Parasite Research Articles

Tomato root exudates induce transcriptional changes of Meloidogyne hispanica genes

Meloidogyne hispanica is a polyphagous root-knot nematode of emerging importance that has the ability to infect a broad range of plants, and tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) crops can be severely damaged. This study investigated whether tomato root exudates regulate the expression of five candidate parasitism genes previously identified and sequenced in M. Hispanica . These were; calreticulin ( crt-1 ), cathepsin L cysteine protease ( cpl-1 ), β -1,4 endoglucanase-1 ( eng-1 ), fatty acid retinol binding protein ( far-1 ) and venom allergen-like protein ( vap-1 ). One thousand M. hispanica second-stage juveniles (J2) were exposed overnight to tomato root exudates, obtained from the root systems of 4-week-old plants during 4 h of agitation in sterilized distilled water, and the relative expression of the parasitism genes was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. The cpl-1 , crt-1 , far-1 and vap-1 genes were differentially up-regulated ( P <0.05) in the pre-parasitic J2 after exposure to tomato root exudates, while expression of eng-1 was largely unaffected ( P =0.05) by the treatment. This results suggests that tomato root exudates induce changes in the expression of candidate parasitism genes. Gene silencing by RNAi will elucidate the exact function of these candidate parasitism genes in nematode penetration and survival. Identification of the plant signal molecules in the tomato root exudates responsible for the up-regulation of these parasitism genes may lead to the development of novel approaches for the management of M. hispanica .

Plant-derived compounds in treatment of leishmaniasis.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected public health problem caused by the protozoan species belonging to the genus Leishmania affecting mostly the poor populations of developing countries. The causative organism is transmitted by female sandflies. Cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral clinical manifestations are the most frequent forms of leishmaniasis. Chemotherapy still relies on the use of pentavalent antimonials, amphotericin B, paromomycin, miltefosin and liposomal amphotericin B. However, the application of these drugs is limited due to low efficacy, life-threatening side effects, high toxicity, induction of parasite resistance, length of treatment and high cost. Given the fact that antileishmanial vaccines may not become available in the near future, the search for better drugs should be continued. Natural products may offer an unlimited source of chemical diversity to identify new drug modules. New medicines should be less toxic or non-toxic, safe, more efficient, less expensive and readily available antileishmanial agents, especially for low-income populations. In the present review, special focus is on medicinal plants used against leishmanaiasis. The bioactive phytocompounds present in the plant derivatives including the crude extracts, essential oils, and other useful compounds can be a good source for discovering and producing new antileishmanial medicines.

Management of Nguni goats to control gastrointestinal parasites and anthelmintic resistance at KwaMthethwa and Owen Sitole College of Agriculture area

Management techniques that can assist in treating only parasite infested animals can reduce anthelmintic resistance arousing from frequent dosing of all animals. This study aimed to investigate the application of FAMACHA© with no formal training of resource-poor farmers to identify anaemic or helminthes infested animals. Two sites (KwaMthethwa (KM) village and Owen Sitole College of Agriculture (OSCA) farm) with 40 animals each of mixed sex were used in this study. The animals grazed on natural pasture during the day and housed in Kraal at night. FAMACHA© chart scored animals on eye colour; 1 (Red, non-anaemic and acceptable), 2 (red-pink, non-anaemic and border line), 3 (pink, mildly anaemic and dangerous), 4 (pink-white, anaemic and fatal) or 5 (porcelain white, severely)). Eye scoring was over four seasons (autumn, winter, spring and summer) alongside faecal egg count (FEC) as a positive control to FAMACHA© diagnosis method. Anaemic animals varied (P<0.05) between the sites, 76.72, 40.34 and 49.37% for KM, OSCA and KM+OSCA, respectively. Comparison of FAMACHA© with FEC showed that only 61.53, 33.5 and 40.12% of the animals were anaemic at KM, OSCA and KM+OSCA, respectively, due to false positive results. Spring, autumn and summer were identified as seasons for frequent monitoring due to higher (P<0.05) gastrointestinal parasite especially Trichostrongylus axei and Moniezia expansa. Approximately 80% of all anaemic animals were identified by no skilled resource-poor farmers using FAMACHA©. This reinforces the economic (cheap) importance and reliability of FAMACHA© chart in parasite resistance management but emphasized on formal training as 20% false negative anemic animals is a lot for a resource-poor farmers. Key words: FAMACHA©, Anthelmintic, resistance, faecal egg count, Nguni goat.

