Publications by authors named "Casulli A"

is a zoonotic nematode parasite of worldwide distribution. It is present in Europe with important foci, particularly in Eastern countries and Spain. This species is generally associated with a domestic cycle that involves primarily pigs.

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Cystic and alveolar echinococcosis are severe zoonotic diseases characterized by long asymptomatic periods lasting months or years. Viable Echinococcus spp. eggs released into the environment through the feces of canids can infect humans through accidental ingestion via hand-to-mouth contact or consumption of contaminated food or water.

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Echinococcosis, a neglected zoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus tapeworms, presents significant public health challenges worldwide. Cystic and alveolar echinococcosis has substantial health and economic impacts, necessitating effective prevention and control strategies. The present review provides a framework to expand our knowledge regarding key components of echinococcosis prevention and control, including phases, options, targets and available tools as well as current gaps and challenges in the field.

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The island of Cyprus was a historical endemic area for cystic echinococcosis (CE) in the Mediterranean. During the last decades, Cyprus has been an open-air laboratory and a model for testing and implementing control measures aiming to eliminate CE as a public health problem. Despite control and surveillance measures implemented during last 50 years, molecular characterization of specimens has been never provided.

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  • Echinococcus multilocularis is a parasitic cestode causing a deadly disease called alveolar echinococcosis, primarily spread by red foxes in Europe.
  • The study investigated genetic diversity among E. multilocularis isolates from 19 European countries, analyzing 4,968 base pairs from five mitochondrial genes and identifying 43 different haplotypes.
  • Findings indicated that most of the isolates shared four predominant haplotypes concentrated in mainland Europe, while Svalbard's isolates were genetically distinct, highlighting the need for more research in underrepresented eastern European regions to understand genetic variability.
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Parasites belonging to the class Cestoda include zoonotic species such as Echinococcus spp. and Taenia spp. that cause morbidity and mortality in endemic areas, mainly affecting pastoral and rural communities in low income countries but also upper middle income countries.

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  • Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic infection caused by Echinococcus granulosus, primarily affecting the liver and lungs, but it can also rarely impact the central nervous system (CNS), leading to cerebral CE (CCE), which poses significant clinical challenges.
  • A case study in a child from near Rome, Italy revealed that the CCE was caused by the E. granulosus s.l. complex, likely transmitted from local sheep, and a literature review highlighted 2,238 CCE cases, predominantly affecting children with a high occurrence of single cysts in the brain.
  • The findings indicate that CCE, though rare, has severe implications for patient health and should be fact
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The World Health Organization (WHO) defines neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) as a diverse group of primarily infectious diseases, which disproportionately affect poor and marginalized populations worldwide. In this context, NTDs are responsible for important morbidity and mortality and justify a global response. Moreover, NTDs are relatively neglected by research and development as well as by funding, if compared with the magnitude of the public health problem they represent.

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  • * Despite being a notifiable disease, it is under-reported in European health systems, prompting a systematic review of case data from 1997 to 2021.
  • * The review identified 64,745 cases in 40 European countries, with a mean annual incidence of 0.64 cases per 100,000 people, concentrated primarily in southeastern Europe, while Mediterranean countries have seen a decline in cases.
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Background: Cystic echinococcosis (CE), a widespread helminthic disease caused by the larval stage of the dog tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus represents a public health concern in humans. Albendazole (ABZ) is the first-line treatment for CE; however therapeutic failure of ABZ against CE occurs because of size and location of formed cysts as well its low aqueous solubility and consequently its erratic bioavailability in plasma. Serious adverse effects have also been observed following the long-term use of ABZ in vivo.

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Background: There are close similarities between the life-cycles of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (E. granulosus s.l.

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Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected worldwide distributed parasitic disease caused by the Echinococcusgranulosus sensu lato (s.l.) species complex.

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Background: This study aimed to fill a gap of knowledge by providing a quantitative measure of molecularly identified species and genotypes belonging to Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) causing human cystic echinococcosis (CE) in Europe during the period 2000-2021.

