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Topic Review
Avian Malaria Vectors in Host-Seeking Behaviour
Vector-borne infectious diseases (e.g., malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever) result from a parasite transmitted to humans and other animals by blood-feeding arthropods. They are major contributors to the global disease burden, as they account for nearly a fifth of all infectious diseases worldwide. The interaction between vectors and their hosts plays a key role driving vector-borne disease transmission.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 May 2022
Topic Review
Stachybotrys chartarum Enzymes and Their Possible Applications
Stachybotrys chartarum (black mold) (Stachybotriaceae) is a toxigenic fungus that is commonly found in damp environments. This fungus has the capacity to produce various classes of bio-metabolites with unrivaled structural features, including cyclosporins, cochlioquinones, atranones, trichothecenes, dolabellanes, phenylspirodrimanes, xanthones, and isoindoline and chromene derivatives.
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Relationship between Latent-Toxoplasmosis and Depression
Latent infection of the globally spread parasite Toxoplasma gondii in humans has been associated with changes in personality and behavior. Numerous studies have investigated the effect of toxoplasmosis on depression, but their results are inconsistent. Our study focused on the effect of latent toxoplasmosis on depression in men and women in association with their fertility. In 2016–2018, we recruited clients (677 men and 664 women) of the Center for Assisted Reproduction and asked them to complete a standardized Beck Depression Inventory-II. In women without fertility problems, we found higher depression scores in Toxoplasma-positive than in Toxoplasma-negative (p = 0.010, Cohen’s d = 0.48). Toxoplasma-positive infertile men, on the other hand, had lower depression scores than Toxoplasma-negative infertile men (p ≤ 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.48). Our results are consistent with the previously described effects of latent toxoplasmosis, which seem to go in opposite directions regarding the effect on personality and behavior of men and women. Our results could be explained by gender-contrasting reactions to chronic stress associated with lifelong infection. This suggests that due to gender differences in the impact of latent toxoplasmosis, future studies ought to perform separate analyses for women and men. 
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Trypanosoma cruzi Congenital Transmission
Chagas disease, initiated by the etiological agent Trypanosoma cruzi, is an endemic infection in the American continent. Although vectorial transmission of T. cruzi is recognized as the main mode of infection, other routes such as congenital and blood transfusion are also documented as important methods of transmission. T. cruzi maternal–fetal transmission has been recorded in humans and examined by some investigators in naturally and experimentally infected mammals. 
  • 1.0K
  • 08 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Taxonomy of Chagas Disease Vectors
Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted mainly by members of the subfamily Triatominae.
  • 1.0K
  • 07 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Lyme Neuroborreliosis
Lyme borreliosis is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in the United States, infecting ~476,000 people annually. Borrelia spp. spirochetal bacteria are the causative agents of Lyme disease in humans and are transmitted by Ixodes spp ticks. Clinical manifestations vary depending on which B. burgdorferi sensu stricto outer surface protein C (OspC) genotype infects the patient and only certain genotypes may exhibit neurotropism in humans.
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Immunological Response against Trypanosoma cruzi
Chagas disease is a chronic systemic infection transmitted by Trypanosoma cruzi. Its life cycle consists of different stages in vector insects and host mammals. Trypanosoma cruzi strains cause different clinical manifestations of Chagas disease alongside geographic differences in morbidity and mortality. Natural killer cells provide the cytokine interferon-gamma in the initial phases of T. cruzi infection. Phagocytes secrete cytokines that promote inflammation and activation of other cells involved in defence. Dendritic cells, monocytes and macrophages modulate the adaptive immune response, and B lymphocytes activate an effective humoral immune response to T. cruzi.
  • 985
  • 15 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Plasmodium vivax msp1 42 Haplotypes in Southern Mexico
P. vivax msp1 42 polymorphism from parasites the control and pre-elimination phases in southern Mexico was analyzed. Nucleotide variation of pre-elimination parasites showed a population contraction. Four Haplogroups having specific B-cell epitopes displayed spatiotemporal fluctuations. 
  • 976
  • 14 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Life Cycle and Tissue Niches of Plasmodium Parasites
The new biological characteristics identified in the P. vivax life cycle with cryptic infections detected in extrahepatic sites (spleen, bone marrow and the lymphatic system) present a new conundrum. It is of interest that in all the cryptic sites, the sinusoidal system is used by the parasites to enter tissues. The sinusoids have a unique anatomical structure that includes a monocyte–macrophage system in addition to the fenestrated endothelium. All the tissues are therefore involved in defending the body, particularly the spleen, where the largest biomass of P. vivax infection has been found. 
  • 956
  • 11 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Angiostrongylus cantonensis in the Definitive Rodent Host
Human angiostrongylosis is an emerging zoonosis caused by the larvae of three species of metastrongyloid nematodes of the genus Angiostrongylus, with Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Chen, 1935) being dominant across the world. Its obligatory heteroxenous life cycle includes rats as definitive hosts, mollusks as intermediate hosts, and amphibians and reptiles as paratenic hosts. In humans, the infection manifests as Angiostrongylus eosinophilic meningitis (AEM) or ocular form.
