We report the observation of acid-fast Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts in a sputum sample. The patient, a 60 year-old, HIV negative man, was successfully treated for pulmonary tuberculosis during 1997. On February 1998, he was admitted to our center due to loss of weight, cough with purulent expectoration, dysphonia and a radiological picture of pulmonary fibrosis. Bacilloscopic study of sputum (negative for acid-fast bacilli) stained with Ziehl-Neelsen technique showed large (8-10 microm) spherical, acid-fast Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts. No other pathogens were isolated on cultures from this sample or from laryngeal biopsy. Serial parasitologic studies showed C. cayetanensis and also eggs of Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides and Hymenolepis nana and of Entamoeba coli cysts. The patient lives in the outskirts of Buenos Aires in a brick-made house with potable water and works as builder of sewers. He travelled in several occasions to the rural area of province of Tucumán which has poor sanitary conditions. C. cayetanensis is an emergent agent of diarrhea and as far as we know this is the first time the parasite is observed in respiratory samples.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0036-46652000000200009 | DOI Listing |
Environ Health Insights
January 2025
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Korle Bu, Accra, Ghana.
Introduction: Access to safe drinking water is crucial for health and survival, yet many developing countries face significant challenges in this regard. In West Africa, rapid urbanisation has outpaced efforts to improve access to potable water, compelling households to rely on private vendors for solutions, particularly through the growing market for sachet water. Widely consumed in Ghana, sachet water has become a convenient and affordable option, with over 37% of the population depending on it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChina CDC Wkly
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Introduction: The establishment of a high-throughput quantification approach for waterborne pathogenic protozoa and helminths is crucial for rapid screening and health risk assessment.
Methods: We developed a high-throughput quantitative polymerase chain reaction (HT-qPCR) assay targeting 19 waterborne protozoa and 3 waterborne helminths and validated its sensitivity, specificity, and repeatability. The assay was then applied to test various environmental media samples.
Parasitology
December 2024
Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
The migration of Mongolian gazelles () poses a potential risk of outbreak for zoonotic intestinal protozoan parasite infections. This study aims to investigate the infection status of zoonotic intestinal protozoan parasites in these migratory Mongolian gazelles. We collected 120 fecal samples from Mongolian gazelles during their migration from Mongolia to China in December 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroorganisms
November 2024
Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Northeast Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.
Recurring outbreaks of cyclosporiasis linked to fresh produce demonstrate the need to develop interventions to reduce in irrigation water. is resistant to commonly used irrigation water treatments, such as chemical sanitizers, making removal of oocysts by filtration the most suitable intervention. This study evaluated the reduction of and , as surrogates for , in water using filters packed with sand alone or mixtures of sand and zero-valent iron (ZVI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogens
October 2024
Department of Science of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFNE), University of Foggia, 71121 Foggia, Italy.
Berries represent healthy dietary options and contain bioactive compounds associated with a decreased risk of diseases. Despite representing healthy food choices, these products can be contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms, including parasites. Among foodborne parasites, , , , , and are of significant public health importance and have been recently detected in fresh berries in Europe, including Italy.
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