The human hookworm Necator americanus was maintained through one hundred generations in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). The parasite strain employed here was ultimately adapted to hamsters without the requirement for exogenous steroids or other immunosuppressive agents. Moreover, there was no requirement to use neonatal hamsters--successful infections were obtained in 9- to 10-week-old hamsters infected subcutaneously with 250 hookworm larvae. This unique adaptation of N. americanus to hamsters permits its use for purposes of anthelminthic drug and vaccine development.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0014-4894(03)00094-8 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Morphological identification of hookworm species in five regions of Cameroon.
Helminthologia
September 2024
Laboratory of Parasitology and Ecology, Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, P.O. Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Infections with hookworms ( and ) remain a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries. However, the information about the distribution of each species is inaccurate in many countries since their traditional diagnosis is based only on the identification of eggs in stool under a microscope. We aimed to identify the prevalence of hookworm species using morphological stools to identify L3 larvae to gain insights into the distribution of both species in five regions of Cameroon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDetection of Parasite DNA in Soil Samples from Rural Yucatan, Mexico.
Am J Trop Med Hyg
December 2024
Laboratory of Human and Environmental Parasitology, Pediatrics - Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on detecting parasite DNA in soil from 34 houses in rural Yucatan, Mexico, using a specialized technique to highlight environmental reservoirs for human parasites.
- Results showed that 65% of the houses had at least one type of parasite, with Acanthamoeba spp. being the most common, while some houses even had multiple parasites detected in a single sample.
- This research emphasizes the significance of soil as a habitat for various parasites, which can pose health risks to rural communities, marking an important finding in the field of environmental health.
Astacin metalloproteases in human-parasitic nematodes.
Adv Parasitol
October 2024
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Electronic address:
Parasitic nematodes infect over 2 billion individuals worldwide, primarily in low-resource areas, and are responsible for several chronic and potentially deadly diseases. Throughout their life cycle, these parasites are thought to use astacin metalloproteases, a subfamily of zinc-containing metalloendopeptidases, for processes such as skin penetration, molting, and tissue migration. Here, we review the known functions of astacins in human-infective, soil-transmitted parasitic nematodes - including the hookworms Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale, the threadworm Strongyloides stercoralis, the giant roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides, and the whipworm Trichuris trichiura - as well as the human-infective, vector-borne filarial nematodes Wuchereria bancrofti, Onchocerca volvulus, and Brugia malayi.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOptimization of 18 S rRNA metabarcoding for the simultaneous diagnosis of intestinal parasites.
Sci Rep
October 2024
Department of Tropical Medicine, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
Recent advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have created new opportunities for comprehensive screening of multiple parasite species. In this study, we cloned the 18 S rDNA V9 region of 11 species of intestinal parasites into plasmids. Equal amounts and concentrations of these 11 plasmids were pooled, and amplicon NGS targeting the 18 S rDNA V9 region was performed using the Illumina iSeq 100 platform.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLow prevalence of soil transmitted helminth infection in Ugandan children hospitalized with severe malaria.
medRxiv
October 2024
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America.
Article Synopsis
- Co-infection with intestinal helminths and malaria is common in certain communities, but the relationship between these infections and malaria severity remains unclear.
- A study analyzed stool samples from children with severe malaria and asymptomatic children in Uganda, finding a very low prevalence of intestinal helminth infections in both groups.
- The results indicated that helminth infections were not linked to increased risk of severe malaria, which may be attributed to the success of Uganda's national deworming program introduced in 2003.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!