Special Issue "Host-Parasite Relationships in Veterinary Parasitology: Get to Know Your Enemy before Fighting it"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Clinical Studies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 November 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Javier González-Miguel
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CSIC - Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia de Salamanca (IRNASA), Salamanca, Spain
Interests: tropical diseases; parasitic diseases; zoonotic diseases; parasitology; molecular parasitology; veterinary parasitology; medical entomology; tick-borne diseases; helminthology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The evolutionary success of parasitism is directly related to the huge number of species that have evolved this way of life. Such success could be explained by the mechanisms evolved by these species to confront and evade the responses of their hosts, together with their capacity to adapt the metabolic processes of their hosts for their own benefit. In regards to veterinary parasitology, these adaptations may result in chronic infections that cause disease in animals resulting in loss of production, suffering and even death. In addition, due to the zoonotic potential of a considerable number of parasites, many parasitic diseases of veterinary importance are currently considered as important public health problems. The global market for antiparasitic drugs has been estimated at more than 3,000 million USD annually. Moreover, the development of drug resistance in protozoan and helminth parasites of veterinary interest has been increasingly reported. The substitution of drugs by other means (e.g., vaccination) for the control of parasitic diseases in animals would have an important impact in the improvement of the quality and food safety, since the recombinant vaccines do not leave residues in food of animal origin. Regrettably and despite their worldwide relevance, the vaccination approaches against parasites carried out so far, have not given the expected results. It has been widely suggested that the lack of knowledge regarding the underlying biological, biochemical and immunological components from the host-parasite interface represents one of the main reasons that could explain that currently not many targets have been successfully developed into vaccines against parasites. Consequently, the main objective of this Special Issue is to shed light on the cross-talk interactions between parasites of veterinary importance and their host as a fundamental step for the future development of more effective vaccines or for the characterization of new therapeutic targets for the control of these parasitic diseases.

Dr. Javier González-Miguel
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • veterinary parasitology
  • parasites
  • protozoan and helminth parasites
  • animal hosts
  • host-parasite relationships
  • host-parasite interface
  • cross-talk interactions
  • molecular adaptations

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Article
DNA Multi-Marker Genotyping and CIAS Morphometric Phenotyping of Fasciola gigantica-Sized Flukes from Ecuador, with an Analysis of the Radix Absence in the New World and the Evolutionary Lymnaeid Snail Vector Filter
Animals 2021, 11(9), 2495; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092495 - 25 Aug 2021
Viewed by 481
Abstract
Fascioliasis is a disease caused by Fasciola hepatica worldwide transmitted by lymnaeid snails mainly of the Galba/Fossaria group and F. gigantica restricted to parts of Africa and Asia and transmitted by Radix lymnaeids. Concern has recently risen regarding the high pathogenicity [...] Read more.
Fascioliasis is a disease caused by Fasciola hepatica worldwide transmitted by lymnaeid snails mainly of the Galba/Fossaria group and F. gigantica restricted to parts of Africa and Asia and transmitted by Radix lymnaeids. Concern has recently risen regarding the high pathogenicity and human infection capacity of F. gigantica. Abnormally big-sized fasciolids were found infecting sheep in Ecuador, the only South American country where F. gigantica has been reported. Their phenotypic comparison with F. hepatica infecting sheep from Peru, Bolivia and Spain, and F. gigantica from Egypt and Vietnam demonstrated the Ecuadorian fasciolids to have size-linked parameters of F. gigantica. Genotyping of these big-sized fasciolids by rDNA ITS-2 and ITS-1 and mtDNA cox1 and nad1 and their comparison with other countries proved the big-sized fasciolids to belong to F. hepatica. Neither heterozygotic ITS position differentiated the two species, and no introgressed fragments and heteroplasmic positions in mtDNA were found. The haplotype diversity indicates introductions mainly from other South American countries, Europe and North America. Big-sized fasciolids from Ecuador and USA are considered to be consequences of F.gigantica introductions by past livestock importations. The vector specificity filter due to Radix absence should act as driving force in the evolution in such lineages. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Host-Parasite Relationships in Porcine Ascariosis: Anticoagulant Potential of the Third Larval Stage of Ascaris suum as a Possible Survival Mechanism
Animals 2021, 11(3), 804; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030804 - 13 Mar 2021
Viewed by 445
Abstract
In order to evade the response of their hosts, helminth parasites have evolved precise and highly regulated mechanisms, including migration strategies of the larval stages. In regard to porcine ascariosis caused by Ascaris suum, its infective third-stage larvae (AsL3) undergo a complex [...] Read more.
In order to evade the response of their hosts, helminth parasites have evolved precise and highly regulated mechanisms, including migration strategies of the larval stages. In regard to porcine ascariosis caused by Ascaris suum, its infective third-stage larvae (AsL3) undergo a complex migratory route through the bloodstream of their host before establishing in the small intestine to reach maturation. Despite the benefits attributed to this migration, blood clots formation could compromise larvae survival. The aim of this work was to study the interaction between the cuticle and excretory/secretory antigens of AsL3 and the host coagulation cascade. Larvae were obtained after incubating and hatching A. suum eggs, after which the antigenic extracts were produced. Their ability to disrupt the coagulation cascade was studied using anticoagulation and chromogenic assays, and techniques based on electrophoresis. The obtained results showed that both antigenic extracts possessed anticoagulant potential, being able to inhibit the intrinsic, extrinsic and/or common pathways of the blood coagulation cascade as well as the activated factor X. Moreover, three A. suum serpin proteins were identified as candidates to inhibit this host coagulation factor. To the best of our knowledge, this study shows, for the first time, the anticoagulant potential of the infective larvae of A. suum, which could be used by the parasite as a mechanism to facilitate its invasion and survival in the host. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Immunopathological Response, Histological Changes, Parasitic Burden, and Egg Output in Sheep Naturally Infected by Dicrocoelium dendriticum
Animals 2021, 11(2), 546; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020546 - 19 Feb 2021
Viewed by 846
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between infection by Dicrocoelium dendriticum (class Trematoda) and the animal host response in terms of macroscopic lesions, the immunopathological response, and histological changes in the livers of naturally infected sheep. Twenty-four sheep were [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between infection by Dicrocoelium dendriticum (class Trematoda) and the animal host response in terms of macroscopic lesions, the immunopathological response, and histological changes in the livers of naturally infected sheep. Twenty-four sheep were selected on the basis of positive D. dendriticum fecal egg counts (FECs). Gross and histological injuries were scored. A positive significant association was observed between the number of adult worms recovered from the liver, FEC, macroscopic lesions, fibrosis, and bile duct hyperplasia. A significant negative association was observed among these variables and the degree of leukocyte infiltration. In addition, immunophenotyping of the inflammatory cells was carried out using primary antibodies against T cell epitopes (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+), B cell epitopes (CD79α), and the ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (IBA-1) antigen. Independently of the severity of the D. dendriticum infection, the predominant cell population was CD3-positive and associated with lesser numbers of CD79α- and Iba-I-positive cells. An increase in Iba-1-positive cells was observed in the livers of animals with a high worm burden. Our results provide a reference basis to better understand the local immune response in sheep naturally infected by D. dendriticum in relation to the FEC and parasitic burden. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop