Tandem repeats in the genome of Toxoplasma gondii display compositional bias that impacts in protein structure.

Repetitive elements in DNA sequences are a hallmark of Apicomplexan protozoa. A genome-wide screening for Tandem Repeats was conducted in Toxoplasma gondii and related Coccidian parasites with a novel strategy to assess compositional bias. A conserved pattern of GC skew and purine-pyrimidine bias was observed.

First identification of Strongyloides stercoralis infection in a pet dog in Argentina, using integrated diagnostic approaches.

Background: Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted intestinal nematode with a complex life cycle that primarily affects humans, non-human primates, dogs, and occasionally cats. This study presents, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of S. stercoralis infection and its genotyping in a domestic dog from Argentina.

Higher diversity of Brucella canis in Latin America, according to an MLVA_13 Bc analysis.

Brucella canis is the main causative agent of canine brucellosis, which affects domestic and wild canids and leads to clinical signs and symptoms of the reproductive and locomotor systems. Owing to the scarce information on this pathogen, here we addressed the genetic diversity of the circulating strains of this species in Argentina by following an MVLA_13 Bc scheme. The analyzed sample set consisted of 101 strains of B.

Leptospira spp., a genus in the stage of diversity and genomic data expansion.

Leptospirosis is a widespread global zoonotic bacterial disease with a noteworthy human-animal-ecosystem interface. The disease presents different clinical manifestations and a high mortality and morbidity rates in humans and animals throughout the world. Characterization and correct classification of Leptospira isolates is essential for a better understanding the epidemiological properties of the disease.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Bertiella sp. (Cestoda, Anoplocephalidae) infection in a human and howler monkeys in Argentina.

Bertiella sp. is a typical parasite in non-human primates and only a few cases of bertiellosis have been reported in humans. We present a new case study of bertiellosis in a 42-year-old woman caretaker of howler monkeys in a wild rehabilitation center in Argentina.

Cellular localization, cloning and expression of Leishmania braziliensis Phospholipase A.

Leishmaniasis is caused by several species of protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania and represents an important global health problem. Leishmania braziliensis in particular is responsible of cutaneous and mucocutaneous forms of this parasitosis, with prevalence in Latin America. In the present work, we describe in L.

Development of a Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for Pan-Leishmania.

Since the description of the Leishmania genus, its identification and organization have been a challenge. A high number of molecular markers have been developed to resolve phylogenetic differences at the species level and for addressing key epidemiological and population genetics questions. Based on Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE), Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) schemes have been developed using different gene candidates.

Simplified MLST scheme for direct typing of Leptospira human clinical samples.

Leptospirosis is a globally distributed zoonosis. Epidemiological data are scarce and present major challenge because of the varied clinical presentations. Multilocus Sequence Typing has already proven to be a robust molecular typing method providing accurate results for strain characterization.

Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii: The advantages of variable number tandem repeats within coding regions.

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan which is widely distributed. Infection occurs as a result of ingestion of uncooked meat and exposure to cat feces. Immunocompetent individuals are generally asymptomatic, while severe disease may occur in immunocompromised subjects and in congenital toxoplasmosis, which is caused by transplacental acquisition of T.

Leptospira species molecular epidemiology in the genomic era.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease which global burden is increasing often related to climatic change. Hundreds of whole genome sequences from worldwide isolates of Leptospira spp. are available nowadays, together with online tools that permit to assign MLST sequence types (STs) directly from raw sequence data.

First Genome Sequence of Leptospira interrogans Serovar Pomona, Isolated from a Bovine Abortion.

Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonosis and a re-emergent disease of global distribution with major relevance in veterinary production. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona strain AKRFB, isolated from a bovine abortion during a leptospirosis outbreak in Argentina.

Comparison between PCR and larvae visualization methods for diagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis out of endemic area: A proposed algorithm.

Underdiagnosis of chronic infection with the nematode Strongyloides stercoralis may lead to severe disease in the immunosuppressed. Thus, we have set-up a specific and highly sensitive molecular diagnosis in stool samples. Here, we compared the accuracy of our polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method with that of conventional diagnostic methods for chronic infection.

Genetic and clinical characterization of canine leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum in northeastern Argentina.

Leishmaniases comprise zoonotic diseases caused by protozoan flagellates of the Leishmania genus. They are endemic to South America, and the visceral form has been recently reported in Argentina. Dogs can play different roles in the Leishmania transmission cycles, depending mainly on the species of parasite involved.

LAMP technology: Rapid identification of Brucella and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis.

In this study, we developed new sets of primers to detect Brucella spp. and M. avium subsp.

Molecular typing of Argentinian Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates by multiple-locus variable number-tandem repeat analysis.

Multiple-locus variable number-tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) isolates may contribute to the knowledge of strain diversity in Argentina. Although the diversity of MAP has been previously investigated in Argentina using IS900-RFLP, a small number of isolates were employed, and a low discriminative power was reached. The aim of the present study was to test the genetic diversity among MAP isolates using an MLVA approach based on 8 repetitive loci.

Multilocus sequence typing approach for a broader range of species of Leishmania genus: describing parasite diversity in Argentina.

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne protozoan infection affecting over 350 million people around the world. In Argentina cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in nine provinces and visceral leishmaniasis is spreading from autochthonous transmission foci in seven provinces. However, there is limited information about the diversity of the parasite in this country.

Development of a multilocus sequence typing scheme for the study of Anaplasma marginale population structure over space and time.

Bovine Anaplasmosis caused by Anaplasma marginale is a worldwide disease prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions where Rhipicephalus microplus is considered the most significant biological vector. Molecular markers previously applied for A. marginale typing are efficient for isolate discrimination but they are not a suitable tool for studying population structure and dynamics.

Typification of virulent and low virulence Babesia bigemina clones by 18S rRNA and rap-1c.

The population structure of original Babesia bigemina isolates and reference strains with a defined phenotypic profile was assessed using 18S rRNA and rap-1c genes. Two reference strains, BbiS2P-c (virulent) and BbiS1A-c (low virulence), were biologically cloned in vitro. The virulence profile of the strains and clones was assessed in vivo.