Parasitology Commons^™

Molecular Characterization Of Hard Tick Haemaphysalis Longicornis From China By Sequences Of The Internal Transcribed Spacers Of Ribosomal Dna, Zhong-Bo Li, Guo-Hua Liu, Tian-Yin Cheng

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

In the present study, the entire first and second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1 and ITS-2) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of Haemaphysalis longicornis from China were amplified by polymerase chain reaction. The 45 representative amplicons were sequenced, and sequence variation in the ITS was examined. The ITS sequences of H. longicornis were 3644 bp in size, including the part of 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA sequences and the complete ITS-1, 5.8S rDNA and ITS-2 sequences. Sequence analysis revealed that the ITS-1, 5.8S rDNA and ITS-2 of this hard tick were 1582, 152, and 1610 bp in size, respectively. The intra-specific …

Sertraline, Paroxetine, And Chlorpromazine Are Rapidly Acting Anthelmintic Drugs Capable Of Clinical Repurposing., Janis C Weeks, William M Roberts, Caitlyn Leasure, Brian M Suzuki, Kristin J Robinson, John M Hawdon, +Several Additional Authors

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Parasitic helminths infect over 1 billion people worldwide, while current treatments rely on a limited arsenal of drugs. To expedite drug discovery, we screened a small-molecule library of compounds with histories of use in human clinical trials for anthelmintic activity against the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. From this screen, we found that the neuromodulatory drugs sertraline, paroxetine, and chlorpromazine kill C. elegans at multiple life stages including embryos, developing larvae and gravid adults. These drugs act rapidly to inhibit C. elegans feeding within minutes of exposure. Sertraline, paroxetine, and chlorpromazine also decrease motility of adult Trichuris muris whipworms, prevent hatching …

Flp-1 Neuropeptides Modulate Sensory And Motor Circuits In The Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans, Ingrid Buntschuh, Daniel A. Raps, Ivor Joseph, Christopher Reid, Alexander Chait, Raubern Totanes, Michelle Sawh, Chris Li

Publications and Research

Parasitic nematodes infect over one quarter of the population worldwide, causing morbidity in over one billion people. Current anthelmintic drugs are beginning to lose effectiveness due to the presence of resistant strains. We are interested in the role of neuropeptides, which regulate behaviors in all organisms, as another possible target for anthelmintic drugs. FMRFamide-related peptides (FaRPs) are a family of neuropeptides that are conserved throughout the animal kingdom. In particular, nematodes contain the largest family of FaRPs identified thus far and many of these FaRPs are identical among different nematode species; FaRPs in nematodes are collectively referred to as FLPs …

Granulin Secreted By The Food-Borne Liver Fluke, Brandon Haugen, Shannon E Karinshak, Victoria H Mann, Anastas Popratiloff, Alex Loukas, Paul J Brindley, Michael J Smout

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

The liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini is a food-borne, zoonotic pathogen endemic to Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia. The adult developmental stage of the O. viverrini parasite excretes and secretes numerous proteins within the biliary tract including the gall bladder. Lesions caused by the feeding activities of the liver fluke represent wounds that undergo protracted cycles of healing and re-injury during chronic infection, which can last for decades. Components of the excretory/secretory (ES) complement released by the worms capably drive proliferation of bile duct epithelial cells and are implicated in establishing the oncogenic milieu that leads to bile duct …

Granulin Secreted By The Food-Borne Liver Fluke Opisthorchis Viverrini Promotes Angiogenesis In Human Endothelial Cells, Brandon Haugen, Shannon Karinshak, Victoria H. Mann, Anastas Popratiloff, Alex Loukas, Paul J. Brindley, Michael J. Smout

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

The liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini is a food-borne, zoonotic pathogen endemic to Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia. The adult developmental stage of the O. viverrini parasite excretes and secretes numerous proteins within the biliary tract including the gall bladder. Lesions caused by the feeding activities of the liver fluke represent wounds that undergo protracted cycles of healing and re-injury during chronic infection, which can last for decades. Components of the excretory/secretory (ES) complement released by the worms capably drive proliferation of bile duct epithelial cells and are implicated in establishing the oncogenic milieu that leads to bile duct …

