Annals of parasitology最新文献

Trichomonosis, caused by infection with a motile protozoan parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis, is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Since the 1960s, metronidazole has been used as a drug of choice. Considering increased resistance to anti-trichomonial drugs, alternative treatments are urgently needed. In this study, the standard strain of T. vaginalis was cultured in TYM medium. Curcumin and quercetin loaded with hyaluronic acid niosomes were prepared by the thin film hydration method. The mean vesicle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential of each prepared formulation were characterized, and its anti-Trichomonas activity was assessed by concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 mg/ml. The cytotoxicity effects of the mentioned drugs were determined using a MTT assay on L929 fibroblast cell viability. The particle sizes of curcumin, quercetin, and curcumin-quercetin entrapped modified nano-niosomes were characterised as 243 ± 5.28, 223 ± 7.21 and 266 ± 4.81 nm. The results showed that quercetin and curcumin at a concentration of 100 mg/ml after 24 h had anti-T. vaginalis activity. However, curcumin at a concentration of 100 at time 3h with 97% growth inhibition had better performance than positive control (metronidazole). According to the results of the MTT assay, all drugs, even at the highest concentration (400 mg/ml), had no toxic effect on the fibroblast cell line. According to potent in vitro activity of curcumin and quercetin nanoniosomes against T. vaginalis in comparison with metronidazole, it can be concluded these compounds could be promising therapeutic candidates for trichomonosis in future.

Toxoplasma has the ability to infect a wide range of living organisms, including humans, and the infection found all over the world. The current study included 200 blood and semen samples collected from married men from which 100 samples of infertile men and 100 non-infertile men as control. The infertile men were divided into two groups: group A, which includes 35 (35%) infertile patients have IgG antibody sero-positive with toxoplasmosis, and group B, which includes 65 (65%) infertile people without toxoplasmosis were detected by rapid test for Toxo IgG/IgM antibody and then ensure by enzyme linked sorbent immunoassay (ELISA). The aging of men involved in the study extended between 20-57 years. The study revealed group A Toxoplasma IgG positive have mean concentration 65.10±13.84, was measured by ELISA in the serum of patients. Studies have shown mean age of men in group A and group B patients were 32.77±7.83 and 30.31±6.14, respectively. The age from 20-29 years as well as from 30 to 39 years high number of infertility in both A and B group patients. There is no significant distribution between group A and group B patients according to age of men infertility. The common deletion 4,977 bp mutation in mitochondrial sperm DNA(mt-DNA) was detected using the Gap-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Although the results showed that group A have high rate of common deletion mutation compare to group B but non-significant, while there is no deletion detection in the control group. The current results showed that reducing the mean total number of sperms in group A patient common deletion high significant compared to group B. The mean percentage of slow movement high significant than group B patient but non-significant mean percentage of death sperm although have high mean than to group B patient and abnormal sperm shape percentage have significant is higher in group A patient (common deletion) compared to group B.

Cystic echinococcosis is a major parasitic and zoonotic disease and surgery is the most common treatment of this disease which carries the risk of intraoperative leakage and recurrence. Using scolicidal agent to inactivate cyst contents reduces the risk of recurrence. Considering side effects of available scolicidals and growing interests on natural pharmaceuticals, the present study aimed to evaluate toxicity of cinnamaldehyde (CA), the main component of cinnamon essential oil, and a developed nanoemulsion of cinnamaldehyde (nano-CA) on protoscoleces of hydatid cyst. Nanoemulsion was prepared by the low energy system and characterized by dynamic light scattering to confirm dimensions. For evaluation of scolicidal effects, serial dilutions of CA and nano-CA were mixed with protoscolices suspension and mortality were recorded at 10, 30, and 60 minutes by eosin exclusion test. Albendazole was used as the positive control. The mean diameter of nano-CA was characterized as equal to 88.5 nm, and poly dispersity index was 0.09. After 30 min of treatment, nano-CA, at 50 μg/ml, killed 99.33% of protoscoleces. At the same time point and concentration, CA only caused mortality rate of 26.18%. 30 min-LC50 value of 369.39 μg/ml was obtained for CA, while after 30 min of exposure, nano-CA showed promising rapid activity with LC50 value of 3.22 μg/ml. Nano formulation significantly increased scolicidal activity of CA probably by increasing penetration and tegumental disorganization of protoscoleces. Further in vivo safety studies are needed to introduce nano-CA as a clinically applicable scolicidal agent.

Neglected tropical diseases as termed by World Health Organization include a group of 20 diverse infectious diseases in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Amongst these diseases, high mortality rate is mostly associated with Chagas disease and leishmaniosis due to limited drugs, severe toxicity caused by the available drugs and drug resistance. The above hitches have triggered the researchers to focus on the development of novel alternative therapeutics. Studies reveal that several target-based drugs have emerged which affect the biochemical pathways of the causative parasite. An anti-cancerous molecule and its derivatives might be used as antiprotozoal agents due to biochemical similarities affecting DNA metabolism. Cisplatin is a widely used drug for the treatment of testicular, ovarian, head and neck cancers, melanoma, lymphomas and several others. It exerts anticancer activity via multiple mechanisms but most effective mechanism is binding with DNA, formation of intrastrand and interstrand cross-links and generation of DNA lesions. However, side effects of cisplatin limit its application and effectiveness in the cancer treatment. Moreover, to minimize the side effects of cisplatin, combination therapies are used and have proven to be effective against cancers. Thus, current review is aimed at highlighting potential of cisplatin alone and in combination therapies as an antileishmanial agent.

