Parasitology Commons^™

Molecular Evolution And Phylogenetics Of Rodent Malaria Parasites, Ricardo S. Ramiro, Sarah E. Reece, Darren J. Obbard

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background: Over the last 6 decades, rodent Plasmodium species have become key model systems for understanding the basic biology of malaria parasites. Cell and molecular parasitology have made much progress in identifying genes underpinning interactions between malaria parasites, hosts, and vectors. However, little attention has been paid to the evolutionary genetics of parasites, which provides context for identifying potential therapeutic targets and for understanding the selective forces shaping parasites in natural populations. Additionally, understanding the relationships between species, subspecies, and strains, is necessary to maximize the utility of rodent malaria parasites as medically important infectious disease models, and for …

Evolutionary History Of Assassin Bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae): Insights From Divergence Dating And Ancestral State Reconstruction, Wei Song Hwang, Christiane Weirauch

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Assassin bugs are one of the most successful clades of predatory animals based on their species numbers (~ 6,800 spp.) and wide distribution in terrestrial ecosystems. Various novel prey capture strategies and remarkable prey specializations contribute to their appeal as a model to study evolutionary pathways involved in predation. Here, we reconstruct the most comprehensive reduviid phylogeny (178 taxa, 18 subfamilies) to date based on molecular data (5 markers). This phylogeny tests current hypotheses on reduviid relationships emphasizing the polyphyletic Reduviinae and the blood-feeding, diseasevectoring Triatominae, and allows us, for the first time in assassin bugs, to reconstruct ancestral states …

Association Of Environmental Traits With The Geographic Ranges Of Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Of Medical And Veterinary Importance In The Western Palearctic. A Digital Data Set, A. Estrada-Peña, Robert Farkas, Thomas G.T. Jaenson, Frank Koenen, Maxime Madder, Ilaria Pascucci, Mo Salman, Jordi Tarrés-Call, Frans Jongejan

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

We compiled information on the distribution of ticks in the western Palearctic (11^oW, 45^oE; 29^oN, 71^oN), published during 1970–2010. The literature search was filtered by the tick’s species name and an unambiguous reference to the point of capture. Records from some curated collections were included. We focused on tick species of importance to human and animal health, in particular: Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor marginatus, D. reticulatus, Haemaphysalis punctata, H. sulcata, Hyalomma marginatum, Hy. lusitanicum, Rhipicephalus annulatus, R. bursa, and the R. sanguineus group. A few records of other species (I. canisuga, I. …

Analysis Of Variable Effects On Presence Of Cryptosporidium Oocysts And Giardia Cysts In Effluent Water From Wastewater Treatment Utilities In Florida From 1998 To 2010, Katherine Jane Barkan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concern of a Cryptosporidium or Giardia waterborne outbreak due to treated wastewater has had water treatment utilities using some of the highest water cleansing technologies available. Cryptosporidiosis and Giardiasis are severe diarrheal diseases which can lead to death, thus it is important that appropriate steps are taken to assure these parasites are not present in the effluent of treated wastewater. This study examined the results of 863 assays for Giardia and Cryptosporidium on the effluent of wastewater treatment facilities and found that county of collection, watershed of collection, and laboratory analyzing the sample have the most significant impact on …

High-Throughput Of Indoline Derivatives Against Leishmania Major And Trypanozoma Cruzi, Joanna A. Olivas, Eva E. Iniguez, Miguel A. Vasquez, Elizabeth Calzada, Katja Michael, Rosa A. Maldonado

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2012

Leishmania major and Trypanozoma cruzi are obligate intracellular parasites responsible for Leishmaniasis and Chaga’s disease, respectively. These neglected diseases are endemic in many regions such as Africa and South America, and are becoming a serious problem in the blood and tissue banks in the U.S. due to high immigration of people from endemic regions. Current treatments are characterized by their low efficacy against parasites and high toxicity in humans. Therefore, the discovery of new ways to treat these parasitoses has become urgent. Drug Screening of novel compounds serves as a starting point for the design of new therapies and for …

Gastrointestinal Cell Mediated Immunity And The Microsporidia, Magali M. Moretto, Imtiaz A. Khan, Louis M. Weiss

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Germline Transgenesis And Insertional Mutagenesis In Schistosoma Mansoni Mediated By Murine Leukemia Virus, Gabriel Rinaldi, Sabine E. Eckert, Isheng J. Tsai, Suttas Suttiprapa, Kristine J. Kines, Jose F. Tort, Victoria H. Mann, Daniel J. Turner, Matthew Berriman, Paul J. Brindley

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Functional studies will facilitate characterization of role and essentiality of newly available genome sequences of the human schistosomes, Schistosoma mansoni, S. japonicum and S. haematobium. To develop transgenesis as a functional approach for these pathogens, we previously demonstrated that pseudotyped murine leukemia virus (MLV) can transduce schistosomes leading to chromosomal integration of reporter transgenes and short hairpin RNA cassettes. Here we investigated vertical transmission of transgenes through the developmental cycle of S. mansoni after introducing transgenes into eggs. Although MLV infection of schistosome eggs from mouse livers was efficient in terms of snail infectivity, >10-fold higher transgene copy …

