Two new species of coccidian parasites are described from African reptiles. Oocysts of Eimeria foulshami sp. n. from the plated lizard Gerrhosaurus major bottegoi Del Prato of Sudan are ellipsoidal, 24.1 × 14.9 (23-26.5 × 14-17.8) µm with a bilayered, colourless oocyst wall and lack polar granules. The ellipsoidal sporocysts average 8.6 × 4.6 (7-10.6 × 4.4-7) µm and possess a prominent, globular, sporocyst residuum. Oocysts of Caryospora regentensis sp. n. from the green mamba Dendroaspis viridis Hallowell of Kenya are spherical to subspherical, 16.8 × 16.4 (16-17.6 × 15-17.2) µm with a bilayered oocyst wall and a single polar granule. The ellipsoidal sporocysts average 13.0 × 10.3 (10.2-14 × 9.2-11) µm and possess a Stieda and substieda body and a prominent globular sporocyst residuum. Oocysts of Caryospora legeri Hoare, 1933 are reported from a hissing sand snake, Psammophis sibilans sibilans L. from Nigeria, representing a new geographical record. The oocysts are slightly larger than the type, but otherwise identical. Caryospora psammophi Bray, 1960 and C. hermae Bray, 1960 from Psammophis sibilans phillipsi, oocysts of which are morphologically similar to and overlap in dimensions with C. legeri Hoare, 1933, are synonymised with the latter species. Eimeria samiae Iskander et Tadros, 1979 is emended to E. samyadeli to reflect the gender of the person the species was named after and because E. sami is preoccupied. In addition to these findings, Eimeria bohemi Modrý, Šlapeta et Koudela, 2000 and oocysts of an unidentified spherical Eimeria sp. are reported from Chamaeleo dilepis dilepis Leach from Cameroon.
Paraberrapex atlanticus sp. n. (Cestoda: Lecanicephalidea) is described from the spiral intestine of the angel shark Squatina guggenheim Marini from coastal waters off Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Paraberrapex atlanticus sp. n. can be distinguished from the only species described in the genus, P. manifestus Jensen, 2001 in having cocoons 5-6 times longer with more eggs per cocoon, the extension of the uterine duct, the distribution of vitelline follicles, and the size and density of microtriches on the bothridial surfaces. The presence of P. atlanticus sp. n. in S. guggenheim confirms the specificity of Paraberrapex Jensen, 2001 for squatiniform sharks., Leonardo D. Mutti, Verónica A. Ivanov., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Wallinia mexicana sp. n. is described from the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi) (Characidae Weitzman), from two localities in northern Mexico. The new species can be distinguished from the two congeneric species, described from small-bodied characids in South and Central America, mainly by the posterior extent of the vitelline follicles (halfway between the posterior testis and the end of the caeca), by having a larger oesophagus, testes that are always oblique, and eye-spot remnants. The distinct status of the new species was confirmed by molecular data (28S rRNA gene sequences). Phylogenetic analysis suggests the new species is the sister species of W. chavarriae Choudhury, Hartvigsen et Brooks, 2002 described from characids in northwestern Costa Rica. Additionally, genetic divergence between these congeners reached 3.3%, a value higher than that observed for closely related species pairs of allocreadiids for that molecular marker. Based on these new findings, recently published records of this new species as Magnivitellinum simplex Kloss, 1966 and Creptotrematina aguirrepequenoi Jiménez-Guzmán, 1973 in Astyanax mexicanus from Durango and San Luis Potosi states, respectively, are corrected., Gerardo Pérez-Ponce de León, Ulises Razo-Mendivil, Berenit Mendoza-Garfias, Miguel Rubio-Godoy, Anindo Choudhury., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPK) are key enzymes involved in the intracellular nucleotide maintenance in all living organisms, especially in trypanosomatids which are unable to synthesise purines de novo. Four putative NDPK isoforms were identified in the Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 genome but only two of them were characterised so far. In this work, we studied a novel isoform from T. cruzi called TcNDPK3. This enzyme presents an atypical N-terminal extension similar to the DM10 domains. In T. cruzi, DM10 sequences targeted other NDPK isoform (TcNDPK2) to the cytoskeleton, but TcNDPK3 was localised in glycosomes despite lacking a typical peroxisomal targeting signal. In addition, TcNDPK3 was found only in the bloodstream trypomastigotes where glycolytic enzymes are very abundant. However, TcNDPK3 mRNA was also detected at lower levels in amastigotes suggesting regulation at protein and mRNA level. Finally, 33 TcNDPK3 gene orthologs were identified in the available kinetoplastid genomes. The characterisation of new glycosomal enzymes provides novel targets for drug development to use in therapies of trypanosomatid associated diseases., María de los Milagros Cámara, León Bouvier, Chantal Reigada, Fabio A. Digirolamo, Melisa Sayé, Claudio A. Pereira., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In