Parasite Fauna and Coinfections in Urban Rats Naturally Infected by the Zoonotic Parasite .

When the zoonotic parasite of rodents that can cause human neuroangiostrongyliasis, i.e., is found in its natural definitive hosts, it is usually reported in isolation, as if the rat lungworm were the only component of its parasite community.

Development of a TaqMan qPCR assay for trypanosomatid multi-species detection and quantification in insects.

Background: Trypanosomatid parasites are widely distributed in nature and can have a monoxenous or dixenous life-cycle. These parasites thrive in a wide number of insect orders, some of which have an important economic and environmental value, such as bees. The objective of this study was to develop a robust and sensitive real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for detecting trypanosomatid parasites in any type of parasitized insect sample.

Differential expression and characterization of a member of the mucin-associated surface protein family secreted by Trypanosoma cruzi.

We describe the characterization, purification, expression, and location of a 52-kDa protein secreted during interaction between the metacyclic form of Trypanosoma cruzi and its target host cell. The protein, which we have named MASP52, belongs to the family of mucin-associated surface proteins (MASPs). The highest levels of expression of both the protein and mRNA occur during the metacyclic and bloodstream trypomastigote stages, the forms that infect the vertebrate host cells.