Acta tropica最新文献

{"title":"Surveillance of coronavirus in wild mammals seized and rescued by the National Forest and Wildlife Service of Peru","authors":"Carol Sanchez-Chicana ,&nbsp;Lisseth M. Leiva ,&nbsp;Juan Jimenez-Chunga ,&nbsp;Walter Silva ,&nbsp;Javier Jara ,&nbsp;Teresa Lopez-Urbina ,&nbsp;Armando E. Gonzalez ,&nbsp;Miguel Rojas ,&nbsp;Luis A. Gomez-Puerta","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107453","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107453","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coronaviruses are common around the world and infect a wide variety of animals, including domestic and wild ones. They are characterized by causing respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and neurological diseases of varying severity, from asymptomatic to severe. Wild animals play a crucial role in this group of viruses since they can act as hosts or reservoirs for pathogenic species of humans and domestic animals. The purpose of this study was to molecularly identify coronaviruses present in wild mammals seized and rescued by the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) of Peru. We molecularly analyzed tracheal and rectal swabs from 90 wild mammals seized and/or rescued by SERFOR, partially amplifying the coronavirus RdRp gene. Ten of the 90 animals studied (11.1%) were positive only for <em>Alphacoronavirus</em>. These were non-human primates (<em>Aotus</em> sp., <em>Sapajus apella</em>, and <em>Saimiri sciureus</em>), the crab-eating raccoon (<em>Procyon cancrivorus</em>), and the South American sea lion (<em>Otaria flavescens</em>). The partial sequence analysis of the RdRp gene revealed that nine sequences belonged to the <em>Pedacovirus</em> subgenus and shared 99.1% nucleotide identity with the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and only one sequence belonged to the <em>Tegacovirus</em> subgenus and shared 95.6% identity with the Feline coronavirus (FCoV). The results show that various wild mammal species from Peru can act as hosts for coronaviruses capable of infecting domestic species. Due to this, it is necessary to implement measures that help us identify the genera and species of coronaviruses in these species to prevent and contain future epidemics or pandemics resulting from the high rate of recombination and mutation of this virus.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 107453"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142566284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detection of Theileria in cattle ticks (Rhipicephalus microplus) (Canestrini, 1888) in upper-northeastern Thailand","authors":"Kanchana Thinnabut ,&nbsp;Rutchanee Rodpai ,&nbsp;Oranuch Sanpool ,&nbsp;Wanchai Maleewong ,&nbsp;Ubon Tangkawanit","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107452","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107452","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Theileria</em> parasites were investigated from cattle ticks (<em>Rhipicephalus microplus</em> (Canestrini, 1888)) collected in 12 provinces in upper-northeastern Thailand based on the sequences of 18S rRNA and MPSP gene. Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) and sequencing specific regions for the 18S rRNA gene revealed two species of <em>Theileria</em> pathogens; <em>T. orientalis</em> (n = 42) and <em>T. sinensis</em> (n = 31) with 94.50−100 % identity. In the provinces of upper-northeastern Thailand, the nucleotide diversity of Theileria's 18S rRNA for <em>T. sinensis</em> and <em>T. orientalis</em> were 0 % and 1.3 %. respectively. The MPSP gene was used to categorize the <em>T. orientalis</em> genotypes. The sequences were compared with those available in the public database (GenBank) for species identification. Phylogenetic trees of <em>Theileria</em> were constructed from the MPSP gene sequences of our amplicons and those available in GenBank using maximum-likelihood and neighbor-joining analyses. The results revealed three identified genotypes: type 3, 5, and 7. Although the main carriers of <em>T. orientalis</em> are ticks in the genus <em>Haemaphysalis, T. orientalis</em> was the most frequently found in <em>R. microplus</em> in upper-northeastern Thailand. <em>Theileria</em> was frequent in Nong Khai, Mukdahan, and Loei, three Thai provinces that bordered the Lao PDR close to the Mekong River. Epidemiological surveys and control strategies in this region should be considered.