Acta Parasitologica最新文献

Background: This report describes the clinical presentation and management of aruptured giant thoracic hydatid cyst in a young adult, highlighting the diagnostic and therapeuticchallenges associated with pulmonary echinococcosis, particularly in endemic regions. The caseemphasizes the importance of early recognition to prevent severe complications.

Methods: A 22-year-old college student from Iran presented with progressive dyspnea, chest pain, fever, cough,and hemoptysis. Imaging studies, including chest radiography and computed tomography, wereperformed, revealing a giant cystic lesion in the left hemithorax with the pathognomonic "waterlily" sign. Surgical intervention via posterolateral thoracotomy was undertaken, involvingcomplete aspiration of the cyst, cavity cleansing, and chest tube placement.

Results: Intraoperative findings confirmed a giant ruptured hydatid cyst. The cyst was successfully excised, and the patient received postoperative albendazole therapy to prevent recurrence. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of Echinococcus granulosus infection. The patient's symptoms resolved following surgery, with no immediate postoperative complications.

Conclusion: Ruptured pulmonary hydatid cysts can present with acute respiratory symptoms and characteristic imaging signs such as the "water lily" sign. Surgical removal remains the cornerstone of treatment, complemented by antiparasitic medication. In endemic areas, heightened clinical suspicion and prompt intervention are essential to reduce morbidityand prevent life-threatening hypersensitivity reactions.

Purpose: Toxoplasmosis is one of the most important parasitic factors causing miscarriage in pregnant women. This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate some hematological parameters and cytokine levels (IL-6 and IL-27) in women who had first-trimester miscarriage due to toxoplasmosis compared to the control group.

Methods: From January to December 2023, 65 women in Al-Shamiya District, Diwaniyah Governorate, central Iraq, who had previously been diagnosed with toxoplasmosis through serological testing and experienced a first-trimester miscarriage, were the subject of the current study. As controls, there were twenty healthy, non-pregnant women. Laboratory tests were performed on venous blood samples in order to evaluate hematological parameters. The slide agglutination test was also used to identify blood types, and the ELISA test was used to measure the levels of the immunological markers interleukin-6 and interleukin-27.

Results: According to the current findings, a statistically significant association was found between blood type and toxoplasmosis incidence (χ² = 12.39, df = 3, P = 0.006). This indicates a genuine association between the two variables, particularly the higher incidence among individuals with blood type B. Laboratory tests confirmed statistically significant differences between the infected women and the control group in most of the analyzed blood parameters. A marked increase in total white blood cell count was observed, while the red blood cell count decreased. The effect size and 95% confidence intervals further support the statistical reliability of the pooled data. The results confirmed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) in interleukin-27 levels between the two study groups. However, the mean of 88 pg/mL in the abortion group and 73 pg/mL in the control group indicated a slight increase in serum interleukin-6 levels in the women who had abortions. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups (p ≈ 0.16) according to the Mann-Whitney U test used, due to the large variability in the results shown by the aborted animals.

Conclusions: The present findings represent preliminary evidence that warrants further research in order to understand the molecular or immunological mechanisms underlying the relationship between toxoplasmosis infection and hematologic parameters and immune markers among women with history of abortion. This will to help stratify the most at-risk people and establish better prevention and early detection in the future.

Background: T. gondiiis an obligate intracellular protozoan that infects approximately one-third of the global population. Research has increasingly suggested a connection between toxoplasmosis and alterations in behavior. This study aims to investigate the effects of T. gondii infection on serum serotonin levels and the expression of the indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO) gene in the brain cells of Balb/c mice.

Methods: A total of 84 female Balb/c mice were utilized in this study, with 42 assigned to the experimental group and 42 to the control group. The mice were further divided into six subgroups, each containing seven mice. Serum serotonin levels were quantified using the ELISA method, while the expression of the IDO1 gene was assessed through quantitative real-time PCR.

Results: It is observed that the serotonin serum concentration in the infected Balb/c mice was substantially higher than the non-infected groups on the day 10th (371.17 ± 53.391 vs. 233.50 ± 1.225, p < 0.0001), 20th (283.33 ± 41.707 vs. 233.33 ± 1.033, p < 0.05 ), 30th (269.17 ± 36.766 vs. 233.67 ± 0.516, p < 0.05) and 40th (291.50 ± 62.956 vs. 233.67 ± 1.033, p < 0.05) post-infection, while the serotonin serum was dramatically diminished in the infected groups rather than the control mice on day 60th (197.50 ± 23.998 vs. 233.17 ± 1.472, p < 0.01). Notably, the expression of the IDO1 gene in brain cells increased by 5.65-fold on day 10 post-infection, followed by downward trends by day 40th (1.91-fold) was observed. Moreover, sharp fluctuations also took place on the 50th and 60th .

Conclusion: It is conclusively revealed that the serum level of serotonin and IDO1 mRNA expression were significantly higher in T.gondii infected Balb/c mice than normal control group. However, future investigations could explore therapeutic interventions targeting IDO1 or serotonin pathways to mitigate neurological impacts in chronic T.gondii infections.

The genus Oxyascaris consists of seven species of nematodes that parasitize the digestive tract of amphibians and reptiles in the Neotropical region. This paper describes a new species of the genus based on specimens collected from a hylid anuran in the Dry Chaco ecoregion. A total of 14 specimens of Scinax acuminatus were collected between 2017 and 2021 in Matacos department, Formosa province, Argentina. The morphology of the nematodes was studied in detail using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Thirty-four nematodes belonging to the genus Oxyascaris were collected in the large intestine of seven of examined amphibians. Based on the number and arrangement of pairs of caudal papillae, the presence of lateral alae in males and females, the lack of a gubernaculum, the absence of a vesicle at the anterior region in females, and the distinctive morphology of the spicules (equal in length), we verified that the specimens belong to a new species. Additionally, we surveyed the geographical distribution of the species of the genus, which was represented on a map. The present work reports the 8th species of the genus Oxyascaris described in South America and the first of this genus to be described in an amphibian, anuran, from the Dry Chaco ecoregion in Argentina.

Background: Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, affects a significant proportion of the global population. While typically asymptomatic in healthy individuals due to effective immune responses, immunocompromised individuals, such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, are at risk of developing acute toxoplasmosis due to the reactivation of latent infection. This study aims to investigate the seroprevalence of latent T. gondii infection among cancer patients who were registered with the Iranian National Registry Center for Toxoplasmosis (INRCT), before and after chemotherapy, and to determine the relationship between chemotherapy and IgG antibody responses.

Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study investigated the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection and its relationship with chemotherapy in 107 cancer patients with solid organ tumors. Participants were recruited from oncology centers in Sari, northern Iran, between 2023 and 2024 and were assessed for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using ELISA before and three weeks after chemotherapy initiation.

Results: At baseline, 80.4% of patients were IgG positive, indicating prior T. gondii exposure. Three weeks post-chemotherapy, 28.92% showed a significant increase in IgG titers. While age was significantly associated with Toxoplasma infection at baseline (P < 0.05), no significant associations were found between demographic or clinical characteristics and IgG seropositivity or titer changes post-chemotherapy. Breast cancer patients exhibited the highest prevalence of Toxoplasma IgG.

Conclusions: These findings suggest a high prevalence of latent toxoplasmosis in cancer patients, with chemotherapy potentially influencing IgG titers in a subset of individuals, independent of other factors examined. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and clinical implications of these observations.