Parasitology Commons^™

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 51: Heterakoidea (Superfamily): Cosmopolitan Gut-Dwelling Parasites Of Tetrapods [Nemata, Secernentea], F. Agustín Jiménez-Ruiz

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the cosmopolitan gut-dwelling nematodes (roundworms) in the superfamily Heterakoidea, which occur most often in the cecum and large intestine of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Discusses the general morphological characteristics, diagnosis, distribution and host associations, general biology, evolution, systematics, phylogeny, ecology, and conservation, including coverage of species of veterinary importance, Heterakis gallinarum and Histomonas meleagridis.

Chapter 51 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by F. Agustín Jiménez-Ruiz. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap051

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 57: Nematomorpha (Phylum): Horsehair Worms, Matthew G. Bolek, Ben Hanelt

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the horsehair worms, phylum Nematomorpha, including discussion of their general morphology, life cycle, distribution, diversity, taxonomy, phylogeny, ecology, and behavior.

Chapter 57 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Matthew G. Bolek and Ben Hanelt. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap057

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 09: The Coccidia Proper: Important Apicomplexa Other Than Haemoprotozoa [Protozoa, Apicomplexa], Donald W. Duszynski

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

Chapter 9 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology on the Coccidia Ppoper, important Apicomplexa other than Haemoprotozoa by Donald W. Duszynski. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap009

Molecular Investigation Of Tick-Borne Pathogens In Feral Swine (Sus Scrofa) From Seven Us States, Sofiane Aiche

Masters Theses

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) have been proposed as part of the lifecycles of multiple tickborne pathogens (TBP). This is a result of the increase in feral swine populations and increased tick populations and geographic ranges. Few surveys exist on the TBP relevant to human and wildlife of feral swine in the US. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of 10 TBP: Anaplasma spp., Borrelia spp., Cytauxzoon felis, Hepatozoon spp., Babesia spp., Mycoplasma spp., Trypanosoma cruzi, Toxoplasma gondii, Yersinia pestis, and Rickettsia spp. A total of 87 feral swine blood samples …

Transcriptional Induction Of Immune Pathway Genes And Subsequent Antibacterial Activity In The Digestive Tract Of The Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis)., Katie A. Weber

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Fleas (Order Siphonaptera) are ectoparasites that serve as vectors of several human diseases (cat scratch disease, flea-borne spotted fever, murine typhus, and plague). Typically, these pathogens are acquired through the ingestion of a host-derived bloodmeal; thus, the lumen of the gut is the first barrier encountered by imbibed pathogens. During the early stages of infection, microbes come into contact with surrounding midgut epithelial cells which trigger a series of host responses to combat local infection. Specifically, pathogen recognition leads to intracellular signaling and an increase in the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) via the IMD and Toll immune pathways. While …

Genital Tract Infections, The Vaginal Microbiome And Gestational Age At Birth Among Pregnant Women In South Africa: A Cohort Study Protocol, Ranjana M.S. Gigi, Mandisa M. Mdingi, Hyunsul Jung, Shantelle Claassen-Weitz, Lukas Bütikofer, Jeffrey D. Klausner, Christina A. Muzny, Christopher M. Taylor, Janneke H.H.M. Van De Wijgert, Remco P.H. Peters, Nicola Low

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction Preterm birth complications are the most common cause of death in children under 5 years. The presence of multiple microorganisms and genital tract inflammation could be the common mechanism driving early onset of labour. South Africa has high levels of preterm birth, genital tract infections and HIV infection among pregnant women. We plan to investigate associations between the presence of multiple lower genital tract microorganisms in pregnancy and gestational age at birth. Methods and analysis This cohort study enrols around 600 pregnant women at one public healthcare facility in East London, South Africa. Eligible women are ≥18 years and …

Association Of Chlamydia Trachomatis Burden With The Vaginal Microbiota, Bacterial Vaginosis, And Metronidazole Treatment, Caleb M. Ardizzone, Christopher M. Taylor, Evelyn Toh, Rebecca A. Lillis, Jacob H. Elnaggar, John W. Lammons, Patricia Dehon Mott, Emily L. Duffy, Li Shen, Alison J. Quayle

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiota, is a common coinfection with Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), and BV-associated bacteria (BVAB) and their products have been implicated in aiding Ct evade natural immunity. Here, we determined if a non-optimal vaginal microbiota was associated with a higher genital Ct burden and if metronidazole, a standard treatment for BV, would reduce Ct burden or aid in natural clearance of Ct infection. Cervicovaginal samples were collected from women at enrollment and, if testing positive for Ct infection, at a follow-up visit approximately one week later. Cervical Ct burden was assessed by inclusion forming …

Resolution Of The Tetrabothrius Jagerskioeldi Cryptic Species Complex Among Holarctic Alcidae (Charadriiformes): Cestodes Among Fraterculinae—Exploring Marine Diversity, Host Range, And Dynamic Oceanography In The Greater North Pacific, Eric P. Hoberg, Kaylen Marie Soudachanh, Svetlana K. Bondarenko

