Parasitology Commons^™

A New Laelapine Mite (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) Associated With The Spiny Rodent, Scolomys Melanops, In Amazonian Peru, Donald Gettinger, Scott L. Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Gigantolaelaps scolomys Gettinger and Gardner n. sp., an ectoparasitic mite (Acari: Laelapidae) associated with the rodent Scolomys melanops in Amazonian forests of Peru, is described and illustrated.

Mites of the genus Gigantolaelaps Fonseca are common ectoparasites associated exclusively with rodents of the sigmodontine tribe Oryzomyini (see Gettinger, 1987). They are often abundant in the dorsal pelage and are easily collected by brushing the host at capture. The laelapine populations sampled are female dominant; males and immatures are assumed to live within the nest of the host (Martins-Hatano et al., 2011). A new species was encountered in a small collection of …

Saccharomyces Boulardii And Bismuth Subsalicylate As Low-Cost Interventions To Reduce The Duration And Severity Of Cholera, Johnathan Sheele, Jessica Cartowski, Angela Dart, Arjun Poddar, Shikha Gupta, Ajay Gupta

Computer Science Faculty Publications

We conducted a randomised single-blinded clinical trial of 100 cholera patients in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to determine if the probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii and the anti-diarrhoeal drug bismuth subsalicylate (BS) were able to reduce the duration and severity of cholera. Subjects received either: S. boulardii 250 mg, S. boulardii 250 mg capsule plus BS 524 mg tablet, BS 524 mg, or two placebo capsules every 6 hours alongside standard treatment for cholera. The length of hospitalisation plus the number and volume of emesis, stool and urine were recorded every 6 hours until the study subject was discharged (n=83), left against …

Impacts Of Agrochemical Pollution On Aquatic Communities And Human Disease, Neal T. Halstead

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The global human population is expected to exceed 9 billion individuals by 2050, putting greater strain on the natural resources needed to sustain such a population. To feed this many people, some expect agricultural production will have to double and agrochemical use will have to increase anywhere from two- to five-fold relative to the turn of the century. Although industrial agriculture has provided many benefits to society, it has caused declines in biodiversity, both directly (e.g., through conversion of habitat) and indirectly (e.g., through contamination of adjacent natural habitats). Agricultural activity has also been linked to increased prevalence and intensity …

Comparative Population Genetics Of Two Invading Ticks: Evidence Of The Ecological Mechanisms Underlying Tick Range Expansions, Robyn Nadolny, Holly Gaff, Jens Carlsson, David Gauthier

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Two species of ixodid tick, Ixodes affinis Neumann and Amblyomma maculatum Koch, are simultaneously expanding their ranges throughout the mid-Atlantic region of the US. Although we have some understanding of the ecology and life history of these species, the ecological mechanisms governing where and how new populations establish and persist are unclear. To assess population connectivity and ancestry, we sequenced a fragment of the 16S mitochondrial rRNA gene from a representative sample of individuals of both species from populations throughout the eastern US. We found that despite overlapping host preferences throughout ontogeny, each species exhibited very different genetic and geographic …

Mmv Malaria Box Activity Screening In Dormant Plasmodium Falciparum Phenotypes, Sandra Galusic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The causative agent of malignant tertian malaria, Plasmodium falciparum undergoes an arrested growth phenotype of its erythrocytic stage when under drug-stress. Recent artemisinin treatment failures seem to be indicative of such induction followed by recrudescence rather than actual therapeutic failure. Likewise, P. vivax hypnozoites are the prototypic dormants and the latent infections for which they are responsible prove most difficult to treat. Dihydroartemisinin, an artemisinin-derivative, can be used to exploit this mechanism by inducing a dormant state in ring-stage P. falciparum parasites and in turn, their recovery may be used as a screening period for compounds that inhibit or foster …

Efficacy And Resistance Potential Of Jpc-3210 In Plasmodium Falciparum, Siobhan Marie Flaherty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Combating drug resistant malaria has been historically challenging, and remains so today. Recent reports from Southeast Asia show that Plasmodium falciparum is developing resistance to even our best defenses; artemisinin-based therapies. This development threatens to become a significant challenge in controlling malaria infections worldwide, making research into developing and characterizing new antimalarial drugs increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to characterize the resistance potential of novel antimalarial compound JPC-3210 in vitro using P. falciparum clones. JPC-3210 is a new long acting drug with potential to be used in combination with fast-acting drugs like artemisinins to cure drug resistant …

Altered Intraerythrocytic Development Phenotypes Of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium Falciparum Confer A Fitness Advantage, Amanda Hott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Resistance to artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) has emerged in southeast Asia threatening the most widely used treatment against antimalarial-resistant Plasmodium falciparum worldwide. Artemisinin resistance has been associated with a reduced rate of parasite clearance following treatment with an ACT and is attributed to increased survival of ring-stage parasites. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in kelch gene (K13) has been associated with delayed in vivo clearance half-life of artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum and is the only known molecular marker of resistance. The absence of reliable in vitro phenotypes for artemisinin resistance has limited our understanding of the resistance mechanism(s) and fitness costs, therefore …

