Experimental ParasitologyThis is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

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400 records returned

A real-time PCR diagnostic method for detection of Naegleria fowleri.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Naegleria fowleri is a free living amoeba that can cause primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). While, traditional methods for diagnosing PAM still rely on culture, more current laboratory diagnoses exist based on conventional PCR methods; however, only a few real-time PCR processes have been described as yet. Here, we describe a real-time PCR-based diagnostic method using hybridization fluorescent labelled probes, with a LightCycler instrument and accompanying software (Roche), targeting the Naegleria fowleriMp2Cl5 gene sequence. Using this method, no cross reactivity with other tested epidemiologically relevant p...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - November 14, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Lucia M, Katarína T, Soňa F, Cyril K, Margita O Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Taenia crassiceps cysticerci - Characterization of the 14-kDa Glycoprotein with homologies to antigens from Taenia solium cysticerci.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Glycoproteins from the total vesicular fluid of Taenia crassiceps (VF-Tc) were prepared using three different purification methods, consisting of ConA-lectin affinity chromatography (ConA-Tc), preparative electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) (14gp-Tc), and monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity chromatography (18/14-Tc). The complex composition represented by the VF-Tc and ConA-Tc antigens revealed peptides ranging from 101- to 14-kDa and from 92- to 12-kDa, respectively. Immunoblotting using lectins confirmed glucose/mannose (glc/man) residues in the 18- and 14-kDa peptides, which are considered specific and immunodominant for the ...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - November 5, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Peralta RH, Espíndola NM, Pardini AX, Iha AH, Moura H, Barr JR, Vaz AJ, Peralta JM Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Balamuthia and Acanthamoeba-binding antibodies in West African human sera.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Little is known about the prevalence of Balamuthia mandrillaris amoebae and Balamuthia amoebic encephalitis in Africa. As an approach, relative concentrations of amoebae-binding serum antibodies (Ab) were assessed by flow cytometry using formaldehyde-fixed B. mandrillaris, Acanthamoeba lenticulata 72-2, and A. castellanii 1BU amoebae for specific Ab capture (B.m.-Ab, A.l.-Ab, A.c.-Ab). 192 sera from West African (Côte d'Ivoire) donors aged 11-95 years (mean 38 a; 51% males), and living in villages surrounded by rainforest near the Liberian border, were tested and related to reference sera from Berlin. While B.m.-A...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - November 5, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Kiderlen AF, Radam E, Schuster FL, Adjogoua EV, Akoua-Koffi C, Leendertz FH Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Hymenolepis diminuta: Effect of infection on ion transport in colon and blood picture of rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of an infection with Hymenolepis diminuta on ion transport in an isolated colon and blood picture of rats. Fifty rats were orally infected with 5 cysticercoids of H. diminuta. The experimental groups of rats were assigned to four groups: group I - 8 days post-infection (dpi), group II - 16 dpi, group III - 40 dpi and group IV- 60 dpi. The control group comprised non-infected rats. The experiments consisted of measuring the transepithelial electrical potential difference (PD) and the transepithelial electrical resistance (R) of the rat colon under controlled conditions as ...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - November 3, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Kosik-Bogacka DI, Baranowska-Bosiacka I, Salamatin R Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Toxoplasma gondii: recombinant GRA5 antigen for detection of immunoglobulin G antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, for the first time, the evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii full length recombinant GRA5 antigen for the serodiagnosis of human toxoplasmosis is shown. The recombinant GRA5 antigen as a fusion protein containing his-tag at both terminals was obtained using an Escherichia coli expression system. The usefulness of rGRA5 for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in an ELISA was tested on a total of 189 sera from patients with different stages of the infection and 31 sera from seronegative individuals, obtained during routine diagnostic tests. Anti-GRA5 IgG antibodies were detected in 70.9% of all seropositive serum sample...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 26, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Holec-Gąsior L, Kur J Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Confocal microscopic findings of cysteine protease calpain in Plasmodium falciparum.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Pf-calpain, a cysteine protease of Plasmodium falciparum, is believed to be one of the central mediators for essential parasitic activity. However, the roles of calpain on parasitic activity have not been determined in P. falciparum. In the present study, the localization of Pf-calpain was investigated using polyclonal antibodies (anti-Pf-calpain antibody A and B) against peptides that distinguished it from human calpain-7 and rat calpain-10 protein. Recombinant Pf-calpain (rPf-calpain) was identified as a 46 kDa protein using an anti-Pf-calpain antibody A, which can recognize the Pf-calpain binding site. Confocal micr...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 24, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Choi YY, Jung SY, Soh BY, Zheng B, Kim S, Park KI, Park H Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Fasciolagigantica: Parasitological and Scanning Electron Microscopy Study of the in vitro Effects of Ivermectin and/or Artemether.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Artemether alone or combined with ivermectin in half doses had potent fasciocidal activities. Besides, half doses of combined drug regimens had higher ovicidal effects than each drug alone. In vivo studies are recommended to explore the efficacy of combined regimens against Fasciola infection. PMID: 19861124 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Experimental Parasitology)