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 107452"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142567273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of metalloproteinase-3 (-1171 5A>6A) polymorphism on periportal fibrosis in patients with schistosomiasis mansoni, Pernambuco, Brazil","authors":"Thaysa Carolina Gonçalves Silva ,&nbsp;Paula Carolina Valença Silva ,&nbsp;Elker Lene Santos de Lima ,&nbsp;Maria Tereza Cartaxo Muniz ,&nbsp;Edmundo Pessoa Lopes ,&nbsp;Ana Lúcia Coutinho Domingues","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107450","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107450","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In schistosomiasis mansoni (SM), periportal fibrosis (PPF) arises due to an inflammatory response exacerbated by parasite eggs in the intrahepatic portal space, culminating in the deposition of collagen and extracellular matrix proteins. This fibrosis results from a remodeling process of the extracellular matrix, in which metalloproteinases play a significant role. The study evaluated the association between <em>MMP-3</em> polymorphism (-1171 <em>5A&gt;6A</em>) (rs 3025058) and sociodemographic factors with PPF in individuals with SM. This is an analytical cross-sectional study involving 242 individuals infected with <em>S. mansoni</em>, of these 122 were diagnosed with hepatosplenic form (HS) and 119 hepatointestinal form (HI), all from the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Polymerase chain reaction with restriction enzyme digestion (Psyl) was used to determine the <em>MMP-3</em> polymorphism (-1171 5A&gt;6A). There was a significant association between the male gender and the HS form (OR = 1.7623 95% CI [1.0481–2.9631]; p-value = 0.0439) as well as individuals aged over 41, also had a greater chance of developing this clinical form of the disease (OR = 2.8299; 95% CI [1.5211–5.2650]; p-value = 0.0014), with greater emphasis on individuals over 61 years old (OR= 8.5541; 95% CI [3.6895–19.8326], p-value= 0.0000). There was no statistically significant association between the <em>MMP-3</em> polymorphism (-1171 5A&gt;6A) between the clinical groups (5A6A CI [0.7144–1.9879] p-value 0.5882 5A5A CI [0.0912–2.9231] p-value 0.7331 5A6A / 5A5A CI [0.6904–1.8937] p-value 0.6949). In conclusion, the results showed no association between the <em>MMP-3</em> polymorphism (-1171 5A&gt;6A) and the development of PPF. In addition, males, and age over 41 were predictive factors for the HS form of the disease in this Brazilian population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 107450"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142567278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An immuno-inflammatory profiling of asymptomatic individuals in a malaria endemic area in Uganda","authors":"Bandar Hasan Saleh ,&nbsp;Allan Lugaajju ,&nbsp;Muyideen Kolapo Tijani ,&nbsp;Lena Danielsson ,&nbsp;Ulrika Morris ,&nbsp;Kristina E M Persson","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107446","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107446","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Malaria caused by <em>Plasmodium falciparum</em> leads to the destruction of red blood cells (RBCs). A better understanding of how naturally immune individuals control infections should be valuable for future vaccine studies. Antibodies against RBCs and RBC surface antigens were measured together with different inflammatory markers in healthy adults living in a malaria endemic area of Uganda and compared to Swedish healthy adults. Antibodies binding to RBCs were clearly elevated in Ugandans compared to Swedish samples, and for RBC surface antigens the Ugandans had higher levels of antibodies against JMH, but not against Cromer or Kell. Twenty-eight percent of the Ugandans were PCR-positive for <em>P. falciparum</em>, and these had higher levels of IgG against parasite extract and more inhibition in functional growth/invasion assays, but levels of antibodies against RBC, RBC surface antigens, results from Direct Antiglobulin Tests (DAT) and indirect antiglobulin tests were similar when compared with PCR-negative individuals. When inflammatory markers (α-1-antitrypsin, haptoglobin, orosomucoid/α-1-acid glycoprotein, CRP, IgG, IgA and IgM) were measured there were in general almost no signs of inflammation except for clearly elevated levels of IgG. Some had low levels of haptoglobin and for orosomucoid more than half of the individuals had clearly reduced levels. There was no correlation between the inflammatory markers and PCR-positivity, antibodies against RBCs or parasites. In conclusion, for healthy adults living in a malaria endemic area, there was a clear presence of antibodies against RBCs in parallel with high levels of IgG and almost no signs of inflammation, even though many individuals were carrying parasites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 107446"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142563729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Emerging zooanthroponotic risks: Detection of the human norovirus GII.4 Sydney[P31] strain in a domestic dog in Brazil","authors":"Lais Sampaio de Azevedo ,&nbsp;Vanessa Cristina Martins Silva ,&nbsp;Raquel Guiducci ,&nbsp;Simone Guadagnucci ,&nbsp;Fernanda Faria Costa ,&nbsp;Monique Beerens Abdul Ghani ,&nbsp;Ricardo Duarte Lopes ,&nbsp;Antonio Charlys da Costa ,&nbsp;Lia Cunha ,&nbsp;Marcilio Figueredo Lemos ,&nbsp;Adriana Parise ,&nbsp;Regina Célia Moreira ,&nbsp;Adriana Luchs","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107449","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107449","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent increases in zoonotic diseases underscore the integration of companion animals into urban environments, posing complex transmission risks and highlighting the necessity of One Health