Development Of Orally Bioavailable 4(1H)-Quinolones And 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroacridin-9(10H)-Ones With Potent Anti-Malarial Activity, Jordany Richarlson Maignan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although Malaria rates are on the decline due to the efforts of the World Health Organization and other organizations dedicated to the eradication of this disease, a relaxed attitude towards the development of new antimalarial entities would be flawed. Due to the emergence of resistance in the parasite, the almost 50% world-wide reduction in malarial death rates that have been produced over the past 15 years are threatening to be lost

New drugs are urgently needed and our approach focuses on the re-evaluation and optimization of the historic antimalarial ICI 56,780. Due to its causal prophylactic activity, along with its …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 36, Nos. 3-4, Fall-Winter 2014, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

No abstract provided.

P53 And Cancer-Associated Sialylated Glygans Are Surrogate Markers Of Cancerization Of The Bladder Associated With Schistosoma Haematobium Infection, Julio Santos, Elisabete Fernandes, Jose Alexandre Ferreira, Luis Lima, Ana Tavares, Andreia Peixoto, Beatriz Parreira, Jose Manuel Correia Da Costa, Paul J. Brindley, Carlos Lopes, Lucio L. Santos

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

Bladder cancer is a significant health problem in rural areas of Africa and the Middle East where Schistosoma haematobium is prevalent, supporting an association between malignant transformation and infection by this blood fluke. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms linking these events are poorly understood. Bladder cancers in infected populations are generally diagnosed at a late stage since there is a lack of non-invasive diagnostic tools, hence enforcing the need for early carcinogenesis markers.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Forty-three formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded bladder biopsies of S. haematobium-infected patients, consisting of bladder tumours, tumour adjacent mucosa and pre-malignant/malignant urothelial lesions, were screened for bladder …

Development Of A Turkey Coccidiosis Vaccine Candidate: An Attenuated Line Of The Protozoan Parasite, Eimeria Meleagrimitis, Thilakar Rathinam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coccidiosis is an economically important enteric disease of poultry caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Eimeria. Drugs are most commonly used to control coccidiosis. Widespread usage of anticoccidial drugs in the field has resulted in development of drug resistant strains and consequently decreased drug efficacy. An alternative control strategy using attenuated vaccines is desired. A series of experiments was designed to identify, isolate and attenuate a strain of a common and pathogenic species of Eimeria of turkeys, E. meleagrimitis.

Sensitivity of field isolates of turkey coccidia to the anticoccidials drugs amprolium, clopidol, diclazuril, and monensin was investigated. A …

Extracellular Excystation And Development Of Cryptosporidium: Tracing The Fate Of Oocysts Within Pseudomonas Aquatic Biofilm Systems, Wan Koh, Andrew Thompson, Hann Edwards, Paul Monis, Peta L. Clode

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background: Aquatic biofilms often serve as environmental reservoirs for microorganisms and provide them with a nutrient-rich growth environment under harsh conditions. With regard to Cryptosporidium, biofilms can serve as environmental reservoirs for oocysts, but may also support the growth of additional Cryptosporidium stages.

Results: Here we used confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and flow cytometry to identify and describe various Cryptosporidium developmental stages present within aquatic biofilm systems, and to directly compare these to stages produced in cell culture. We also show that Cryptosporidium has the ability to form a parasitophorous vacuole independently, in a host-free …

Strengthening Neglected Tropical Disease Research Through Enhancing Research-Site Capacity: An Evaluation Of A Novel Web Application To Facilitate Research Collections, Tanzin Furtado, Samuel Franzen, Francois Van Loggerenberg, Gwenaelle Carn, Shannon Grahek, Megan Mcbride, Maureen Power, Barbara Savarese, Margaret Ann Snowden, Gwynn Stevens, Almarie Uys, Trudie Lang

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Discovery Of A 240 Million Year Old Nematode Parasite Egg In A Cynodont Coprolite Sheds Light On The Early Origin Of Pinworms In Vertebrates, Jean-Pierre Hugot, Scott Gardner, Victor Borba, Priscilla Araujo, Daniela Leles, Átila Da-Rosa, Juliana Dutra, Luis Fernando Ferreira, Adauto Araújo

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Background: We report the discovery of a nematode parasite egg (Nemata: Oxyurida) from a coprolite closely associated with the remains of several species of Cynodontia, dated to 240 million years old. This finding is particularly significant because this is the oldest record of an oxyurid nematode yet discovered, and because the cynodonts are considered a stem-group of the mammals.

