First report of Giardia duodenalis in pet rabbits in Brazil

Giardia duodenalis is a flagellate protozoan that multiplies in the small intestine of a wide variety of hosts, animals and humans. It has a worldwide distribution, however it is considered a neglected disease by the World Health Organization (WHO). Nowadays, rabbits are being chosen as pets, especially by children. There are already reports of the occurrence of G. duodenalis in rabbits from other countries, but research has not been carried out in Brazil yet. Thus, the objective of our work was to verify the occurrence and molecularly characterize G. duodenalis that affect pet rabbits, through the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the northwest region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Fecal samples from 100 rabbits were collected, which later underwent a process of DNA extraction and amplification by nested-PCR (nPCR), using the SSU rRNA gene, and β-giardin (bg), glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) and triosephosphate isomerase (tpi) to determine the assemblage. A questionnaire was answered by the owners with information about gender, age, deworming, diarrhea, water source, food, place of residence and contact with other animals. From those samples, 40 were positive for G. duodenalis. Good quality of the SSU rRNA gene by nPCR were obtained from two samples. For the first time, we report the occurrence of G. duodenalis assemblage A on pet rabbits in Brazil.

[Laveran, the Pasteurian researcher]

At the end of his professorial mandate at the Val de Grâce hospital, Alphonse Laveran, who was Chief Doctor, was appointed to Lille and then Nantes. These assignments however deprived him of a hospital service where he could carry on his research. In 1896, faced with the inflexibility of his military hierarchy, he applied for early retirement; he was then 50 years old. Dr Roux welcomed him to the Pasteur Institute as a honorary department head, where he started a second career as a volunteer. He would spend the following 25 years there, addressing the great protozoology issues. Together with Félix Mesnil, he undertook the study of trypanosomiasis and leishmaniases. In 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine to honor "his work on the role of protozoa as pandemic vectors". He allocated a large part of his prize money to set up a parasitology laboratory at the Pasteur Institute, where all the discoveries and observations carried out in the colonies would converge. In 1908, he funded the Society of Exotic Pathology. He authored no less than 600 publications where his memorable research is recorded. Despite his somewhat outwardly rigid appearance, the man proved to be of amiable approach thanks to "the simplicity of his manners, his amenity and his great heart".

[Laveran, the military doctor]

Son of Louis-Theodore Laveran, holder of the Chair of Diseases and Epidemics in the Armies at the Val-de-Grâce and grandson of an artillery commander through his mother, Alphonse, born in Paris on June 18, 1845, follows in his father's footsteps by entering the Imperial School of Military Health in Strasbourg at the age of 18.After his thesis, he participated in 1870 in the war against Prussia. He was taken prisoner in Metz. He then prepared for the competitive examination to become a professor, which he passed in 1874. He was appointed to the Chair of the Val-de-Grâce, which his father had created. He then went to Algeria. It was at the military hospital in Constantine on November 6, 1880 that he indisputably discovered the haematozoa responsible for malaria in the blood of a soldier in the crew train.In 1884, he was appointed to the Chair of Military Hygiene and Legal Medicine at Val-de-Grâce. At the end of his professorship in 1894, after being refused a posting to Paris to continue his research and not being consulted for the preparation of the Madagascar expedition, which turned into a health disaster in 1895, he retired prematurely in 1897. Hosted by Émile Duclaux and Émile Roux at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, he continued his research mainly on protozoa as agents of human and animal diseases until his death. His work in medical protozoology earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1907. During the Great War, with the benefit of his experience, he warned the Minister of War in January 1916 about the risk of malaria incurred by the army of the East in the delta of the Vardar River in Salonika. The spring would prove him right.An illustrious military doctor and scientist of international renown, Laveran died on May 18, 1922 in Paris.

New record of Arcella gandalfi (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida) from Colombia

The reports of testate amoebae species in Colombia are limited to a few studies in lentic and peat bog systems; however, the diversity in lotic systems has been poorly investigated. Zooplankton sampling was performed in lotic environments of the Piedemonte Llanero in Colombia. Ten individuals of the species Arcella gandalfi were identified to document the first record of A. gandalfi from the Piedemonte Llanero in Colombia, expanding its distribution from Brazil to Colombia. This finding corroborates the status of A. gandalfi as a flagship species from the South America continent.

The life-cycle of Toxoplasma gondii reviewed using animations

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, an infection with high prevalence worldwide. Most of the infected individuals are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, but T. gondii can cause severe neurologic damage and even death of the fetus when acquired during pregnancy. It is also a serious condition in immunodeficient patients. The life-cycle of T. gondii is complex, with more than one infective form and several transmission pathways. In two animated videos, we describe the main aspects of this cycle, raising questions about poorly or unknown issues of T. gondii biology. Original plates, based on electron microscope observations, are also available for teachers, students and researchers. The main goal of this review is to provide a source of learning on the fundamental aspects of T. gondii biology to students and teachers contributing for better knowledge and control on this important parasite, and unique cell model. In addition, drawings and videos point to still unclear aspects of T. gondii lytic cycle that may stimulate further studies.

An Important Milestone in Parasitology: Celebrating a Hundred Volumes of Advances in Parasitology

Beginning in 1963, the founding rationale of Advances in Parasitology was to provide authentic, well-documented reviews by leading experts, about the progress being made in their area of specialism to inform the wider cadre of parasitologists, disseminating this information across allied disciplines and all users. Some 55 years later, the Series has accumulated over 667 published articles, with just over 650 authors contributing either alone or in collaboration, and has successfully served the parasitological needs of medical, veterinary and wildlife scientific communities with equity, notwithstanding treatises on vectors or intermediate hosts, as well as 'honorary parasites' such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. The first production of Advances in Parasitology united the publishing offices of Academic Press in the USA (New York) and the UK (London), maintaining Webster or Oxford writing styles, but unlike its production, all seven editors, beginning with Professor Ben Dawes, have been UK-based. While Advances in Parasitology is now published by Elsevier from their London Office, it still follows the tradition of hard backed book production, in either eclectic or thematic volume formats. But now, following academic imperatives, the Series supports online posting, allowing chapter(s) to be downloaded ahead of final production of the hard back volume. With the 100th volume of Advances in Parasitology, in eclectic format like the very first, there is good reason to celebrate and reflect on the academic impact and enduring legacy of this Series. Seen not only as a yardstick of publishing success but also as a testament, in part, to our fascination with parasites, these cursorily simple yet wonderfully complex organisms that often cause undue harm and much suffering, is still as vibrant, expanding and relevant as ever before.