Senegal, several areas provide great potential for agriculture and animal production, but African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) is one of the major constraints to the development of more effective livestock production systems. A study was conducted to assess the current situation of AAT in this country. Surveys were carried out between June 2011 and September 2012 in four different areas: Dakar, Sine Saloum, Kedougou region and Basse Casamance in several animal species: dogs (152), donkeys (23), horses (63), sheep (43), goats (52) and cattle (104), distributed in the four sites. Molecular tools (PCR) indicated 3.4% positive animals including dogs, donkeys, a goat and cattle. The savannah type of Trypanosoma congolense Broden, 1904 (53% of positive cases) and the forest type of T. congolense (subgenus Nannomonas Hoare, 1964) were predominant. Trypanosoma vivax Ziemann, 1905 (subgenus Duttonella Chalmers, 1918) was only present in one animal and no trypanosome of the subgenus Trypanozoon Lühe, 1906 was found. Half of the positive cases were detected in Sine Saloum, where T. congolense savannah-type was predominant, and the other half in Basse Casamance, where T. congolense forest-type was predominant; no cases were found in Dakar or in the Kedougou region. A high risk of infection in dogs with T. congolense savannah-type was shown in Sine Saloum, requiring prevention and control of dogs in this area. The involvement of tsetse flies in the transmission of T. congolense in Sine Saloum and Basse Casamance is discussed., Sophie Ravel, Oleg Mediannikov, Géraldine Bossard, Marc Desquesnes, Gérard Cuny, Bernard Davoust., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Problems with parasitic infections and their interspecies transmissions are common in zoological gardens and could pose serious health damage to captive animals. This study presents results of eight-year monitoring of intestinal parasites in animals from Zoo Ljubljana, Slovenia. A total of 741 faecal samples from 40 animal species were collected two to four times per year and examined microscopically. Intestinal parasites were detected in 45% of samples, with detection of helminths (Cestoda, Nematoda - Ascaridida, Enoplida, Strongylida, Oxyurida, Rhabditida and Trichurida) and protists (Apicomplexa and Ciliophora) in 25% and 13% of samples, respectively; mixed infection was found in 7% of samples. The mostly infected were ungulates (61%), followed by reptiles (44%), ratites (29%), primates (22%) and carnivores (7%). During the observation period, the number of infected animal species increased from 8 to 25. This is the first long-term monitoring study of intestinal parasites in zoo animals from Slovenia. Routine monitoring of parasitic infection and regular deworming and hygienic measures are necessary to prevent gastrointestinal infections in captive animals., Pavel Kvapil, Marjan Kastelic, Alenka Dovč, Eva Bártová, Petr Čížek, Natacha Lima, Špela Štrus., and Obsahuje bibliografii
About 30-50% of the world human population are infected with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908). Latent toxoplasmosis has many specific behavioural and physiological effects on the human body and influences the course of pregnancy, including secondary sex ratio of children of infected mothers. It was suggested that an increased concentration of glucose could be the proximate cause of increased sex ratio. There are some indirect indications of possible association between toxoplasmosis and certain forms of diabetes. Here we searched for a possible link between latent toxoplasmosis and the level of glucose in the blood. In a cross-sectional study, we found that pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis had significantly higher blood glucose levels during the oral glucose tolerance test (n = 191, p = 0.010; the level of fasting plasma glucose: mean = 5.04 mmol/l vs mean = 4.88 mmol/l; blood glucose level at 1 hour mean = 7.73 mmol/l vs mean = 6.89 mmol/l and blood glucose level at two hours mean = 6.43 mmol/l vs mean = 5.74 mmol/l) and higher prevalence (19.5 %) of gestational diabetes mellitus (n = 532, p = 0.033, odds ratio = 1.78) in the 24-28th gestational weeks than T. gondii-free women (12.0 %). Increased level of glucose and increased incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus could have considerable clinical impact as contributors to the development of the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in T. gondii-infected women. Our results also brought the first empirical support for the hypothesis that the glucose concentration may play a role in T. gondii-associated offspring sex ratio shifts., Šárka Kaňková, Jaroslav Flegr, Pavel Calda., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We have evaluated the therapeutic effect of a compound mixture of caprylic acid (200 mg/kg fish), organic iron (0.2% of diet) and mannan oligosaccharide (0.4% of diet) in gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata Linnaeus, infected with Sparicotyle chrysophrii Beneden et Hesse, 1863 in controlled conditions. One hundred and