Methods: We extracted material from a fully mineralized coprolite by both scraping the surface, and removing fragments from its interior with clean dental instruments used a single time. A single drop of glycerol from a new vial was added as a …

Erection Of The Haploporid Genus Litosaccus N. G. And Its Phylogenetic Relationship Within The Haploporidae Nicoll, 1914, Michael J. Andres, Eric E. Pulis, Thomas A. Cribb, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Litosaccus n. g. is erected for Paralecithobotrys brisbanensis Martin, 1974 n. comb. for which an amended description is given. The new genus is morphologically similar to the haploporine Lecithobotrys Looss, 1902 but with a more elongate and cylindrical body; an infundibuliform oral sucker; a thin-walled hermaphroditic sac; a shallow genital atrium; and unequal, cylindrical, and elongated caeca. It also resembles Pseudolecithobotrys Blasco-Costa, Gibson, Balbuena, Raga & Kostadinova, 2009, but the only member of that genus has a hermaphroditic sac that is twice the length of the ventral sucker, a hermaphroditic duct with intensely staining cuboidal cells, an elongate testis, and …

Establishing Tobacco Origin From Pollen Identification: An Approach To Resolving The Debate, Shane Williams, Shelby Hubbard, Karl Reinhard, Sérgio Augusto De Miranda Chaves

Karl Reinhard Publications

Previous research into pollen content of tobacco resulted in a debate. We address this debate and determine that pollen analysis may be able to assist with identifying geographical origin of tobacco. However, the value of any results should be assessed on a case-by-case regional basis until sufficient database information is available for an objective interpretation to be undertaken on a global basis. As a first step toward developing comparative data for South America, we analyzed a tobacco sample from Brazil in an effort to identify signature taxa from the state of Minas Gerais. We also assessed the role of honey …

Differences In Speciation Progress In Feather Mites (Analgoidea) Inhabiting The Same Host: The Case Of Zachvatkinia And Alloptes Living On Arctic And Longtailed Skuas, Miroslawa Dabert, Stephen J. Coulson, Dariusz J. Gwiazdowicz, Børge Moe, Sveinn Are Hanssen, Elisabeth M. Biersma, Hanne E. Pilskog, Jacek Dabert

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed that some apparently oligoxenous feather mite species are in fact monoxenous cryptic species with little morphological differentiation. In this study we analyzed two species, Zachvatkinia isolata (Avenzoariidae) and Alloptes (Sternalloptes) stercorarii (Alloptidae) which prefer different parts of the plumage of two sister species of birds: arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) and long-tailed skua (S. longicaudus) breeding on tundra in the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Given that there are no reports about hybridization events between the host species, we expected that both skuas would have …

Assessment Of Anthelmintic Efficacy Of Mebendazole In School Children In Six Countries Where Soil-Transmitted Helminths Are Endemic, Bruno Levecke, Antonio Montresor, Marco Albonico, Shaali M. Ame, Jerzy M. Behnke, Jeffrey M. Bethony, +15 Additional Authors

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

Robust reference values for fecal egg count reduction (FECR) rates of the most widely used anthelmintic drugs in preventive chemotherapy (PC) programs for controlling soil-transmitted helminths (STHs; Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm) are still lacking. However, they are urgently needed to ensure detection of reduced efficacies that are predicted to occur due to growing drug pressure. Here, using a standardized methodology, we assessed the FECR rate of a single oral dose of mebendazole (MEB; 500 mg) against STHs in six trials in school children in different locations around the world. Our results are compared with those previously obtained …

Survey Of The Ectoparasites Of The Invasive Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes Auropunctatus [Carnivora: Herpestidae]) On St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, Kelsey L. Townsend, Karen E. Powers

Virginia Journal of Science

In March 2012, live trapping surveys were conducted for invasive small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Forty mongoose were sampled (31%, 9&) for ectoparasites, and cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) were discovered on 17 individuals. There was no difference in the number of ectoparasites per mongoose across age classifications (r = 0.109, P = 0.579). However, males had more cat fleas than females, even when mass was taken into account (males are generally heavier). Future behavioral studies may explain these sex differences. Although management suggestions from this research are limited, these …

Genetics Of The Pig Tapeworm In Madagascar Reveal A History Of Human Dispersal And Colonization, Tetsuya Yanagida, Jean-François Carod, Yasuhito Sako, Minoru Nakao, Eric P. Hoberg, Akira Ito

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

An intricate history of human dispersal and geographic colonization has strongly affected the distribution of human pathogens. The pig tapeworm Taenia solium occurs throughout the world as the causative agent of cysticercosis, one of the most serious neglected tropical diseases. Discrete genetic lineages of T. solium in Asia and Africa/Latin America are geographically disjunct; only in Madagascar are they sympatric. Linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence has indicated that the people in Madagascar have mixed ancestry from Island Southeast Asia and East Africa. Hence, anthropogenic introduction of the tapeworm from Southeast Asia and Africa had been postulated. This study shows that …