Publications by authors named "Anastasios Tsaousis"

Background: Recent evidence suggests that the lower gut microbiome of ruminants presents roles in their health and environment, including the development of the mucosal immune system, milk production efficiency and quality and subsequent methane emissions. However, there are proportionately fewer studies on this complex microbial community in cattle and region-focus studies are non- existent.

Methods: Herein, we present the research protocol of the GUTBIOME CY project pertaining to determine the composition of the lower gut microbiome in dairy cows situated in 37 farms across five districts of the island of Cyprus.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence and transmission of Cryptosporidium spp., Blastocystis sp., Giardia intestinalis and Entamoeba histolytica between different hosts and their shared environment in a slum area of Bangladesh.

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Article Synopsis
  • Bluetongue (BT) is a viral disease affecting various ruminants across Africa, but data on its prevalence is limited, prompting a systematic review and meta-analysis.
  • The study found a pooled seroprevalence of the bluetongue virus (BTV) to be 45.02%, with higher rates seen in cattle (49.70%) and goats (47.00%), particularly in the southeastern region of Africa.
  • It was noted that female animals showed a significantly higher seroprevalence (53.30%) compared to males (28.10%), highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and surveillance to prevent the disease's spread.
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is the most prevalent intestinal eukaryotic microorganism with significant impacts on both human and animal health. Despite extensive research, its pathogenicity remains controversial. The COST Action CA21105, " under One Health" (OneHealthBlastocystis), aims to bridge gaps in our understanding by fostering a multidisciplinary network.

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Background: Blastocystis is a unicellular eukaryote commonly found in the intestinal tract of humans and other animals. The prevalence of Blastocystis has been investigated in both developed and developing countries, yet its occurrence and distribution in rural locations has been less studied. Herein, we aimed to examine the distribution of Blastocystis colonization in Thai adults representing background populations along a rural/peri-urban gradient, as well as associations between colonization and personal characteristics.

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Cryptosporidium is an important water-borne and food-borne parasite with a high burden of disease. This organism has been shown to contaminate various leafy vegetables; however, studies assessing the presence of Cryptosporidium spp in pre-washed and ready-to-eat vegetables are limited. Routine surveillance in the UK revealed a nationwide exceedance of human cases of Cryptosporidium.

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Gregarines are symbiotic protists that are found in a broad spectrum of invertebrates, including insects, crustaceans, and annelids. Among these the globally distributed amphipod Gammarus pulex is one of the earliest recognized hosts for aquatic gregarines and is prevalent among macroinvertebrates in freshwater environments. In this study, samples of G.

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is the most common gastrointestinal protist found in humans and animals. Although the clinical significance of remains unclear, the organism is increasingly being viewed as a commensal member of the gut microbiome. However, its impact on the microbiome is still being debated.

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spp. are widespread parasitic protozoans causing enteric infections in humans and animals. The parasites cause neonatal diarrhoea in calves, leading to a high mortality rate in the first three weeks.

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Blastocystis is the most prevalent microbial eukaryote in the human and animal gut, yet its role as commensal or parasite is still under debate. Blastocystis has clearly undergone evolutionary adaptation to the gut environment and possesses minimal cellular compartmentalization, reduced anaerobic mitochondria, no flagella, and no reported peroxisomes. To address this poorly understood evolutionary transition, we have taken a multi-disciplinary approach to characterize Proteromonas lacertae, the closest canonical stramenopile relative of Blastocystis.

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is a protist of controversial pathogenicity inhabiting the gut of humans and other animals. Despite a century of intense study, understanding of the epidemiology of remains fragmentary. Here, we aimed to explore its prevalence, stability of colonisation and association with various factors in a rural elementary school in northern Thailand.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cryptosporidium parvum is a significant enteric parasite causing acute enteritis in calves, leading to economic losses for farmers and posing public health risks through livestock-human transmission.
  • A study involving 936 fecal samples from dairy farms in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands found a high prevalence of Cryptosporidium, with a 90.2% positivity rate across farms and C. parvum being the most common species identified.
  • The research revealed nine subtypes of the gp60 gene linked to human disease, highlighting the importance of a One Health approach for understanding and mitigating the spread of cryptosporidiosis.
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Three recent studies of epidemiology in mammalian hosts identified four novel sequences that appeared to share as the most similar sequence. However, full-length rRNA gene sequences were not available to confirm the validity of these new subtypes. In the present study, Nanopore MinION sequencing was used to obtain full-length reference sequences for each of the new subtypes.

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Blastocystis is a stramenopile protist of controversial pathogenicity. The organism colonizes a broad range of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Blastocystis has also been found in the environment both in water and soil.

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Blastocystis is a ubiquitous, widely distributed protist inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract of humans and other animals. The organism is genetically diverse, and so far, at least 28 subtypes (STs) have been identified with ST1-ST9 being the most common in humans. The pathogenicity of Blastocystis is controversial.

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Article Synopsis
  • Blastocystis is a common protist found in the guts of humans and animals, often transmitted through water or fecal-oral routes.
  • In a study in northern Thailand, researchers tested 20 tap water samples and found a 30% prevalence of Blastocystis, specifically subtype three (ST3).
  • The findings suggest that tap water could contribute to the transmission of this subtype, prompting recommendations for further studies in other areas and in humans exposed to this water.
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Chagas disease (CD) is a parasitic, systemic, chronic, and often fatal illness caused by infection with the protozoan . The World Health Organization classifies CD as the most prevalent of poverty-promoting neglected tropical diseases, the most important parasitic one, and the third most infectious disease in Latin America. Currently, CD is a global public health issue that affects 6-8 million people.

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Purpose: The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in six different fish species both from marine and freshwater environments.

Methods: During a period of 2 years (2018-2020), a total of 415 fecal samples and 565 intestinal scrapings were collected in seven provinces from the central and eastern Algeria.

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is one of the major causes of neonatal calf diarrhoea resulting in reduced farm productivity and compromised animal welfare worldwide. Livestock act as a major reservoir of this parasite, which can be transmitted to humans directly and/or indirectly, posing a public health risk. Research reports on the prevalence of in ruminants from east Mediterranean countries, including Cyprus, are limited.

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The alternative oxidase (AOX) is a protein involved in supporting enzymatic reactions of the Krebs cycle in instances when the canonical (cytochrome-mediated) respiratory chain has been inhibited, while allowing for the maintenance of cell growth and necessary metabolic processes for survival. Among eukaryotes, alternative oxidases have dispersed distribution and are found in plants, fungi, and protists, including Naegleria ssp. Naegleria species are free-living unicellular amoeboflagellates and include the pathogenic species of N.

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is the most commonly found eukaryote in the gut of humans and other animals. This protist is extremely heterogeneous genetically and is classified into 28 subtypes (STs) based on the small subunit ribosomal RNA ( rRNA) gene. Numerous studies exist on prevalence of the organism, which usually focus on either humans or animals or the environment, while only a handful investigates all three sources simultaneously.

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is an obligate anaerobic microbial eukaryote that frequently inhabits the gastrointestinal tract. Despite this prevalence, very little is known about the extent of its genetic diversity, pathogenicity, and interaction with the rest of the microbiome and its host. Although the organism is morphologically static, it has no less than 28 genetically distinct subtypes (STs).

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