ten reared and S. chrysophrii-free fish (197 g) located in a cement tank were infected by the parasite two weeks following the addition of 150 S. chrysophrii-infected fish (70 g). Growth parameters and gill parasitic load were measured in treated against control fish after a ten-week-period. Differences in final weight, feed conversion ratio, specific growth rate and feed efficiency were not statistically significant between the experimental groups, suggesting no evident effect with respect to fish growth during the study period. Although the prevalence of S. chrysophrii was not affected by the mixture at the end of the experiment, the number of adults and larvae was significantly lower. The mean intensity encompassing the number of adults and larvae was 8.1 in treated vs 17.7 in control fish. Individual comparisons of gill arches showed that the preferred parasitism site for S. chrysophrii it the outermost or fourth gill arch, consistently apparent in fish fed the modified diet and in control fish. In conclusion, the combined application of caprylic acid, organic iron and mannan oligosaccharide can significantly affect the evolution of infection with S. chrysophrii in gilthead sea bream, being capable of reducing adult and larval stages of the monogenean. However, no difference in growth improvement was observed after the trial period, potentially leaving space for further optimisation of the added dietary compounds., George Rigos, Ivona Mladineo, Chrysa Nikoloudaki, Anamarija Vrbatovic, Dimitra Kogiannou., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between various clinical aspects of schizophrenia and seropositivity against Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908). We selected 94 patients with schizophrenia and investigated the seropositivity rate for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies by ELISA. Clinical parameters of schizophrenic patients such as illness type and status, clinical course, awareness of the illness and need for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) were compared with their serological status. Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were detected in 43 (46%) of schizophrenic patients. Chronic patients had a rate of 34 (72%) seropositivity, whereas 9 (22%) of the patients with partial remission showed evidence of latent toxoplasmosis. Of continuous patients, 35 (81%) were found to be seropositive and this rate was significantly more than in the other groups. The rate of latent toxoplasmosis was detected significantly higher in patients who lack awareness of schizophrenia (36, i.e. 72%) than the patients who were aware of their illnesses (7, i.e. 16%). Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were detected in 38 (70%) of ECT performed patients while this percentage was 13% in the ones who had never been treated with ECT. This difference was also statistically significant. We showed that Toxoplasma-infected subjects had 15× higher probability of having continuous course of disease than Toxoplasma-free subjects. Our results put forth the possibility of latent toxoplasmosis to have a negative impact on the course of schizophrenia and treatment response of schizophrenic patients., Tuncay Çelik, Şükrü Kartalci, Özgür Aytaş, Gülay Aral Akarsu, Harika Gözükara, Süheyla Ünal., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The nematodes Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782) and Toxocara cati (Schrank, 1788) have been associated with worse human cognitive function in children and middle-aged adults. In this study, we sought to determine the association between Toxocara seropositivity and serointensity determined by detection of IgG antibodies against the Toxocara antigen recombinant Tc-CTL-1 and cognitive function in older adults, including approximately 1,350 observations from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Mean fluorescence intensity was used to quantify IgG antibodies against the Toxocara recombinant Tc-CTL-1 antigen, and respondents were considered positive at values greater than 23.1. In adjusted models from sample sizes ranging from 1,274 to 1,288 depending on the individual cognitive task, we found that Toxocara seropositivity was associated with worse performance on the animal-fluency task (b = -1.245, 95% CI: -2.392 to -0.099, P< 0.05) and the digit-symbol coding task (b = -5.159, 95% CI: -8.337 to -1.980, P< 0.001). Toxocara serointensity assessed using log-transformed mean fluorescence intensity as a continuous variable was associated with worse performance on the digit-symbol coding task (b = -1.880, 95% CI: -2.976 to -0.783, P < 0.001). There were no significant associations with tasks assessing memory. Further, age modified the association between Toxocara and cognitive function, although sex, educational attainment, and income did not. These findings suggest that Toxocara might be associated with deficits in executive function and processing speed in older U.S. adults, although additional research is required to better describe cognitive function in older adults who are seropositive for Toxocara spp.