the challenges in tick vaccinology have encouraged the implementation of new interventions. In this opinion article we propose paratransgenic quantum vaccinology as a new approach that integrates platform trends in biotechnology, such as omics datasets combined with big data analytics, machine learning, and paratransgenesis with a systems biology perspective. This innovative approach allows the identification of protective epitopes in tick- and/or pathogen-derived proteins for the design of chimeric vaccine candidate antigens which can be produced by commensal/symbiotic microorganisms eliciting a protective response in the host.

Bats are increasingly in the focus of disease surveillance studies as they harbor pathogens that can cause severe human disease. In other host groups, ectoparasitic arthropods play an important role in transmitting pathogens to humans. Nevertheless, we currently know little about the role of bat-associated ectoparasites in pathogen transmission, not only between bats but also to humans and other species, even though some of these parasites occasionally feed on humans and harbor potentially zoonotic organisms. In this work, we summarize current knowledge on the zoonotic risks linked to bat-associated ectoparasites and provide novel risk assessment guidelines to improve targeted surveillance efforts. Additionally, we suggest research directions to help adjust surveillance strategies and to better understand the eco-epidemiological role of these parasites.

Plasmodium spp. have an ancient history with humans, having been described in ancient texts dating back 3500 years ago, which has led to an evolutionary arms race between Plasmodium and humans with Plasmodium successfully subverting durable, sterilizing host immunity. Mechanisms of immune evasion include polymorphism and antigenic variation, as well as dysregulated immune responses, each facilitating transmission and Plasmodium parasite persistence. Notably, metabolite signaling cues in the host and parasite have more recently been appreciated as key drivers for disease progression. Here, we highlight the metabolic interplay between the host and Plasmodium parasites during malaria. We discuss how immunometabolism studies may be leveraged to elucidate this complex relationship and offer opportunities to augment either vaccine- or infection-induced protective immunity.

Regulation of intracellular cyclic nucleotides to avoid homeostatic imbalances is achieved through catabolic activity of phosphodiesterases (PDEs). Recently, Ajiboye et al. reported validation of Cryptosporidium PDE1 (CpPDE1) as a viable drug target and identified optimized pyrazolopyrimidines with selective activity against CpPDE1 over human PDEs and with potent anticryptosporidial efficacy.

Challenges in adapting natural products as antimalarials include their cryptic mechanism of action (and by extension resistance), as well as their complex and expensive synthesis without an abundant natural source. Recently, Chahine et al. presented plausible means to address these challenges in the case of the kalihinol family of isocyanoterpenes.

This brief article examines how neoliberalism and managerialism have transformed higher education in some countries, affecting academics in parasitology and other disciplines. It highlights the impact of reduced academic freedom, increased performance metrics and administrative burdens, calling for awareness and protection of core academic values amidst these systemic changes.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods include whole-genome sequencing, metagenomic analysis, and amplicon-based NGS, all of which are gaining territory in parasitology. A modality of particular interest within the field of gut protozoology is exhaustive metabarcoding of ribosomal genes in a complex matrix such as faeces, by which method, amplicon-based NGS enables the detection and differentiation of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms, circumventing Sanger sequencing-based limitations and representing a one-fits-most approach. Apart from being a tool to break the code of intracellular genetic variation and tell mixed species infections apart, metabarcoding can produce data that can serve to augment our understanding of the interplay between the organisms within the gut.

Cadena et al. recently discovered a conserved trypanosomatid 'nabelschnur' protein TbNAB70 from a search through the protein localization resource TrypTag, providing new insight into kinetoplast origin and evolution.

Sec14 domain proteins are broadly conserved in eukaryotes and play essential roles in numerous cellular processes. Limited data on Sec14 proteins of apicomplexan parasites suggest that they could be important for their survival. The development of fungi-specific Sec14 inhibitors raises the tantalizing possibility that their apicomplexan counterparts might also be targeted.