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Parasites Series: Parasitic Infection, Characterisation and Host Health, Parasitic Diversity and Host Range

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A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 7438

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jill M. Austen

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Guest Editor

Vector and Water-Borne Pathogens Research Group, School of Veterinary & Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Perth, Australia
Interests: haemoparasites; Trypanosoma; haemoproteidae; wildlife; protozoa; nematoda

Dr. Alireza Zahedi

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Guest Editor

Vector and Waterborne Pathogen Research Group, College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
Interests: molecular epidemiology; public health; protozoa; water and food-borne parasites

Prof. Dr. Nawal S. H. Hijjawi

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Guest Editor

Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan
Interests: protozoa; Cryptosporidium; in vitro culture; genotyping and subtyping; diagnosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parasitism is classically defined as a relationship between two living organisms in which one benefits at the expense of the other. Helminths, ectoparasites and protozoa are the three main types of organisms that cause such infections, and vary in size, complexity, and medical and/or veterinary concern. Their life cycles can range from intracellular parasitism to exoparasitism, with completion requiring either a single host species or multiple successive hosts. Parasite transmission roots vary highly, ranging from environmental contamination (contaminated food, water, and fomites) to being reliant on vectors for their continued development, reproduction, and host infection. As natural stressors, parasites often have detrimental effects on their hosts, with clinical severity ranging from asymptomatic to symptomatic, with the outcome of such infections often dependent on the immune status of their host. Acute-to-chronic infections can develop with symptoms associated to helminths and gastrointestinal protozoans (e.g., Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia) generally leading to malabsorption, vomiting, diarrhoea, and weight loss, while infections with bloodborne parasites (e.g., Plasmodium spp. and Trypanosoma spp.) tend to be associated with haemolytic anaemia, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, headache, flu-like symptoms, encephalitis and behavioural changes. However, interchanges of symptoms can occur, adversely affecting the health and productivity of animal and human populations worldwide. The need to characterise and ascertain all aspects of parasitic infections through biological, chemical, molecular, and epidemiological studies is imperative to address knowledge gaps in the field, which will ultimately facilitate management strategies and treatment options to maintain stable and healthy populations on both a domestic and global scale.

Dr. Jill M. Austen
Dr. Alireza Zahedi
Prof. Dr. Nawal S. H. Hijjawi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

parasites
host health
protozoa
helminths
ectoparasites
diagnosis
health impacts

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 614 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Study of Genetic Diversity and Multiplicity of Infection in Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Infections in Selected Regions of Pre-Elimination and High Transmission Settings Using MSP1 and MSP2 Genes

by Olusegun Philip Akoniyon, Moses Akiibinu, Matthew A. Adeleke, Rajendra Maharaj and Moses Okpeku

Pathogens 2024, 13(2), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13020172 - 13 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1095

Abstract

Background: Understanding the genetic structure of P. falciparum population in different regions is pivotal to malaria elimination. Genetic diversity and the multiplicity of infection are indicators used for measuring malaria endemicity across different transmission settings. Therefore, this study characterized P. falciparum infections from selected areas constituting pre-elimination and high transmission settings in South Africa and Nigeria, respectively. Methods: Parasite genomic DNA was extracted from 129 participants with uncomplicated P. falciparum infections. Isolates were collected from 78 participants in South Africa (southern Africa) and 51 in Nigeria (western Africa). Allelic typing of the msp1 and msp2 genes was carried out using nested PCR. Results: In msp1, the K1 allele (39.7%) was the most common allele among the South African isolates, while the RO33 allele (90.2%) was the most common allele among the Nigerian isolates. In the msp2 gene, FC27 and IC3D7 showed almost the same percentage distribution (44.9% and 43.6%) in the South African isolates, whereas FC27 had the highest percentage distribution (60.8%) in the Nigerian isolates. The msp2 gene showed highly distinctive genotypes, indicating high genetic diversity in the South African isolates, whereas msp1 showed high genetic diversity in the Nigerian isolates. The RO33 allelic family displayed an inverse relationship with participants’ age in the Nigerian isolates. The overall multiplicity of infection (MOI) was significantly higher in Nigeria (2.87) than in South Africa (2.44) (p < 0.000 *). In addition, heterozygosity was moderately higher in South Africa (1.46) than in Nigeria (1.13). Conclusions: The high genetic diversity and MOI in P. falciparum that were observed in this study could provide surveillance data, on the basis of which appropriate control strategies should be adopted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites Series: Parasitic Infection, Characterisation and Host Health, Parasitic Diversity and Host Range)

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0 pages, 1871 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insights into the Genetic Diversity of Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis in Panama, Inferred via Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST)

by Daniel Mendieta, Vanessa Vásquez, Luis Jaén, Vanessa Pineda, Azael Saldaña, José Eduardo Calzada and Franklyn Samudio

Pathogens 2023, 12(5), 747; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12050747 - 22 May 2023