Anthelmintic efficacy of some indigenous medicinal plants in goats

Anthelmintic efficacy of aqueous extracts of seeds of Butea frondosa, Neem oil (Azadirecta indica), mixture of Butea frondosa seed extract and Neem oil and a commercial preparation Jantana powder showed potential in vivo efficacy against helminth parasites in naturally infected goats. Butea frondosa seed extract showed 95.23% efficacy against Trichuris spp., 92.3% against Oesophagostomum spp. and 100% against Moniezia spp. at 40, 6 and 8 days post treatment, respectively. The efficacy of Neem oil was 93.33% for Trichuris spp. after 20 days of treatment. (100% for Oesophagostomum spp., Haemonchus spp. and Moniezia spp. after 10, 4 and 30 days of treatment, respectively). Mixture of Neem oil and Butea frondosa seed extract showed 100% efficacy for Trichuris and Oesophagostomum spp. after 30 days of treatment whereas Jantana powder was 100% effective against Trichuris spp. and Oesophagostomum spp. after 4 and 20 days of treatment, respectively.

Antiplasmodial Activity and Cytotoxicity of Plants Used in Traditional Medicine of Iran for the Treatment of Fever.

Malaria is the most serious parasitic disease and one of the oldest recorded diseases in the world. Because of the resistance of malaria parasites to current drugs, it is necessary to discover new antiplasmodial drugs. Traditional medicine is one of the important sources of new antiplasmodial drugs. In this study, twenty methanolic extracts from different parts of sixteen medicinal plants used in traditional medicine of Iran for the treatment of "Nobeh fever" and/ or fever were screened for in-vivo antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium berghei and cytotoxic effect on Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells (MDBK). Eleven species (55%) were found to have antiplasmodial activity. Methanolic extract from Rosa damascena Mill. reduced parasitemia by 57.7% compared to untreated control mice at intra-peritoneal (i.p.) injection doses of 10 mg/Kg per day for 4 days. This is the first report that mentioned in-vivo antiplasmodial activity of Rosa damascena Mill.

Seabird helminth fauna and parasite life cycles on the Murman coast of the Barents Sea in winter.

In winter, helminthes circulating throughout the coastal ecosystems of northern seas have to overcome significant difficulties in order to complete their life cycles. Unfavorable temperature conditions partly or completely suppress the activity and viability of the freeliving stage of parasi tes and trophic interactions between the intermediate and final hosts, since many fish species migrate into depths, the migratory birds and mammals are moving away, and many inverte� brates of the coastal complex are falling into winter anabiosis. The annual circulation of helminthes is therefore believed to be limited to a rather short time interval, the socalled "transmission window." Nevertheless, parasitological studies conducted on the Murman coast have revealed significant diversity of the helminth fauna in birds spending winter in this region, while the parameters of invasion by with some parasite species proved to be even higher than in summer periods. To identify the main adaptive mechanisms respon� sible for successful helminth circulation in winter on the Barents coast, the following three marine bird spe� cies wintering on Murman were used to study species composition of parasitic helminth fauna: the glaucous gull ( Larus hyperboreus Gunn., 8 specimens were examined in February-March 2006-2007 in the Kola Bay middle elbow); the common eider duck (Somate� ria mollissima L., 8 specimens were examined in Janu� ary-February 1994 and 1999 in vicinity of the Dal'nie Zelentsy settlement); and the purple sandpiper (Calid� ris maritima Brunn., 23 specimens were examined in February 1994 and 2011 in the Yarnyshnaya Bay). Bird autopsy, searching and fixation of helminthes, making the preparations, and identification of parasite species were performed using standart methods. The quantita� tive parameters, such as bird invasion, i.e., extensive� ness and intensity of invasion (EI and II, respectively), and abundance index (AI) were determined from the results of helminth identification and calculations. The pathways of helminth circulation in winter were also studied, as well as the biology and ecology of the intermediate and final hosts. In the course of this study, 44 helminth species were identified in the birds wintering in coastal Murman (18 trematode, 20 cestode, 3 nematode, and 3 acan� thocephalan species). The helminth fauna of the com� mon eider duck includes 16 parasitic worm species; those of the glaucous gull and purple sandpiper include 11 and 20 species, respectively. The composi� tion of the helminth fauna is shown in the table.

PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES DUE TO HELMINTH INFESTATION IN GOATS IN ANAND DISTRICT OF GUJARAT

The present study describes the gross and histopathological lesion observed due to helminthic infestation by Paramphistomum, Trichuris, Trichostrongylus and Moniezia species in goats in Anand district of Gujarat. The gross lesions comprised mainly rumenitis with shortening of ruminal papillae, catarrhal enteritis with several mature and immature forms of the parasites found in rumen and intestine. Histopathological changes like shortening of rumen papillae, epithelial tissue hyperplasia, edema and fibroblastic proliferation in the sub-mucosa along with the infiltration of the inflammatory cells were observed due to Paramphistomum spp. The histopathological changes due to Trichuris spp. were petechial hemorrhages, necrosis at the tip of villi and proliferation of goblet cells along with the cellular infiltration predominantly lymphocytes, few eosinophils and occasionally macrophages. Also Trichostrongylus spp. and Moniezia spp. were associated with severe histopathological changes like thickening of intestinal wall, infiltration of eosinophils, chronic inflammatory cellular reactions with mucoid degeneration.

A survey of external parasites of free-range chickens and their ethno-veterinary control remedies used by resource-limited farmers in Eastern Cape, South Africa.

In most rural areas, chicken infestation with external parasites poses a challenge to their productivity and associated benefits. External parasites cause anemia, thus reducing growth, egg production and may lead to death. They are mainly controlled by commercial remedies, although resource-limited farmers resort to using alternative remedies which are available and affordable. This study was conducted to document external parasites of free-range chickens and their ethno-veterinary control remedies used by resource-limited farmers. A questionnaire survey was conducted amongst 93 households, 3 of which were herbalists, in Eastern Cape, South Africa. The farmers considered several external parasites to be a problem: mites (79.6%) stick tight fleas (64.5%), lice (10.8%) and ticks (6.5%). Various ethno-veterinary remedies were used to control the parasites, which included ash (28%), madubula (26.7%) and Jeyes fluid (10%) both of which are comprised of 13% carbolic acid, paraffin (8.4%), plants (5.2%), used engine oil (2.8%), dip wash (2.5%), doom spray (d-phenothrin 0.4%), blue death (permethrin 0.03%) (1.9%), diesel (1.9%), smoke (0.9%) and a few (4.2%) used conventional insecticides namely karbadust (carbarly 5%) and mercaptothion 5%). A small proportion (7.5%) does not use either of the remedies. The materials used by resource-limited farmers in controlling parasites were identified and documented.

FRUIT FLIES (Diptera: Tephritidae) IN IRRIGATED COFFEE PLANTATIONS IN THE NORTH OF MINAS GERAIS

The objective of this study was to identify the species of fruit flies associated with coffee plants, as well as the seasonal occurrence of the most frequent species and infestation rates in the semiarid region, north of Minas Gerais. The survey was conducted from April 2009 to April 2010 in two coffee plantations of 0.5 ha each one, irrigated and grown under full sun with Red Catuai cultivar, located in Jaiba, MG . Weekly, there were collections of ripe fruit and for a survey of adult flies were used McPhail traps containing as food bait hydrolyzed protein to 5%. Were obtained 106.233 individuals collected in McPhail traps. From this total, 106,031 belong to Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) and 202 to Anastrepha Schiner : A. dissimilis Stone, A. fraterculus (Wied.), A. manihoti Lima, A. obliqua (Macq.), A. pickeli Lima, A. zenildae Zucchi, A. hadropickeli Canal, Uramoto & Zucchi and A. entodonta Canal, Uramoto & Zucchi .. In fruits were obtained 783 specimens, 779 of these belong to C. capitata and four Anastrepha males no identified. MAD (fly/trap/day) indices rates up to 83 in Area 1 and 132 MAD in Area 2 in the months with higher fruit availability. The highest population peak occurred at the end of the period of fruit maturation (April to June), decreasing after harvesting them. The mean infestation rates ranged 0.005 to 0.415 puparia/fruit and 8 to 366.76 puparia/kg of coffee fruit. The coffee plantations investigated showed high level of infestation of fruit flies and high indices MAD. It was found the presence of the parasitoid Doryctobracon areolatus (Szepligeti) in collected fruits, low rate of natural parasitism occurred.

