Parasitic Diseases Commons^™

A Reactivation Of Ocular Toxoplasmosis During Pregnancy, Brett Garee Od, Ms, Sarah Dieter Od, Pete Liette Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite estimated to affect over 500 million people worldwide. The feline is the definitive host for the parasite and infection may be acquired or congenital via maternal transmission. Humans may acquire the infection by ingestion of raw or undercooked meats and vegetables, contaminated water, or exposure to infected cat feces. The infection is often benign, self-limiting, and asymptomatic for humans, but potentially life threatening to infants or the immunocompromised patient.

Case Report: A 22 year-old Caucasian female, pregnant at 12 weeks gestation, presented to the optometry service with acute symptoms of hazy vision …

Infection And Transmission Determinants Of Flea-Borne Rickettsioses, Hanna J. Laukaitis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

The genus Rickettsia is comprised of Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacteria that are spread by hematophagous arthropods. Elucidating the factors conferring rickettsial virulence has perplexed investigators for decades, complicated by the lack of efficient genetic tools necessary to uncover rickettsial- and vector-specific factors contributing to persistence. The advent of transposon mutagenesis has enabled the field to make vast developments in uncovering novel rickettsial mechanisms utilized in various host backgrounds. Thus, the aim of this study was to generate Rickettsia felis transposon mutants and characterize novel phenotypes associated with genetic disruption in an arthropod background. Distribution of rickettsiae is reliant on the …

Control Of Scabies In A Boarding School Using 5% Permethrin Applied On Lesion Only, Saleha Sungkar, Sri Wahdini, Aria Kekalih, Risa Rilanda, Hansen Angkasa, Sandra Widaty

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Scabies is one of the most neglected tropical skin diseases in Indonesia. It is usually found in overcrowded communities with poor hygiene. The gold standard for scabies treatment is the whole-body topical application of 5% permethrin cream. However, the treatment causes inconvenience and stickiness for a prolonged period. The modification of topical treatment by applying only to the lesion yielded results similar with whole-body topical application. We consider using this mode of treatment to control the disease in a boarding school. The study was conducted from June to August 2019. All students were examined by dermatologists, and individuals who were …

Total Prevention: A History Of Schistosomiasis In Japan, Alexander Bay

History Faculty Articles and Research

In Japan, schistosomiasis was endemic in Yamanashi Prefecture and a few other hotspot areas where the Miya’iri snail lived. The parasite’s lifecycle relied on the intermediary Miya’iri snail as well as the human host. Parasite eggs passed into the agrarian environment through untreated night soil used as fertiliser or through the culture of open defecation in rural Japan. Manmade rice fields and irrigation ditches, night soil covered paddies and highly refined growing seasons put people in flooded rice paddies to intensively work the land in the spring and summer. The disease was equally dependent on human intervention in the natural …

Malaria: Existence Perpetuated By A Counterfeit Drug Industry, Nicholas Black

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that has plagued society for thousands of years. Malaria is often overlooked from the perspective of wealthier industrialized countries due to prevention efforts largely eliminating malaria from these locations. However, overlooking malaria’s continued global relevance is misinformed to the fact that nearly half the global population lives in regions at risk of malarial transmission. According to the CDC and WHO, such a high number of people at risk has subsequently led to an estimated 241 million cases and over 627 thousand deaths in 2020 alone. The purpose for the present research is to examine the …

Transmission Risk Of Malaria Via Gas Flares In Africa, Elle Blake

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Gas flaring occurs at oil drilling sites around the world. It is a method to get rid of the extra gas, as well as to release pressure in emergency situations. The pollutants that are contributed to the air through routine gas flaring can be extremely harmful. Chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and methane are burned into the air we breathe (Baker Hughes, 2019). Not only does this have a direct impact on our health, but also on greenhouse gas emissions. The effects on greenhouse gas emissions impact diseases such as Malaria by increasing the temperature of our planet. The purpose …

Disrupting Monoallelic Expression Of Variant Surface Glycoprotein In Trypanosoma Brucei By A Non-Lethal Mutation In Class I Transcription Factor A, Sarah Platt

Honors Scholar Theses

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a lethal disease caused by protozoan hemoflagellates of the genus Trypanosoma. Humans are vulnerable to two subspecies, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. At the crux of HAT lethality lie two uncommon genetic expression phenomena: monoallelic expression and antigenic variation. Combined, these mechanisms effectively shield trypanosomes from host immune systems, prolonging infections. Variant Surface Glycoproteins (VSGs) are the key outer membrane proteins involved in antigenic variation. By continuously changing the composition of cell surface antigens, trypanosomes can survive bouts of immunological detection and eventually traverse the blood-brain barrier. There are over two …