Viewed by 1697

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by parasites of the genus Leishmania and transmitted by sand fly vectors. Tegumentary leishmaniasis is the most prevalent clinical outcome in Latin America, afflicting people from 18 countries. In Panama, the annual incidence rate of leishmaniasis is as high as 3000 cases, representing a major public health problem. In endemic regions, L. panamensis is responsible for almost eighty percent of human cases that present different clinical outcomes. These differences in disease outcomes could be the result of the local interplay between L. panamensis variants and human hosts with different genetic backgrounds. The genetic diversity of L. panamensis in Panama has only been partially explored, and the variability reported for this species is based on few studies restricted to small populations and/or with poor resolutive markers at low taxonomic levels. Accordingly, in this study, we explored the genetic diversity of sixty-nine L. panamensis isolates from different endemic regions of Panama, using an MLST approach based on four housekeeping genes (Aconitase, ALAT, GPI and HSP70). Two to seven haplotypes per locus were identified, and regional differences in the genetic diversity of L. panamensis were observed. A genotype analysis evidenced the circulation of thirteen L. panamensis genotypes, a fact that might have important implications for the local control of the disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites Series: Parasitic Infection, Characterisation and Host Health, Parasitic Diversity and Host Range)

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13 pages, 932 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Vitro Susceptibility of Cryptosporidium parvum to Plant Antiparasitic Compounds

by Sandamalie Ranasinghe, Alireza Zahedi, Anthony Armson, Alan J. Lymbery and Amanda Ash

Pathogens 2023, 12(1), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010061 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2039

Abstract

Cryptosporidium parvum is a significant cause of watery diarrhoea in humans and other animals worldwide. Although hundreds of novel drugs have been evaluated, no effective specific chemotherapeutic intervention for C. parvum has been reported. There has been much recent interest in evaluating plant-derived products in the fight against gastrointestinal parasites, including C. parvum. This study aimed to identify extracts from 13 different plant species that provide evidence for inhibiting the growth of C. parvum in vitro. Efficacy against C. parvum was detected and quantified using quantitative PCR and immunofluorescence assays. All plant extracts tested against C. parvum showed varying inhibition activities in vitro, and none of them produced a cytotoxic effect on HCT-8 cells at concentrations up to 500 µg/mL. Four plant species with the strongest evidence of activity against C. parvum were Curcuma longa, Piper nigrum, Embelia ribes, and Nigella sativa, all with dose-dependent efficacy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time that these plant extracts have proven to be experimentally efficacious against C. parvum. These results support further exploration of these plants and their compounds as possible treatments for Cryptosporidium infections. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites Series: Parasitic Infection, Characterisation and Host Health, Parasitic Diversity and Host Range)

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Review

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11 pages, 860 KiB

Open AccessReview

Lungworms of Non-Ruminant Terrestrial Mammals and Humans in Iran

by Sina Mohtasebi, Alireza Sazmand, Salman Zafari, Guilherme G. Verocai and Domenico Otranto

Pathogens 2023, 12(6), 759; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12060759 - 25 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1914

Abstract

With over 300 terrestrial and aquatic mammalian species, Iran is considered a country with an ample mastofauna. Although many studies have assessed the distribution of gastrointestinal helminth parasites in animals and humans in Iran, lungworms have not received adequate attention. Following a previous article in which we reviewed the diversity and prevalence of lungworm infections in pastoral and wild ruminants of Iran, this report compiles the available scientific information about the occurrence of lungworms in non-ruminant mammals and humans from 1980 to 2022 to provide insights into the epidemiology of these infections. International and national scientific databases were searched, and twenty-six articles in peer-reviewed journals, one conference paper, and one D.V.M. thesis were included in the study. In total, 10 species belonging to seven genera, including Dictyocaulus, Deraiophoronema, Protostrongylus, Crenosoma, Eucoleus, Aelurostrongylus, and Metastrongylus, were reported in the respiratory tract or feces of humans, domestic animals (i.e., camels, equids, dogs, and cats), and wildlife species (i.e., hedgehogs, wild boars, and hares). Most of the studies (22/28) were performed using post-mortem examinations. The overall prevalence of respiratory nematode infection varied according to animal species in camels (14.83%), equids (13.31%), dogs (5%), wild boars (45.66%), hedgehogs (42.57%), and hares (1.6%). In addition, pulmonary capillariasis caused by Eucoleus aerophilus was reported in a 9 year old child. The prevalence of lungworm species in domestic camels, equids, and dogs, combined with a lack of labeled anthelmintic products, supports the need to improve our understanding of these important nematode parasites and inform the development of sustainable control strategies. From a zoo and wildlife medicine point of view, there is a shortage of information about the presence and prevalence of lungworm infections in the majority of mammalian species, pending epidemiological studies that integrate classical parasitology and molecular methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites Series: Parasitic Infection, Characterisation and Host Health, Parasitic Diversity and Host Range)

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