Vasa-Like Dead-Box Rna Helicases Of Schistosoma Mansoni, Danielle E. Skinner, Gabriel Rinaldi, Sutas Suttiprapa, Victoria H. Mann, Pablo Smircich, Alexis A. Cogswell, David L. Williams, Paul J. Brindley

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Genome sequences are available for the human blood flukes, Schistosoma japonicum, S. mansoni and S. haematobium. Functional genomic approaches could aid in identifying the role and importance of these newly described schistosome genes. Transgenesis is established for functional genomics in model species, which can lead to gain- or loss-of-functions, facilitate vector-based RNA interference, and represents an effective forward genetics tool for insertional mutagenesis screens. Progress toward routine transgenesis in schistosomes might be expedited if germ cells could be reliably localized in cultured schistosomes. Vasa, a member of the ATP-dependent DEAD-box RNA helicase family, is a prototypic marker of …

Detection Of European Strain Of Echinococcus Multilocularis In North America, Emily J. Jenkins, Andrew S. Peregrine, Janet E. Hill, Christopher Somers, Karen Gesy, Brian Barnes, Bruno Gottstein, Lydden Polley

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

To the Editor: In 2009, an alveolar hydatid cyst, the intermediate stage of the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis, was detected in the liver of a dog from Quesnel, British Columbia (BC), Canada, 600 km west of the nearest known record of this parasite in central North America. Alveolar hydatid cysts normally occur in rodent intermediate hosts. However, humans can serve as aberrant intermediate hosts; cysts generally originate in the liver and, in about one third of cases, metastasize throughout the body. Detection of the larval stage of this pathogen in an unusual host in a new geographic region required application …

Elevated Plasma Il-6 Associates With Increased Risk Of Advanced Fibrosis And Cholangiocarcinoma In Individuals Infected By Opisthorchis Viverrini, Banchob Sripa, Bandit Thinkhamrop, Eimorn Mairiang, Thewarach Laha, Sasithorn Kaewkes, Paiboon Sithithaworn, Maria V. Periago, Vajarabhongsa Bhudhisawasdi, Ponlapat Yonglitthipagon, Jason Mulvenna, Paul J. Brindley, Alex Loukas, Jeffrey M. Bethony

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Opisthorchis viverrini is considered among the most important of the food-borne trematodes due to its strong association with advanced periductal fibrosis and bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). We investigated the relationship between plasma levels of Interleukin (IL)-6 and the risk of developing advanced fibrosis and bile duct cancer from chronic Opisthorchis infection. We show that IL-6 circulates in plasma at concentrations 58 times higher in individuals with advanced fibrosis than age, sex, and nearest-neighbor matched controls and 221 times higher in individuals with bile duct cancer than controls. We also observed a dose-response relationship between increasing levels of plasma IL-6 and …

Five-Year Longitudinal Assessment Of The Downstream Impact On Schistosomiasis Transmission Following Closure Of The Three Gorges Dam., Darren J. Gray, Aaron P. Thrift, Gail M. Williams, Feng Zheng, Yue-Sheng Li, Jiagang Guo, Honggen Chen, Tianping Wang, Xin J. Xu, Rong Zhu, Hongqing Zhu, Chun Li Cao, Dan D. Lin, Zhen Y. Zhao, Robert S. Li, George M. Davis, Donald P. Mcmanus

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

Schistosoma japonicum is a major public health concern in the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC), with about 800,000 people infected and another 50 million living in areas at risk of infection. Based on ecological, environmental, population genetic and molecular factors, schistosomiasis transmission in PRC can be categorised into four discrete ecosystems or transmission modes. It is predicted that, long-term, the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) will impact upon the transmission of schistosomiasis in the PRC, with varying degree across the four transmission modes.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We undertook longitudinal surveillance from 2002 to 2006 in sentinel villages of the three transmission …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 34, No. 1, Spring 2012, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

An issue of the American Society of Parasitologists' quarterly newsletter, also called the Journal of Parasitology Newsletter.

The Origin Of Malarial Parasites In Orangutans, M. Andreína Pacheco, Michael J.C. Reid, Michael A. Schillaci, Carl A. Lowenberger, Biruté M. F. Galdikas, Lisa Jones-Engel, Ananias A. Escalante

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background: Recent findings of Plasmodium in African apes have changed our perspectives on the evolution of malarial parasites in hominids. However, phylogenetic analyses of primate malarias are still missing information from Southeast Asian apes. In this study, we report molecular data for a malaria parasite lineage found in orangutans.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We screened twenty-four blood samples from Pongo pygmaeus (Kalimantan, Indonesia) for Plasmodium parasites by PCR. For all the malaria positive orangutan samples, parasite mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) and two antigens: merozoite surface protein 1 42 kDa (MSP-1₄₂) and circumsporozoite protein gene (CSP) were amplified, cloned, and …