Preclinical Characterization And Target Validation Of The Antimalarial Pantothenamide Mmv693183., Laura E. De Vries, Patrick A. M. Jansen, Catalina Barcelo, Justin Munro, Julie M. J. Verhoef, Charisse Flerida A. Pasaje, Kelly Rubiano, Josefine Striepen, Nada Abla, Luuk Berning, Judith M. Bolscher, Claudia Demarta-Gatsi, Rob W. M. Henderson, Tonnie Huijs, Karin M J Koolen, Patrick K. Tumwebaze, Tomas Yeo, Anna C. C. Aguiar, Iñigo Angulo-Barturen, Alisje Churchyard, Jake Baum, Benigno Crespo Fernández, Aline Fuchs, Francisco-Javier Gamo, Rafael V. C. Guido, María Belén Jiménez-Diaz, Dhelio B. Pereira, Rosemary Rochford, Camille Roesch, Laura M. Sanz, Graham Trevitt, Benoit Witkowski, Sergio Wittlin, Roland A. Cooper, Philip J. Rosenthal, Robert W. Sauerwein, Joost Schalkwijk, Pedro H. H. Hermkens, Roger V. Bonnert, Brice Campo, David A. Fidock, Manuel Llinás, Jacquin C. Niles, Taco W. A. Kooij, Koen J. Dechering

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

Drug resistance and a dire lack of transmission-blocking antimalarials hamper malaria elimination. Here, we present the pantothenamide MMV693183 as a first-in-class acetyl-CoA synthetase (AcAS) inhibitor to enter preclinical development. Our studies demonstrate attractive drug-like properties and in vivo efficacy in a humanized mouse model of Plasmodium falciparum infection. The compound shows single digit nanomolar in vitro activity against P. falciparum and P. vivax clinical isolates, and potently blocks P. falciparum transmission to Anopheles mosquitoes. Genetic and biochemical studies identify AcAS as the target of the MMV693183-derived antimetabolite, CoA-MMV693183. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modelling predict that a single 30 mg oral dose is sufficient …

“Pandemias Políticas: The Effects Of Political And Social Instability On Infectious Disease Epidemiology In Latin America"”, Sarah H. Noonan

Senior Theses

This paper seeks to analyze the relationship between political and social unrest and conflict and infectious disease epidemiology in Latin America. An analysis of published literature regarding epidemiological, biomedical, political, and historical content was conducted to highlight potential connections between infectious disease epidemics and sociopolitical conflict in the region. Specific analyses of Smallpox, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, Chagas disease, Cholera, Dengue, and COVID-19 were conducted, in an effort to uncover potential causations and context of epidemics of these conditions. Results of this analysis depict a necessity for further research into public health and disease control mechanisms during times of conflict and …

Chloroquine-Susceptible And -Resistant Plasmodium Falciparum Strains Survive High Chloroquine Concentrations By Becoming Dormant But Are Eliminated By Prolonged Exposure, Johan Ursing, Rasmus Johns, Berit Aydin-Schmidt, Carla Calçada, Poul-Erik Kofoed, Najia Karim Ghanchi, Maria Isabel Veiga, Lars Rombo

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Plasmodium falciparum strains that are resistant to standard-dose chloroquine can be treated by higher chloroquine concentrations maintained for a longer time in vivo.
Objectives: To determine the relative importance of chloroquine concentrations versus exposure time for elimination of chloroquine-susceptible and -resistant P. falciparum in vitro.
Methods: Chloroquine-susceptible (3D7) and -resistant (FCR3) strains were exposed in vitro to 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32 times their respective 90% inhibitory chloroquine concentrations for 3, 5, 7 or 14 days and then followed until recrudescence, or not, by 42 days after the end of exposure.
Results: Exposure to chloroquine appeared to …

Discovery And Preclinical Pharmacology Of Ine963, A Potent And Fast-Acting Blood-Stage Antimalarial With A High Barrier To Resistance And Potential For Single-Dose Cures In Uncomplicated Malaria., Benjamin R. Taft, Fumiaki Yokokawa, Tom Kirrane, Anne-Catherine Mata, Richard Huang, Nicole Blaquiere, Grace Waldron, Bin Zou, Oliver Simon, Subramanyam Vankadara, Wai Ling Chan, Mei Ding, Sandra Sim, Judith Straimer, Armand Guiguemde, Suresh B Lakshminarayana, Jay Prakash Jain, Christopher Bodenreider, Christopher Thompson, Christian Lanshoeft, Wei Shu, Eric Fang, Jafri Qumber, Katherine Chan, Luying Pei, Yen-Liang Chen, Hanna Schulz, Jessie Lim, Siti Nurdiana Abas, Xiaoman Ang, Yugang Liu, Iñigo Angulo-Barturen, María Belén Jiménez-Díaz, Glaxosmithkline Gamo, Benigno Crespo-Fernandez, Philip J. Rosenthal, Roland A. Cooper, Patrick Tumwebaze, Anna Caroline Campos Aguiar, Brice Campo, Simon Campbell, Jürgen Wagner, Thierry T Diagana, Christopher Sarko

