Structure of the protective nematode protease complex H-gal-GP and its conservation across roundworm parasites.

Roundworm parasite infections are a major cause of human and livestock disease worldwide and a threat to global food security. Disease control currently relies on anthelmintic drugs to which roundworms are becoming increasingly resistant. An alternative approach is control by vaccination and 'hidden antigens', components of the worm gut not encountered by the infected host, have been exploited to produce Barbervax, the first commercial vaccine for a gut dwelling nematode of any host.

PCR-RFLP screening of polymorphisms associated with benzimidazole resistance in Necator americanus and Ascaris lumbricoides from different geographical regions in Brazil.

Ascaris lumbricoides and Necator americanus are soil-transmitted parasites with global geographic distribution, and they represent some of the most common and neglected infections in the world. Periodic treatment with mass drug administration (MDA) in endemic areas is the recommended action put forth by the World Health Organization. However, MDA can cause the selection of subpopulations that possess the genetic ability to overcome the mechanism of drug action.

Molecular analysis of the F167Y SNP in the β-tubulin gene by screening genotypes of two Ancylostoma caninum populations.

Mutations in the β-tubulin isotype 1 gene at codons 167 (F167Y), 198 (E198A) and 200 (F200Y) have been associated with benzimidazole resistance in helminths. The F200Y polymorphism has previously been described for Ancylostom caninum; however, the F167Y polymorphism has not been investigated in members of the Ancylostomatidae family. The aim of this study was to screen for the F167Y polymorphism in A.

The crowding effect in Ancylostoma ceylanicum: density-dependent effects on an experimental model of infection.

This study compared the course of Ancylostoma ceylanicum infection in hamsters infected with different inocula and the consequences for the host and helminth populations. The average of adult worms recovered, according to the number of third stage larva used, were 28.0, 24.

Evaluation of biochemical, hematological and parasitological parameters of protein-deficient hamsters infected with Ancylostoma ceylanicum.

Background: Hookworms infect millions of people worldwide and can cause severe clinical symptoms in their hosts. Prospective cohort studies in Brazil show high rates of hookworm reinfection in malnourished children compared to well-nourished children, despite previous treatment. Additionally, soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections can worsen the nutritional status of affected populations.

Post-mortem hemoparasite detection in free-living Brazilian brown brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira, Fischer 1814).

Tick-borne infections can result in serious health problems for wild ruminants, and some of these infectious agents can be considered zoonosis. The aim of the present study was the post-mortem detection of hemoparasites in free-living Mazama gouazoubira from Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The deer samples consisted of free-living M.

Evaluation of humoral and cellular immune response of BALB/c mice immunized with a recombinant fragment of MSP1a from Anaplasma marginale using carbon nanotubes as a carrier molecule.

Bovine anaplasmosis is a disease caused by the intraerythrocytic rickettsia Anaplasma marginale. Surface proteins (MSPs) of A. marginale are important in the interaction of the pathogen with the host and constitute potential vaccine targets against this pathogen.

Entamoeba histolytica: gene expression analysis of cells invading tissues.

Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite that presents a risk to the health of millions of people worldwide. Due to the existence of different clinical forms caused by the parasite and also different virulence levels presented by one strain, one would expect differences in the profile of gene transcripts between virulent and nonvirulent cultures. In this study we used the differential display to select gene segments related to invasiveness of amoeba.

Genome of the human hookworm Necator americanus.

The hookworm Necator americanus is the predominant soil-transmitted human parasite. Adult worms feed on blood in the small intestine, causing iron-deficiency anemia, malnutrition, growth and development stunting in children, and severe morbidity and mortality during pregnancy in women. We report sequencing and assembly of the N.

Molecular detection and identification of hemoparasites in pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus Linnaeus, 1758) from the Pantanal Brazil.

Hemoparasites were surveyed in 60 free-living pampas deer Ozotoceros bezoarticus from the central area of the Pantanal, known as Nhecolândia, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, through the analysis of nested PCR assays and nucleotide sequencing. Blood samples were tested for Babesia/Theileria, Anaplasma spp., and Trypanosoma spp.

Evaluation of parasitological and immunological aspects of acute infection by Ancylostoma caninum and Ancylostoma braziliense in mixed-breed dogs.

This study compared the course of infection by Ancylostoma caninum and Ancylostoma braziliense in mixed-breed dogs infected with L3 larvae. Dogs infected with A. caninum eliminated more eggs than did those infected with A.

Prednisolone and cyclosporine A: effects on an experimental model of ancylostomiasis.

Corticosteroids and cyclosporine A (CsA) are important clinical immunosuppressive drugs used in the maintenance of organ transplants and in suppressing undesired autoimmune or allergic immune responses. To study the effect of CsA and prednisolone on the course of an Ancylostoma ceylanicum infection, hamsters were treated with commercially available prednisolone or CsA. For both drugs, half the recommended dose was sufficient to inhibit the proliferation of more than 70% of hamster lymph node cells.

