Evaluation of sensitivity and specificity of Kato-Katz and circulating cathodic antigen in terms of Schistosoma japonicum using latent class analysis.

Schistosoma japonicum is endemic in the Philippines. The Kato-Katz (KK) method was used to diagnose S. japonicum.

The Impact of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Longitudinal Growth, Nutritional Status, and Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 in Early Childhood in Leyte, the Philippines.

Objective: To assess the impact and potential mechanistic pathways of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on longitudinal growth and nutritional status in early childhood.

Study Design: A cohort of 296 mother-infant dyads (32% with PAE vs 68% unexposed) were recruited in Leyte, the Philippines, and followed from early gestation through 24 months of age. PAE was assessed using serum phosphatidylethanol (PEth) captured twice prenatally and in cord blood and supplemented with self-reported alcohol consumption.

Comparison of self-reported and observed water contact measures in Schistosoma japonicum-endemic villages in Leyte, The Philippines.

Background: We compared individuals' self-reported water contact from a questionnaire to direct observation of water contact. Questionnaires that accurately capture water contact are necessary to risk-stratify individuals and communities at high risk for schistosomiasis.

Methods: Individuals (N=677) ages 7-30 y were included from three Schistosoma japonicum-endemic villages in Leyte, The Philippines.

High prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum by perfusion in naturally exposed water buffalo in a region of the Philippines endemic for human schistosomiasis.

In the past decade, ecological surveys emphasized rats and dogs as the most significant animal reservoirs for Schistosoma japonicum (S.j) in the Philippines. However, recent studies demonstrated 51-91% prevalence of schistosomiasis among water buffalo using qPCR in the Sj endemic regions in the Philippines.

Effect of maternal praziquantel treatment for Schistosoma japonicum infection on the offspring susceptibility and immunologic response to infection at age six, a cohort study.

In areas endemic to schistosomiasis, fetal exposure to schistosome antigens prime the offspring before potential natural infection. Praziquantel (PZQ) treatment for Schistosoma japonicum infection in pregnant women has been demonstrated to be safe and effective. Our objectives were to evaluate whether maternal PZQ treatment modifies the process of in utero sensitization to schistosome antigens potentially impacting later risk of infection, as well as immune response to S.

Whole-Proteome Differential Screening Identifies Novel Vaccine Candidates for Schistosomiasis japonica.

Schistosomiasis remains a leading cause of chronic morbidity in endemic regions despite decades of widespread mass chemotherapy with praziquantel. Using our whole proteome differential screening approach, and plasma and epidemiologic data from a longitudinal cohort of individuals living in a Schistosoma japonicum-endemic region of the Philippines, we interrogated the parasite proteome to identify novel vaccine candidates for Schistosoma japonicum. We identified 16 parasite genes which encoded proteins that were recognized by immunoglobulin G or immunoglobulin E antibodies in the plasma of individuals who had developed resistance to reinfection, but were not recognized by antibodies in the plasma of individuals who remained susceptible to reinfection.

A preliminary evaluation of a locally produced biotinylated polyclonal anti-rabies antibody for direct rapid immunohistochemical test (DRIT) in the Philippines.

Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease endemic in developing countries of Asia and Africa. Recently, the direct rapid immunohistochemical test (DRIT) was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as a diagnostic test for rabies. Therefore, a biotinylated polyclonal antibody (pAb) against the rabies lyssavirus (RABV) nucleoprotein was developed using a plasmid cDNA vaccine derived from a challenge virus standard 11 strain.

Intron sequence of the taurocyamine kinase gene as a marker to investigate genetic variation of Paragonimus species in Japan and the origins of triploidy in P. westermani.

Background: Paragonimiasis is a foodborne parasitic infection caused by lung flukes of the genus Paragonimus. Several species of Paragonimus are endemic in Japan: P. westermani (diploid and triploid) P.

Development of Paramyosin as a Vaccine Candidate for Schistosomiasis.

Schistosomiasis, caused by three principal species of diecious trematodes (flatworms), currently afflicts over 250 million individuals, results in an estimated 2-15% chronic disability, and contributes to poor health and economic stagnation in endemic areas. Although schistosomiasis is effectively treated with praziquantel, rapid reinfection with rebound morbidity precludes effective control based on chemotherapy alone and justifies current efforts to develop vaccines for these parasites. Paramyosin (Pmy), an invertebrate muscle-associated protein, has emerged as a promising vaccine candidate for both Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum.

Genetic structure inferred from mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA sequence of Oncomelania quadrasi, the intermediate snail host of Schistosoma japonicum in the Philippines.

Species and subspecies of the Oncomelania hupensis species complex are recognized as intermediate hosts of Schistosoma japonicum. Of these species and subspecies, O. quadrasi is distributed throughout the Philippines.

