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Molecular Insight into Zoonotic Infections
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Molecular Insight into Zoonotic Infections

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2025) | Viewed by 2790

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marine Combe

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ISEM, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France
Interests: emerging infectious diseases; zoonoses; OneHealth/EcoHealth; disease ecology; biodiversity; genetic diversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging infectious diseases in humans are caused by a wide diversity of etiological agents, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, or even parasites, which themselves exhibit complex inter- and intra-species genetic diversity. Interestingly, different pathogens, species of the same pathogen, or even variants of the same species can cause diseases characterized by similar clinical manifestations in the early phase of infection. Moreover, the identification of a zoonotic pathogen by conventional methods is quite difficult and time-consuming. In the case of zoonoses, it is thus inevitable to develop highly specific molecular identification tools in order to (i) identify the causative infectious agent and thus support clinical diagnosis, (ii) help to guide the choice of the most appropriate treatment, (iii) eventually enable the development of vaccination strategies, and (iv) monitor transmission dynamics, pathogen circulation in the environment, and disease emergence in humans. In this Special Issue, we will discuss the enhancement of molecular assays for zoonotic pathogen identification (including new zoonotic pathogens, new species, and new variants) as well as their main limitations and bias. This Special Issue will cover all types of zoonotic pathogens and diseases, also including neglected ones.

Dr. Marine Combe
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.

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Keywords

  • zoonoses
  • zoonotic pathogens
  • neglected zoonotic diseases
  • molecular assays
  • genetic diversity
  • PCR, qPCR, ddPCR
  • sequencing, NGS

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2027 KiB  
Article
Parasitic Helminth Infections and Intron Sequence Genotyping of Opisthorchis viverrini-like Eggs in Outdoor Domestic Cats and Dogs Across the Chi River Basin, Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand
by Kotchaphon Vaisusuk, Wasupon Chatan, Warayutt Pilap, Tongjit Thanchomnang, Chavanut Jaroenchaiwattanachote, Paiboon Sithithaworn, Ross H. Andrews, Chairat Tantrawatpan and Weerachai Saijuntha
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(7), 3005; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26073005 - 26 Mar 2025
Viewed by 315
Abstract
This study investigates the prevalence of parasitic helminths in free-ranging domestic cats and dogs near the Chi River and natural reservoirs in Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand. Fecal samples from 39 cats and 148 dogs were analyzed using a modified formalin-ether concentration technique (FECT). [...] Read more.
This study investigates the prevalence of parasitic helminths in free-ranging domestic cats and dogs near the Chi River and natural reservoirs in Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand. Fecal samples from 39 cats and 148 dogs were analyzed using a modified formalin-ether concentration technique (FECT). The overall prevalence of helminth infections was 64.1% in cats and 51.4% in dogs. Common parasites were detected including soil-transmitted species like Ancylostoma sp. (hookworm), Toxocara spp., and Strongyloides sp., as well as foodborne helminths such as Taenia sp., Hymenolepis sp., Spirometra sp., and Opisthorchis sp. Multiple parasitic infections were commonly found in dogs (57.9%) and cats (46.2%). Our findings suggest that domestic cats and dogs act as important reservoirs for zoonotic helminths in the region. Notably, Opisthorchis viverrini-like eggs were found exclusively in cats, with a prevalence of 23.1%. The intron 5 of domain 1 of the taurocyamine kinase gene (TkD1Int5) was used for genotyping O. viverrini-like eggs. All O. viverrini-like egg samples with TkD1Int5 haplotypes (Ov116–Ov123) were uniquely found in cats. Genetic analysis revealed that TkD1Int5 haplotypes were similar to those previously reported for Opisthorchis viverrini in various species of cyprinid fish across opisthorchiasis-endemic regions in Thailand and Lao PDR. Three TkD1Int5 haplogroups (I–III) were classified, with O. viverrini-like eggs from cats distributed across all haplogroups. Notably, one haplotype (Ov118) was genetically distinct from the others and did not cluster into any haplogroup. These findings highlight the crucial role of cats as reservoir hosts and their potential contribution to the transmission of the zoonotic liver fluke O. viverrini, posing a notable public health concern. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insight into Zoonotic Infections)
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Review

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19 pages, 1417 KiB  
Review
What about Current Diversity of Mycolactone-Producing Mycobacteria? Implication for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Buruli Ulcer
by Marine Combe, Emira Cherif, Romain Blaizot, Damien Breugnot and Rodolphe Elie Gozlan
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 13727; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241813727 - 6 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1593
Abstract
The identification of an emerging pathogen in humans can remain difficult by conventional methods such as enrichment culture assays that remain highly selective, require appropriate medium and cannot avoid misidentifications, or serological tests that use surrogate antigens and are often hampered by the [...] Read more.
The identification of an emerging pathogen in humans can remain difficult by conventional methods such as enrichment culture assays that remain highly selective, require appropriate medium and cannot avoid misidentifications, or serological tests that use surrogate antigens and are often hampered by the level of detectable antibodies. Although not originally designed for this purpose, the implementation of polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) has resulted in an increasing number of diagnostic tests for many diseases. However, the design of specific molecular assays relies on the availability and reliability of published genetic sequences for the target pathogens as well as enough knowledge on the genetic diversity of species and/or variants giving rise to the same disease symptoms. Usually designed for clinical isolates, molecular tests are often not suitable for environmental samples in which the target DNA is mixed with a mixture of environmental DNA. A key challenge of such molecular assays is thus to ensure high specificity of the target genetic markers when focusing on clinical and environmental samples in order to follow the dynamics of disease transmission and emergence in humans. Here we focus on the Buruli ulcer (BU), a human necrotizing skin disease mainly affecting tropical and subtropical areas, commonly admitted to be caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans worldwide although other mycolactone-producing mycobacteria and even mycobacterium species were found associated with BU or BU-like cases. By revisiting the literature, we show that many studies have used non-specific molecular markers (IS2404, IS2606, KR-B) to identify M. ulcerans from clinical and environmental samples and propose that all mycolactone-producing mycobacteria should be definitively considered as variants from the same group rather than different species. Importantly, we provide evidence that the diversity of mycolactone-producing mycobacteria variants as well as mycobacterium species potentially involved in BU or BU-like skin ulcerations might have been underestimated. We also suggest that the specific variants/species involved in each BU or BU-like case should be carefully identified during the diagnosis phase, either via the key to genetic identification proposed here or by broader metabarcoding approaches, in order to guide the medical community in the choice for the most appropriate antibiotic therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insight into Zoonotic Infections)
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