Review
Immunology
Yifan Wu, Megan Duffey, Saira Elizabeth Alex, Charlie Suarez-Reyes, Eva H. Clark, Jill E. Weatherhead
Summary: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, and neuropsychiatric diseases have a significant impact on global morbidity and mortality, particularly in low resource regions and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Certain parasitic helminth infections, commonly found in LMICs, have been identified as potential drivers of NCDs in regions where parasites are endemic. Understanding the immunologic mechanisms behind helminth-induced NCDs is crucial in developing targeted public health programs to reduce the burden of NCDs in LMICs.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alyssa R. Lindrose, Indrani Mitra, Jamie Fraser, Edward Mitre, Patrick W. Hickey
Summary: The study showed that helminth infections capable of causing severe morbidity are often diagnosed in the US military, and these infections are typically asymptomatic or undiagnosed. Prospective studies of US military personnel deployed to helminth-endemic areas may be warranted to assess infection rates.
JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Nico P. Reinhardt, Marion Wassermann, Jessica Haerle, Thomas Romig, Lina Kurzrock, Janosch Arnold, Ernst Grossmann, Ute Mackenstedt, Reinhard K. Straubinger
Summary: This study investigated the intestinal helminth fauna of raccoons in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany and found that raccoons carry various parasites, posing an infection risk to wildlife, domestic and zoo animals, and humans.
Article
Zoology
Blaine A. Mathison, Sarah G. H. Sapp
Summary: The classification of parasites in the medical field is a challenging notion, and our understanding of human parasites has evolved with technology. New species have been recognized while others have been relegated to synonyms.
Review
Microbiology
Blaine A. A. Mathison, Richard S. S. Bradbury, Bobbi S. S. Pritt
Summary: This minireview provides an update on the recent advancements and updates in the field of human parasitology from June 2020 to June 2022. It also includes a list of previously reported nomenclatural changes that have not been widely adopted by the medical community.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Nolwenn M. Dheilly, Pierrick Lucas, Yannick Blanchard, Karyna Rosario
Summary: Little is known about the diversity and impact of parasite-associated viruses on parasite fitness, parasite-host interactions, and virus evolution. This study discovered over a hundred viruses associated with various flatworms, including parasites with economic and clinical relevance, allowing for a comparison of the viromes between flatworms with different lifestyles. The results suggest that flatworms acquired new viruses after transitioning to a parasitic lifestyle and highlight the possibility of virus transmission between hosts and parasites. Notably, the discovery of flatworm rhabdoviruses ancestral to rabies viruses demonstrates the potential role of parasitic flatworms in virus diversity and emergence. The role of parasite-infecting viruses in flatworm-associated diseases needs further investigation.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Tanja Hoffmann, Andreas Hahn, Jaco J. Verweij, Gerard Leboulle, Olfert Landt, Christina Strube, Simone Kann, Denise Dekker, Jurgen May, Hagen Frickmann, Ulrike Loderstadt
Summary: This study compared standard and harsh nucleic acid extraction methods for helminth real-time PCR, finding that in some cases, harsh extraction methods may increase the positivity rate of test results, but the effects vary depending on the specific real-time PCR assay used.
Article
Ecology
Emilie Bouchard, Janna M. Schurer, Temitope Kolapo, Brent Wagner, Ariane Masse, Sean A. Locke, Patrick Leighton, Emily J. Jenkins
Summary: Research on wild canids in Quebec, Canada revealed a high prevalence and diversity of parasites, including various helminth species. These findings contribute to a better understanding of ecosystem health and provide a baseline for monitoring potential ecological disturbances following climate and landscape changes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE
(2021)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Igor Chikhlyaev, Alexander B. Ruchin
Summary: This article is the first review of the helminth fauna of the moor frog in the Volga River basin, including nine new helminth species recorded in Russia. The study identified thirty-eight helminth species from three classes: Cestoda, Trematoda, and Chromadorea.
Review
Microbiology
Blaine A. Mathison, Richard S. Bradbury, Bobbi S. Pritt
Summary: The taxonomy of parasites of medical and public health importance is rapidly evolving, with established human parasites being reassigned to different genera and novel parasites of humans being identified in the past two years.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Geetha Sankaranarayanan, Matthew Berriman, Gabriel Rinaldi
Summary: This month's Genome Watch focuses on recent advances in genome editing of parasitic worms that impact one-fifth of the global population.
NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
M. N. Garcia Cuadrado, F. J. Martinez-Moreno, R. Zafra Leva, I Acosta Garcia
Summary: The study compared helminth communities in rainfed and irrigated systems for Extremena Azul breed chickens in Spain, finding higher biodiversity in the irrigated system possibly due to abundance of intermediate hosts caused by irrigation.
ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Wee Hao Ng, Daniel Fink, Frank A. La Sorte, Tom Auer, Wesley M. Hochachka, Alison Johnston, Adriaan M. Dokter
Summary: This study examined the relationship between primary productivity and the spatio-temporal distributions of migratory birds. It found that primary productivity was positively associated with bird abundance and species richness, but had a weaker association with bird biomass. The study also observed that during spring migration, bird biomass increased before vegetation green-up in temperate regions, while in the south-eastern USA, spring green-up was associated with a decrease in biomass.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Giovanni De Benedetto, Francesca Arfuso, Maria Catena Ferrara, Emanuele Brianti, Gabriella Gaglio
Summary: The dusky grouper, one of the most expensive species in the central Mediterranean Sea, was studied for its parasite fauna distribution. Differences in parasite infection between warm and cold months were found to be related to the diet of the grouper but none of the parasites found posed a threat to humans.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Issa Sy, Lucie Conrad, Soren L. Becker
Summary: Helminth infections caused by nematodes, trematodes, and cestodes are significant tropical diseases. The current diagnosis methods have limited accuracy. Recent studies have proposed matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry as an innovative tool for helminth identification and differentiation. However, commercially available databases for helminth identification using this approach are currently lacking.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Petr Bogusch, Petr Heneberg, Karel Silhan
Summary: Bembix rostrata is a threatened species of bees and wasps in central Europe, with distribution restricted to sites with grey dunes. The species requires continuity in locality characteristics and will avoid settling in newly emerging areas. Various management tools, such as army vehicles use and manual sand scraping, have positive effects on populations of B. rostrata and other species with similar ecological requirements.
JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Jilji Sitko, Petr Heneberg
Summary: The biodiversity of farmland habitats in Central Europe is facing unprecedented changes, with declines in populations of common farmland birds and their associated trematodes. The previously dominant trematode species in these habitats have experienced dramatic population losses in terms of both prevalence and intensity of infection. Further research is needed to understand the causes of these declines, potentially related to agrochemicals such as azole fungicides.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Veronika Rezacova, Milan Rezac, Zuzana Liblova, Tereza Michalova, Petr Heneberg
Summary: The study found that the Asteraceae neophytes showed high colonization by AMF, sometimes even higher than native plants and archeophytes. However, changes in plant dominance did not predict the extent of AMF colonization. This suggests that AMF may not play a significant role in driving the invasions of Asteraceae neophytes in central European environments.
INVASIVE PLANT SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Petr Heneberg, Petr Bogusch, Alena Astapenkova, Milan Rezac
Summary: Through studying the effects of toxic elements on aculeate inquilines that occupy Lipara lucens-induced galls on the common reed, it was found that the concentration of toxic elements does not affect the diversity and abundance of aculeate hymenopterans associated with the reed galls.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Tianle Xu, Run Liu, Xubin Lu, Xinyue Wu, Petr Heneberg, Yongjiang Mao, Qianming Jiang, Juan Loor, Zhangping Yang
Summary: This study investigated the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) on proinflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated primary bovine mammary epithelial cells. The results showed that LBP reduced the expression of proinflammatory factors and cytokines induced by LPS stimulation, inhibited the NF-kappa B and MAPK pathways, and activated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR gamma). LBP also reversed the negative effect of LPS on cell proliferation. The protective effect of LBP on LPS-induced inflammation was found to be dependent on PPAR gamma activation.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Petr Heneberg
Summary: Lactic acidosis plays a significant role in cancer by stimulating tumor invasion and metastasis. The understanding of lactate has shifted from it being considered a waste product to a nutrient exchanged between tumors and the microenvironment. Targeting tissue-specific lactic acidosis can improve the host's defense against cancer and allows for the targeting of anticancer compounds. However, systemic lactic acidosis usually has poor treatment outcomes in patients with solid cancer.