Evidence for reductive genome evolution and lateral acquisition of virulence functions in two Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis strains.

Background: Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, a gram-positive, facultative intracellular pathogen, is the etiologic agent of the disease known as caseous lymphadenitis (CL). CL mainly affects small ruminants, such as goats and sheep; it also causes infections in humans, though rarely. This species is distributed worldwide, but it has the most serious economic impact in Oceania, Africa and South America.

Detection of Theileria and Babesia in brown brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira) and marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Intraerythrocytic protozoan species of the genera Theileria and Babesia are known to infect both wild and domestic animals, and both are transmitted by hard-ticks of the family Ixodidae. The prevalences of hemoprotozoa and ectoparasites in 15 free-living Mazama gouazoubira, two captive M. gouazoubira and four captive Blastocerus dichotomus from the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, have been determined through the examination of blood smears and the use of nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR).

Massively parallel sequencing and analysis of the Necator americanus transcriptome.

Background: The blood-feeding hookworm Necator americanus infects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. In order to elucidate fundamental molecular biological aspects of this hookworm, the transcriptome of the adult stage of Necator americanus was explored using next-generation sequencing and bioinformatic analyses.

Methodology/principal Findings: A total of 19,997 contigs were assembled from the sequence data; 6,771 of these contigs had known orthologues in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and most of them encoded proteins with WD40 repeats (10.

Characterization of a Caenorhabditis elegans glc seven-like phosphatase (gsp) orthologue from Haemonchus contortus (Nematoda).

A full-length complementary DNA (cDNA; designated Hc-stp-1) encoding a serine/threonine phosphatase (Hc-STP-1) was isolated from Haemonchus contortus, a strongylid nematode parasite of small ruminants. Hc-stp-1 was shown to be transcribed in males of both adults and fourth-stage larvae, but not in females, early larval stages or eggs. The full-length gene (2854 bp) contained ten exons and nine introns, and encoded a cDNA of 951 bp.

Male-enriched transcription of genes encoding ASPs and Kunitz-type protease inhibitors in Ancylostoma species.

Various transcripts coding for proteins considered to be central to parasite-host interactions were identified previously as male-enriched in the hookworm Ancylostoma braziliense. Among these genes were an ASP-5-like homologue and a Kunitz-type protease inhibitor. The present study extends this previous work to investigate similar molecules in other hookworms (Ancylostomatidae).

Improved insights into the transcriptomes of the human hookworm Necator americanus--fundamental and biotechnological implications.

Hookworms of humans are blood-feeding parasitic nematodes of major socio-economic significance in a wide range of countries. They cause a neglected tropical disease (NTD) called "hookworm disease" (=necatoriasis and/or ancylostomiasis). Necator americanus is the most widely distributed hookworm of humans and is a leading cause of iron deficiency anaemia, which can cause physical and mental retardation and deaths in children as well as adverse maternal-foetal outcomes.

Extensive and complex sequence diversity in mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 within Necator americanus from Colombia revealed by SSCP-coupled sequencing.

In spite of the human health importance of hookworms, there has been only a small number of studies of genetic variability within Necator americanus, and none in South America. In the present study, we investigated sequence variability in a 395-bp region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene among N. americanus individuals (n=100) from humans of six villages in Colombia, employing a mutation scanning-coupled sequencing approach.

Identification of gender-regulated genes in Ancylostoma braziliense by real-time RT-PCR.

Ancylostoma braziliense belongs to the family Ancylostomatidae and infects cats and dogs in various parts of the tropical world. It is also a zoonotic parasite causing cutaneous larva migrants in humans. There are very few, either biological or molecular, studies of this species.

Mitochondrial DNA variation of the dog hookworm Ancylostoma caninum in Brazilian populations.

The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene was partially sequenced for 164 Ancylostoma caninum individuals, originating from five different localities in Brazil, with the aim of describing the genetic diversity and genetic structure of Brazilian hookworm populations. Allelic and nucleotide diversity were moderate (overall h=0.88 and pi=0.

Differential diagnosis of dog hookworms based on PCR-RFLP from the ITS region of their rDNA.

Species of Ancylostoma infecting dogs and sometimes humans are sympatric in many parts of the world. The establishment of a specific molecular diagnostic tool is important, not only to refine information for epidemiological studies, but also to evaluate the efficacy of vaccine programmes and assist in the development of specific drug treatments. The ITS region from 20 specimens of A.

Comparison of different direct diagnostic methods to identify Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina in animals vaccinated with live attenuated parasites.

Blood smear examination, flow cytometry, duplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and duplex nested PCR (nPCR) were evaluated for detection of Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis infections in cattle vaccinated with live attenuated strains. Two groups of four cattle were immunized with either B. bigemina (Bi) or B.

Identification of specific male and female genes in adult Ancylostoma caninum.

The hookworm Ancylostoma canium represents a serious health problem, not only for animals but also for humans. These blood-feeding parasites produce various proteolytic enzymes in order to digest the host hemoglobin. The female worm ingests more blood than does the male.