Histopathological findings of an uncommon co-infection: Echinococcus vogeli, HIV, hepatitis C virus, and hepatitis B virus

HIV and Mediterranean Zoonoses: A Review of the Literature

A zoonosis is an infectious disease that has jumped from a non-human animal to humans. Some zoonoses are very common in the Mediterranean area and endemic in specific regions, so they represent an important problem for public health. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that has originated as a zoonosis and is now diffused globally, with the most significant numbers of infected people among the infectious diseases. Since the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART), the history for people living with HIV (PLWH) has changed drastically, and many diseases are now no different in epidemiology and prognosis as they are in not-HIV-infected people. Still, the underlying inflammatory state that is correlated with HIV and other alterations related to the infection itself can be a risk factor when infected with other bacteria, parasites or viruses. We reviewed the literature for infection by the most common Mediterranean zoonoses, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, Brucella, Rickettsia, Borrelia, Listeria and Echinococcus, and a possible correlation with HIV. We included Monkeypox, since the outbreak of cases is becoming a concern lately. We found that HIV may be related with alterations of the microbiome, as for campylobacteriosis, and that there are some zoonoses with a significant prevalence in PLWH, as for salmonellosis.

Update of Cestodes Parasitizing Neotropical Hystricomorphic Rodent

This review aims at identifying cestodes that are present in hunted rodent species in the neo-tropical region. The rodent species that was investigated were the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, Linnaeus, 1766), lappe (Cuniculus paca, Linnaeus, 1766), agouti (Dasyprocta leporina, Linnaeus, 1758), chinchilla (Chinchilla chinchilla, Lichtenstein, 1829), Trinidad spiny rat (Proehimys trinitatus, Allen and Chapman, 1893), nutria (Myocastor coypus, Molina, 1782), and vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus, Desmarest, 1817). These rodent species are utilized for their meats in many rural communities in the Caribbean and South America. These rodents belong to the hystricomorphic group. Raillietina demerariensis Daniels, 1895 was commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract of D. leporina, C. paca and P. trinitatus. Similarly, in the liver, muscle and subcutaneous tissue the metacestodes on Echinococcus vogeli Daniels, 1895 and Echinococcus oligarthrus was found in the lappe and agouti. The capybara was found to have the most species of cestodes in its gastrointestinal tract when compared to the agouti and lappe. However, metacestodes were not recorded in the tissues of the capybara. This surprising feature shows the effect of the difference in feeding habits between the capybara and the agouti and lappe. The literature reviewed in this study includes scientific publications on cestodes and metacestodes of Hystricomorphic rodents. An exhaustive search was performed using the digital repositories in Google Scholar, Scielo, Redalyc, Scopus and Pubmed. Literature searched spanned the years 1970-2021. Cestodes of zoonotic significance were E. vogeli and E. oligarthrus, with humans becoming infected when consuming eggs of contaminated food and water. The agouti and lappe act as intermediate host in the life cycle of E. vogeli and E. oligarthrus, the definitive host (canids and felids) become infected by consuming of tissue infected with metacestodes. Humans become infected through the ingestion of eggs from the definitive host where cystic lesions develop in the liver, lungs and other abdominal organs.

Two rivals or colleagues in the liver? Hepatit B virus and Schistosoma mansoni co-infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Globally, hepatitis B and schistosomiasis (Mansoni) together affect about 300 million people; which cause hepatic disorders worldwide. Given that little is known about co-infections with hepatitis B and schistosoma mansoni, the present study investigates these two health problems alone and together and their possible correlation.

METHODS

A search was conducted for reports published between January 1990 and October 2020 by using Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science databases; Out of a total of 20 studies, 14 cross-sectional studies (6329 people) and 6 case-control studies (2138 individual) were reviewed. The pooled prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), S.mansoni infections, and their co-infections; heterogeneity and the Odds Ratio (OR) were evaluated by Stata 11.2.

FINDINGS

Among the included studies in the inclusion criteria, the pooled prevalence of hepatitis B, S. mansoni was 34% (95% CI, 0.23-0.46), 41% (95% CI, 0.24-0.59) and their co-infections was 18% (95% CI, 0.11-0.25) by regions. The hepatitis B and S. mansoni correlation was significant in populations with schistosoma compared to control group (OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.36-3.30).

COMMENTARY

Our results showed that in addition to the high global prevalence of hepatitis B- S. mansoni (co) infections in the included studies, there is a significant association between them, especially in people suffering from schistosoma. These results highlight the importance of integrated interventions measurements against coexistence of parasitic and viral diseases. We know that more research studies need to be done in this field and global monitoring should be considered for the co-infection of these two important complications.

Cystic Echinococcosis/Hydatid Cyst Coinfection with HIV: A Report from Shiraz, Iran

HIV coinfected with other parasitic diseases may cause a serious problem for the patients. A few case reports describing echinococcosis with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been reported in the world; however, it has not been reported in Iran, so far. Here, the first case of liver hydatid cyst coinfected with HIV in Iran is reported. The patient is a 46-year-old female HIV-positive based on the laboratory report. Her clinical symptoms included abdominal pain, abdominal enlargement, and anorexia. Ultrasound showed three large hepatic hydatid cysts with hundreds of daughter cysts. Ultrasonography of the cyst revealed it as a CE2 stage according to the WHO classification. The patient went under complete anesthesia followed by complete cyst removal by surgery. Observation of the hydatid cyst fluid using eosin 0.1% revealed more than 70% viable protoscoleces. Histopathology examination, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and viable protoscoleces confirmed the diagnosis of echinococcosis. The IgG ELISA test with native AgB for E. granulosus infection was also positive. mtDNA amplification using PCR and sequencing showed the cyst as E. granulosus sensu stricto genotype. Our observations show that huge, large, and high-pressure cysts with hundreds of daughter cysts are difficult to be completely removed, and drug treatment has not been able to reduce their size. Therefore, in HIV coinfection with hydatid cyst, surgery is preferable to other treatments.