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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Parasitic Diseases in Humans and Animals
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Parasitic Diseases in Humans and Animals

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 10818

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Loka Raghu Kumar Penke

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Interests: asthma; cellular and molecular biology; gene expression; gene regulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In a changing world, humans and animals are under continuous threat, and this promotes the spread of disease. Among these diseases, parasitic infections are common, with parasites frequently blamed for being reservoirs for diseases affecting domestic animals and humans. The transmission can be vector-borne (Leishmania, Trypanosoma, Dirofilaria, Thelazia) or by contact or fomites (ectoparasites, hookworms), but it can also be through drinking contaminated water (Giardia, Cryptosporidium) or eating contaminated meat (Toxoplasma, Trichinella), vegetables, and fruits (Echinococcus, Baylisascaris).

The aim of this Special Issue is to give an overall picture of parasitic diseases, including the pathology, treatment, diagnosis, epidemiology, and transmission in the context of a “one health” approach. With this purpose, we welcome research articles, reviews, and short communications related to the subject. We hope to gather cutting-edge information on this topic and hope that it will improve on the current body of research related to humans and animals.

Dr. Loka Raghu Kumar Penke
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. Microorganisms 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 2700 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

  • parasitic diseases
  • Leishmania
  • Trypanosoma
  • Dirofilaria
  • Thelazia
  • animals and humans

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 839 KiB  
Article
Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Associated Risk Factors in Pregnant Women in Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil: A Multi-Level Analysis
by Tatiani da Silva Palhota Lozano, Aline Benitez, Joice Cristina dos Santos, Italmar Teodorico Navarro, Walter Bertequini Nagata, Michel dos Santos Pinto, Jancarlo Ferreira Gomes, Gabriele Zaine Teixeira Debortoli, Thaís Rabelo Santos-Doni and Katia Denise Saraiva Bresciani
Microorganisms 2024, 12(11), 2183; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12112183 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1404
Abstract
This study assessed the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and risk factors among 428 pregnant women attending Basic Health Units (BHUs) in Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. The seroprevalence was 55.14%, indicating high exposure to the parasite in this population. Using a multi-level logistic regression [...] Read more.
This study assessed the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and risk factors among 428 pregnant women attending Basic Health Units (BHUs) in Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. The seroprevalence was 55.14%, indicating high exposure to the parasite in this population. Using a multi-level logistic regression model, this study analyzed these predictors to determine their association with a higher seropositivity rate, with BHUs included as a random factor. Predictors associated with higher seropositivity included older age (36–45 years), with a 71.64% prevalence in this group, and multiparity (61.65%). Women with lower educational levels were also more likely to be infected, with 59.46% seropositivity recorded among those who had only completed elementary school. Despite identifying several risk factors, no significant correlation was found between undercooked meat consumption or contact with soil and infection. These findings highlight the need for targeted public health interventions, particularly for educating high-risk groups about toxoplasmosis prevention, such as safe food handling and avoiding raw dairy products. Additionally, BHUs play a critical role in early detection and prevention. These units are important for providing healthcare access and preventive education for vulnerable populations. Given the high seroprevalence, this study underscores the urgency of implementing prenatal screening and educational programs to reduce the risks of congenital toxoplasmosis in this region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Humans and Animals)
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13 pages, 1185 KiB  
Article
The Absence of CXCL10 Activity Does Not Affect the Capability of CD8+ T Cells to Migrate and Eliminate the Tissue Cysts of Toxoplasma gondii from the Brains of Chronically Infected Mice
by Rajesh Mani and Yasuhiro Suzuki
Microorganisms 2024, 12(11), 2172; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12112172 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 914
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii forms tissue cysts in neurons and astrocytes in the brain to establish chronic infection, and astrocytes express the CXCL10 chemokine in chronically infected mice. Since chemokines mediate the migration of T cells to attack their targets, and since CXCL10 plays key [...] Read more.
Toxoplasma gondii forms tissue cysts in neurons and astrocytes in the brain to establish chronic infection, and astrocytes express the CXCL10 chemokine in chronically infected mice. Since chemokines mediate the migration of T cells to attack their targets, and since CXCL10 plays key roles in T cell-mediated control of the proliferation of tachyzoites (the acute stage form) of T. gondii during the acute stage of infection, we examined whether CXCL10 is involved in recruiting anti-cyst CD8+ cytotoxic T cells to eliminate the cysts in their brains. We employed adoptive transfer of CD8+ immune T cells to infected, T cell-deficient SCID and RAG1−/− mice in combination with blocking CXCL10 activity by neutralizing antibody or a deletion of this chemokine gene. The treatment of chronically infected (infected and treated with sulfadiazine) SCID mice with the anti-CXCL10 antibody did not inhibit the recruitment of the transferred CD8+ T cells into their brains and the removal of cerebral T. gondii cysts by the T cells. In addition, the neutralization of CXCL10 did not reduce the cerebral expression of mRNA for the mediators (perforin and granzyme B [GzmB]) of the cytotoxic activity of CD8+ T cells in the SCID mice. Consistently, the adoptive transfer of CD8+ immune T cells to chronically infected RAG1−/−CXCL10−/− mice did not show any defects in recruiting the CD8+ T cells into their brains and eliminating the cysts when compared to infected RAG1−/− mice. The former rather displayed enhanced cyst removal with increased cerebral expression of GzmB mRNA. These results indicate that the absence of CXCL10 activity does not ablate the capability of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells to migrate into the brain and eliminate T. gondii cysts from the brains of chronically infected mice. These results also suggest that the immune system utilizes distinct chemokines to control T. gondii depending on the two different life cycle stages, tachyzoite and cyst, of this protozoan parasite. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Humans and Animals)
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12 pages, 882 KiB  
Article
Toxoplasma gondii Seropositivity and Co-Infection with TORCH Complex Pathogens in Pregnant Women from Araçatuba, Brazil
by Sabrina Santos Firmino, Thaís Rabelo Santos-Doni, Vitória Maria Farias Silva, Aressa Cassemiro Micheleto, Ma Scalise de Souza, Bruna Lima Hortêncio, Aline do Nascimento Benitez, Yasmin Melim Bento, Gabriele Zaine Teixeira Debortoli, Jancarlo Ferreira Gomes, Italmar Teodorico Navarro and Katia Denise Saraiva Bresciani
Microorganisms 2024, 12(9), 1844; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12091844 - 6 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1308
Abstract
This study examined the seropositivity of T. gondii and coinfections with other TORCH pathogens among pregnant women attending 17 Basic Health Units (UBS) in Araçatuba, SP, Brazil. Of the 711 pregnant women seen at these UBS, only 297 were tested for T. gondii [...] Read more.
This study examined the seropositivity of T. gondii and coinfections with other TORCH pathogens among pregnant women attending 17 Basic Health Units (UBS) in Araçatuba, SP, Brazil. Of the 711 pregnant women seen at these UBS, only 297 were tested for T. gondii. Of the women tested for T. gondii (n = 297), 26.9% had IgG antibodies, 6.7% had IgM, and 32.0% tested positive for either or both. Only 1.4% showed both IgG and IgM antibodies, while 67.7% were non-reactive. The seropositivity was 17.1% for syphilis, 63.2% for rubella, 0.9% for hepatitis C, 0.9% for dengue, 17.9% for COVID-19, and 0.9% for herpes simplex (types 1/2). Coinfections with syphilis, rubella, and herpes simplex were also noted. Higher education levels appeared to protect against T. gondii seropositivity. The findings highlight a significant prevalence of T. gondii among pregnant women, with variation across UBSs, pointing to socioeconomic, behavioral, and environmental factors as influential. We also observed co-occurrence with other infections, such as syphilis, rubella, and herpes simplex. The study underscores the need for targeted public health interventions to reduce the risks of congenital infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Humans and Animals)
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Review

