Molecular Approaches to Control Intestinal Parasites in Animals

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2025) | Viewed by 1821

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USDA ARS Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD, USA
Interests: gut microbiota; control intestinal parasites
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Intestinal parasites cause significant morbidity and mortality to humans, livestock, and companion animals throughout the world, particularly in developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies most parasitic diseases as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD). Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) and intestinal protozoa are distributed widely throughout the world and are more prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical regions. STHs (Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus, Strongyloides stercoralis, and Trichuris trichiura) affect more than 2 billion people worldwide. These species produce a wide array of symptoms, from asymptomatic (not reporting intestinal complaints) to including diarrhea, abdominal pain, general malaise, and weakness, which may impact learning capacities and impaired physical growth. Hookworms cause chronic intestinal blood loss that results in anemia, significantly impacting health. Infections with pathogenic intestinal protozoa infections, primarily Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica, are also of considerable public health importance. Over the last several years, we have seen new approaches being developed for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of intestinal protozoan parasites. However, with few promising small molecule candidates appearing on the horizon for intestinal parasites, novel therapeutics with differing modes of action and control strategies are urgently needed.

This Special Issue intends to showcase the most recent advances in the control of intestinal parasites, with a focus on their application in livestock and poultry industries and in reducing the risk of transmission to humans. The studies on all aspects of conventional and novel parasite control strategies will be considered, including, but not limited to:

  • Mechanisms of action of novel small molecules with anthelmintic potential;
  • In silico simulation of natural products as novel anti-parasitics;
  • Alternative parasite control strategies;
  • Novel vaccines and vaccine targets as well as their delivery methods;
  • Novel biologics and protein based therapeutics;
  • Mechanisms of anthelmintic drug resistance;
  • Novel methods that enable modelling parasite distribution shifts and transmission in the context of climate changes.

We invite the submission of all article types, including review and original manuscripts as well as brief communications and case reports. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline and will be peer-reviewed as they are received. Accepted papers will be published online continuously. All papers from this Special Issue will also be published as an e-book or printed book.

Prof. Dr. Robert Li
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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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 semimonthly 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 2400 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.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3348 KiB  
Article
In Silico Identification of Novel Compounds as Anthelmintics Against Haemonchus contortus Through Inhibiting β-Tubulin Isotype 1 and Glutathione S-Transferase
by Yaqian Jin, Sheikh Arslan Sehgal, Faizul Hassan and Guiqin Liu
Animals 2025, 15(13), 1846; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15131846 - 23 Jun 2025
Viewed by 465
Abstract
Haemonchosis caused by the parasitic worm Haemonchus contortus is a major threat to cattle and other ruminants and imposes significant economic losses in the livestock industry. Different medications have been reported; however, these are not reliable now due to mass drug resistance. The [...] Read more.
Haemonchosis caused by the parasitic worm Haemonchus contortus is a major threat to cattle and other ruminants and imposes significant economic losses in the livestock industry. Different medications have been reported; however, these are not reliable now due to mass drug resistance. The current study investigates potential inhibitors of two H. contortus proteins: glutathione S-transferase (GST) and beta-tubulin isotype 1. GST helps the parasite to detoxify harmful substances, while beta-tubulin is essential for the cell division and structure. By using computational approaches, natural compounds were identified to inhibit the selected proteins. The 3D structures of GST and β-tubulin isotype 1 were prepared, and pharmacophore models were generated to search the Molport natural compound library. The lowest binding energy ranged from −6.7 to −10.4 Kcal/mol. Post-docking interactional analyses revealed that Glu45, Arg46, Cys126, Gln131, Lys252, Asn247, and Arg251 residues were the most common interacting residues in β-tubulin isotype 1. Similarly, in GST, Leu99, Asn100, Arg103, Lys107, Glu162, and Met163 were the most common interacting residues. In conclusion, extensive computational analyses including virtual screening, docking, and MD simulations revealed that the compound Molport-039-195-358 might have the ability to control haemonchosis by targeting GST and β-tubulin isotype 1. The in silico studies identified potent compounds by targeting GST and β-tubulin isotype 1 against Haemonchus contortus. The reported findings provide a foundation for the development of novel anthelmintic therapies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Approaches to Control Intestinal Parasites in Animals)
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Review

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15 pages, 671 KiB  
Review
Could Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) Help Control Gastrointestinal Parasites in Horses?
by Desiderio Rodriguez Velazquez, Lucrezia Forte, Jorge Antonio Varela Guerrero, Tonantzin Díaz Alvarado, Mona M. M. Y. Elghandour, Aristide Maggiolino, Pasquale De Palo and Abdelfattah Z. M. Salem
Animals 2025, 15(9), 1245; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15091245 - 28 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Exploring new natural-origin antiparasitic alternatives is essential in addressing the resistance issues that have emerged due to the widespread use of chemical or synthetic antiparasitic compounds. This area remains relatively underexplored despite the increasing recognition of plants like Prosopis juliflora (mesquite) for their [...] Read more.
Exploring new natural-origin antiparasitic alternatives is essential in addressing the resistance issues that have emerged due to the widespread use of chemical or synthetic antiparasitic compounds. This area remains relatively underexplored despite the increasing recognition of plants like Prosopis juliflora (mesquite) for their antiparasitic properties and nutritional value as a high-protein animal feed. This review aims to investigate the antiparasitic potential of P. juliflora against gastrointestinal parasites in horses. The review incorporates sources from 2005 to 2024. It was found that various phytochemical compounds from P. juliflora, particularly alkaloids, have demonstrated significant antiparasitic activity. Alkaloids are the most studied group due to their antibacterial, antiparasitic, and cytotoxic properties. According to the literature, the phytochemicals produced by P. juliflora hold promise as a potential solution for combating gastrointestinal parasites in horses. However, while preliminary findings suggest promising results, in vivo studies are necessary to evaluate the precise antiparasitic efficacy of these compounds and to determine the appropriate IC50 doses of P. juliflora alkaloids in horses, as well as to assess potential toxicity and side effects associated with their use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Approaches to Control Intestinal Parasites in Animals)
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