Comparative genomics of reveals the emergence of an outbreak-associated population in Europe and its spread to the United States.

The zoonotic parasite is a global cause of gastrointestinal disease in humans and ruminants. Sequence analysis of the highly polymorphic gene enabled the classification of isolates into multiple groups (e.g.

Extensive testing of a multi-locus sequence typing scheme for Giardia duodenalis assemblage A confirms its good discriminatory power.

Background: The flagellated parasite Giardia duodenalis is a major and global cause of diarrhoeal disease. Eight genetically very distinct groups, known as assemblages A to H, have been recognized in the G. duodenalis species complex, two of which (assemblages A and B) infect humans and other mammalian hosts.

An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis associated with drinking water in north-eastern Italy, August 2019: microbiological and environmental investigations.

is a leading global cause of waterborne disease, with many reported outbreaks related to main water supplies. In August 2019, an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis involving 80 cases occurred among 114 vacationers in a small municipality located in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, north-eastern Italy. After excluding a potential food-borne outbreak, the epidemiological investigation focussed on the hypothesis of a waterborne outbreak.

Recent genetic exchanges and admixture shape the genome and population structure of the zoonotic pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a globally distributed zoonotic pathogen and a major cause of diarrhoeal disease in humans and ruminants. The parasite's life cycle comprises an obligatory sexual phase, during which genetic exchanges can occur between previously isolated lineages. Here, we compare 32 whole genome sequences from human- and ruminant-derived parasite isolates collected across Europe, Egypt and China.

A large outbreak of giardiasis in a municipality of the Bologna province, north-eastern Italy, November 2018 to April 2019.

Giardiasis, the disease caused by the flagellate (syn. ), is the most commonly reported among the five food- and waterborne parasitic diseases under mandatory surveillance in 24 EU countries. From November 2018 to April 2019, an outbreak of giardiasis occurred in a municipality of the Bologna province, in north-eastern Italy.

Contamination of fresh produce sold on the Italian market with Cyclospora cayetanensis and Echinococcus multilocularis.

To investigate the presence of Cyclospora cayetanensis, Toxoplasma gondii and Echinococcus spp. in fresh produce sold in Italy, 324 locally produced 'ready-to-eat' (RTE) mixed-salad packages belonging to three brands and 324 berries packages (blueberries and blackberries imported from Peru and Mexico, respectively, and raspberries grown in Italy) were purchased at retail. Nine individual packages from each of the six types of fresh produce were collected monthly for one year, and with the same produce pooled, this resulted in a total of 72 pools for the whole year.

Effectiveness of Fenbendazole and Metronidazole Against Infection in Dogs Monitored for 50-Days in Home-Conditions.

A field trial performed in-home conditions was conducted on 24 dogs naturally infected with , in order to compare the efficacy of fenbendazole and metronidazole. Animals were allocated in groups randomly in order to obtain two groups of 12 dogs each with similar parasitic loads of cysts: dogs in Group A were treated with fenbendazole (Panacur®, Intervet Italia Srl) administered at the dose of 50 mg/kg orally once a day for 5 consecutive days, dogs in Group B were treated with metronidazole (Flagyl®, Zambon Italia Srl) administered orally at the dose of 50 mg/kg, once a day for 5 consecutive days. All the dogs that were shedding cysts after the first treatment (Day 0) were retreated (either at Day 7 or at Day 14 or at Day 21) until a negative result was obtained with the same treatment.

Comparative genomics revealed adaptive admixture in in Africa.

Cryptosporidiosis is a major cause of diarrhoeal illness among African children, and is associated with childhood mortality, malnutrition, cognitive development and growth retardation. is the dominant pathogen in Africa, and genotyping at the glycoprotein 60 () gene has revealed a complex distribution of different subtypes across this continent. However, a comprehensive exploration of the metapopulation structure and evolution based on whole-genome data has yet to be performed.

Testing the impact of Whole Genome Amplification on genome comparison using the polyploid flagellated Giardia duodenalis as a model.

The availability of high quality genomic DNA in sufficient amounts to perform Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) experiments is challenging for pathogens that cannot be cultivated in vitro, as is the case for many parasites. Therefore, Whole Genome Amplification (WGA) of genomic DNA is used to overcome this limitation. In this study, we evaluated the effect of WGA using the intestinal flagellated protozoan Giardia duodenalis as a model, due to its genome compactness (12 Mb), the presence of two diploid nuclei with variable levels of allelic sequence heterogeneity (ASH), and the availability of reference genomes.

Leaf Decoction of Carica papaya Combined with Artesunate Prevents Recrudescence in Plasmodium berghei-Infected Mice.

Malaria treatment and control have become increasingly difficult because of the spread of drug-resistant strains of and . Thus, there is a continuous need to develop new combination therapies such as artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) to contrast the emergence of resistant strains. Despite ACT has been recommended by the World Health Organization since 2001, its overall deployment in poor endemic areas is very slow, principally due to its high cost.

Oocyst Contamination in Drinking Water: A Case Study in Italy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of oocysts in a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) located in a rural area of northern Italy. Influent and effluent samples were collected at the DWTP over three years (2013-2016). In parallel, tap water samples from a public drinking fountain were collected as well.

A retrospective molecular study of Cryptosporidium species and genotypes in HIV-infected patients from Thailand.

Background: Opportunistic infections represent a serious health problem for HIV-infected people. Among enteric infections, cryptosporidiosis, a severe and life-threatening diarrheal disease, is of particular importance in low economic settings where access to anti-retroviral therapy is limited. Understanding transmission routes is crucial in establishing preventive measures, and requires the use of informative genotyping methods.

First molecular investigation of Cryptosporidium spp. in young calves in Algeria.