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13 pages, 1149 KiB  
Review
An Update on Blastocystis: Possible Mechanisms of Blastocystis-Mediated Colorectal Cancer
by Stefania Tocci, Soumita Das and Ibrahim M. Sayed
Microorganisms 2024, 12(9), 1924; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12091924 - 22 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3452
Abstract
Blastocystis is an anaerobic parasite that colonizes the intestinal tract of humans and animals. When it was first discovered, Blastocystis was considered to be a normal flora with beneficial effects on human health, such as maintaining gut hemostasis and improving intestinal barrier integrity. [...] Read more.
Blastocystis is an anaerobic parasite that colonizes the intestinal tract of humans and animals. When it was first discovered, Blastocystis was considered to be a normal flora with beneficial effects on human health, such as maintaining gut hemostasis and improving intestinal barrier integrity. Later, with increasing research on Blastocystis, reports showed that Blastocystis sp. is associated with gastrointestinal disorders, colorectal cancer (CRC), and neurological disorders. The association between Blastocystis sp. and CRC has been confirmed in several countries. Blastocystis sp. can mediate CRC via similar mechanisms to CRC-associated bacteria, including infection-mediated inflammation, increased oxidative stress, induced gut dysbiosis, and damage to intestinal integrity, leading to a leaky gut. IL-8 is the main inflammatory cytokine released from epithelial cells and can promote CRC development. The causal association of Blastocystis sp. with other diseases needs further investigation. In this review, we have provided an update on Blastocystis sp. and summarized the debate about the beneficial and harmful effects of this parasite. We have also highlighted the possible mechanisms of Blastocystis-mediated CRC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Humans and Animals)
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22 pages, 4182 KiB  
Review
Fused Enzyme Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase::6-Phosphogluconolactonase (G6PD::6PGL) as a Potential Drug Target in Giardia lamblia, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Plasmodium falciparum
by Laura Morales-Luna, Montserrat Vázquez-Bautista, Víctor Martínez-Rosas, Miriam Abigail Rojas-Alarcón, Daniel Ortega-Cuellar, Abigail González-Valdez, Verónica Pérez de la Cruz, Roberto Arreguin-Espinosa, Eduardo Rodríguez-Bustamante, Eden Rodríguez-Flores, Beatriz Hernández-Ochoa and Saúl Gómez-Manzo
Microorganisms 2024, 12(1), 112; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12010112 - 5 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3084
Abstract
Several microaerophilic parasites such as Giardia lamblia, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Plasmodium falciparum are major disease-causing organisms and are responsible for spreading infections worldwide. Despite significant progress made in understanding the metabolism and molecular biology of microaerophilic parasites, chemotherapeutic treatment to control [...] Read more.
Several microaerophilic parasites such as Giardia lamblia, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Plasmodium falciparum are major disease-causing organisms and are responsible for spreading infections worldwide. Despite significant progress made in understanding the metabolism and molecular biology of microaerophilic parasites, chemotherapeutic treatment to control it has seen limited progress. A current proposed strategy for drug discovery against parasitic diseases is the identification of essential key enzymes of metabolic pathways associated with the parasite’s survival. In these organisms, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase::6-phosphogluconolactonase (G6PD:: 6PGL), the first enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), is essential for its metabolism. Since G6PD:: 6PGL provides substrates for nucleotides synthesis and NADPH as a source of reducing equivalents, it could be considered an anti-parasite drug target. This review analyzes the anaerobic energy metabolism of G. lamblia, T. vaginalis, and P. falciparum, with a focus on glucose metabolism through the pentose phosphate pathway and the significance of the fused G6PD:: 6PGL enzyme as a therapeutic target in the search for new drugs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Humans and Animals)
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