Maternal infection with Schistosoma japonicum induces a profibrotic response in neonates.

The global burden of schistosomiasis is significant, with fibrosis a major associated morbidity and the primary cause of mortality. We have previously shown that schistosomiasis during pregnancy upregulates proinflammatory cytokines in the cord blood. In this study, we extend these findings to include a large panel of fibrosis-associated markers.

Schistosomiasis japonica during pregnancy is associated with elevated endotoxin levels in maternal and placental compartments.

Schistosomiasis affects approximately 40 million women of reproductive age and has been linked to elevated levels of circulating endotoxin in nonpregnant individuals. We have evaluated endotoxin levels in maternal, placental, and newborn blood collected from women residing in Leyte, Philippines. Endotoxin levels in both maternal and placental compartments in pregnant women with schistosomiasis were 1.

High prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infection in Carabao from Samar Province, the Philippines: implications for transmission and control.

Schistosoma japonicum is endemic in the Philippines, China and Indonesia, and infects more than 40 mammalian host species, all of which can act as reservoirs of infection. In China, water buffaloes have been shown to be major reservoirs of human infection. However, in the Philippines, carabao have not been considered important reservoir hosts for S.

Phosphagen kinases of parasites: unexplored chemotherapeutic targets.

Due to the possible emergence of resistance and safety concerns on certain treatments, development of new drugs against parasites is essential for the effective control and subsequent eradication of parasitic infections. Several drug targets have been identified which are either genes or proteins essential for the parasite survival and distinct from the hosts. These include the phosphagen kinases (PKs) which are enzymes that play a key role in maintenance of homeostasis in cells exhibiting high or variable rates of energy turnover by catalizing the reversible transfer of a phosphate between ATP and naturally occurring guanidine compounds.

Tissue inhibitor of matrix-metalloprotease-1 predicts risk of hepatic fibrosis in human Schistosoma japonicum infection.

Background: Schistosomes infect 200 million individuals annually and cause significant hepatic fibrosis in up to 20%. Little is known regarding the mechanisms of schistosome-associated hepatic fibrosis in humans, and few biomarkers for risk of fibrosis have been identified.

Methods: We treated 611 Schistosoma japonicum-infected Filipinos with praziquantel (PZQ) and performed ultrasound to quantify hepatic fibrosis at baseline and 12 months after PZQ treatment.

Maternal Schistosomiasis japonica is associated with maternal, placental, and fetal inflammation.

Schistosomes infect ∼40 million women of childbearing age and result in the elaboration of proinflammatory cytokines that have been implicated in fetal growth restriction. In murine models and two observational studies in humans, schistosome infection during pregnancy was associated with reduced birth weight, although a recent treatment trial in Schistosoma mansoni did not detect this association. We conducted an observational study among 99 pregnant women living in an area of Schistosoma japonicum endemicity in the Philippines.

Seroprevalence of cysticercosis in children and young adults living in a helminth endemic community in leyte, the Philippines.

Cysticercosis is a significant public health problem in countries where pigs are raised for consumption and remains an important cause of neurological disease worldwide. The Philippines is considered an endemic area for cysticercosis because cases in both humans and pigs have been reported; however, epidemiologic information stays limited. We conducted a pilot survey of the seroprevalence of human cysticercosis in a village in Leyte, the Philippines, by measuring antibody specific for Taenia solium cyst-fluid antigen.

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) responses to paramyosin predict resistance to reinfection with Schistosoma japonicum and are attenuated by IgG4.

Schistosomiasis remains a public health concern in developing countries, and rapid reinfection fostered by continued exposure to contaminated water sources necessitates a vaccine to augment current mass treatment-based control strategies. We report isotype-specific (immunoglobulin A [IgA], IgE, IgG1, IgG4, and IgG) antibody responses to soluble worm antigen preparation and the recombinant vaccine candidates rSj97, rSj67, and rSj22 from a Schistosoma japonicum-infected cohort in Leyte, the Philippines, where schistosomiasis is endemic. Sera were collected from infected individuals 1 month posttreatment with praziquantel, and antibody responses were measured using a bead-based multiplex platform.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein are associated with undernutrition in the context of Schistosoma japonicum infection.

Schistosomiasis is associated with undernutrition, but the mechanisms involved remain unknown. We analyzed baseline and follow-up data from a longitudinal treatment-reinfection study in N = 477 Schistosoma japonicum-infected subjects 7-20 years of age from Leyte, the Philippines. After baseline treatment with praziquantel, follow-up visits were scheduled every 3 months for 18 months; stool, venous blood, and anthropometric measurements were collected at each visit.