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

A series of 5-aryl-2-amino-imidazothiadiazole (ITD) derivatives were identified by a phenotype-based high-throughput screening using a blood stage Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) growth inhibition assay. A lead optimization program focused on improving antiplasmodium potency, selectivity against human kinases, and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity properties and extended pharmacological profiles culminated in the identification of INE963 (1), which demonstrates potent cellular activity against Pf 3D7 (EC50 = 0.006 μM) and achieves "artemisinin-like" kill kinetics in vitro with a parasite clearance time of/kg is fully curative in the Pf-humanized severe combined immunodeficient mouse model. INE963 (1) also exhibits a high barrier to resistance …

Antibacterial And Anti-Hiv-1 Gp120 Activities Of Selected Medicinal Plants, Rose J. Masalu, Cyprian B. Mpinda

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Medicinal plants play an important role in traditional medicine and drug development research because of their numerous bioactivities. However, some concerns have risen on the inefficiencies of such products due to improper use of medicinal plant products, notably when mixed with other traditional remedies. This study evaluates the antibacterial and anti-human immunodeficiency virus 1 glycoprotein 120/CD4 (anti-HIV-1 GP120/CD4) activities of medicinal plants species Sapium ellipticum, Pseudospondias microcarpa, and Capparis erythrocarpos; and their respective combinations effects. Results revealed that aqueous and ethyl acetate extracts of S. ellipticum and P. microcarpa had antimicrobial activities against S. aureus (ATCC 25923), E. coli (ATCC …

Larval Habitats, Species Composition And Distribution Of Malaria Vectors In Regions With Autochthonous And Imported Malaria In Roraima State, Brazil, Nathália Coelho Vargas De Almeida, Jaime Louzada, Maycon Sebastião Alberto Santos Neves, Thiago M. Carvalho, Júlio Castro‑Alves, Teresa Fernandes Silva‑Do‑Nascimento, Ananias A. Escalante, Joseli Oliveira‑Ferreira

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background: Malaria control requires local action. Assessing the vector diversity and abundance provides information on the local malariogenic potential or risk of transmission. This study aimed to determine the Anopheles species composition, habitats, seasonal occurrence, and distribution in areas with autochthonous and imported malaria cases in Roraima State.

Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted from January 2017 to October 2018, sampling larvae and adult mosquitoes in three municipalities of Roraima State: Boa Vista, Pacaraima and São João da Baliza. These areas have different risks of malaria importation. Four to six mosquito larval habitats were selected for larval sampling …

Comparison Of Percutaneous Vs Oral Infection Of Hamsters With The Hookworm Ancylostoma Ceylanicum: Parasite Development, Pathology And Primary Immune Response, Richard D. Bungiro, Lisa M. Harrison, Blaise Dondji, Michael Cappello

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Background

Hundreds of millions of people in poor countries continue to suffer from disease caused by bloodfeeding hookworms. While mice and rats are not reliably permissive hosts for any human hookworm species, adult Golden Syrian hamsters are fully permissive for the human and animal pathogen Ancylostoma ceylanicum. Similar to humans, hamsters may be infected with A. ceylanicum third-stage larvae orally or percutaneously. Oral infection typically leads to consistent worm yields in hamsters but may not accurately reflect the clinical and immunological manifestations of human infection resulting from skin penetration.

