Combined use of real-time PCR and serological techniques for improved surveillance of chronic and acute American trypanosomiasis in dogs and their owners from an endemic rural area of Neotropical Mexico.

In this study, the prevalence of infection was estimated in dogs and their owners from a rural community in Mexico using serological techniques for chronic infection cases, qPCR for acute phase cases, and a combination of both techniques to detect chronic and acute infections. Eighty-nine blood samples were collected from owners and their dogs for obtaining serum and parasite DNA. Prevalence was calculated using (i) positive cases detected in a serological test (ELISA and Western blot), (ii) positive cases detected in a qPCR test, and (iii) positive cases detected by both techniques.

Quantification of Osteoprotegerin Plasma Levels in Patients with Periodontitis.

Objective: Periodontitis (POD) is an infectious process directed at the structures supporting the teeth. Destruction of alveolar bone is considered one of the main causes of tooth loss in humans and is mediated by the host immune response. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), a protein that inhibits bone resorption by binding to the RANK ligand (RANKL), prevents osteoclastic differentiation.

Screening of Zoonotic Parasites in Playground Sandboxes of Public Parks from Subtropical Mexico.

The pathological agents and are widely distributed zoonotic parasites with high prevalence in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of DNA from these parasites in sand samples from the sand playgrounds in the southeastern region of Mexico. Samples of sand were collected from 68 playgrounds in public parks in the city of Merida, Yucatan, which is the main urban area in the southeast of Mexico.

in Captive Wild Felids of Mexico: Its Frequency and Capability to Eliminate Oocysts.

There is little information about in wild felids, even when these species have been associated with cases of toxoplasmosis in humans. In this study, samples of serum and whole blood were collected from 42 felids from 10 different species, in 4 Mexican zoos. Stool samples from 36 animals were also collected, corresponding to 82% of the felids included in the study.

Frequency of Infection in Synanthropic and Wild Rodents Captured in a Rural Community in Southeast of Mexico.

The protozoan parasite is the causative agent of the Chagas disease, which is endemic in southeastern Mexico and is transmitted by the vector (triatomide). infect a great variety of domestic and wild mammals; rodents are considered one of the most important reservoirs of the parasite in the transmission cycles of . The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of infection and to determine the parasitic load in synanthropic and wild rodents from the rural community of southern Mexico.

Presence of Toxoplasma gondii in Drinking Water from an Endemic Region in Southern Mexico.

Toxoplasmosis can be acquired through the ingestion of contaminated drinking water with oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii, highly resistant to the routinely disinfection processes; based on chlorination commonly used in the water supply industry. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of T. gondii DNA in samples of public drinking water from an endemic region of southern Mexico.

Presence of Toxoplasma gondii in Pork Intended for Human Consumption in Tropical Southern Mexico.

Background: Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoon Toxoplasma gondii, which is one of the most widespread parasites that infect animals and humans worldwide. One of the main routes of infection for humans is through the consumption of infected meat containing bradyzoites in tissue cysts. Pork is one of the foremost meat types associated with outbreaks of acute toxoplasmosis in humans.

Toxoplasmosis in Mexico: epidemiological situation in humans and animals.

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease widely distributed throughout the world, infecting a wide variety of animal species including humans. In Mexico, this parasite has been detected in different parts of the country, particularly in the tropical areas where the parasite can remain infective for long periods of time due to the environmental conditions (i.e.