Lepidus Economic benefits of biological control of &lt;i&gt;Sitona obsoletus&lt;/i&gt; (clover root weevil) in Southland pasture

Sitona obsoletus is a serious pasture pest in New Zealand where its rootfeeding larvae reduce white clover cover and nitrogen fixation To maintain production farmers may compensate by increasing inputs The parasitic wasp Microctonus aethiopoides Loan was introduced for biological control of S obsoletus and achieved parasitism rates exceeding 70 In Southland where S obsoletus was first detected in 2010 unusually severe and prolonged infestations during 2013 and 2014 prompted intensive biological control releases in 2014 and 2015 This study evaluated if they were cost effective in 2015 On dairy farms biological control returned 1478/ha/year or 23 million over the 158017 ha On sheep and beef farms the estimated return was 686/ha/year or 47 million over 719854 ha Monte Carlo simulations were used to estimate returns (/ha/year) using plausible ranges of model parameter values and returns were positive in at least 975 of simulations Biological control of S obsoletus has returned a net benefit in Southland

Evaluation of parasitic contamination in consuming vegetables in a city of Iran in 2011

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of parasitic infection via vegetables consumed in Isfahan in 2011. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 120 samples of vegetables were collected from 12 sites in the vegetable supply of Isfahan. Then samples were washed carefully with the detergent, the solution condensed with the Sheeters flotation method and ether Ritchie method in case of detecting parasites with microscope. Statistical analysis was done with Excel and SPSS software. Results: Among the samples, 48.4% were infected with pathogenic and nonpathogenic parasite eggs and larvae, and 51.6% of samples were not infected by parasite. Among the contaminated samples, 48.1% were nonpathogenic, and Giardia with a frequency of 0.4% was the only pathogenic parasite that observed. Conclusion: The study showed that the percentage of parasites in raw vegetables was close to zero. However, the previous study in Isfahan city reported 13% contamination. The reduction in intestinal worm infections is probably the result of development of water and wastewater networks, improvement in public health and public knowledge about parasitic infections and different ways of its prevention.

Estimation of infection of internal parasites in horses from different type of farms.

Studies were carried out in year 2014 during the pasture period (from April to October) in Warmia and Mazury Region. Fecal samples were taken from cold- and warmblood horses from individual and agrotouristic farms with the different housing, feeding and pasture- care practices. Total of 512 horses were examined (320 mares, 170 geldings and 22 stallions). In the group of 185 horses from individual farms, 119 animals (64.3%) were infected with gastro-intestinal parasites. Among the 372 horses from agrotouristic farms 169 (51.7%) were infected with parasites. Most of the animals expelled the eggs of Cyathostominae. In some individuals occurred eggs of Strongylus spp., Parascaris equorum, Strongyloides westeri and tapeworm of Anoplocephala. The number of infected horses from agrotouristic farms was lower than from individual farms, probably due to more regular deworming (usually 2 times a year) and bigger care paid to cleaning pastures.