  • 930
  • 29 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Halophyte Plants as Sources of Antiprotozoal Agents
Aligned to their traditional uses as antiparasitic agents, halophytes have proven by in vitro and in vivo research approaches their potential as sources of molecules with activity towards different protozoa species. Most antiprotozoal studies on natural products focus particularly on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of twenty infectious illnesses that include, for example, leishmaniasis, human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), Chagas disease, and schistosomiasis. NTDs affect more than 1 billion people worldwide, particularly very poor populations in tropical and subtropical areas in 149 countries). Leishmaniasis is caused by more than 20 Leishmania species, while trypanosomiasis is ascribed to Trypanosoma, either the Trypanosoma brucei complex (sleeping sickness, human African trypanosomiasis) or T. cruzi (Chagas disease, American trypanosomiasis). Malaria, referred to as a “disease of poverty”, is no longer recognized as an NTD and is caused by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium, namely P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, and P. ovale, which are specific for humans.
  • 928
  • 01 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Plasmodium Falciparum Factors Affecting HRP2-RDTs Performance
Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), the unsung hero in malaria diagnosis, work to eliminate the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria through their efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly qualities in detecting the antigen HRP2 (histidine-rich protein 2), among other proteins. However, the testing mechanism and management of malaria with RDTs presents a variety of limitations. Such as the parasitic factors that limit the performance of HRP2-based RDTs. By understanding the factors that affect the performance of HRP2-based RDTs in the field, researchers can work toward creating and implementing more effective and accurate HRP2-based diagnostic tools. Further research is required to understand the extent of these factors, as the rapidly changing interplay between parasite and host directly hinders the effectiveness of the tool.
  • 916
  • 27 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Application of Proteomics in Giardia duodenalis
Giardia duodenalis remains a neglected tropical disease. A key feature of the sustained transmission of Giardia is the ability to form environmentally resistant cysts. Valuable information from proteomics analyses of G. duodenalis has been discovered in terms of the pathogenesis and virulence of Giardia, which may provide guidance for the development of better means with which to prevent and reduce the impacts of giardiasis.
  • 892
  • 18 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Polyamine Metabolism in Leishmania Parasites
Parasites of the genus Leishmania cause a variety of devastating and often fatal diseases in humans and domestic animals worldwide. The need for new therapeutic strategies is urgent because no vaccine is available, and treatment options are limited due to a lack of specificity and the emergence of drug resistance. Polyamines are metabolites that play a central role in rapidly proliferating cells, and recent studies have highlighted their critical nature in Leishmania. Numerous studies using a variety of inhibitors as well as gene deletion mutants have elucidated the pathway and routes of transport, revealing unique aspects of polyamine metabolism in Leishmania parasites.
  • 888
  • 10 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Immune Evasion in Mosquitoes
In recent decades, mosquito-borne illnesses have emerged as a major health burden in many tropical regions. These diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika virus infection, Rift Valley fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile virus infection, are transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. These pathogens have been shown to interfere with the host’s immune system through adaptive and innate immune mechanisms, as well as the human circulatory system. Crucial immune checkpoints such as antigen presentation, T cell activation, differentiation, and proinflammatory response play a vital role in the host cell’s response to pathogenic infection. Furthermore, these immune evasions have the potential to stimulate the human immune system, resulting in other associated non-communicable diseases.
  • 883
  • 06 May 2023
Topic Review
Tick-Borne Rickettsioses in the Iberian Peninsula
Tick-borne rickettsioses (TBR) are caused by obligate, intracellular bacteria of the spotted-fever group (SFG) of the genus Rickettsia (Order Rickettsiales), transmitted by hard ticks. TBR are one of the oldest known vector-borne zoonoses and pose a threat to both human and animal health, as over the years, new SFG Rickettsia spp. have been reported worldwide with the potential to be human pathogens. In Portugal and Spain, the countries that constitute the Iberian Peninsula, reported TB rickettsiae causing human disease include Rickettsia conorii conorii, Rickettsia conorii israelensis, Rickettsia slovaca, Rickettsia raoultii, Candidatus Rickettsia rioja, Rickettsia sibirica mongolitimonae, and Rickettsia monacensis.
  • 874
  • 12 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Anti-Tumor Effect of Parasitic Protozoans
The immune system may aberrantly silence when against “altered self”, which consequently may develop into malignancies. With the development of tumor immunology and molecular biology, the deepened understanding of the relationship between parasites and tumors shifts the attitude towards parasitic pathogens from elimination to utilization. The antitumor impact implemented by protozoan parasites and the derived products has been confirmed. The immune system is activated and enhanced by some protozoan parasites, thereby inhibiting tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis in many animal models. 
  • 873
  • 09 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Toxoplasma gondii Infections in Southern Africa
Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite with zoonotic importance worldwide especially in pregnant women and immunocompromised people. There is limited information on the distribution of T. gondii in animals and humans in southern African countries. The overall pooled prevalence is estimated as 17%.
  • 870
  • 17 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Anti-Babesia Vaccines
Bovine babesiosis is caused by the Apicomplexa parasites from the genus Babesia. It is one of the most important tick-borne veterinary diseases worldwide; Babesia bovis being the species associated with the most severe clinical signs of the disease and causing the greatest economic losses. Resistance to drugs targeting B. bovis or its transmitting vector has made vaccination against this parasite the main infection control method.
  • 869
  • 17 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Protozoan Parasites and Hypoxia
Body tissues are subjected to various oxygenic gradients and fluctuations and hence can become transiently hypoxic. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is the master transcriptional regulator of the cellular hypoxic response and is capable of modulating cellular metabolism, immune responses, epithelial barrier integrity, and local microbiota. Reports have characterized the hypoxic responses to various infections, including parasitic infections. Protozoan parasites must adapt to varying oxygen concentrations during infection.
  • 853
  • 04 Jul 2023
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