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

In the biosphere, limits for diversity among species, communities, and biomes are revealed through intensive and extensive field-based inventory and assembly of voucher specimens and associated informatics examined in a phylogenetic, historical, ecological, and biogeographic arena. Archival resources for specimens and information contribute to a cumulative view of faunal structure and assembly under a comparative umbrella. Ultimately, species definitions, and inclusive partitions among populations and lineages, are fundamental in articulating hypotheses that examine interactions about evolution, the nature of organisms, and the condition of environments across space and time. We conclude our proposals establishing species limits for tapeworms of the …

The Endoparasite Fauna Of Mesopredatory Mesopelagic Teleosts, Alexander U. Rayburn

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The ecology of the mesopelagic zone is an understudied area of the open ocean, with few diet studies even for dominant fish species. Since endoparasites are generally transmitted trophically, descriptions of the parasite communities within fishes can often provide additional insights on food web interactions. This project assesses the endoparasite faunal community of mesopredatory mesopelagic teleosts to better understand mesopelagic food webs in the South Atlantic Bight. Fishes in the Families Alepisauridae (lancetfishes), Gempylidae (snake mackerels), Bramidae (pomfrets), and Scombrolabracidae (longfin escolar) are frequent bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery targeting swordfish Xiphias gladius and thunnid tunas, yet the ecology …

Characterization Of The Effects Of The Pyrazolopyrimidine Inhibitor Grassofermata (Nav-2729) In The Eukaryotic Pathogen Trypanosoma Brucei, Kristina Marie Parman

All Dissertations

The protozoan pathogen, Trypanosoma brucei, is the causative agent of sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock in sub-Saharan Africa. T. brucei cycles between tsetse fly and mammalian hosts, and it is adapted to survive in diverse host tissues. Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) plays a key role in immune evasion in the mammalian host. The VSG membrane anchor requires two myristates, 14-carbon saturated fatty acids (FAs) that are scarce in the host. T. brucei can synthesize FAs de novo, but also readily takes up exogenous FAs, despite lacking homologs to fatty acid uptake proteins found in other …

Human-Bat Interactions In A Disease Emergence Hotspot: Implications For Human Health And Bat Conservation, Reilly Tempest Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bats are an ecologically important taxon that can host zoonotic pathogens. Globally, many bat species are synanthropic and live closely with humans, often roosting in man-made structures. The spatial overlap between humans and bats creates opportunities for human-bat contact, which can lead to human exposure to bat-borne pathogens and conflicts that cause bat mortality. Despite this risk, little is known about the drivers and characteristics of these human-bat interactions in buildings and work is needed to understand this aspect of the wildlife-urban interface. In Chapter I, I present a literature review that identifies the geographic and taxonomic trends in reported …

Exploration Of The Implementation Of An Integrated Electronic Laboratory Information Management System On Quality Diagnostics Service Indicators At A County Level Public Hospital In Western Kenya., Kelly Allen

Capstone Collection

Underinvestment in pathology and laboratory capacity caused by low visibility in research and in prioritization by public health leaders results in limited effective healthcare coverage and an estimated 1.1 million premature deaths annually in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries. Kenya’s public health laboratories provide a median 41% of the Essential Diagnostic List to their patients and in Kisumu County, as much as 44.2% of the population has little to no access to essential diagnostics. The government of Kisumu implemented the county Health Laboratory Strategic Plan 2018-2022 to address this public health challenge. Little information exists on the effectiveness of these initiatives and the …

Molecular Species Delimitation Of Marine Trematodes Over Wide Geographical Ranges: Schikhobalotrema Spp. (Digenea: Haplosplanchnidae) In Needlefishes (Belonidae) From The Pacific Ocean And Gulf Of Mexico, Gerardo Pérez-Ponce De León, Brenda Solórzano-García, Daniel C. Huston, Berenit Mendoza-Garfias, Jhonatan Cabañas-Granillo, Scott C. Cutmore, Thomas H. Cribb

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Geographical distribution plays a major role in our understanding of marine biodiversity. Some marine fish trematodes have been shown to have highly restricted geographical distributions, while some are known to occur over very wide ranges; however, very few of these wide distributions have been demonstrated genetically. Here, we analyse species of the genus Schikhobalotrema (Haplosplanchnidae) parasitizing beloniforms from the tropical west Pacific, the eastern Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). We test the boundaries of these trematodes by integrating molecular and morphological data, host association, habitat of the hosts and geographical distribution, following a recently proposed and standardized delineation …

A Mathematical Model Of Acanthocephalan Parasite Infection In Gull-Billed Terns, Charlotte Moser

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Intraspecific Variation Of Morphological Traits Backed Up With Molecular Evidence Votes For Re‑Appraisal Of Hitherto Distinguished Balaustium Species—A Case Study Of Balaustium Murorum (Acariformes: Parasitengona, Erythraeidae), Joanna Mąkol, Magdalena Felska

