Ixodes (Ixodes) apronophorus is a neglected tick species and its geographical distribution, host associations, and role as a disease vector are not well known. We collected I. apronophorus from several locations in Romania. Morphological identification of ticks was confirmed by analysis of 16S rDNA and 12S rDNA gene sequences. We report new host associations of I. apronophorus, which was collected from dogs, foxes, and a hare-all new hosts for this tick species in Romania. Furthermore, we report for the first time occurrence of Ehrlichia sp. HF in I. apronophorus. Ehrlichia sp. HF was identified by sequencing a part of the 16S rDNA gene and was found in 16% (3/19) of the tested ticks. Ehrlichia sp. HF has not been previously reported in Eastern Europe and seems to have a much larger geographic distribution than previously known. Currently, it is unknown whether I. apronophorus is a competent vector for Ehrlichia sp. HF, or if the findings in this study represent infection in the hosts, namely dogs and fox.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-018-5800-3 | DOI Listing |
Food Funct
January 2025
Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a metabolite produced by gut microbiota through tryptophan metabolism, has recently been identified as playing a pivotal role in bone metabolism. IPA promotes osteoblast differentiation by upregulating mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam), contributing to increased bone density and supporting bone repair. Simultaneously, it inhibits the formation and activity of osteoclasts, reducing bone resorption, possibly through modulation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway and downregulation of osteoclast-associated factors, thereby maintaining bone structural integrity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedComm (2020)
January 2025
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that is primarily known for causing severe joint and muscle symptoms, but its pathological effects have extended beyond these tissues. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive proteomic analysis across various organs in rodent and nonhuman primate models to investigate CHIKV's impact on organs beyond joints and muscles and to identify key host factors involved in its pathogenesis. Our findings reveal significant species-specific similarities and differences in immune responses and metabolic regulation, with proteins like Interferon-Stimulated Gene 15 (ISG15) and Retinoic Acid-Inducible Gene I (RIG-I) playing crucial roles in the anti-CHIKV defense.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEctothermic arthropods, like ticks, are sensitive indicators of environmental changes, and their seasonality plays a critical role in tick-borne disease dynamics in a warming world. Juvenile tick phenology, which influences pathogen transmission, may vary across climates, with longer tick seasons in cooler climates potentially amplifying transmission. However, assessing juvenile tick phenology is challenging in climates where desiccation pressures reduce the time ticks spend seeking blood meals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Strain-level variation among host-associated bacteria often determines host range and the extent to which colonization is beneficial, benign, or pathogenic. is a beneficial symbiont of the light organs of fish and squid with known strain-specific differences that impact host specificity, colonization efficiency, and interbacterial competition. Here, we describe how the conserved global regulator, H-NS, has a strain-specific impact on a critical colonization behavior: biofilm formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis the causative agent of the venereal disease trichomoniasis which infects men and women globally and is associated with serious outcomes during pregnancy and cancers of the human reproductive tract. Trichomonads parasitize a range of hosts in addition to humans including birds, livestock, and domesticated animals. Recent genetic analysis of trichomonads recovered from columbid birds has provided evidence that these parasite species undergo frequent host-switching, and that a current epoch spillover event from columbids likely gave rise to in humans.
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