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 24, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Mahmoud SS, Mansour HH, Diab TM Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Balamuthia mandrillaris: The multiple nuclei of Balamuthia amebas; their location, activity, and site of development.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Multiple nuclei were first noted in the pseudopodia of Balamuthia mandrillaris amebas feeding on mammalian cells. Phase microscope observations of live amebas in vitro reveal that while many amebas have a single nucleus, others have multiple nuclear-like structures, now confirmed as nuclei with haematoxylin and Feulgen stains. In the live cultures, two nuclei located near the tip of an extended pseudopodium were seen to fuse resulting in one larger morphologic unit. Such merging of nuclei has not been previously reported. Other nuclei were located at positions that subsequently became the site for the outgrowth of an a...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 23, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Dunnebacke TH Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Acanthamoeba spp.: in vitro effects of clinical isolates on murine macrophages, osteosarcoma and HeLa cells.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study demonstrates the ability of these amoebae to degrade any of the tested cell lines. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the in vitro effects of acanthamoebae on osteosarcoma cells. PMID: 19857490 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Experimental Parasitology)
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 23, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Martín-Navarro CM, Lorenzo-Morales J, Machín RP, López-Arencibia A, Valladares B, Piñero JE Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

First report of a mixed infection due to Acanthamoeba genotype T3 and Vahlkampfia in a cosmetic soft contact lens wearer in Iran.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Acanthamoeba keratitis cases have emerged in the recent years in Iran. In this case, an amoebic keratitis due to a mixed infection with Acanthamoeba and Vahlkampfia species is reported. Corneal scrapes, contact lenses and contact lense cases obtained from the patient were analysed and were positive for cysts of Acanthamoeba and Vahlkampfia genera. Genus-specific PCR was carried out for both genera, confirming the microscopic observations. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a possible mixed amoebic infection due to Acanthamoeba and Vahlkampfia and raises awareness within contact lens wearers in Iran. ...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 23, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Niyyati M, Lorenzo-Morales J, Rezaie S, Rahimi F, Martín-Navarro CM, Mohebali M, Maghsood AH, Farnia S, Valladares B, Rezaeian M Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Sarcoptes scabiei: specific immune response to sarcoptic mange in the Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica depends on previous exposure and sex.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Host acquired immunity is a critical factor that conditions the survival of parasites. Nevertheless, there is a shortage of data concerning inter-individual immunological inequalities in wild mammals. Sarcoptic mange is a widespread parasitosis that severely affects mammals such as the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica). Despite some work on the subject, the immune response to sarcoptic mange infestation is still a complex and poorly understood phenomenon. To improve knowledge of the host-Sarcoptes immunological interaction, 18 Iberian ibexes were experimentally infested. IgG levels were assessed using ELISA to test for po...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 23, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Sarasa M, Rambozzi L, Rossi L, Meneguz PG, Serrano E, Granados JE, González FJ, Fandos P, Soriguer RC, Gonzalez G, Joachim J, Pérez JM Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Detection, identification and molecular typing of Leishmania major in Phlebotomus papatasi from a focus of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in central of Iran.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Leishmania major is the causative agent and Phlebotomus papatasi is the main vector of rural zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) in Iran and elsewhere. Nested PCR protocols were used to amplify a region of the ribosomal RNA amplicon of Leishmania (ITS1-5.8S rRNA gene) in female P. papatasi. In the current investigation, L. major was found in Natanz, Isfahan province in centre of Iran, in a focus of rural ZCL. Ten (1.8%) out of 549 female P. papatasi was found to be infected with L. major based on the PCR detection and sequencing of parasite ITSrDNA. Nine (1.8%) out of 498 female P. papatasi infected with L. major ca...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 22, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Parvizi P, Baghban N, Novin EA, Absavaran A Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Toxoplasma gondii: Simple Duplex RT-PCR Assay for Detecting SAG1 and BAG1 Genes during Stage Conversion in Immunosuppressed Mice.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) is caused by reactivation of dormant bradyzoites into rapidly dividing tachyzoites of the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii in immune-compromised hosts. Diagnosis of this life-threatening disease is complicated, since it is difficult to distinguish between these two stages. It is, therefore, mainly based on a test positive for T. gondii antibodies, and specific clinical symptoms. We developed a duplex RT-PCR to detect the expression of bradyzoite (BAG1) and tachyzoite (SAG1) specific genes simultaneously during tachyzoite/bradyzoite stage conversion. The conversion reaction was obser...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 22, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Mahittikorn A, Wickert H, Sukthana Y Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Changes in macrophage membrane properties during early Leishmania amazonensis infection differ from those observed during established infection and are partially explained by phagocytosis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Understanding the impact of intracellular pathogens on the behavior of their host cells is key to designing new interventions. We are interested in how Leishmania alters the electrical function of the plasma membrane of the macrophage it infects. The specific question addressed here is the impact of Leishmania infection on macrophage membrane properties during the first 12 hours post-infection. A decrease of 29% in macrophage membrane capacitance at 3 hours post-infection indicates that the phagolysosome membrane is donated on entry by the macrophage plasma membrane. Macrophage membrane potential depolarized during the...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 22, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Quintana E, Torres Y, Alvarez C, Rojas A, Forero ME, Camacho M Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum/chagasi: histopathological aspects of the skin in naturally infected dogs in two endemic areas.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the New World, visceral leishmaniasis (VL), which is a progressive disease and frequently fatal, is caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum/chagasi. It is endemic in many regions of Brazil and occasionally occurs in non-endemic regions when dogs from an endemic area are introduced. The aim of the present study is to compare different skin infection patterns of dogs from two leishmaniasis endemic areas. A histological analysis of dogs from Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul state, a region where epidemic episodes are currently taking place, showed dermic inflammatory infiltrates, composed of numerous vacuolated para...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 22, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Calabrese KS, Cortada VM, Dorval ME, Lima MA, Oshiro ET, Souza CS, Silva-Almeida M, Carvalho LO, da Costa SC, Abreu-Silva AL Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Teladorsagia circumcincta: survival of adults in vitro is enhanced by the presence of a mammalian cell line.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Adult Teladorsagia circumcincta survival and motility in vitro was examined in a range of different cell culture media, supplements and gas mixes. Under optimum conditions, worms survived for 14 days, exhibiting high motility for 9 days and egg production for 72 hours. Optimum conditions involved co-culture of worms with a HeLa cell line in a supplemented cell medium (CEM) and an atmosphere containing 10% CO(2), 5% O(2) 85% N(2), 65% humidity at 37 degrees C. The incubation medium consisted of Minimum Essential Medium with 10% fetal calf serum, 1% non-essential amino acids, 1% glutamax and 1% penicillin-neomycin-strept...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 20, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Luque A, Walker LR, Pedley JC, Pedley KC, Hillrichs K, Simpson HV, Simcock DC Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Parabrachiella jarai sp. nov. (Crustacea: Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) parasitic on Sillago sihama (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Sillaginidae).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The presently reported study provides a detailed morphological description of the female and the male of a new species of the genus Parabrachiella-Parabrachiella jarai sp. nov. The parasites were sampled from marine fishe, silver sillago, Sillago sihama (Perciformes: Sillaginidae), captured in Malaysia in 1994 and Hong Kong in 1995. The new species bears some resemblance to P. lata (Song et Chen, 1976) but differs from it in details of second antenna, mandible, and maxilliped. The genus Parabrachiella currently includes 67 species including those recently transferred from Neobrachiella Kabata, 1979. An amended generic ...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 19, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Piasecki W, Młynarczyk M, Hayward CJ Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Acanthamoeba polyphaga is a possible host for Vibriocholerae in aquatic environments.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Acanthamoeba is a genus of free-living amoebae found to be able to host many bacterial species living in the environment. Acanthamoebae and Vibrio cholerae are found in the aquatic environments of cholera endemic areas. Previously it has been shown that V. cholerae O1 and O139 can survive and grow in Acanthamoeba castellanii. The aim of this study was to examine the ability of Acanthamoeba polyphaga to host V. cholerae O1 and O139.The interaction between A. polyphaga and V. cholerae strains was studied by means of viable amoeba cell counts and viable count of the bacteria in the absence and presence of amoebae. The via...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - October 4, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Sandström G, Saeed A, Abd H Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

