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Pillay R, Naidoo P, Duma Z, Bhengu KN, Mpaka-Mbatha MN, Nembe-Mafa N, Mkhize-Kwitshana ZL. Potential Interactions Between Soil-Transmitted Helminths and Herpes Simplex Virus Type II: Implications for Sexual and Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan African. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:1050. [PMID: 39765717 PMCID: PMC11673149 DOI: 10.3390/biology13121050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2024] [Revised: 11/24/2024] [Accepted: 12/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2025]
Abstract
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bears a disproportionate and overlapping burden of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) and sexually transmitted viral infections. An estimated 232 million pre-school and school-aged children in SSA are vulnerable to STH infections. Together with this, SSA has a high prevalence of herpes simplex virus type II (HSV-2), the primary cause of genital herpes. Studies have examined the immunological interactions between STHs and human immunodeficiency virus and human papillomavirus during co-infections. However, epidemiological and immunological studies on STH-HSV-2 co-infections are lacking, therefore their impact on sexual and reproductive health is not fully understood. STH-driven Th2 immune responses are known to downregulate Th1/Th17 immune responses. Therefore, during STH-HSV-2 co-infections, STH-driven immune responses may alter host immunity to HSV-2 and HSV-2 pathology. Herein, we provide an overview of the burden of STH and HSV-2 infections in SSA, and host immune responses to STH and HSV-2 infections. Further, we emphasize the relevance and urgent need for (i) focused research into the interactions between these important pathogens, and (ii) integrated approaches to improve the clinical detection and management of STH-HSV-2 co-infections in SSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxanne Pillay
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Umlazi, Durban 4031, South Africa
- Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa
- Division of Research Capacity Development, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
| | - Pragalathan Naidoo
- Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa
- Division of Research Capacity Development, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
| | - Zamathombeni Duma
- Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa
- Division of Research Capacity Development, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
| | - Khethiwe N. Bhengu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Umlazi, Durban 4031, South Africa
- Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa
- Division of Research Capacity Development, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
| | - Miranda N. Mpaka-Mbatha
- Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa
- Division of Research Capacity Development, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
| | - Nomzamo Nembe-Mafa
- Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa
- Division of Research Capacity Development, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
| | - Zilungile L. Mkhize-Kwitshana
- Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa
- Division of Research Capacity Development, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Doorfontein Campus, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
- Biomedical Sciences Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida Campus, Johannesburg 1710, South Africa
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Buendía JA, Zuluaga Salazar AF. Is there an association between TLR 4 Asp 299Gly and severe RSV infection? Systematic review and metanalysis. Pediatr Pulmonol 2024; 59:2066-2069. [PMID: 38656667 DOI: 10.1002/ppul.27031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Jefferson A Buendía
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Research Group in Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
- Warwick Evidence, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV47AL, United Kingdom
| | - Andrés Felipe Zuluaga Salazar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Research Group in Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
- Laboratorio Integrado de Medicina Especializada (LIME), Facultad de Medicina, IPS Universitaria, Universidad de Antioquia, Antioquia, Colombia
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Schlosser-Brandenburg J, Midha A, Mugo RM, Ndombi EM, Gachara G, Njomo D, Rausch S, Hartmann S. Infection with soil-transmitted helminths and their impact on coinfections. FRONTIERS IN PARASITOLOGY 2023; 2:1197956. [PMID: 39816832 PMCID: PMC11731630 DOI: 10.3389/fpara.2023.1197956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2025]
Abstract
The most important soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) affecting humans are roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms, with a large proportion of the world's population infected with one or more of these intestinal parasites. On top of that, concurrent infections with several viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and other helminths such as trematodes are common in STH-endemic areas. STHs are potent immunomodulators, but knowledge about the effects of STH infection on the direction and extent of coinfections with other pathogens and vice versa is incomplete. By focusing on Kenya, a country where STH infections in humans are widespread, we provide an exemplary overview of the current prevalence of STH and co-occurring infections (e.g. with Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Plasmodium falciparum, Giardia duodenalis and Schistosoma mansoni). Using human data and complemented by experimental studies, we outline the immunomechanistic interactions of coinfections in both acutely STH transmigrated and chronically infected tissues, also highlighting their systemic nature. Depending on the coinfecting pathogen and immunological readout, STH infection may restrain, support, or even override the immune response to another pathogen. Furthermore, the timing of the particular infection and host susceptibility are decisive for the immunopathological consequences. Some examples demonstrated positive outcomes of STH coinfections, where the systemic effects of these helminths mitigate the damage caused by other pathogens. Nevertheless, the data available to date are rather unbalanced, as only a few studies have considered the effects of coinfection on the worm's life cycle and associated host immunity. These interactions are complex and depend largely on the context and biology of the coinfection, which can act in either direction, both to the benefit and detriment of the infected host.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ankur Midha
- Institute of Immunology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert M. Mugo
- Institute of Immunology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eric M. Ndombi
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
- Kenya Medical Research Institute, Centre for Global Health Research, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - George Gachara
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Doris Njomo
- Eastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Sebastian Rausch
- Institute of Immunology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Susanne Hartmann
- Institute of Immunology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Hijano DR, Alvarez-Paggi D, Caballero MT. Editorial: Translational research in pediatric respiratory diseases: From bench to bedside. Front Pediatr 2022; 10:1114549. [PMID: 36683809 PMCID: PMC9853422 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2022.1114549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Diego R Hijano
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Damián Alvarez-Paggi
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Fundación INFANT, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mauricio T Caballero
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Fundación INFANT, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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