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Kamal M, Mukherjee S, Joshi B, Sindhu ZUD, Wangchuk P, Haider S, Ahmed N, Talukder MH, Geary TG, Yadav AK. Model nematodes as a practical innovation to promote high throughput screening of natural products for anthelmintics discovery in South Asia: Current challenges, proposed practical and conceptual solutions. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2023; 256:111594. [PMID: 37730126 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2023.111594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
With the increasing prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in animals recorded globally, and the threat of resistance in human helminths, the need for novel anthelmintic drugs is greater than ever. Most research aimed at discovering novel anthelmintic leads relies on high throughput screening (HTS) of large libraries of synthetic small molecules in industrial and academic settings in developed countries, even though it is the tropical countries that are most plagued by helminth infections. Tropical countries, however, have the advantage of possessing a rich flora that may yield natural products (NP) with promising anthelmintic activity. Focusing on South Asia, which produces one of the world's highest research outputs in NP and NP-based anthelmintic discovery, we find that limited basic research and funding, a lack of awareness of the utility of model organisms, poor industry-academia partnerships and lack of technological innovations greatly limit anthelmintics research in the region. Here we propose that utilizing model organisms including the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, that can potentially allow rapid target identification of novel anthelmintics, and Oscheius tipulae, a closely related, free-living nematode which is found abundantly in soil in hotter temperatures, could be a much-needed innovation that can enable cost-effective and efficient HTS of NPs for discovering compounds with anthelmintic/antiparasitic potential in South Asia and other tropical regions that historically have devoted limited funding for such research. Additionally, increased collaborations at the national, regional and international level between parasitologists and pharmacologists/ethnobotanists, setting up government-industry-academia partnerships to fund academic research, creating a centralized, regional collection of plant extracts or purified NPs as a dereplication strategy and HTS library, and holding regional C. elegans/O. tipulae-based anthelmintics workshops and conferences to share knowledge and resources regarding model organisms may collectively promote and foster a NP-based anthelmintics landscape in South Asia and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muntasir Kamal
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Suprabhat Mukherjee
- Department of Animal Science, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol 713340, West Bengal, India
| | - Bishnu Joshi
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zia-Ud-Din Sindhu
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Phurpa Wangchuk
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns Campus, QLD 4878, Australia
| | | | - Nurnabi Ahmed
- Department of Parasitology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
| | | | - Timothy G Geary
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University-Belfast, Belfast, NI, UK
| | - Arun K Yadav
- Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India
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Ahmed N, Roy BC, Hasan MM, Zim MMR, Biswas H, Talukder MH. Molecular and phylogenetic characterization of zoonotic Trichostrongylus species from goats for the first time in Bangladesh. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2023; 117:705-713. [PMID: 37309997 DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trad034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trichostrongylus is one of the most important nematodes infecting animals and humans. The current study was designed to identify the Trichostrongylus species infecting goats by multiplex PCR and phylogenetic analysis. METHODS A total of 124 goats' viscera were collected from different abattoirs of Mymensingh division. Trichostrongylus species were isolated and characterized based on morphometry, multiplex PCR and phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS Among 124 viscera of goats, 39 were positive with two species, Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Trichostrongylus vitrinus, revealing an overall 31.45% prevalence. Morphological identification of Trichostrongylus species was confirmed by multiplex PCR amplification of the ITS2 gene and sequencing. Partial sequencing of the ITS2 gene of two species revealed seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (three transitions and four transversions) in this study. The neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree demonstrated that T. colubriformis and T. vitrinus isolates were clustered together with the reference sequences that belong to the clade A and B without any geographical boundaries. CONCLUSIONS This is the first report on molecular and phylogenetic analysis of Trichostrongylus species from ruminants in Bangladesh. These results provide the baseline data for understanding the zoonosis and epidemiology of this parasite in Bangladesh and global perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurnabi Ahmed
- Department of Parasitology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
| | - Babul Chandra Roy
- Department of Parasitology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
| | | | | | - Hiranmoy Biswas
- Department of Parasitology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
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Robinson MW, Sotillo J. Foodborne trematodes: old foes, new kids on the block and research perspectives for control and understanding host-parasite interactions. Parasitology 2022; 149:1257-1261. [PMID: 35734871 PMCID: PMC11010571 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182022000877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Foodborne trematodes (FBTs) have a worldwide distribution (with particular prevalence in south-east Asia) and are believed to infect almost 75 million people, with millions more living at risk of infection. Although mortality due to trematodiasis is low, these infections cause considerable morbidity and some species are associated with the development of cancer in hyperendemic regions. Despite this, FBTs are often side-lined in terms of research funding and have been dubbed neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organisation. Thus, the aim of this special issue was to provide an update of our understanding of FBT infections, to shine a light on current work in the field and to highlight some research priorities for the future. With contributions from leading researchers, many from endemic regions, we review the major FBT species. In doing so we revisit some old foes, uncover emerging infections and discover how outbreaks are being dealt with as a result of new approaches to parasite control. We also report advances in our understanding of the interactions of FBTs with their mammalian hosts and uncover new interplay between trematodes and host microbiome components. We hope that this article collection will stimulate discussion and further research on the FBTs and help raise them from their neglected status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark W. Robinson
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Javier Sotillo
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
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