The monophyletic origin of a remarkable sexual system in akentrogonid rhizocephalan parasites: a molecular and larval structural study.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We use sequences from the nuclear ribosomal genes, 18S and 28S to analyze the phylogeny of the Rhizocephala Akentrogonida including two species, Clistosaccus paguri and Chthamalophilus delagei, that are critical for understanding rhizocephalan evolution but have not previously been part of a molecularly based study. In addition we use light and scanning electron microscopy to compare the cypris larvae of Clistosaccus paguri, Sylon hippolytes and two species of the family Thompsoniidae, since this larval stage offers a suite of characters for analyzing the evolution of these otherwise highly reduced parasites. The Rhizo...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 24, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Glenner H, Høeg JT, Stenderup J, Rybakov AV Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Cryptosporidium Surveillance and Risk Factors in the United States.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Surveillance for Cryptosporidium in the United States indicates that the reported incidence of infection has increased dramatically since 2004. The reasons for this increase are unclear but might be caused by an actual increase in incidence, improved surveillance, improved awareness about cryptosporidiosis, and/or increases in testing practices resulting from the licensing of the first-ever treatment for cryptosporidiosis. While regional differences remain, the incidence of cryptosporidiosis appears to be increasing across the United States. Onset of illness is most common during the summer, particularly among younger ...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 24, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Yoder JS, Beach MJ Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Trypanosoma cruzi: Do different sylvatic strains trigger distinct immune responses?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Strains of T. cruzi are multiclonal populations that can be classified in groups or genotypes, differing in pathogenicity, virulence, and histotropism. In this experiment the distinct behavior of two strains of T. cruzi, MORC-1 and MORC-2, was documented. Blood parasitemia, spleen proliferation, nitric oxide, hystopathology of the spleen and heart were used as tools to evaluate parasite persistence. Groups of male mice were separated and divided in two groups: Control (M-1) and (M-2), Infected (IM-1) and (IM-2). The peak of parasitemia occurred on 10 days post infection for both strains. LPS stimulated animals, infecte...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 24, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Caetano LC, do Prado Jr JC, Toldo MP, Abrahão AA Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Echinococcus multilocularis: Two-Dimensional Western Blotting Method for the Identification and Expression Analysis of Immunogenic Proteins in Infected Dogs.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Domesticated dogs are an important potential source of Echinococcus multilocularis infection in humans; therefore, new molecular approaches for the prevention of the parasite infection in dogs need to be developed. Here, we identified and characterized an immunogenic protein of the parasite by using a proteome-based approach. The total protein extracted from protoscoleces was subjected to two-dimensional western blotting with sera from dogs experimentally infected with E. multilocularis. Two protein spots showed major reactivity to the sera from infected dogs. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of these spots were ide...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 17, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Kouguchi H, Matsumoto J, Katoh Y, Suzuki T, Oku Y, Yagi K Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Identification and Differentiation of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica using a Simple PCR-Restriction Enzyme Method.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Accurate morphological differentiation between the liver fluke species Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica is difficult. We evaluated PCR-restriction enzyme profiles of internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) that could aid in their identification. Fifty F. hepatica and 30 F. gigantica specimens were collected from different hosts in three provinces of Iran. For DNA extraction, we crushed fragments of the worms between two glass slides as a new method to break down the cells. DNA from the crushed materials was then extracted with a conventional phenol-chloroform method and with the newly developed technique, commerci...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 17, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Rokni MB, Mirhendi H, Mizani A, Mohebali M, Sharbatkhori M, Kia EB, Abdoli H, Izadi S Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Leishmania major lipophosphoglycan: Discrepancy in toll-like receptor signaling.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Lipophosphoglycan (LPG) is structurally characterized by a series of phosphoglycan repeat units. Cellular LPG, isolated from promastigotes, has a very similar structure to culture supernatant LPG, but differs in the average number of phosphorylated oligosaccharide repeat units and in glycan composition. Comparison of these LPGs with capillary electrophoresis and immunoblotting indicate that these molecules are highly conserved structurally and composed of galactosylated Gal-Man repeats but their size and molecular weight are very different which is due to glycan portion. There are 30 and 20 repeat units in sLPG and mLP...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 17, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Kavoosi G, Ardestani SK, Kariminia A, Alimohammadian MH Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Axenization and optimization of in vitro growth of clonal cultures of Tetratrichomonas gallinarum and Trichomonas gallinae.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A rapid and simple procedure was established to obtain clonal axenic cultures of Tetratrichomonas gallinarum and Trichomonas gallinae and to optimize their invitro growth conditions. Medium 199 was used for axenization of two genetically different clones of T. gallinarum and T. gallinae. Six different media were used to optimize the growth behaviour of axenically grown parasites: Medium 199, TYM, TYI-S-33, Hollander fluid (HF), Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and modified TV media. The highest cell yields for both axenic clones of T. gallinarum were obtained in modified TV medium without antibiotics. The maximum numbers of ...