Co-infection with Trypanosoma congolense and Trypanosoma brucei is a significant risk factor for cerebral trypanosomosis in the equid population of the Gambia.

Trypanosomosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in working equids in The Gambia. Recently, a progressive, severe neurological syndrome characterised by a diffuse lymphoplasmacytic meningoencephalitis has been identified and associated with Trypanosoma brucei infection of the central nervous system. The pathogenesis of cerebral trypanosomosis is unclear and the clinical syndrome not well described.

Dysbiosis associated with acute helminth infections in herbivorous youngstock - observations and implications.

A plethora of data points towards a role of the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota of neonatal and young vertebrates in supporting the development and regulation of the host immune system. However, knowledge of the impact that infections by GI helminths exert on the developing microbiota of juvenile hosts is, thus far, limited. This study investigates, for the first time, the associations between acute infections by GI helminths and the faecal microbial and metabolic profiles of a cohort of equine youngstock, prior to and following treatment with parasiticides (ivermectin).

Helminths and microbes within the vertebrate gut - not all studies are created equal.

The multifaceted interactions occurring between gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic helminths and the host gut microbiota are emerging as a key area of study within the broader research domain of host-pathogen relationships. Over the past few years, a wealth of investigations has demonstrated that GI helminths interact with the host gut flora, and that such interactions result in modifications of the host immune and metabolic statuses. Nevertheless, whilst selected changes in gut microbial composition are consistently observed in response to GI helminth infections across several host-parasite systems, research in this area to date is largely characterised by inconsistent findings.

Schistosoma mansoni infection is associated with quantitative and qualitative modifications of the mammalian intestinal microbiota.

In spite of the extensive contribution of intestinal pathology to the pathophysiology of schistosomiasis, little is known of the impact of schistosome infection on the composition of the gut microbiota of its mammalian host. Here, we characterised the fluctuations in the composition of the gut microbial flora of the small and large intestine, as well as the changes in abundance of individual microbial species, of mice experimentally infected with Schistosoma mansoni with the goal of identifying microbial taxa with potential roles in the pathophysiology of infection and disease. Bioinformatic analyses of bacterial 16S rRNA gene data revealed an overall reduction in gut microbial alpha diversity, alongside a significant increase in microbial beta diversity characterised by expanded populations of Akkermansia muciniphila (phylum Verrucomicrobia) and lactobacilli, in the gut microbiota of S.

Cyathostomine egg reappearance period following ivermectin treatment in a cohort of UK Thoroughbreds.

Background: In spite of the emergence of populations of drug-resistant cyathostomines worldwide, little is known of parasite species responsible for 'early egg shedding' in cohorts of horses subjected to treatment with widely used anthelmintics, e.g. ivermectin (IVM).

Infections by human gastrointestinal helminths are associated with changes in faecal microbiota diversity and composition.

Investigations of the impact that patent infections by soil-transmitted gastrointestinal nematode parasites exert on the composition of the host gut commensal flora are attracting growing interest by the scientific community. However, information collected to date varies across experiments, and further studies are needed to identify consistent relationships between parasites and commensal microbial species. Here, we explore the qualitative and quantitative differences between the microbial community profiles of cohorts of human volunteers from Sri Lanka with patent infection by one or more parasitic nematode species (H+), as well as that of uninfected subjects (H-) and of volunteers who had been subjected to regular prophylactic anthelmintic treatment (Ht).

This Gut Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us. Or Is It? Helminth-Microbiota Interactions in Veterinary Species.

Gastrointestinal helminth parasites share their habitat with a myriad of other organisms, that is, the commensal microbiota. Increasing evidence, particularly in humans and rodent models of helminth infection, points towards a multitude of interactions occurring between parasites and the gut microbiota, with a profound impact on both host immunity and metabolic potential. Despite this information, the exploration of the effects that parasite infections exert on populations of commensal gut microbes of veterinary species is a field of research in its infancy.