To date, no information is available on the prevalence and genetic identity of Cryptosporidium spp. in cattle in Algeria. In this study, 17 dairy farms in the province of Batna, located in the northeast of the country, were visited to collect 132 fecal samples from young calves (< 8 weeks old).

Multilocus sequence typing of Dientamoeba fragilis identified a major clone with widespread geographical distribution.

The flagellated protozoan Dientamoeba fragilis is often detected in humans with gastrointestinal symptoms, but it is also commonly found in healthy subjects. As for other intestinal protozoa, the hypothesis that genetically dissimilar parasite isolates differ in their ability to cause symptoms has also been raised for D. fragilis.

Comparative Proteomics and Functional Analysis Reveal a Role of Plasmodium falciparum Osmiophilic Bodies in Malaria Parasite Transmission.

An essential step in the transmission of the malaria parasite to the Anopheles vector is the transformation of the mature gametocytes into gametes in the mosquito gut, where they egress from the erythrocytes and mate to produce a zygote, which matures into a motile ookinete. Osmiophilic bodies are electron dense secretory organelles of the female gametocytes which discharge their contents during gamete formation, suggestive of a role in gamete egress. Only one protein with no functional annotation, Pfg377, is described to specifically reside in osmiophilic bodies in Plasmodium falciparum Importantly, Pfg377 defective gametocytes lack osmiophilic bodies and fail to infect mosquitoes, as confirmed here with newly produced pfg377 disrupted parasites.

Modulation of the immune and inflammatory responses by Plasmodium falciparum schizont extracts: role of myeloid dendritic cells in effector and regulatory functions of CD4+ lymphocytes.

The optimal immune response to malaria infection comprises rapid induction of inflammatory responses promptly counteracted by regulatory mechanisms to prevent immunopathology. To evaluate the role of dendritic cells (DC) in the balance of parasite-induced inflammatory/anti-inflammatory mechanisms, we studied the activity of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC), previously exposed to soluble extracts of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells (PfSE), in the differentiation of CD4 cells isolated from donors never exposed to malaria infection. We show that MDDC exposed to PfSE are extremely efficient to induce a contemporary differentiation of TH1 effector cells and T regulatory (Treg) cells in CD4 T cells even when exposed to low concentrations of parasitic extracts.

A rare Cryptosporidium parvum genotype associated with infection of lambs and zoonotic transmission in Italy.

An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis occurred in a mixed sheep/cattle farm of Central Italy in October 2011. A total of 450 ovines (250 sheep and 200 lambs) and 140 bovines (130 cows and 10 calves) were housed in two separated units, at the time of the outbreak. About half of the lambs had diarrhea due to Cryptosporidium sp.

Pigs as natural hosts of Dientamoeba fragilis genotypes found in humans.

Dientamoeba fragilis is a common intestinal parasite in humans. Transmission routes and natural host range are unknown. To determine whether pigs are hosts, we analyzed 152 fecal samples by microscopy and molecular methods.

Specific tagging of the egress-related osmiophilic bodies in the gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum.

Background: Gametocytes, the blood stages responsible for Plasmodium falciparum transmission, contain electron dense organelles, traditionally named osmiophilic bodies, that are believed to be involved in gamete egress from the host cell. In order to provide novel tools in the cellular and molecular studies of osmiophilic body biology, a P. falciparum transgenic line in which these organelles are specifically marked by a reporter protein was produced and characterized.

Selected gold compounds cause pronounced inhibition of Falcipain 2 and effectively block P. falciparum growth in vitro.

A number of structurally diverse gold compounds were evaluated as possible inhibitors of Falcipain 2 (Fp2), a cysteine protease from P. falciparum that is a validated target for the development of novel antimalarial drugs. Remarkably, most tested compounds caused pronounced but reversible inhibition of Fp2 with K(i) values falling in the micromolar range.

Plasmodium falciparum soluble extracts potentiate the suppressive function of polyclonal T regulatory cells through activation of TGFβ-mediated signals.

Increased numbers of T regulatory cells (Tregs), key mediators of immune homeostasis, were reported in human and murine malaria and it is current opinion that these cells play a role in balancing protective immunity and pathogenesis during infection. However, the mechanisms governing their expansion during malaria infection are not completely defined. In this article we show that soluble extracts of Plasmodium falciparum (PfSEs), but not equivalent preparation of uninfected erythrocytes, induce the differentiation of polyclonally activated CD4(+) cells in Tregs endowed with strong suppressive activity.

Outstanding plasmodicidal properties within a small panel of metallic compounds: Hints for the development of new metal-based antimalarials.

A variegate group of metallodrugs was evaluated in vitro for antimalarial activity through the pLDH test. The panel comprised one mononuclear gold(III) complex, (Aubipy), three dinuclear gold(III) compounds (Auoxo4, Auoxo5 and Auoxo6), three ruthenium(III) complexes (NAMI A, PMRU20, PMRU27), one ruthenium(II) complex (PMRU52), one bismuth(III) compound (Bismuth citrate), antimony trichloride (SbCl(3)) and arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)). This panel, although relatively small, was built up in such a way to include a variety of metal centers, structural motifs and metal coordination environments.

New uses for old drugs. Auranofin, a clinically established antiarthritic metallodrug, exhibits potent antimalarial effects in vitro: Mechanistic and pharmacological implications.

The clinically established gold-based antiarthritic drug auranofin (AF) manifests a pronounced reactivity toward thiol and selenol groups of proteins. In particular, AF behaves as a potent inhibitor of mammalian thioredoxin reductases causing severe intracellular oxidative stress. Given the high sensitivity of Plasmodium falciparum to oxidative stress, we thought that auranofin might act as an effective antimalarial agent.