Protest, Parasitism, and Community

Protest, Parasitism, and Community

Prevalence of geohelminth in soil and primary school children in Panda Development Area, Karu Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

A study of geohelminthes infections among primary school children aged 8 to 13 years was conducted in four selected primary schools in Panda Development Area, Karu LGA, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Out of four hundred and eighty (480) soil samples collected from the four schools, 314 (82.63) were found to be positive for eggs of four species of geohelminthes. The geohelminthes eggs/larvae encountered during the study include; Ascaris lumbricoides with 128 (26.67%), hookworm 84 (17.50%), Strongyloides stercoralis 63 (13.13%), and Trichuris trichiura 39 (8.13%).The highest prevalence of geohelminth eggs in soil samples was recorded in Panda Primary School 100 (83.33%), followed by Gitata Primary School with 97 (80.83%), while the least prevalence rate was recorded in Tattara Primary School with infection rate of 39 (32.50%). There was a significant difference in the distribution of geohelminthes in the study-areas (p 0.05).The study concludes that provision of modern toilet facilities, school based health programme and regular early deworming of pupils will go a long way in reducing infection. Keywords : geohelminthes infection, primary school, parasites, children, Panda.

The Use of Ozone in Hospital Wastewater Treatment

Abstract. The wastewater produced in municipal and industrial sources is a desalted water which may be used in agriculture if purified and refined well. In many countries, the treated wastewater is reused for irrigation and aquaculture. The most important issue in using municipal wastewater for irrigation is to ensure about the efficiency of process of waste water disinfection to decrease pathogenic microorganisms. Ozonation is an environment friendly and advanced technology with high efficiency in decreasing viruses and parasites and can be an appropriate alternative for chlorination of wastewater. Hospital wastewater has complex and various compounds such as pathogenic factors and medical and toxic chemicals which are mainly disposed in cesspools or enter into the city swage system that lead to water resources pollution crisis. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the use of ozone in refining hospital wastewater.

Low seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection and chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy in a region with abundance of triatomine vectors in Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

The Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is endemic with Chagas disease. The main vector responsible for Trypanosoma cruzi transmission is Triatoma dimidiata which is abundant in domestic, peridomestic and sylvan cycles. The abundance of vectors favours T. cruzi transmission and is a high risk for developing chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC). In the past 10 years, little information was available on parasite seroprevalence and the prevalence of CCC in the Yucatan Peninsula. In the present work, we studied two Mayan communities with a high abundance of T. dimidiata and a random serial sample of 233 patients with an altered electrocardiogram or cardiac failure admitted to the Regional Hospital. A homemade enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and indirect immunofluorescence standardized techniques were used to detect anti-T. cruzi IgG. In addition, Mayan volunteers were monitored by electrocardiography. In the Mayan communities, 4.8% (3/63) subjects were positive for T. cruzi antibodies none of them presented electrocardiographic alterations, however in seronegative subjects were detected right or left ventricle hypertrophy in 25% (16/63). A remarkable finding was that 90% of the Mayan population recognized the vector and 65% of them had experienced contact with triatomines bites. At the Regional Hospital 0.42% (1/233) were positive for T. cruzi antibodies showing compatible diagnosis with CCC; the most frequent pathology in this population was hypertension in 65% (151/233) and the less frequent was dilated myocardiopathy 6% (14/233). In conclusion, the prevalence of T. cruzi infection and CCC can be considered low in Yucatan, Mexico.

Potencial Farmacoindustrial de Trichoderma harzianum para fins Farmacoterapêuticos

Linhagens de Trichoderma estao bem difundidas nos processos de controle de fitopatogenos, alem disto, para promocao do desenvolvimento e crescimento das culturas onde sao inoculados, estes beneficios dao-se pela gama de processos desempenhados por este organismo, os processos sao classificados em parasitismo, antibiose e competicao, alem de secretarem produtos enzimaticos com acoes degradantes, compostos volateis e antimicrobianos. Por meio de testes de producao enzimatica, confronto em placa, metabolitos volateis e sensibilizacao do agente, os isolados de Trichoderma harzianum mostraram-se como um potente produtor de substâncias antimicrobianas e antifungicas perante Sthaphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus pyogenes , E. coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , E. faecalis e Rhodotorula sp., Candida albicans , Candida parapsilosis e Candida lusitaniae . Palavras-chave: antimicrobianos, antifungicas, metabolitos, sensibilizacao.

Molecular evidence of Leishmania infantum in Ixodes ricinus ticks from dogs and cats, in Italy.