Controlled Human Hookworm Infection: Accelerating Human Hookworm Vaccine Development, David Diemert, Doreen Campbell, Jill Brelsford, Caitlyn Leasure, Guangzhao Li, Naji Younes, +Several Additional Authors

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

Controlled human hookworm infection (CHHI) is a central component of a proposed hookworm vaccination-challenge model (HVCM) to test the efficacy of candidate vaccines. Critical to CHHI is the manufacture of Necator americanus infective larvae (NaL3) according to current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) and the determination of an inoculum of NaL3 that is safe and reliably induces patent infection. Methods

cGMP-grade NaL3 were produced for a phase 1 trial in 20 healthy, hookworm-naïve adults in the United States, who received either 25 or 50 NaL3. Participants were monitored for 12–18 weeks postinfection for safety, tolerability, …

Transplantation Of Schistosome Sporocysts Between Host Snails: A Video Guide., Gabriel Mouahid, Anne Rognon, Ronaldo De Carvalho Augusto, Patrick Driguez, Kathy Geyer, Shannon Karinshak, Nelia Luviano, Victoria Mann, Thomas Quack, Kate Rawlinson, George Wendt, Christoph Grunau, Hélène Moné

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Schistosomiasis is an important parasitic disease, touching roughly 200 million people worldwide. The causative agents are different Schistosoma species. Schistosomes have a complex life cycle, with a freshwater snail as intermediate host. After infection, sporocysts develop inside the snail host and give rise to human dwelling larvae. We present here a detailed step-by-step video instruction in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese that shows how these sporocysts can be manipulated and transferred from one snail to another. This procedure provides a technical basis for different types of ex vivo modifications, such as those used in functional genomics studies.

A Pcr/Sequencing Technique To Identify Species And Genotypes Of Haemonchus From Mixed Trichostrongyle Egg Dna Recovered From Livestock Fecal Samples, Pratiksha Khanal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Six primer pairs, each with a pair of genus-specific and universal second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) primers were evaluated to amplify and sequence the ITS2 region of nuclear ribosomal DNA to identify the species and genotypes of Haemonchus from livestock fecal samples containing mixtures of trichostrongyle nematode eggs. Based upon the use of universal ITS2 primers on Haemonchus adults, the ITS2 region has been shown to contain three fixed single-nucleotide differences between H. placei and H. contortus. It is clinically useful to identify the species and genotypes of Haemonchus infecting livestock, but it has not been possible in fecal …

Crispr/Cas9-Induced Genetic Disruption And Characterization Of Udp-Galactopyranose Mutase In Trypanosoma Cruzi, Claudia Manriquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, is the causative agent of Chagas disease (ChD), or American trypanosomiasis, which affects 6-8 million people in Latin America. It is estimated that 2-3 million people will develop severe lifelong cardiac and/or digestive disorders. ChD has become a life threat not only to endemic regions but most recently also to nonendemic regions, including the United States, owing to extensive worldwide migration in recent years. The lack of a vaccine and the limited efficacy of the two drug treatments available make it urgent to develop novel therapies to treat such a threatening disease. UDP-Galactopyranose mutase (UGM) …

Range Expansion Of Tick Disease Vectors In North America: Implications For Spread Of Tick-Borne Disease, Daniel E. Sonenshine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ticks are the major vectors of most disease-causing agents to humans, companion animals and wildlife. Moreover, ticks transmit a greater variety of pathogenic agents than any other blood-feeding arthropod. Ticks have been expanding their geographic ranges in recent decades largely due to climate change. Furthermore, tick populations in many areas of their past and even newly established localities have increased in abundance. These dynamic changes present new and increasing severe public health threats to humans, livestock and companion animals in areas where they were previously unknown or were considered to be of minor importance. Here in this review, the geographic …