approaches. Respiratory and enteric viruses have been consistently linked to interspecies transmission between humans and animals. This study aimed to assess the circulation of human noroviruses (NoV), human adenoviruses (HAdV), enteroviruses (EV), parechoviruses (PeV-A), human bocaviruses (HBoV), hepatitis A (HAV) and E viruses (HEV), Influenza A and B viruses (Flu A/B), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2 in domestic dogs and cats in Brazil to understand potential zooanthroponosis risks. Between 2012 and 2021, 600 fecal samples from dogs and cats (516 and 84, respectively) were collected at small animal clinics in São Paulo state, Brazil. The specimens underwent in-house qPCR screening for HBoV and HAdV, while EV, PeV-A, NoV, and HEV were tested using in-house RT-qPCR. SARS-CoV-2, Flu A/B, and RSV were investigated with a commercial RT-qPCR kit assay. HAV detection utilized conventional nested (RT)-PCR. Positive samples were sequenced for molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis. NoV was detected in 0.2 % (1/600) of the animals, while all other investigated viruses tested negative. The NoV-positive sample, collected in 2012 from a pet dog, was identified as genotype GII.4_Sydney[P31]. The Dog/BRA/2012/GII.4_Sydney[P31]/IAL-M21 strain exhibited a close genetic relationship to Brazilian human and environmental NoV GII.4_Sydney[P31] strains, with 98.1–99.2 % nucleotide similarity in ORF1 and 99.2–99.6 % in ORF2 sequences, suggesting interspecies transmission. Pet dogs are frequently exposed to human fecal-borne viruses, highlighting the potential for zooanthroponotic transmission due to their close interaction with humans in shared environments. There is an urgent need to enhance surveillance studies in companion animals to better understand the implications of detecting human NoV strains in pets, as NoV could potentially act as a reverse zoonotic disease in households, animal hospitals, or shelters worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 107449"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142556884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The genetic composition of Anopheles mosquitoes and the diverse population of gut-microbiota within the Anopheles subpictus and Anopheles vagus mosquitoes in Tamil Nadu, India","authors":"Sathishkumar Vinayagam ,&nbsp;Kathirvel Sekar ,&nbsp;Devianjana Rajendran ,&nbsp;Karthikeyan Meenakshisundaram ,&nbsp;Ashish Panigrahi ,&nbsp;Dhanush Kumar Arumugam ,&nbsp;Ipsita Pal Bhowmick ,&nbsp;Kamaraj Sattu","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107439","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107439","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent days, in tropical and subtropical regions, secondary vectors of Anopheles mosquitoes are becoming more important in transmitting diseases to humans as primary vectors. Various molecular techniques have separated closely related <em>Anopheles subpictus</em> and <em>Anopheles vagus</em> mosquitoes based on their diversity with other mosquito species. Despite their widespread distribution, the <em>An. subpictus</em> and <em>An. vagus</em> mosquitoes, which carry <em>Plasmodium</em> in their salivary glands, were not considered primary malaria vectors in India. An. vagus mosquitoes are zoophilic and physically similar to An. subpictus. We intend to identify An. subpictus and An. vagus mosquito's sister species based on their Interspaced Transcribed Region-2 (ITS2). We isolated the midgut gDNA from each mosquito and used ITS2-PCR and Sanger sequencing to characterize the mosquito species. BioEdit software aligned the sequences, and MEGA7 built a phylogenetic tree from them. According to this study, the information gathered from these mosquito samples fits the <em>An. subpictus</em> species A form and the <em>An. vagus</em> Indian form. Furthermore, gut microbiome plays an important role in providing nutrients, immunity, and food processing, whereas mosquitoes' midgut microbiota changes their hosts and spreads illnesses. So, we used the Illumina sequencer to look at the gut microbiome diversity of <em>An. subpictus</em> and <em>An. vagus</em> mosquitoes using 16S rRNA-based metagenomic sequencing. Both mosquito species had an abundant phylum of Pseudomonadota (Proteobacteria), Bacillota, Bacteroidota, and Actinomycetota in their gut microbiomes. Notably, both mosquito species had the genus Serratia in their gut. In the <em>subpictus</em> midgut, the genus of Haematosprillum bacteria was dominant, whereas in the <em>vagus</em> mosquito, the genus of <em>Salmonella</em> was dominant. Notably, current research has observed the <em>Sodalis spp</em>. Bacterial genus for the first time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 107439"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142543040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Accuracy evaluation of diagnostic methods for visceral leishmaniasis in adult patients with and without HIV infection: Clinical management implications","authors":"Angelita Fernandes Druzian ,&nbsp;Adriana de Oliveira França ,&nbsp;Minoru German Higa-Júnior ,&nbsp;Maria Elizabeth Cavalheiros Dorval ,&nbsp;Manoel