Enhanced Protective Efficacy Of A Chimeric Form Of The Schistosomiasis Vaccine Antigen Sm-Tsp-2, Mark S. Pearson, Darren A. Pickering, Henry J. Mcsorley, Jeffrey M. Bethony, Leon Tribolet, Annette M. Dougall, Peter J. Hotez, Alex Loukas

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

The large extracellular loop of the Schistosoma mansoni tetraspanin, Sm-TSP-2, when fused to a thioredoxin partner and formulated with Freund's adjuvants, has been shown to be an efficacious vaccine against murine schistosomiasis. Moreover, Sm-TSP-2 is uniquely recognised by IgG1 and IgG3 from putatively resistant individuals resident in S. mansoniendemic areas in Brazil. In the present study, we expressed Sm-TSP-2 at high yield and in soluble form in E. coli without the need for a solubility enhancing fusion partner. We also expressed in E. coli a chimera called Sm-TSP-2/5B, which consisted of Sm-TSP-2 fused to …

The Evolutionary Host Switches Of Polychromophilus: A Multi-Gene Phylogeny Of The Bat Malaria Genus Suggests A Second Invasion Of Mammals By A Haemosporidian Parasite, Fardo Witsenburg, Nicolas Salamin, Philippe Christe

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background: The majority of Haemosporida species infect birds or reptiles, but many important genera, including Plasmodium, infect mammals. Dipteran vectors shared by avian, reptilian and mammalian Haemosporida, suggest multiple invasions of Mammalia during haemosporidian evolution; yet, phylogenetic analyses have detected only a single invasion event. Until now, several important mammal-infecting genera have been absent in these analyses. This study focuses on the evolutionary origin of Polychromophilus, a unique malaria genus that only infects bats (Microchiroptera) and is transmitted by bat flies (Nycteribiidae).

Methods: Two species of Polychromophilus were obtained from wild bats caught in Switzerland. These …

Characterising The Mucosal And Systemic Immune Responses To Experimental Human Hookworm Infection., Soraya Gaze, Henry J. Mcsorley, James Daveson, Di Jones, Jeffrey M. Bethony, Luciana M. Oliveira, Richard Speare, James S. Mccarthy, Christian R. Engwerda, John Croese, Alex Loukas

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

The mucosal cytokine response of healthy humans to parasitic helminths has never been reported. We investigated the systemic and mucosal cytokine responses to hookworm infection in experimentally infected, previously hookworm naive individuals from non-endemic areas. We collected both peripheral blood and duodenal biopsies to assess the systemic immune response, as well as the response at the site of adult worm establishment. Our results show that experimental hookworm infection leads to a strong systemic and mucosal Th2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-9 and IL-13) and regulatory (IL-10 and TGF-β) response, with some evidence of a Th1 (IFN-γ and IL-2) response. Despite upregulation after …

Redefining Chronic Toxoplasmosis: A T Cell Exhaustion Perspective, Rajarshi Bhadra, Imtiaz A. Khan

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Parasites Of Civets (Mammalia, Viverridae) In Sabah, Borneo: A Coprological Survey, Christina P. Colon, Sharon Patton

Publications and Research

Parasite data were collected from unlogged and selectively logged lowland rain forests in Borneo. Scat from a female Viverra tangalunga (Malay civet) in the unlogged forest contained eggs of Capillaria spp., Trichuris sp., Mamomoganomus sp., and nematode larvae. Scat attributed to V. tangalunga contained reproductive products (eggs/oocysts/cysts/larvae) of Capillaria sp., Toxocara sp., Ancylostoma sp. (probably A. ceylanicum), Isospora spp., strongylate-type eggs (probably Ancylostoma spp.), Paragoni­ mus sp. and other Trematoda eggs, Monocystis sp. cysts, Gnathostoma sp. (probably G. spinigerum), the lungworm Viverrostrongylus brauni, pinworm-type eggs, Eimeria spp., Sarcocystis-type sporocyst, dermanysid mites and mesostigmatid mites. Parasites from gut samples from two …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 34, No. 2, Winter 2012, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

American Society of Parasitologists Newsletter, v. 34, no. 2, winter 2012

Ectoparasites Of Bats In Mongolia, Part 2 (Ischnopsyllidae, Nycteribiidae, Cimicidae And Acari), Ingo Scheffler, Dietrich Dolch, Jargalsaikhan Ariunbold, Annegret Stubbe, Andreas Abraham, Klaus Thiele

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

This study analyses ectoparasites found on Mongolian bats between 2008 and 2011. We examined 12 different bat species, with a total of 23 ectoparasite species present. Apart from reporting distributions, we also discuss specific host-parasite relationships. Owing to recent taxonomic changes splitting the Myotis mystacinus-group into several new taxa, their corresponding ectoparasite fauna could also be addressed in detail. Introducing ectoparasitic insects at length elsewhere (Scheffler et al. 2010), this paper focuses on the analysis of parasitic Acari. Additional findings for Spinturnicidae (wing mites) and Macronyssidae broadened the spectrum of known parasites. Altogether, the knowledge of bat ectoparasites from Mongolia …