Antibody Dependent Enhancement Of Visceral Leishmaniasis, Alan K. Mcnolty

All Master's Theses

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by protozoans of the genus Leishmania. This vector-born disease, transmitted by biting phlebotomine sandflies, typically manifests in one of three ways. The cutaneous form of the disease is characterized by localized lesions of the skin and is by far the most common manifestation. The visceral form of the disease is caused by parasitic infiltration of internal organs, particularly the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. The mucocutaneous form is caused by parasitic infection of the mucosa in the nose or mouth. While cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is often self-healing, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is fatal if …

Multiple Acquisitions Of Pathogen-Derived Francisella Endosymbionts In Soft Ticks, Jonathan G. Gerhart, H. Auguste Dutcher, Amanda E. Brenner, Abraham S. Moses, Libor Grubhoffer, Rahul Raghavan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial endosymbionts of ticks are of interest due to their close evolutionary relationships with tick-vectored pathogens. For instance, whereas many ticks contain Francisella-like endosymbionts (FLEs), others transmit the mammalian pathogen Francisella tularensis. We recently sequenced the genome of an FLE present in the hard tick Amblyomma maculatum (FLE-Am) and showed that it likely evolved from a pathogenic ancestor. In order to expand our understanding of FLEs, in the current study we sequenced the genome of an FLE in the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata and compared it to the genomes of FLE-Am, Francisella persica—an FLE in the soft tick Argus (Persicargas) …

Gene Expression Profiles Of The Small Intestinal Mucosa Of Dogs Repeatedly Infected With The Cestode Echinococcus Multilocularis, Hirokazu Kouguchi, Takao Irie, Jun Matsumoto, Hidefumi Furuoka, Kenji Ishiwata, Ryo Nakao, Kinpei Yagi

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

The data set presented in this article is related to a previous research article entitled, The timing of worm exclusion in dogs repeatedly infected with the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis (Kouguchi et al., 2016). This article describes the genes >2 fold up- or down-regulated in the first- and repeated-infection groups compared to the healthy controls group. The gene expression profiles were generated using the Agilent-021193 Canine (V2) Gene Expression Microarray (GPL15379). The raw and normalized microarray data have been deposited with the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database under accession number GSE105098.

Neonchocotyle Violantei N. Sp. (Monogenea, Hexabothriidae) From Pseudobatos Lentiginosus (Rhinopristiformes, Rhinobatidae) Of Yucatán, Gulf Of Mexico = Neonchocotyle Violantei N. Sp. (Monogenea, Hexabothriidae) Do Pseudobatos Lentiginosus (Rhinopristiformes, Rhinobatidae) De Yucatán, Golfo Do México, Guadalupe Quiterio-Rendon, Scott Monks, Griselda Pulido-Flores

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Abstract

Neonchocotyle violantei n. sp. (Monogenea: Hexabothriidae) infects the gill of the Atlantic guitarfish, Pseudobatos lentiginosus (Rhinopristiformes, Rhinobatidae) from littoral waters of Celestún, Yucatán, Mexico. It is assigned to Neonchocotyle because it has, among other features, an asymmetrical haptor, a seminal receptacle, a smooth oötype, and an egg with two elongate filaments. It differs from Neonchocotyle pastinacae, the only congener, by having a small body (821 long by 315 wide, length to width = 2.6:1), two pairs of microhooks between the haptoral appendix suckers, extracaecal (submarginal) vaginal pores, and 5-9 testes. This is the first record of a species …

A New Species Of Acanthobothrium (Eucestoda: Onchobothriidae) In Aetobatus Cf. Narinari (Myliobatidae) From Campeche, México = Uma Nova Espécie De Acanthobothrium (Eucestoda: Onchobothriidae) Em Aetobatus Cf. Narinari (Myliobatidae) De Campeche, México, Erick Rodríguez-Ibarra, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Juan Violante-González, Scott Monks

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Abstract

The helminthological examination of nine individuals of Aetobatus cf. narinari (spotted eagle ray; raya pinta; arraia pintada) revealed the presence of an undescribed species of cestode of the genus Acanthobothrium. The stingrays were collected from four locations in México: Laguna Términos, south of Isla del Carmen and the marine waters north of Isla del Carmen and Champotón, in the State of Campeche, and Isla Holbox, State of Quintana Roo. The new species, nominated Acanthobothrium marquesi, is a category 3 species (i.e, the strobila is long, has more than 50 proglottids, the numerous testicles greater than 80, and has …