Sebastião da Costa Lima-Junior ,&nbsp;Mauricio Antonio Pompilio ,&nbsp;Maria de Fatima Cepa Matos ,&nbsp;Lídia Raquel de Carvalho ,&nbsp;Rinaldo Poncio Mendes ,&nbsp;Anamaria Mello Miranda Paniago","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107441","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107441","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) poses a serious health threat, particularly when untreated, necessitating accurate diagnosis. While the gold-standard method involves identifying amastigotes in bone marrow aspirate (BMA), this procedure is invasive and occasionally contraindicated. Additionally, when VL is associated with HIV infection the serologies accuracies could be affected. This study aims to evaluate and compare diagnostic methods for VL in patients with and without HIV coinfection. We enrolled prospectively 127 consecutive adult VL patients, 48 (37.8%) of whom had HIV coinfection, in Brazil's Midwestern region, where VL is endemic. Parasitological examination served as the reference standard for accuracy analysis, with index tests including immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT), immunochromatographic test with rK39 protein (rK39-ICT), and blood polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Specificity assessment involved 430 healthy blood donors from the same endemic area. Ninety-two patients had parasitologically confirmed VL. Among HIV-uninfected patients, rK39-ICT exhibited sensitivity comparable to PCR (93.6%; 95% CI: 83.6–100 vs. 97.8%; 95% CI: 93.6–99.2, respectively) and superior to IFAT (71.1%; 95% CI: 57.9–84.3). However, in HIV-infected patients, rK39-ICT sensitivity was notably lower than PCR (40.0%; 95% CI: 22.5–57.5 vs. 97.4%; 95% CI: 92.5–98.9) and similar to IFAT (67.5%; 95% CI: 52.9–82.0). Combining two serological tests in parallel identified 82.1% of parasitologically confirmed VL cases, with a negative likelihood ratio significantly lower than either test alone. No test achieved a specificity of 90%, and there were no significant differences in specificity observed among the index tests. The positivity rate of parasitological examination in the 127 VL patients was higher in HIV-infected compared to HIV-uninfected patients, 91.3% (95% CI: 83.2–99.4) versus 67.6% (95% CI: 56.9–78.3), respectively. These findings underscore the necessity of accounting for HIV infection when choosing VL diagnostic methods. Although rK39-ICT provides reliable results in HIV-uninfected patients, BMA examination remains crucial for accurate diagnosis in individuals with HIV/AIDS. In cases where bone marrow aspiration is contraindicated, employing IFAT and rK39-ICT in parallel could be considered, as the occurrence of both positive results is uncommon in healthy individuals from endemic areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 107441"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142556787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated all-atom and coarse-grained simulations uncover structural, dynamics and energetic shifts in SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 and BA.2.86 variants","authors":"Akshit Sharma ,&nbsp;Shweata Maurya ,&nbsp;Timir Tripathi ,&nbsp;Aditya K. Padhi","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107444","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107444","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is an enveloped, positive-stranded RNA virus that enters human cells by using its spike protein to bind to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. Since its emergence, the virus has mutated, producing variants with increased transmissibility, immune evasion, and infectivity. The JN.1 variant, detected in January 2024, features a single substitution mutation (Leu455Ser) in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of its spike protein, setting it apart from its parent lineage, BA.2.86. This variant has rapidly become globally predominant due to its enhanced transmission and significant epidemiological impact. To understand the causes behind the dominance of the JN.1 variant, we conducted a comprehensive study using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) and coarse-grained MD simulations. This allowed us to examine the structural, dynamic, energetics and binding properties of the wild-type (Wuhan strain), BA.2.86, and JN.1 variants. Principal component and free energy landscape analyses revealed enhanced structural stability in the JN.1 variant. Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM/PBSA) assessments indicated lower binding affinity for JN.1 as compared to BA.2.86. Intermolecular interaction analyses further confirmed BA.2.86′s superior binding affinity over JN.1 and wild-type. Additionally, we compared and validated our findings against experimentally determined cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of JN.1 and BA.2.86 variants, confirming the reliability of our simulation results. Overall, this study provides crucial insights into the structural-dynamics-energetics features and physicochemical properties that have contributed to the global prevalence of the JN.1 variant and sheds light on its potential to generate future subvariants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 107444"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142543039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cytokine levels in the severity of falciparum malaria: An umbrella review","authors":"Cho Naing ,&nbsp;Han Ni ,&nbsp;Arun Kumar Basavaraj ,&nbsp;Htar Htar Aung ,&nbsp;Wong Siew Tung ,&nbsp;Maxine A Whittaker","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107447","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107447","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to synthesise evidence comparing the levels of cytokines in severe falciparum malaria with those in uncomplicated malaria from available systematic reviews and meta- analyses. Relevant individual meta-analyses were searched in PubMed, Ovid, and Google Scholar, following the selection criteria specified for this umbrella review. The AMSTAR-2 tool was applied to grade the quality of the meta-analyses identified. The random-effects model was applied to recalculate the effect sizes of each included meta-analysis. Heterogeneity between meta-analyses was investigated with <em>I²</em> value. 95% predicting interval (PI) for the summary random-effects model was also made. In each meta-analysis identified, information on largest study's effect, the excess significance test, small study effects, and publication bias were addressed. This umbrella review included nine meta-analyses (<em>n</em> = 12,674) for nine unique cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, and TNF-α). Only one individual meta-analysis showed significantly higher levels of cytokine IL-1β (p: 0.009) amongst those with severe falciparum malaria compared to those with uncomplicated malaria. The 95% PIs did not show significance in any individual meta-analyses. Nine individual meta-analyses showed substantial heterogeneity, with <em>I</em>² tests ranging from 81% to 99%. Two independent meta-analyses (the IL-4 and IL-12) showed evidence of ‘excess significant bias’. The meta-analysis of IL-1β only showed “Class III evidence”, indicating that this cytokine was “suggestive” in contributing to those with severity of malaria in comparison to those with uncomplicated malaria. The remaining eight cytokines showed “Class IV evidence,” indicating \"weak\" evidence on the impact of malaria severity.</div><div>In conclusion, the findings suggest that compared to uncomplicated malaria, pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β contributes to the development of severe falciparum malaria. Due to the limited level of evidence, further well-designed larger studies with multiple cytokines are needed to investigate cytokine levels as reliable biomarkers in malaria severity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 107447"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142543038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anti-toxoplasmic effects of celecoxib alone and combined with spiramycin in experimental mice","authors":"Sawsan S Shendi ,&nbsp;Sahar M Selim ,&nbsp;Soraya A Sharaf ,&nbsp;Marwa A Gouda ,&nbsp;Hebatallah M Sallam ,&nbsp;Dina M Sweed ,&nbsp;Dalia A Shafey","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107448","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107448","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Even though toxoplasmosis is a worldwide parasitic disease caused by <em>Toxoplasma gondii</em> (<em>T. gondii</em>), the available drugs used for the treatment of symptomatic toxoplasmosis have multiple drawbacks. So, there is a considerable need to discover new potential therapeutic agents. The current study aimed to assess the effect of celecoxib (CELE) alone or combined with spiramycin against chronic toxoplasmosis in experimentally infected mice. The study documented the reduction rate of <em>T. gondii</em> cysts in brain tissues and ultrastructural changes through transmission electron microscopy after treatment. We also investigated pathological changes in the brain, liver, lung, and spleen, as well as the expression of TGF-β, iNOS, and pSTAT-1 in brain tissues. Other markers for kidney function and serum levels of interleukins 10 and 12 were also assessed. The study reported a reduction rate of <em>T. gondii</em> brain cyst count of 32.9 % after CELE treatment, 71.7 % after spiramycin treatment, and 75.7 % after combined treatment. Furthermore, the CELE and spiramycin combination improved the ultrastructure and histopathology in brain tissues while decreasing TGF-β, iNOS, and pSTAT-1 expression. The combined therapy ameliorated the inflammation of the liver, lung, and spleen, upregulated the IL-12 level, reduced the IL-10 level, and was accompanied by a reduction in creatinine and urea in serum. In conclusion, CELE increased spiramycin therapeutic efficacy, and their combination showed a better response than spiramycin alone. Thus, the CELE combination with spiramycin represents a hopeful therapy against chronic toxoplasmosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 107448"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142543000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}