Leishmaniosis, caused by Leishmania infantum, is an endemic zoonosis in the Mediterranean basin. To date, phlebotomine sand flies are the only accepted biological vectors of Leishmania parasites to dogs and humans. The absence of the primary vector in autochthonous Leishmania outbreaks suggests a possible role of fleas or ticks as alternative vectors. In this study, 119 ticks were collected between August 2007-June 2008 and between March 2010-October 2010 from various animal species and humans living in Italian areas where canine leishmaniosis is endemic (i.e. rural areas of the North) and were tested for the presence of L. infantum DNA. Nine (7.5%) out of 119 ticks resulted PCR positive. All ticks were morphologically identified as Ixodes ricinus ticks, 3 from 1 cat, 6 from 4 dogs. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of L. infantum DNA in ticks from cat, suggesting that the debate about the epidemiological role of ticks in canine leishmaniosis might be extended to feline leishmaniosis.

Influence of food resource on the development of Liriomyza trifolii Burgess 1880 (Diptera-Agromyzidae)

In order to limit the devastation caused in the celery (Apium graveolens L., 1753) plots by Liriomyza trifolii Burgess in Nkolondom, (Southern Cameroon), farmers proceed to the anarchic use of synthetic insecticides in addition to the pruning of the infested leaves as sanitary harvests. These infested leaves resulting from sanitary harvests are immediately abandoned in the furrows. The main objective of the present study was to assess the efficiency of pruning as a control method versus L. trifolii. The durations of the development of the pre-imaginal stages, the fitness and the sex-ratio of L. trifolii we are were evaluated using both whole plants and pruned parasitized leaves, respectively in the laboratory and the celery plot during the warm-dry and cold-humid seasons. The results obtained showed that the average duration of the pre-imaginal development cycle of L.trifolii varied between 16.53 ± 0.26 days in the laboratory with cut leaves during warm-dry period to 21.98 ± 0.3 days with entire plants in the garden during cold-humid period. It was also shown that from infested cut leaves emerged leafminers were able to cause serious damages to healthy celery plants in the plot. No significant difference was observed between the cut leaves sex ratio (1/0.96) and that of the whole plants (1/0.91); (χ2 = 2.38; df = 1; P=0.12). The L. trifolii sex ratio which is slightly biased toward females was not affected by the food resource. Key words: Apium graveolens, Liriomyza trifolii, leafminer, pruning, sex ratio, fitness.

Effect of Host Condition on Intestinal Parasite Load and Prevalence in Malapterurus Electricus (Gmelin, 1789) ( Siluriformes: Malapteruridae ) in Lekki Lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria

Host condition had effect on therate of infection and greater effect on intestinal parasite load in Malapterurus electricus . These vary among sex, sizes and weights of conspecific individuals. This was investigated over a period of two years.A total of 340 fishes from the lagoon were caught and dissected for intestinal helminth parasites and the condition factors of all individuals were determined. Median condition (K 2.33) was used in grouping the individuals. The rate of infection was higher among individuals of high condition status (29.41% to 31.76%). Male individuals of high condition had greater infection rate than their low condition males (33.65% to 29.25%), but their female individuals had a lower infection rate compared to the low condition females (28.88% to 29.41%). Percentage parasite load among conspecific males of high and low condition within the weight 10g to 60g had their parasite load as 28.76% and 15.93% respectively. The females of low condition had a greater parasite load of 13.27% compared with the high condition females, 7.08%. Within the low and high condition individuals of weight 10g to 60g and 60g to 130g, the males had higher load than their females. Low condition males of length, 9cm to 15cm and 15cm to 22cm had greater parasite load than their high condition males, 9 – 15cm (14.61%, 10.62%) and 15 – 22cm (22.57%, 11.06%) respectively. This also applies to the females, 15 – 22cm (8.41%, 3.54%) except the females within length of 9cm to 15cm (10.62, 11.06%). Pre-existing variations in the competitive ability of hosts has potentially important implication for parasite infections as well as their individual parasite load. Monitoring health condition of fish population provides vital information for ecotoxicologist and toxicologist for improved environmental monitoring. Keywords : Intestinal Parasite, Prevalence, Malapterurus, Electricus , Lekki Lagos.