Special Issue "Parasites and Parasitic Diseases"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Abdul Jabbar
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Interests: molecular diagnosis and epidemiology of parasites of veterinary and medical significance; discovery of anthelmintic drug
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parasitic infections cause a tremendous burden of disease in both animals and humans worldwide, and they are responsible for substantial production losses in production animals, leading to significant economic losses globally as well as causing disease of major socioeconomic significance in humans in developing countries. In addition, various animal parasites are responsible for zoonoses, resulting in significant public health concerns. For example, hookworms of dogs and cats can not only cause considerable morbidity and mortality in pups but they can also cause cutaneous larval migrans in humans.

We invite you to submit your review articles and original research covering a broad range of topics in veterinary parasitology, public health parasitology and one health. Areas of particular interest include but are not limited to:

  • Animal parasites and climate change
  • Livestock parasites
  • Parasites of companion animals
  • Parasites and wildlife
  • Antiparasitic drugs and antiparasite resistance
  • Host–parasite interactions
  • Control of parasites
  • Novel diagnostics tools
  • Non-chemical control of parasites
  • Parasitic diseases
  • Epidemiology and public health
  • Identification and characterization of parasites
  • Genetics and molecular biology of parasites

A/Prof. Abdul Jabbar
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

  • animal health and wellbeing
  • animal production
  • drug resistance
  • host–parasite interactions
  • veterinary
  • vaccine
  • parasite control
  • livestock
  • One Health
  • Public health

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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Article
Molecular Characterization of Lipoptena fortisetosa from Environmental Samples Collected in North-Eastern Poland
Animals 2021, 11(4), 1093; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041093 - 12 Apr 2021
Viewed by 457
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed an increase in the population of Lipoptenafortisetosa in Central Europe. The genetic profile of this ectoparasite has not been studied in Poland to date. The aim of the present study was to confirm the presence of L.fortisetosa [...] Read more.
Recent years have witnessed an increase in the population of Lipoptenafortisetosa in Central Europe. The genetic profile of this ectoparasite has not been studied in Poland to date. The aim of the present study was to confirm the presence of L.fortisetosa in north-eastern Poland and to characterize the examined population with the use of molecular methods. Deer keds were collected between June and July 2019 in six natural, mixed forests. A fragment of the rRNA 16S gene was used as a marker to identify L.fortisetosa by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA samples were sequenced in the last step. Six new locations of L. fortisetosa were confirmed. No significant differences were observed in the sex ratios of L. cervi and L. fortisetosa (L. cervi p-value = 0.74; L. fortisetosa p-value = 0.65). Significant differences were noted between the total size of L. cervi and L. fortisetosa populations (p-value < 0.001). The similarity to GenBank sequences ranged from 95.56% to 100%. The obtained nucleotide sequences were very closely related to L. fortisetosa sequences from Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Japan. Molecular analyses revealed considerable genetic diversity, which could indicate that various ectoparasite lineages have spread throughout Europe. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites and Parasitic Diseases)
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Article
Torquenema n. g., Wallabicola n. g., and Macropostrongyloides phascolomys n. sp.: New Genera and a New Species of Nematode (Strongylida: Phascolostrongylinae) Parasitic in Australian Macropodid and Vombatid Marsupials
Animals 2021, 11(1), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11010175 - 13 Jan 2021
Viewed by 505
Abstract
The strongyloid nematodes belonging to the subfamily Phascolostrongylinae occur primarily in the large intestines of macropodid and vombatid marsupials. Current molecular evidence suggests that the two nematode species, Macropostrongyloides dissimilis and Paramacropostrongylus toraliformis, from macropodid marsupials are distant from their respective congeners. [...] Read more.
The strongyloid nematodes belonging to the subfamily Phascolostrongylinae occur primarily in the large intestines of macropodid and vombatid marsupials. Current molecular evidence suggests that the two nematode species, Macropostrongyloides dissimilis and Paramacropostrongylus toraliformis, from macropodid marsupials are distant from their respective congeners. Furthermore, specimens of Macropostrongyloides lasiorhini from the large intestines of the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) and the common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) are genetically distinct. This study aimed to describe the new genera Torquenema n. g. (with T. toraliforme n. comb. as the type species) from the eastern grey kangaroo, Wallabicola n. g. (with W. dissimilis n. comb. as the type species) from the swamp wallaby and a new species Macropostrongyloides phascolomys n. sp. from the common wombat, using light and scanning electron microscopy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites and Parasitic Diseases)
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Article
Temporal-Microclimatic Factors Affect the Phenology of Lipoptena fortisetosa in Central European Forests
Animals 2020, 10(11), 2012; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10112012 - 01 Nov 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 660
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the correlations between the abundance of Lipoptena fortisetosa on new potential hosts and selected temporal-microclimatic conditions in a forest at the beginning of the host-seeking period. Louse flies were collected between 6 May and 15 [...] Read more.
The objective of this study was to determine the correlations between the abundance of Lipoptena fortisetosa on new potential hosts and selected temporal-microclimatic conditions in a forest at the beginning of the host-seeking period. Louse flies were collected between 6 May and 15 July of 2019 and 2020 in a natural mixed forest in Poland. Keds were collected by three investigators walking along the same forest route during each sampling session. The number of captured keds and the date (time), temperature (°C), relative humidity (%), air pressure (hPa) and wind speed (km/h) were recorded. A total of five measurements were performed during each sampling session. The influence of temporal-microclimatic conditions on the number of collected ectoparasites was evaluated with the use of a Generalized Additive Model (GAM). A total of 1995 individuals were obtained during field surveys. The results of the GAM revealed a correlation between the number of host seeking L. fortisetosa vs. time, temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. An increase in temperature was most highly correlated with the abundance of louse flies in the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites and Parasitic Diseases)
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Review