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Molecular examination of representatives of Balaustium from several populations in SW Poland, performed using the sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, confirmed their common specific affiliation and identity with Balaustium murorum. The potential presence of distinct species in the studied material, preliminarily inferred from the discovery of clusters as a result of Principal Component Analysis exploring the metric data sets, was rejected due to the finding of only one haplotype, at intra- and inter-population sampling. An insight into meristic traits in larvae, focused on chaetotaxy of legs, revealed wider variation than hitherto recognized for the …

D-Shaped Nematode Eggs In The Feces Of Rangifer Tarandus: A Story In Pictures, Olga A. Loginova

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

D-shaped nematode eggs in the feces of Rangifer tarandus are expected to be oxyurid nematodes (Nemata: Oxyurida) of the genus Skrjabinema. The species S. tarandi is considered species-specific for this host. There is no consensus regarding the cross-infection of reindeer and sheep with S. ovis and S. tarandi. The drawings proposed by descriptors complicate differential diagnostics. Micrographs of S. tarandi eggs obtained via light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy as well as photographs of S. ovis eggs and drawings made on their basis are proposed to confidently distinguish between representatives of these two species, taking into account morphometric data. Thus, …

Methionine Biosynthesis Enzyme Momet2 Is Required For Rice Blast Fungus Pathogenicity By Promoting Virulence Gene Expression Via Reducing 5mc Modification, Huimin Li, Pengcheng Mo, Jun Zhang, Zhuoer Xie, Xinyu Liu, Han Chen, Leiyun Yang, Muxing Liu, Haifeng Zhang, Ping Wang, Zhengguang Zhang

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The emergence of fungicide resistance severely threatens crop production by limiting the availability and application of established fungicides. Therefore, it is urgent to identify new fungicidal targets for controlling plant diseases. Here, we characterized the function of a conserved homoserine O-acetyltransferase (HOA) from the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae that could serve as the candidate antifungal target. Deletion of the MoMET2 and MoCYS2 genes encoding HOAs perturbed the biosynthesis of methionine and S-adenyl methionine, a methyl group donor for epigenetic modifications, and severely attenuated the development and virulence of M. oryzae. The ΔMomet2 mutant is significantly increased in 5-methylcytosine (5mC) …

An Evolutionary Pathway For Coping With Emerging Infectious Disease, Scott Lyell Gardner, Daniel R. Brooks, Walter A. Boeger, Eric P. Hoberg

Zea E-Books Collection

Emerging infectious disease (EID) represents an existential threat to humanity. EIDs are increasing in frequency and impact because of climate change and other human activities. We are losing the battle against EIDs because of improper assessment of the risk of EID. This stems from adherence to a failed paradigm of pathogen-host associations that suggests EIDs ought to be both unpredictable and rare. That, in turn, leads to policies suggesting that crisis response is the best we can do. Real-time and phylogenetic assessments show EIDs to be neither rare nor unpredictable—this is the parasite paradox that shows the failures of the …

Gregarine Parasites In Zygoptera Of Keith County, Ne, Anisha Kadubandi, B. Gage Kircher Ii, Scott L. Gardner

UCARE: Research Products

Prevalence of Gregarine Protozoa Infection in Zygoptera Sourced from Varying Collection Sites in Keith County, Nebraska

B.G Kircher II, A. Kadubandi, and S.L. Gardner S. H.W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Cedar Point Biological Station, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Damselflies are ubiquitous flying insects of the order Odonata with thousands of species found around the world. The parasites associated with damselfly species are equally as ubiquitous, with the most common being gregarine protozoa and water mites, though other parasitic organisms such as trematodes are also found in these animals. Gaining an understanding of the relationships among hosts and …

Leucocytozoon Cariamae N. Sp. And Haemoproteus Pulcher Coinfection In Cariama Cristata (Aves: Cariamiformes): First Mitochondrial Genome Analysis And Morphological Description Of A Leucocytozoid In Brazil, Lis Marques De C. Vieira, Pedro Henrique O. Pereira, Daniel Ambrózio Da Rocha Vilela, Irène Landau, M. Andreína Pacheco, Ananias A. Escalante, Francisco C. Ferreira, Érika Martins Braga

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

The distribution of avian haemosporidians of the genus Leucocytozoon in the Neotropics remains poorly understood. Recent studies confirmed their presence in the region using molecular techniques alone, but evidence for gametocytes and data on putative competent hosts for Leucocytozoon are still lacking outside highland areas. We combined morphological and molecular data to characterize a new Leucocytozoon species infecting a non-migratory red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata), the first report of a competent host for Leucocytozoon in Brazil. Leucocytozoon cariamae n. sp. is distinguished from the Leucocytozoon fringillinarum group by its microgametocytes that are not strongly appressed to the host cell …