Diversity And Phylogenetic Relationships Of European Species Of Crepidostomum Braun, 1900 (Trematoda: Allocreadiidae) Based On Rdna, With Special Reference To Crepidostomum Oschmarini Zhokhov & Pugacheva, 1998, Romualda Petkevičiūtė, Virmantas Stunžėnas, Alexander E. Zhokhov, Larisa G. Poddubnaya, Gražina Stanevičiūtė

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Background

Within the genus Crepidostomum Braun, 1900, identification of species and taxonomic decisions made only on the basis of adult morphology have resulted in great problems associated with evaluating actual diversity and validity of species. Life cycle data, while equal in importance to adult characters, are scarce, controversial or incomplete for most Crepidostomum spp. In this study, rDNA sequences generated from adult and larval Crepidostomum spp. and some other allocreadiid species were analyzed to reveal the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of the species and their host range. Detailed morphological description based on light microscopy, SEM tegumental surface topography and genetic …

Paleoparasitology And Pathoecology In Russia: Investigations And Perspectives, Sergey Slepchenko, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Russia, both as the USSR and the Russian federation, provided a source of parasitological theory for decades. A key figure in Russian parasitology was Yevgeny Pavlovsky. He developed the nidus concept, the conceptual basis for the field of pathoecology. He also coined the term “paleoparasitology.” Pathoecology is a foundation concept in archaeological parasitology. Paleoparasitology, as defined by Pavlovsky, is an avenue for understanding of host parasite evolution over very long time periods. These contributions are not fully recognized internationally. Similarly, the long history of Russian paleontological and archaeological investigations are not fully known. Most recently, discoveries from archaeological sites show …

The Paleoepidemiology Of Enterobius Vermicularis (Nemata: Oxyuridae) Among The Loma San Gabriel At La Cueva De Los Muertos Chiquitos (600–800 Ce), Rio Zape Valley, Durango, Mexico, Johnica J. Morrow, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

One hundred coprolites excavated from La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos (600–800 CE) in the Rio Zape Valley of present-day Durango, Mexico, were examined for the presence of helminth eggs utilizing standard archaeoparasitological techniques. Eggs of the human pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis) were recovered from 34 of the 100 coprolites examined. Eggs of parasites were photographed and measured before egg concentration values were calculated for each positive sample. Egg concentration values demonstrated an overdispersed pattern of distribution among the samples (66% uninfected, 25% less than 100 eggs/g, 8% between 100 and 500 eggs/g, and 1% more than 500 eggs/g). …

Taphonomic Considerations On Pinworm Prevalence In Three Ancestral Puebloan Latrines, Morgana Camacho, Alena M. Iñiguez, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

For archaeological studies it is always necessary to consider taphonomic factors that could have influenced in ancient material preservation. Parasite eggs are usually highly degraded in ancient sites dated from all periods of time and taphonomic factors are mentioned to explain absence and low quantity of eggs found. In this study, we compare parasite egg recovery of three Great House latrines: two from Aztec Ruins (Rooms 219 and 225) and one from Salmon Ruins. We compared through statistical regression the recovery of eggs with the abundance of two classes of decomposers: mites and nematodes. These microorganisms have relation with nematode …

New Evidence Of Ancient Parasitism Among Late Archaic And Ancestral Puebloan Residents Of Chaco Canyon, Rachel E. Paseka, Carrie C. Heitman, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Archaeoparasitology provides a unique perspective on the health and habits of ancient cultures through the identification of parasite remains in archaeological materials. We identified eggs of the human whipworm, Trichuris trichiura, in coprolites recovered from Late Archaic (1926–1751 cal. BCE) and Ancestral Puebloan (1039–1163 cal. CE) sites in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Our findings represent the earliest record of T. trichiura in North America, the first record of the species from Chaco Canyon, and the first record of a macroparasite from a Late Archaic site (Atlatl Cave) on the Colorado Plateau. T. trichiura is common in the …