Methodology/Principal findings

In this study we compared host responses …

Rationalization Of The Laboratory Diagnosis For Good Management Of Malaria: Lessons From Transitional Methods, Neguemadji N. Ngaba, Imteyaz A. Khan, Namrata Hange, Maria Kezia Lourdes Ligsay Pormento, Manoj Kumar Reddy Somagutta, Ajay Kumar, Youssouf Abdelkerim, Alarangue Djindimadje, Samia Jahan

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

Introduction. Malaria is an endemic disease in sub-Saharan Africa. In clinical practice, the main concern is the overdiagnosis of malaria leading to inappropriate drug prescription without laboratory confirmation. Objective. This study aimed to evaluate clinical examination reliability compared with translational laboratory methods of malaria diagnosis. Methods. The study was conducted in Goundi Hospital among hospitalized patients over a seven-month period. Patients were interviewed, and malaria tests done included the Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood smears. Diagnostic accuracy was analysed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values. Results. Among 1,874 participants, 674 (35.96%) patients had positive Giemsa-stained …

Prevalence Of Mutations In The Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, And Pfmdr1 Genes Of Malarial Parasites Isolated From Symptomatic Patients In Dogondoutchi, Niger, Ibrahima Issa, Mahaman Moustapha Lamine, Veronique Hubert, Amadou Ilagouma, Eric Adehossi, Aboubacar Mahamadou, Neil F. Lobo, Demba Sarr, Lisa M. Shollenberger, Houze Sandrine, Ronan Jambou, Ibrahim Maman Laminou

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The effectiveness of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) depends not only on that of artemisinin but also on that of partner molecules. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of mutations in the Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, and Pfmdr1 genes from isolates collected during a clinical study. Plasmodium genomic DNA samples extracted from symptomatic malaria patients from Dogondoutchi, Niger, were sequenced by the Sanger method to determine mutations in the Pfdhfr (codons 51, 59, 108, and 164), Pfdhps (codons 436, 437, 540, 581, and 613), and Pfmdr1 (codons 86, 184, 1034, and 1246) genes. One hundred fifty-five (155) pre-treatment samples were …

Rickettsial Pathogen Perturbs Tick Circadian Gene To Infect The Vertebrate Host, Supreet Khanal, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ixodes scapularis is a medically important tick that transmits several microbes to humans, including rickettsial pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In nature, these ticks encounter several abiotic factors including changes in temperature, humidity, and light. Many organisms use endogenously generated circadian pathways to encounter abiotic factors. In this study, we provide evidence for the first time to show that A. phagocytophilum modulates the arthropod circadian gene for its transmission to the vertebrate host. We noted a circadian oscillation in the expression of arthropod clock, bmal1, period and timeless genes when ticks or tick cells were exposed to alternate 12 h …

Malaria Resilience In South America: Epidemiology, Vector Biology, And Immunology Insights From The Amazonian International Center Of Excellence In Malaria Research Network In Peru And Brazil, Kathrine Torres, Marcelo U. Ferreira, Marcia C. Castro, Ananias A. Escalante, Jan E. Conn, Elizabeth Villasis, Maisa Da Silva Araujo, Gregorio Almeida, Priscila T. Rodrigues, Rodrigo M. Corder, Anderson R.J. Fernandes, Priscila R. Calil, Winni A. Ladeia, Stefano S. Garcia-Castillo, Joaquin Gomez, Lis Ribeiro Do Valle Antonelli, Ricardo T. Gazzinelli, Douglas T. Golenbock, Alejandro Llanos-Cuentas, Dionicia Gamboa, Joseph M. Vinetz

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

The 1990s saw the rapid reemergence of malaria in Amazonia, where it remains an important public health priority in South America. The Amazonian International Center of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR) was designed to take a multidisciplinary approach toward identifying novel malaria control and elimination strategies. Based on geographically and epidemiologically distinct sites in the Northeastern Peruvian and Western Brazilian Amazon regions, synergistic projects integrate malaria epidemiology, vector biology, and immunology. The Amazonian ICEMR’s overarching goal is to understand how human behavior and other sociodemographic features of human reservoirs of transmission— predominantly asymptomatically parasitemic people—interact with the major Amazonian malaria …

Genomic Approaches To Uncovering The Coevolutionary History Of Parasitic Lice [Review], Kevin P. Johnson

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Next-generation sequencing technologies are revolutionizing the fields of genomics, phylogenetics, and population genetics. These new genomic approaches have been extensively applied to a major group of parasites, the lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) of birds and mammals. Two louse genomes have been assembled and annotated to date, and these have opened up new resources for the study of louse biology. Whole genome sequencing has been used to assemble large phylogenomic datasets for lice, incorporating sequences of thousands of genes. These datasets have provided highly supported trees at all taxonomic levels, ranging from relationships among the major groups of lice to those among …

Can Repurposing Drugs Play A Role In Malaria Control?, Roland A. Cooper, Laura Kirkman

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

Innovative drug treatments for malaria, optimally with novel targets, are needed to combat the threat of parasite drug resistance. As drug development efforts continue, there may be a role for a host-targeting, repurposed cancer drug administered together with an artemisinin combination therapy that was shown to improve the speed of recovery from a malaria infection.