ANTIOXIDANTS & REDOX SIGNALING
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Petr Heneberg, Maria Casero
Summary: This study investigated the infection of Philophthalmus spp. in two species of gulls in southern Portugal and tested three different treatment regimens. The results showed that none of the treatments were effective in treating the infected gulls.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Milan Rezac, Steven Tessler, Petr Heneberg, Ivalu Macarena avila Herrera, Nela Glorikova, Martin Forman, Veronika Rezacova, Jiri Kral
Summary: The mygalomorph spider Atypus snetsingeri found in Pennsylvania is genetically identical to Atypus karschi in East Asia, suggesting that it is an introduced species. The study also revealed new cytogenetic information about this spider, including its X0 sex chromosome system and the presence of nucleolus organizing regions and heterochromatin. The spider is found in various habitats in Pennsylvania and preys on a variety of organisms.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Veronika Rezacova, Tereza Michalova, Milan Rezac, Milan Gryndler, Eric B. Duell, Gail W. T. Wilson, Petr Heneberg
Summary: This study revealed a simplification and dominance of soil- and root-associated AMF assemblages in the exotic ranges of invasive plant species. Alien plant invasions were not limited to soils with low AMF diversity, as both native and invaded soils hosted diverse AMF assemblages.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Evolutionary Biology
Jakub Sykora, Miroslav Bartak, Petr Heneberg, Stanislav Korenko
Summary: Parasitoid insects associated with spiders have evolved unique life strategies, such as indirect oviposition, to avoid contact with spider hosts. However, the low larval survival rate is a disadvantage of this strategy.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Petr Heneberg, Petr Bogusch
Summary: Azole fungicides have an impact on the pupation and metamorphosis of crabronid wasps, but do not affect their survival rate. Further research is needed to study the combined effects of azole fungicides and other agrochemicals on the metamorphosis timing of bees and wasps.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Petr Bogusch, Petra Houfkova Maresova, Alena Astapenkova, Petr Heneberg
Summary: This study provides information on the nest structure and parasitic species of Pseudoanthidium nanum and Pseudoanthidium tenellum. P. nanum is widespread in xerothermic open habitats, while P. tenellum is rare and found in terrestrial reed beds and wet meadows. These two species have similar nest structures but differ in their pollen collection.
JOURNAL OF HYMENOPTERA RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Petr Bogusch, Petr Heneberg
Summary: The galls induced by Lipara lucens on common reed serve as nesting cavities for bees and wasps, but they are mainly found in wetlands. A manipulative study in the Czech Republic revealed that bees and wasps in xerothermic habitats have difficulty finding the gall opening, resulting in fewer nesting individuals compared to wetland habitats.
JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Milan Rezac, Gabriela Pribanova, Nela Glorikova, Petr Heneberg
Summary: Exposure to broad spectrum neonicotinoids temporarily suppresses locomotion in epigeic spiders, including traveled distance and velocity. Different concentrations of these insecticides have multiple adverse effects on the locomotory parameters of spiders.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Petr Heneberg, Petr Bogusch, Martin Schwarz, Petr Jansta, Kamil Holy, Milan Rezac, Alena Astapenkova
Summary: This study investigates the occupancy of trap nests made from different plant stems in Central Europe. The results show that reed stalk trap nests attract a more abundant assemblage of Aculeata compared to goldenrod stem trap nests. However, there is overlapping in the species nesting in both types of trap nests. Furthermore, the abundance and diversity of trap-nesting bees and wasps in natural habitats are similar to those in anthropogenic habitats.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Kiswendsida Thierry Guiguemde, Patindoilba Marcel Sawadogo, Adama Zida, Apollinaire Kima, Roland Windtare Bougma, Mamadou Serme, Ibrahim Sangare, Clarisse Bougouma, Sanata Bamba
Summary: This study assessed the transmission of onchocerciasis in the Cascades region of Burkina Faso and found that the resumption of ivermectin treatment has significantly reduced the prevalence of the disease since 2011.
PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2024)
Article
Parasitology
K. D. Steffen, M. L. Gos, J. M. Unzaga, M. C. Venturini, R. O. Ariasc, G. More
Summary: The dynamics of anti-T. gondii antibodies and seroconversion in naturally infected goats from the last third of pregnancy to 100 days of lactation were evaluated, and their relationship with hematological and dehydration parameters was examined. The results showed that seroconversion occurred in goats of different physiological states and ages, and it was not related to hydration status.
PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2024)
Article
Parasitology
Maho Kotake, Yuho Watanabe, Naoki Itoh, Tomoyoshi Yoshinaga
Summary: This study examined the effects of light exposure on the theront excystment circadian rhythm in Cryptocaryon irritans. The results showed that light reception is essential for circadian rhythm entrainment and both light duration and temperature have an impact on the entrainment of circadian rhythm.
PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2024)
Review
Parasitology
Olivier Ndogo Eteme, Ernestine Nkwengoua Zondegoumba, Yasmin Saegusa Tadayozzi, Jessica Aparecida Serafim, Wendell Queiroz Leite, Mariane de Freitas Genari Severino, Eduardo Festozo Vicente
Summary: The high mortality rate caused by parasitic worms on their hosts is a major concern. Current drugs on the market are often toxic with numerous side effects, necessitating the search for new, more potent molecules. Medicinal plants have been found to contain a wide range of novel molecules that can effectively combat different types of helminths. This review provides an overview of the methods, activities, and mechanisms of action of cyclic peptides, specifically cyclotides, for treating helminthic infections.
PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2024)
Article
Parasitology
Lucas de Assis Silva Andrade, Carlos Nei Ortuzar-Ferreira, Mariana de Souza Oliveira, Sergian Vianna Cardozo, Viviane Moreira de Lima, Bruno Pereira Berto
Summary: A new species of Isospora Schneider, 1881 has been identified from V. chivi in Southeastern Brazil. Morphological and molecular analyses confirmed the identity of this new species.
PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2024)