During the survey, some Argulus or fish lice were isolated from the skin of Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758). A comparison with previously described Argulus species was conducted and the specimen was identified as Argulus coregoni Thorell, 1866. Such infections can be a major threat to fish health. Mainly three species of Argulus infect Carassius auratus namely A. japonicus Thiele, 1899; A. foliaceus Linnaeus, 1758, and A. coregoni Thorell, 1866 which were originally reported from Europe. Although, the same three species were reported from India also. The present study aims to add knowledge to previous studies on the morphology of A. coregoni by scanning electron microscopic images and also adding a new locality for the parasite.

Studies were conducted from March to August 2021 in 4 caves located in Lombok Island (Gunung Tunak cave, Gale-Gale cave, Buwun cave, and Tanjung Ringgit cave). Eonycteris spelaea was infested with 7 species of ectoparasites consisting of 4 species from the class Insecta (Diptera: Eucampsipoda sundaica and Cyclopodia horsfieldii, and Siphonaptera: Ischnopsyllus hexactenus and Thaumapsylla breviceps), and 3 species from the class Arachnida (Amblyomma sp., Ancystropus sp, and Meristaspis sp.).

There are some doubts about the exact relationship between neglected infectious diseases (NIDs) and COVID-19 disease, which remains to be clearly defined. The present review summarized the effect of parasitic infections as the risk factors or protective agents in the COVID-19 pandemic. Parasites could proficiently modulate immune responses. Thus, parasitic infections could have a different impact on the incidence and clinical severity of COVID-19 in different regions of the world. Also, restoring programs to prevent, treat, and control NIDs, in particular helminths, could help in reducing the incidence and mortality of COVID-19 in endemic areas and help to increase vaccination effectiveness. Changes in the gut microbiome associated with helminth infection may have systemic immunomodulatory effects toward suppressing host immune responses, reducing vaccine efficacy and increasing the severity of other infectious diseases. The cytokine storm observed in severe cases of COVID-19 is characterized by a predominance of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6. However, it is possible that helminth infection could change the outcome of infection by modifying the Th2 response to limit the inflammatory component; this would be particularly apparent in areas endemic for helminthic infections, which suggests a possible protective effect against COVID-19. Because parasitic infections affect more than 2 billion people throughout the world, their impact on COVID-19-associated effects on public health could be considerable. Further studies with larger sample sizes would be needed to explore the possible role of neglected parasitic infections in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are common in developing countries, particularly in countries witnessing conflicts and humanitarian crises like Yemen. Type-2 diabetics are among the population categories most vulnerable to a variety of infections, including IPIs. Therefore, this study determined the prevalence and risk factors associated with IPIs among Yemeni type-2 diabetics in Sana'a city. This hospital-based, cross-sectional study recruited 389 type-2 diabetics seeking healthcare in Sana'a from December 2019 to February 2020. Sociodemographic data and risk factors were collected from interviewed participants using a structured questionnaire. Stool samples were collected and examined for parasites using standard techniques. The association of sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors with IPIs was tested using univariate analysis, and a multivariable logistic regression model was developed to identify the independent predictors of IPIs at a significance level of <0.05. The overall prevalence of IPIs among diabetics was 38.6%. Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (30.3%) was the most frequent parasite, followed by Cryptosporidium species (8.2%). The significant independent predictors of IPIs were duration of diabetes mellitus > 10 years (AOR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.10-2.47, P = 0.029), eating unwashed vegetables/fruits (AOR = 3.2; 95% CI: 1.44-6.92, P = 0.004) and not practicing handwashing before meals (AOR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.10-5.48, P = 0.035). Over one-third of type-2 diabetics seeking healthcare in Sana'a city are infected with one or more IPIs, predominantly with E. histolytica/dispar, followed by Cryptosporidium species. Such infections cannot be predicted from the sociodemographic characteristics of diabetics. Nevertheless, prolonged duration of diabetes mellitus, eating unwashed vegetables/fruits and not practicing handwashing before meals are independent predictors of IPIs among type-2 diabetics. Large-scale studies are recommended for IPIs among type-2 diabetics with and without gastrointestinal complaints, preferably in comparison to non-diabetics.

Malaria is a deadly parasitic disease transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. One of the most extensive malaria control measures proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has received better attention in recent years, is the biological control of Anopheles mosquitoes. In this concept, Wickerhamomyces anomalus yeast has received more attention from researchers in this field. In the present review, we have investigated the anti-malaria effect of Wickerhamomyces anomalous. In the present review, we searched PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Wiley databases for relevant articles. Keywords used in the inquiries were biological control, yeast, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, malaria, Anopheles mosquito, and Plasmodium. Wickerhamomyces anomalus has a wide range of anti-microbial activity. By producing killer toxins (KT), this yeast can kill microorganisms, so it has called killer yeast. This was investigated and proven using monoclonal antibody, western blot analysis and immunofluorescence (IFA) technique. It has also been used in various studies regarding the biological control of malaria by killing Anopheles mosquito larvae. Considering the proven lethal effect of toxins produced by Wickerhamomyces anomalus, the results could be a big step forward towards ending the life cycle of malaria parasites in the body of vector mosquitos.