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Topic Review
Alaria alata
Alaria alata flukes are cosmopolitan parasites. In Europe, the definitive hosts are red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), wolves (Canis lupus), and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides), as well as animals that belong to the Felidae family. Intermediate hosts, such as snails and frogs, are the sources of infection for definitive hosts. The developmental stages of A. alata mesocercariae may occur in paratenic hosts, including many species of mammals, birds, and reptiles, as well as in wild boars (Sus scrofa), which are important from the zoonotic point of view. Alaria alata is a widespread trematode that is considered a potential cause of a human disease called alariosis, which is associated with the consumption of raw or undercooked meat of intermediate or paratenic hosts of this parasite.
  • 7.0K
  • 11 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Toxoplasma gondii-Induced and Associated Diseases
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a prevalent protozoan parasite of medical and veterinary significance. It is the etiologic agent of toxoplasmosis, a neglected disease in which incidence and symptoms differ between patients and regions. In immunocompetent patients, toxoplasmosis manifests as acute and chronic forms. Acute toxoplasmosis presents as mild or asymptomatic disease that evolves, under the host immune response, into a persistent chronic disease in healthy individuals. Chronic toxoplasmosis establishes as latent tissue cysts in the brain and skeletal muscles. In immunocompromised patients, chronic toxoplasmosis may reactivate, leading to a potentially life-threatening condition. 
  • 1.7K
  • 05 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Immunological Responses of Trichuris sp.
Trichuris sp. infection has appeared as a pathological burden in the population, but the immunomodulation features could result in an opportunity to discover novel treatments for diseases with prominent inflammatory responses. Regarding the immunological aspects, the innate immune responses against Trichuris sp. are also responsible for determining subsequent immune responses, including the activation of innate lymphoid cell type 2 (ILC2s), and encouraging the immune cell polarization of the resistant host phenotype. Nevertheless, this parasite can establish a supportive niche for worm survival and finally avoid host immune interference. Trichuris sp. could skew antigen recognition and immune cell activation and proliferation through the generation of specific substances, called excretory/secretory (ESPs) and soluble products (SPs), which mainly mediate its immunomodulation properties. 
  • 1.6K
  • 02 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Control, Biocontrol and IPM Perspectives of Varroa Destructor
Varroa destructor is a parasitic organism feeding and living among honeybees. It transmits viruses like the Deformed Wing Virus which can lead to the decline and death of the colony. Many treatments have been developed over the years like formamidine amitraz, pyrethroid tau-fluvalinate, organophosphate coumaphos or even acids like formic and oxalic to control the spread of the mite. However, none of this solution provides long-term sustainability for honeybees and no resistance from V. destructor. Therefore, the development of alternative tools remains open.
  • 1.5K
  • 26 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Cuscuta Parasites
Dodder species (Cuscuta spp.) are holoparasites that have extensive material exchange with their host plants through vascular connections. Parasitism represents a lifestyle in which parasitic plants obtain nutrients from hosts, causing serious biotic stresses and impacts on global agriculture. Cuscuta spp. (dodder) are rootless and leafless stem parasites throughout their lifecycle, and cannot survive independently due to their very limited or absent photosynthesis. Their wide host range includes vegetables, crops, and pastures, and they are malignant parasitic weeds. The dodder penetrates the host and forms a specific organ—the haustorium—for host attachment; the vascular connections established by the haustoria serve as an open hub for the exchange of various substances (e.g., water, nutrients, pathogens, systemic signals, and even macromolecules) between the two plants. This exchange is known as cross-species transmission.
  • 1.4K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Parasites, Bacteria and Viruses of Glis glis
Rodents (Rodentia), due to their number and species diversity, are important elements of natural ecosystems. Some species of rodents are widely distributed. Glis glis (Linnaeus, 1766) (Rodentia, Gliridae) is one such species. An overview of the parasites, bacteria and viruses of G. glis inhabiting the Western Palearctic is given.
  • 1.4K
  • 08 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Hybrid Schistosomes in Africa
Causal agents of schistosomiasis are dioecious, digenean schistosomes affecting mankind in 76 countries.  Natural and anthropogenic changes impact on breaking species isolation barriers favoring introgressive hybridization, i.e., allelic exchange among gene pools of sympatric, interbreeding species leading to instant large genetic diversity. Phylogenetic distance matters, thus the less species differ phylogenetically the more likely they hybridize. 
  • 1.4K
  • 28 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Acanthamoeba spp.
Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amoebas, which are widely distributed in soil, water, and air. They are capable of causing granulomatous amebic encephalitis, Acanthamoeba pneumonia, Acanthamoeba keratitis, and disseminated acanthamoebiasis.
  • 1.4K
  • 18 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Paleoparasitology
Paleoparasitology aims to study the natural history of parasitic organisms through the recovery of their preserved remains in archaeological, paleontological, paleoecological, and medical contexts. 
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Impact of Insecticide Resistance on Vector Competence
The capacity of insects to transmit pathogens is known as vector competence (VC). Evidence indicates that insecticide exposure and resistance increase the risk of pathogen transmission. Under this context, adverse effects such as epidemics in human populations or economic repercussions on crops will increase while current vector control efforts become entirely ineffective. However, studies also point to opposite effects where IR or exposure to insecticides reduces VC. To determine the impact of insecticide resistance (IR) on VC precisely, it is essential to establish reproducible experimental designs to reduce the presence of confusing variables that make the interpretation of results difficult. Therefore, although there is evidence related to the influence of IR on VC, more research is necessary.