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Review
In Vitro Assessment of Anticoccidials: Methods and Molecules
Animals 2021, 11(7), 1962; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11071962 - 30 Jun 2021
Viewed by 935
Abstract
Avian coccidiosis is a disease causing considerable economic losses in the poultry industry. It is caused by Eimeria spp., protozoan parasites characterized by an exogenous–endogenous lifecycle. In vitro research on these pathogens is very complicated and lacks standardization. This review provides a description [...] Read more.
Avian coccidiosis is a disease causing considerable economic losses in the poultry industry. It is caused by Eimeria spp., protozoan parasites characterized by an exogenous–endogenous lifecycle. In vitro research on these pathogens is very complicated and lacks standardization. This review provides a description of the main in vitro protocols so far assessed focusing on the exogenous phase, with oocyst viability and sporulation assays, and on the endogenous phase, with invasion and developmental assays in cell cultures and in ovo. An overview of these in vitro applications to screen both old and new remedies and to understand the relative mode of action is also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites and Parasitic Diseases)
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Review
Volatile Cues Influence Host-Choice in Arthropod Pests
Animals 2020, 10(11), 1984; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10111984 - 28 Oct 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 792
Abstract
Many arthropod pests of humans and other animals select their preferred hosts by recognising volatile odour compounds contained in the hosts’ ‘volatilome’. Although there is prolific literature on chemical emissions from humans, published data on volatiles and vector attraction in other species are [...] Read more.
Many arthropod pests of humans and other animals select their preferred hosts by recognising volatile odour compounds contained in the hosts’ ‘volatilome’. Although there is prolific literature on chemical emissions from humans, published data on volatiles and vector attraction in other species are more sporadic. Despite several decades since the identification of a small number of critical volatiles underpinning specific host–vector relationships, synthetic chemicals or mixtures still largely fail to reproduce the attractiveness of natural hosts to their disease vectors. This review documents allelochemicals from non-human terrestrial animals and considers where challenges in collection and analysis have left shortfalls in animal volatilome research. A total of 1287 volatile organic compounds were identified from 141 species. Despite comparable diversity of entities in each compound class, no specific chemical is ubiquitous in all species reviewed, and over half are reported as unique to a single species. This review provides a rationale for future enquiries by highlighting research gaps, such as disregard for the contribution of breath volatiles to the whole animal volatilome and evaluating the role of allomones as vector deterrents. New opportunities to improve vector surveillance and disrupt disease transmission may be unveiled by understanding the host-associated stimuli that drive vector-host interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites and Parasitic Diseases)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Sexual development in animal parasitic Apicomplexa: just biology or targets for control?
Authors: Teresa Cruz-Bustos; Anna Feix; Baerbel Ruttkowski; Anja Joachim
Affiliation: Institute for Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, Vienna, 1210, Austria
Abstract: The phylum Apicomplexa is a major group of protozoan parasites with more than 6,000 named species, including gregarines, coccidia, haemogregarines, haemosporidia and piroplasms. Three of these groups contain parasites that cause important diseases of humans and animals worldwide. All of them have complex life cycles involving a switch between asexual and sexual reproduction which is key to parasite development. Fertilization (i.e. fusion of female and male cells) results in the formation of a zygote that undergoes meiosis forming a new generation of asexual stages. In eukaryotes, sexual reproduction is the predominant mode for recombination and segregation of DNA. Sex is well documented in many protist groups, and together with meiosis is frequently linked with transmission to new hosts. The sexual stages constitute a bottleneck in the life cycle of these parasites, as they are obligatory for the development of transmissible stages. Consequently, the sexual stages constitute attractive targets for vaccination. Detailed understanding of apicomplexan sexual biology is essential to design and implement effective transmission-blocking strategies for parasite control. This article reviews the current knowledge on the sexual development of Apicomplexa and the progress in transmission-blocking vaccines for their control, their advantages and limitations and outstanding questions for the future.

Title: An update on zoonotic Cryptosporidium species and genotypes in humans
Authors: Alireza Zahedi; Una Ryan
Affiliation: Murdoch University, College of Science, Health Education and Engineering, Harry Butler Institute, Western Australia, 6150

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