The new world hookworm, Necator americanus is a soil-transmitted nematode responsible for Necatoriasis (a type of helminthiasis) in hosts such as humans, dogs, and cats. N. americanus genome and transcriptome has been sequenced and a draft assembly analysis has been published highlighting protein coding genes and possible drug target proteins. Hookworm microRNA identification, annotations and their public release is yet to be attempted. The same is evident from lack of hookworm miRNA information in related popular public nucleotide sequence repositories such as miRBase, GenBank, WormBase etc. Therefore, in the present study we addressed these issues using EST and assembled transcript sequence information of hookworm. Using computational approaches, we identified three miRNAs precursor sequences and their mature forms. We also identified their potential targets from hookworm ESTs and transcripts, and from human transcriptome. Overall, the results indicate presence of nematode specific miRNA homologs in N. americanus and shades light on their putative targets in worm itself and the human host.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gene.2016.05.039 | DOI Listing |
Cutis
November 2024
Dr. Bloomquist is from the School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia. Dr. Elston is from the Department of Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
Hookworm infection represents a major global disease burden, in terms of both morbidity and economic impact, and there has been a resurgence of hookworms in developed nations where these parasites were once thought to be eradicated. Hookworms can infest humans or other mammals as their primary hosts depending on the species. The 2 most common species that seek human hosts-Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale-enter the body through the epidermis, and hookworm infection may manifest as a pruritic and papular inflammatory reaction know as ground itch.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS Negl Trop Dis
December 2024
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America.
Background: Recombinant Necator americanus Glutathione-S-Transferase-1 (Na-GST-1) formulated on Alhydrogel (Na-GST-1/Alhydrogel) is being developed to prevent anemia and other complications of N. americanus infection. Antibodies induced by vaccination with recombinant Na-GST-1 are hypothesized to interfere with the blood digestion pathway of adult hookworms in the host.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHelminthologia
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 PDFParasitol Res
December 2024
Department of Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand.
There is a growing number of reports on the occurrence of benzimidazole resistance-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the β-tubulin isotype 1 gene of various helminths of veterinary, and public health concerns. However, a comprehensive analysis of their occurrence, and their contributions to conferring benzimidazole resistance among hookworms has yet to be done. The objectives of this systematic review are to summarize and synthesize peer-reviewed evidence on the occurrence of these resistance-associated mutations in hookworms, document their geographical distribution, and assess their contributions to conferring phenotypic resistance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv 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 PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!