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Rhipicephalus Tick in Southeast Asia
Rhipicephalus species are distributed globally with a notifiable presence in Southeast Asia (SEA) within animal and human populations. The Rhipicephalus species are highly adaptive and have established successful coexistence within human dwellings and are known to be active all year round, predominantly in tropical and subtropical climates existing in SEA.
  • 1.3K
  • 13 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Trypanothione Reductase: Structural Analysis for Drug Discovery
Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness, are vector borne zoonosis that affect millions of people worldwide and lead to the death of about 100,000 humans per year. Among several molecular targets proposed, trypanothione reductase (TR) is of particular interest for its critical role in controlling the parasite’s redox homeostasis. 
  • 1.3K
  • 25 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Pathogenesis of Visceral Leishmaniasis
Kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis (VL), is a disease caused by Leishmania infantum and L. donovani. Patients experience symptoms such as fever, weight loss, paleness, and enlarged liver and spleen. The disease also affects immunosuppressed individuals and has an overall mortality rate of up to 10%.
  • 1.3K
  • 09 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Helminths of Erinaceus roumanicus
Among Eulipotyphla, the Erinaceinae subfamily containing the well-known hedgehogs of Eurasia and Africa deserves special attention. The helminth fauna of the Northern white-breasted hedgehog Erinaceus roumanicus was studied in the Republic of Mordovia (Russia) for the first time. A total of 54 parasite species were recorded across Erinaceus europaeus, E. roumanicus, E. concolor and E. amurensis. Among all the studied species of hedgehogs, E. europaeus (35 species) and E. roumanicus (36) have the richest helminth faunas. The diversity of the parasite communities of Erinaceus spp. is due to the wide distribution and varied diet of these mammals. Most of the helminths found in hedgehogs are transmitted along trophic chains.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Mar 2022
Topic Review
TGFβ Signalling in Helminths
There has been little interaction between parasitologists and oncologists, some helminth infections predispose to the development of tumours. In addition, both parasites and tumours need to survive immune attack. The research suggests that both tumours and parasites suppress the immune response to increase their chances of survival. They both co-opt the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) signalling pathway to modulate the immune response to their benefit.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Biology of Ixodiphagus spp. and Geographic Distribution
Species within the genus Ixodiphagus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) are natural parasitoid wasps of ticks (Acari: Ixodida), which were first described more than a century ago, in Haemaphysalis leporispalustris from Texas, United States (USA).
  • 1.2K
  • 17 May 2023
Topic Review
Evolutionary History of the Large American Liver Fluke
The large American liver fluke (Fascioloides magna) is considered an invasive trematode parasite in Europe. Its origin dates back before the Cretaceous-Paleogene Mass Extinction, after which it survived at least three population bottlenecks and successful host switches before it arrived in Europe.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Flea Families
With around 10 new species described annually, extant flea fauna comprises an estimated 249 genera, 2215 species, and 714 subspecies globally, mostly mammal parasites, but 5% of species are on birds.
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Oct 2023
Topic Review
The Digestive Vacuole of the Malaria Parasite
The malaria parasite resides within erythrocytes during one stage of its life cycle. During this intraerythrocytic period, the parasite ingests the erythrocyte cytoplasm and digests approximately two-thirds of the host cell hemoglobin. This digestion occurs within a lysosome-like organelle called the digestive vacuole. Several proteases are localized to the digestive vacuole and these proteases sequentially breakdown hemoglobin into small peptides, dipeptides, and amino acids. The peptides are exported into the host cytoplasm via the chloroquine-resistance transporter and an amino acid transporter that has also been identified on the digestive vacuole membrane. The environment of the digestive vacuole also provides appropriate conditions for the biocrystallization of toxic heme into non-toxic hemozoin by a poorly understood process. Hemozoin formation is an attribute of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus and is not exhibited by other intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites. The efficient degradation of hemoglobin and detoxification of heme likely plays a major role in the high level of replication exhibited by malaria parasites within erythrocytes. Unique features of the digestive vacuole and the critical importance of nutrient acquisition provide therapeutic targets for the treatment of malaria.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Canine Leishmaniasis
During canine leishmaniasis (CanL) due to Leishmania infantum (L. infantum), uncontrolled infection leads to a strong humoral immune response. As a consequence of the production of high antibody levels and the prolonged presence of parasite antigens, circulating immune complexes (CIC) are formed, which can be deposited in certain organs and tissues, inducing vasculitis, uveitis, dermatitis and especially glomerulonephritis and renal failure. A method to detect CIC, and quantify their levels in serum samples from dogs infected with L. infantum has been recently described. It allowed to demonstrate a correlation between CIC levels and disease severity. Thus, CIC measurement may be useful for diagnosis, assessment of disease progression and for monitoring response to treatment. This is an interesting finding, considering that there remains an urgent need for identification of novel biomarkers to achieve a correct diagnosis and for optimal disease staging of dogs suffering from Leishmania infection.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 May 2021
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