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  • Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus, affecting rural communities in Latin America, particularly in Chile’s Coquimbo region, where many cases go undiagnosed.
  • A community-based study in 2019 used abdominal ultrasound to screen 2,439 residents, revealing a CE prevalence of 1.6%, with higher infection rates in rural areas, older individuals, and those consuming non-potable water.
  • The study indicates that a significant portion of infected individuals were newly diagnosed, with both active and inactive cysts found among different age groups; this research highlights the need for better recognition and management of CE cases in the region.
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Cystic echinococcosis is a socioeconomically important parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of the canid tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, afflicting millions of humans and animals worldwide. The development of a vaccine (called EG95) has been the most notable translational advance in the fight against this disease in animals. However, almost nothing is known about the genomic organisation/location of the family of genes encoding EG95 and related molecules, the extent of their conservation or their functions.

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Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a worldwide-distributed parasitic zoonotic disease, which represents a threat for both human and animals. The current study aimed at estimating the prevalence of human CE in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan. Clinical records from four major hospitals in this region were reviewed for CE human cases during the period of 2006-2021.

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  • The study evaluates the diagnostic effectiveness of Hydatid Fluid (HF) versus a new recombinant multi-epitope antigen called DIPOL for detecting Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) in patients.
  • It involves serum samples from 149 CE patients, along with control samples, and assesses how well each test performs based on cyst stage.
  • Results show that while HF has higher sensitivity overall, DIPOL excels in detecting inactive cysts, demonstrates better specificity, and has potential to improve diagnostic tests for CE.
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Among echinococcoses diseases of human interest, two have a global public health impact: cystic and alveolar echinococcosis caused by and , respectively. Cystic and alveolar echinococcosis are neglected infectious diseases epidemiologically and are clinically vastly different with distinct microscopic features. Because of the rareness of these zoonotic diseases, pathologists have limited diagnostic experience in the analysis of the lesions caused by tapeworms.

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An integrated model, based on a One Health approach, was implemented to estimate the epidemiological and economic outcomes of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in Veneto region, an hypo-endemic area of Northern Italy, and the costs for its prevention. Data and information needed to populate the model were retrieved from published literature, official statistics, expert opinions, or actively searched through data mining (i.e.

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  • - The study investigated the prevalence of cystic echinococcosis (CE), a parasitic disease, in the towns and rural areas of Ñorquinco and Ramos Mexia, Argentina, finding an infection rate of 4.7% among 892 volunteers screened by ultrasound.
  • - Significant risk factors for CE included living in rural areas, being over 60 years old, drinking from natural water sources, frequently touching dogs, and having lived in a rural setting during childhood.
  • - The findings suggest that CE infections are often acquired in childhood and are influenced by ongoing exposure to environmental contamination in rural areas.
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The second World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day was celebrated on 30 January 2021. To mark the occasion, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its roadmap for NTDs for the period 2021 to 2030, which is aimed at increasing prevention and control of these too-long neglected diseases. Described here is a global overview on past achievements, current challenges, and future prospects for the WHO NTDs roadmap 2021-2030.

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Repurposing of approved non-antitumor drugs represents a promising and affordable strategy that may help to increase the repertoire of effective anticancer drugs. Benzimidazole-based anthelmintics are antiparasitic drugs commonly employed both in human and veterinary medicine. Benzimidazole compounds are being considered for drug repurposing due to antitumor activities displayed by some members of the family.

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The cestode Echinococcus multilocularis is the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis, a severe helminthic zoonotic disease distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. The lifecycle of the parasite is mainly sylvatic, involving canid and rodent hosts. The absence of genetic data from most eastern European countries is a major knowledge gap, affecting the study of associations with parasite populations in Western Europe.

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Hydatid cyst fluid (HCF)-based therapeutics has experimentally targeted approaches for treating human cancer cell lines. MicroRNA-365 (miR-365) has been reported to be an important tumor suppressor miRNA in cancers. However, it remains unknown, how miR-365 plays a pivotal role in inducing apoptosis in HCF-treated cancer cells in vitro.

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Background: Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by Echinococcus multilocularis is an underreported, often misdiagnosed and mistreated parasitic disease mainly due to its low incidence. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of human AE patients in Hungary for the first time.

Method: Between 2003 and 2018, epidemiological and clinical data of suspected AE patients were collected retrospectively from health database management systems.

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