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 16, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Amin A, Neubauer C, Liebhart D, Grabensteiner E, Hess M Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Balamuthia mandrillaris: Role of galactose in encystment and identification of potential inhibitory targets.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we examined the effects of exogenous sugars on B. mandrillaris encystment. The findings revealed that free exogenous galactose, but not other sugars, enhanced parasite differentiation into cysts, and apparently a galactose-binding protein is involved in B. mandrillaris encystment. Cytoskeletal re-arrangements and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-mediated pathways are involved in B. mandrillaris encystment based on inhibitor studies. Dual functionality of galactose-binding protein in B. mandrillaris pathogenesis and encystment is discussed further. PMID: 19766634 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (S...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 16, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Siddiqui R, Jarroll EL, Khan NA Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

A new species and record of branchial parasitic isopods (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyridae: Pseudioninae) of porcellanid crabs from the Philippines.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Branchial bopyrids infesting porcellanid crabs from the Philippines were investigated based on intertidal collections made in 1999-2000. Crabs of the genus Petrolisthes collected from sites in the northern Philippines were examined and two parasite species were found. One new pseudionine species found infesting Petrolisthes sp. [cf. Petrolisthes asiaticus (Leach)] is described as Aporobopyrusgalleonus (prevalence 6.1%); this species is distinguished from other members of the genus by a setose palp on the maxilliped of the females, barbula morphology, and male characters including the possession of pleopods. This repres...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 15, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Williams JD, Madad AZ Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

In vivo study of human Plasmodium knowlesi in Macaca fascicularis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study Macaca fascicularis was used as a model to understand the host response to P. knowlesi using parasitological and haematological parameters. Three M. fascicularis of either sex were experimentally infected with P. knowlesi erythrocytic parasites from humans. The prepatent period for P. knowlesi infection in M. fascicularis ranged from seven to 14 days. The parasitemia observed was 13,686 to 24,202 parasites per mul of blood for asexual stage and 88 to 264 parasites per mul of blood for sexual stage. Periodicity analysis adopted from microfilaria periodicity technique of asexual stage showed that the parasitemi...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 14, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Anderios F, Noorrain A, Vythilingam I Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Murine neonatal infection provides an efficient model for congenital ocular toxoplasmosis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Congenital infection is one of the most serious settings of infection with the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Ocular diseases, such as retinochoroiditis, are the most common sequels of such infection in utero. However, while numerous studies have investigated the physiopathology of acquired toxoplasmosis, congenital infection has been largely neglected so far. Here, we establish a mouse model of congenital ocular toxoplasmosis. Parasite load and ocular pathology have been followed for the first four weeks of life. Ocular infection developed slowly compared to cerebral infection. Even after four weeks, not all...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 11, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Lahmar I, Guinard M, Sauer A, Marcellin L, Abdelrahman T, Roux M, Mousli M, Moussa A, Babba H, Pfaff AW, Candolfi E Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Multiple primer PCR for the identification of anisakid nematodes from Taiwan Strait.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
There were six major larval anisakid species found in commercial marine fishes caught in the Minnan fishing ground in the Taiwan Strait: Anisakis physeteris, Anisakis pegreffii, Raphidascaris trichiuri, Contracaecum aduncum, Contracaecum muraenesoxi, Contracaecum sp.. For rapid identification of the parasite species above, a single and a multiple primer PCR (multiplex PCR) method, using specific primers based on aligned sequences of the internal transcribed spacer ITS-1, 5.8S, and ITS-2 of nuclear ribosomal DNA, were jointly used for the rapid identification of these anisakid larvae. The primers yielded distinct PCR pr...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 10, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Fang W, Xu S, Zhang S, Wang Y, Chen X, Luo D Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

The little-known Dipteropeltis hirundo Calman, 1912 (Crustacea, Branchiura): SEM investigations of paratype material in light of recent phylogenetic analyses.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Branchiura are fish ectoparasites which include the well-known and very commonly found genus Argulus. But the Branchiura also contains the monotypic genus Dipteropeltis, about which only very little is known. In this investigation of two female paratype specimens we describe for the first time the external morphology of Dipteropeltis based on Scanning Electron Microscopy. We show that Dipteropeltis has a pre-oral spine, unique suction disc support structures, an Argulus-like mouth cone and second maxillae with a combination of features seen in both Argulus and Chonopeltis. This data is compared with data from the t...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 8, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Møller OS, Olesen J Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Trypanosoma cruzi: Immunological predictors of benznidazole efficacy during experimental infection.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
C3H/HeN male mice were infected with a lethal population of Trypanosoma cruzi and treated with benznidazole (Bz). Parasitemia, body-weight and survival rate were registered during the therapy with significant improvement for T. cruzi-infected Bz-treated animals. Besides, flow cytometry resulted a useful method to discriminate between cured animals from those not cured by monitoring IgG(1) bound to live trypomastigotes levels. At the end of Bz therapy, the LT splenocyte compartment was studied for activation/memory cell surface markers (CD(69)(+) and CD(44)(+)). Cytofluorometric analysis showed that T. cruzi infected un...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 7, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Fernández MC, Cappa SM, Solana ME Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Limit of detection of sedimentation and counting technique (SCT) for Echinococcus multilocularis diagnosis, estimated under experimental conditions.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of this study was to estimate the limit of detection of sedimentation and counting techniques (SCT) in Echinococcus multilocularis diagnosis. Samples of small intestines, experimentally enriched with known numbers of E. multilocularis tapeworms, were used. Forty intestinal samples containing 2, 5, 10, and 30 E. multilocularis tapeworms (10 samples for each level) were prepared and examined according to SCT. E. multilocularis was detected in 30%, 40%, 60%, and 100% in samples enriched with 2, 5, 10 and 30 tapeworms, respectively. The limit of detection was estimated at 10 E. multilocularis tapeworms per sample o...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 6, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Karamon J, Sroka J, Cencek T Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Trypanosoma cruzi: In Vitro Effect of Aspirin with Nifurtimox and Benznidazole.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Nifurtimox and benznidazole are the only active drugs against Trypanosoma cruzi; however, they have limited efficacy and severe side effects. During primoinfection, T. cruzi infected macrophages mount an antiparasitic response, which the parasite evades through an increase of tumour growth factor beta and PGE(2) activation as well as decreased iNOS activity. Thus, prostaglandin synthesis inhibition with aspirin might increase macrophage antiparasitic activity and increase nifurtimox and benznidazole effect. Aspirin alone demonstrated a low effect upon macrophage antiparasitic activity. However, isobolographic analysis ...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 3, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: López-Muñoz R, Faúndez M, Klein S, Escanilla S, Torres G, Lee-Liu D, Ferreira J, Kemmerling U, Orellana M, Morello A, Ferreira A, Maya JD Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Taenia crassiceps cysticercosis: Variations in its parasite growth permissiveness that encounter with local immune features in BALB/c substrains.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study describes the first days of Taenia crassiceps infection in BALB/c substrains, BALB/cAnN and BALB/cJ, using two stocks of the same strains which were kept in different animal facilities, conventional and pathogen-free conditions respectively. This study shows that parasite growth restriction shown by conventional BALB/cJ mice changed to parasite growth permissiveness when pathogen-free BALB/cJ mice were used. In addition, the higher number of macrophages, NK cells and intraperitoneal level of IFN-gamma found in the conventional restrictive BALB/cJ substrain vanished when the permissiveness to the parasite growth ...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 3, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Meneses G, Berzunza M, Becker I, Bobes RJ, Rosas G, Sciutto E, Fragoso G Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Partial protective responses induced by a recombinant cysteine proteinase from Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis in a murine model of cutaneous leishmaniasis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A 500 bp fragment encoding an isoform of cysteine proteinase from L. (L.) amazonensis was subcloned and expressed in the pHis vector, resulting in a recombinant protein of 24 kDa, rLacys24. In Western blots of L. (L.) amazonensis extracts, antibodies directed to rLacys24 recognized a cysteine proteinase isoform of 30 kDa. Analysis by fluorescence-activated cell sorter showed a significantly higher expression of CD8(+) lymphocytes in animals immunized with rLacys24 plus CFA, whereas a low expression of CD4(+) lymphocytes was observed in these animals. The cytotoxicity of lymphocytes isolated from mice immunized with rLa...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 3, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Fedeli CE, Ferreira JH, Mussalem JS, Longo-Maugéri IM, Gentil LG, Dos Santos MR, Katz S, Barbiéri CL Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Giardia intestinalis: Aphidicolin influence on the trophozoite cell cycle.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study is a thorough examination of the effects of the DNA polymerase inhibitor aphidicolin on the nuclear cycle and cell cycle progression characteristics, as well as their reversibility, in Giardia intestinalis. Giardia trophozoites are arrested in the G1/S-junction after aphidicolin treatment according to their DNA content. However, cell growth continues and trophozoites arrested with aphidicolin resemble cells in the G2-phase and trophozoites in aging cultures. Extensive treatment with aphidicolin causes side effects and we detected positive signals for phosphorylated histone H2A, which, in mammalian cells, is invo...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 3, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Hofštetrová K, Uzlíková M, Tůmová P, Troell K, Svärd SG, Nohýnková E Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Genotypic characterization and species identification of Fasciola spp. with implications regarding the isolates infecting goats in Vietnam.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Ribosomal RNA sequences (361 or 362 bp) of the second internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2) and a portion of mitochondrial cox1 (423 bp) for Fasciola spp. obtained from specimens collected in indigenous and hybrid goats and sheep in Vietnam were characterized for genotypic status and hybridization/introgression. Alignment of 48 ITS-2 sequences (also those from goats and sheep in this study) indicates that F. gigantica and F. hepatica differ typically from each other at 7 sites whereas one of these is a distinguishing deletion (T) at the 327(th) position in F. gigantica relative to F. hepatica. The isolates from the mou...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 2, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Nguyen TG, De NV, Vercruysse J, Dorny P, Le TH Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Disruption of lipid rafts by lidocaine inhibits erythrocyte invasion by Plasmodium falciparum.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Membrane lipid rafts have been implicated in erythrocyte invasion process by Plasmodium falciparum. In the present study, we examined the effect of lidocaine, a local anesthetic, which disrupts lipid rafts reversibly without affecting membrane cholesterol content on parasite invasion. In the presence of increasing concentrations of lidocaine in the culture medium, parasite invasion was progressively decreased with complete inhibition at 2 mM. Decreased invasion was also seen in erythrocytes pre-treated with lidocaine and cultured in the absence of lidocaine. This inhibitory effect on parasite invasion was reversed foll...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - September 2, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Koshino I, Takakuwa Y Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Leishmania infantum: Antiproliferative effect of recombinant plant cystatins on promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes estimated by direct counting and real-time pcr.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Two recombinant barley cystatins, HvCPI5 and HvCPI6, have been tested in vitro against promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania infantum in the J774 monocytic cell line. Toxicity of cystatins for J774 cells was also determined. In addition, a comparison between direct counts of intracellular amastigotes and quantitation of burden by Q-PCR was carried out. Low concentrations (2 muM) from both cystatins were unable to inhibit promastigote replication. HvCPI5 was toxic for mammalian cells; 0.1 muM reduced by more than 50% the cell viability. On the contrary, HvCPI6 did not exhibit any toxicity for J774 ce...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 28, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Ordóñez L, Martínez M, Rubio-Somoza I, Díaz I, Mendez S, Alunda JM Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Cytochrome oxidase I sequences reveal possible cryptic diversity in the cosmopolitan symbiotic copepod Nesippus orientalis Heller, 1868 (Pandaridae: Siphonostomatoida) on elasmobranch hosts from the KwaZulu-Natal coast of South Africa.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Over the past decade, numerous molecular phylogenetic studies uncovered cryptic diversity within the Copepoda, yet very few investigations focused on symbiotic copepods. Here we report mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I diversity in the cosmopolitan elasmobranch symbiont Nesippus orientalis off the KwaZulu-Natal coast of South Africa. Analysis of partial COI sequences of copepods sampled from a diversity of shark hosts, revealed the presence of two divergent clades. Diversity within the clades does not appear to be structured based on host species, host individual, geographic locality or time of sampling. However, ...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 28, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Dippenaar SM, Mathibela RB, Bloomer P Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Trichinella: Differential expression of angiogenic factors in macrophages stimulated with antigens from encapsulated and non-encapsulated species.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The newborn larval stage of Trichinella spiralis enters the host striated skeletal muscle cell resulting in the formation of the nurse cell. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) was detected in cells in the area immediately surrounding the nurse cells. However, no data are available on the antigens involved, the role of other angiogenic factors or the relationship of angiogenesis with Nitric Oxide (NO) production. Using macrophage cell culture we study the effect of different Trichinella L1 antigens from one encapsulated (T. spiralis) and one non-encapsulated (Trichinellapseudospiralis) on the expression of VEGF a...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 28, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Shariati F, Pérez-Arellano J, López-Abán J, Arefi M, Martínez-Fernández AR, Muro A Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Novel in vitro and in vivo models to study central nervous system infections due to Acanthamoeba spp.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Acanthamoeba granulomatous encephalitis is a serious human infection with fatal consequences. The most distressing aspect of Acanthamoeba granulomatous encephalitis is the limited improvement in mortality. The underlying neurobiology is at present not well understood and treatment options are often of limited efficacy. There is therefore a real need to obtain more knowledge regarding the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Acanthamoeba granulomatous encephalitis and to develop new chemotherapeutic approaches. However, the difficulties in using mammalian models to study this infection have hindered our search for therap...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 28, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Khan NA Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Fasciola gigantica: Immunodiagnosis of fasciolosis by detection of circulating 28.5 kDa tegumental antigen.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A monoclonal antibody (MoAb)-based sandwich ELISA was developed for the detection of circulating 28.5 kDa tegumental antigen (28.5 kDa TA) in the sera from mice experimentally infected with Fasciola gigantica. The MoAb was immobilized on a microtiter plate, and the antigen in the serum was captured and detected with biotinylated polyclonal rabbit anti TA antibody. The test could detect 28.5 kDa in the extracts of tegument (TA), whole body (WB) and excretory-secretory (ES) fractions at the concentrations of these crude antigens as low as 600 pg/ml, 16 and 60 ng/ml, respectively. This sandwich ELISA assay could detect th...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 28, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Anuracpreeda P, Wanichanon C, Chawengkirtikul R, Chaithirayanon K, Sobhon P Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Toxoplasma gondii: a simple Real-time PCR assay to quantify the proliferation of the apicoplast.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A Real-time quantitative PCR assay to quantify the Toxoplasma gondii apicoplast was studied. Primers were designed to amplify a 305 bp product specific to T. gondii apicoplast. Standard curves were generated for both T. gondii apicoplast DNA and genomic DNA, and were used to compute the relative concentration of apicoplast DNA copies in the test samples. The results indicated that the copies of T. gondii apicoplast DNA was significantly low when exposed to ciprofloxacin, clindamycin and azithromycin for 48 h in the second infectious cycle. Our study shows that the Real-time PCR technique is a simple and quick technique...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 27, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Wu L, Chen SX, Jiang XG, Cao JP Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Immunogenicity and growth inhibitory efficacy of the prime-boost Immunization regime with DNA followed by recombinant vaccinia virus carrying the P29 gene of Babesia gibsoni in dogs.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In conclusion, this study supports the efficacy of a prime-boost strategy for dogs against canine B.gibsoni infection. PMID: 19712674 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Experimental Parasitology)
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 23, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Fukumoto S, Tamaki Y, Igarashi I, Suzuki H, Xuan X Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Trypanosoma brucei: A putative RNA polymerase II promoter.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
RNA polymerase II (pol II) promoters are rare in the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei because gene regulation in the parasite is complex and polycistronic. Here we describe a putative pol II promoter and its structure-function relationship. The promoter has features of an archetypal eukaryotic pol II promoter including putative canonical CCAAT and TATA boxes, and an initiator element. However, the spatial arrangement of these elements is only similar to yeast pol II promoters. Deletion mapping and transcription assays enabled delineation of a minimal promoter that could drive orientation-independent reporter gene...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 20, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Bayele HK Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Giardia duodenalis: Improved detection of viable cysts by reverse transcription-PCR of heat shock-inducible hsp70 gene.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Giardia duodenalis is a waterborne protozoan parasite that causes the diarrhoeal disease, giardiasis. Its durable and thick cell wall allows the parasite to exhibit resistance to environmental stresses. Because G. duodenalis exists in a water system at low levels, it is necessary to develop a sensitive method to detect its viability in aquatic environments. In the present study, specific primers for the heat shock protein (Hsp) 70 gene were designed on the basis of G. duodenalis genome sequence and bioinformatic analysis. Viable G. duodenalis cysts were successfully distinguished by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) a...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 20, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Lee GC, Nam SH, Chae JC, Lee CH Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Microdajus tchesunovi sp. n. (Tantulocarida, Microdajidae) - a new crustacean parasite of from the White Sea.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A new species of Tantulocarida, Microdajus tchesunovi sp. n., was found on tanaid host, Typhlotanais sp. of the family Nototanaidae, collected from silty sediment in the Kandalaksha Bay in the White Sea. Several tantulus larvae, developing males at different stages of metamorphosis, and early stages of parthenogenetic females were found attached to different sites of their hosts. Ultrastructure of the new species was studied with SEM. Microdajus tchesunovi sp. n. can be easily distinguished from other species of the genus Microdajus Greve by the presence of a pair of longitudinal dorsal lamellae at the anterior end of ...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 20, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Kolbasov GA, Savchenko AS Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals

Trypanosoma cruzi calmodulin: Cloning, expression and characterization.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We have cloned and expressed calmodulin (CaM) from Trypanosoma cruzi, for the first time, to obtain large amounts of protein. CaM is a very well conserved protein throughout evolution, sharing 100% amino acid sequence identity between different vertebrates and 99% between trypansomatids. However, there is 89% amino acid sequence identity between T. cruzi and vertebrate CaMs. The results demonstrate significant differences between calmodulin from T. cruzi and mammals. First, a polyclonal antibody developed in an egg-yolk system to the T. cruzi CaM recognizes the autologous CaM but not the CaM from rat. Second, it underg...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - August 20, 2009 Category: Parasitology Authors: Garcia-Marchan Y, Sojo F, Rodriguez E, Zerpa N, Malave C, Galindo-Castro I, Salerno M, Benaim G Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: journals