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Arcenillas-Hernández I, Ruiz de Ybáñez MR, Tizzani P, Pérez-Cutillas P, Martínez-Carrasco C. Influence of environmental factors on the occurrence of gastrointestinal and cardiopulmonary nematodes in the red fox in the semi-arid Mediterranean areas of the Iberian Peninsula. Res Vet Sci 2024; 171:105199. [PMID: 38458043 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2024.105199] [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: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Human-induced ecosystem fragmentation is one of the drivers causing wildlife migration from their natural habitats to urban areas, among other reasons. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most abundant wild canid in the semi-arid Mediterranean areas of the Iberian Peninsula. Water scarcity may result in areas shared by synanthropic fox populations and domestic animals becoming hotspots for parasite transmission. This study describes the gastrointestinal and cardiopulmonary nematode species affecting fox populations in these semi-arid areas and the influence of environmental variables on parasite abundance. A total of 167 foxes collected from 2015 to 2021 in the Region of Murcia (SE Spain) were analysed. Parasite abundance and spatial distribution were evaluated using environmental variables and host characteristics with a Generalised Linear Model and the Moran index. Eleven species (seven from the gastrointestinal tract and four from the cardiopulmonary tract) were described. The influence of biotic and abiotic variables was studied for Angiostrongylus vasorum, Crenosoma vulpis, Uncinaria stenocephala, Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonina. Temperature, humidity and areas of forest or agricultural land influenced the abundance of these parasites, providing optimal conditions for free-living stages of the direct life cycle nematodes and intermediate hosts. Absolute abundance distribution maps showed defined locations for C. vulpis, T. canis and T. leonina. The results for U. stenocephala, T. canis and T. leonina were particularly important as their higher abundance levels were found close to anthropized areas, which need to be carefully evaluated to prevent transmission of these nematodes between domestic and wild canids and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Arcenillas-Hernández
- Dpto. de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - M R Ruiz de Ybáñez
- Dpto. de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
| | - P Tizzani
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini, 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
| | - P Pérez-Cutillas
- Departamento de Geografía, Facultad de Letras, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de La Merced, 30001 Murcia, Spain
| | - C Martínez-Carrasco
- Dpto. de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
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2
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Jauregui Z, Salas-Fajardo MY, Puicón V, Lucas JR. Prevalence and distribution pattern of Sarcocystis spp. in slaughtered cattle from the Peruvian tropical Andes, Peru. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2024; 48:100990. [PMID: 38316505 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.100990] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and distribution patterns of Sarcocystis spp. in cattle tissues in Chachapoyas province in the Peruvian tropical Andes. Additionally, the risk factors associated with the prevalence and the correlation of two diagnostic techniques (direct microscopy of squashed fresh muscle tissues and histopathology) were explored. The tongue, heart, esophagus, Latissimus dorsi muscle, and diaphragm of 210 animals slaughtered in the municipal slaughterhouse of Chachapoyas were evaluated by both techniques. Macroscopic sarcocysts were detected in 16.7% of tissues (CI 95% 11.7-21.7%). The total prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. was 96.2% (95% CI 93.6-98.8%) by direct light microscopy and 100% by histopathology. The highest Sarcocystis prevalence was detected in the esophagus. No significant statistical differences were found in the prevalence of Sarcocystis related to sex, age, or provenance. Both techniques demonstrated a very weak Kappa correlation (κ ≤ 0.24) in predicting the presence of the parasite in each of the five evaluated muscles. Direct microscopy can be implemented at slaughterhouses as a rapid screening test, but it is essential to confirm by histopathology the absence of the parasite in direct-microscopy-negative samples. It is also recommended that beef from the Peruvian Andes be thoroughly cooked for both human and animal consumption because of the zoonotic potential of some species of Sarcocystis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoilita Jauregui
- Private Veterinary Practitioner, Amazonas Department, CP 0100, Peru
| | | | - Víctor Puicón
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Tarapoto, CP 22201, Peru
| | - J Raul Lucas
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, San Borja, Lima 15021, Peru.
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3
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Nonnis F, Tamponi C, Tosciri G, Manconi M, Pudda F, Cabras P, Dessì G, Scala A, Varcasia A. Cardio-pulmonary nematodes of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) of Sardinia, Italy. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:1685-1688. [PMID: 37212835 PMCID: PMC10276099 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07882-8] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Cardio-pulmonary parasites, such as Angiostrongylus vasorum, Crenosoma vulpis, and Eucoleus aerophilus, pose a significant concern on account of pulmonary and cardiac problems they induce in dogs. While the red fox is known to be a key reservoir host for A. vasorum and may also play a role in transmitting C. vulpis and E. aerophilus, there has been no recent research on these parasites in foxes from Sardinia, with the most current studies dating back to 1986. A survey was conducted on red foxes in Sardinia, where a total of 51 foxes were collected, necropsied, and examined for adult worms in their hearts and lungs. The worms were identified using morphometric analysis and molecular methods. The results showed a 54.9% overall prevalence at dissection: 45.1% of the foxes were positive for E. aerophilus, 17.6% for C. vulpis, and 13.7% for A. vasorum. The molecular analyses validated the morphological characterization. In comparison to previous research, which found 13 out of 85 foxes to be positive for A. vasorum with a prevalence rate of 15.3% and 1 for E. aerophilus with a prevalence of 1.2%, this study showed an increased prevalence of E. aerophilus and C. vulpis, and a decrease in the prevalence of A. vasorum. These results indicate that the red foxes in Sardinia represent a reservoir host for cardio-pulmonary nematodes and it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of respiratory distress syndrome in dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Nonnis
- Parassitologia Veterinaria, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Vienna, 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Claudia Tamponi
- Parassitologia Veterinaria, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Vienna, 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Gabriele Tosciri
- Parassitologia Veterinaria, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Vienna, 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Maria Manconi
- Parassitologia Veterinaria, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Vienna, 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Flavia Pudda
- CARFS (Centro di Recupero della Fauna Selvatica Ferita) Forestas, Bonassai, Sardinia Italy
| | - Pierangela Cabras
- IZS (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale) Sardegna, Tortoli, Sardinia Italy
| | - Giorgia Dessì
- Parassitologia Veterinaria, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Vienna, 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Antonio Scala
- Parassitologia Veterinaria, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Vienna, 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Antonio Varcasia
- Parassitologia Veterinaria, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Vienna, 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
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Arun A, Rayford KJ, Cooley A, Rana T, Rachakonda G, Villalta F, Pratap S, Lima MF, Sheibani N, Nde PN. Thrombospondin-1 expression and modulation of Wnt and hippo signaling pathways during the early phase of Trypanosoma cruzi infection of heart endothelial cells. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010074. [PMID: 34986160 PMCID: PMC8730400 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, causes severe morbidity and mortality in afflicted individuals. Approximately 30% of T. cruzi infected individuals present with cardiac pathology. The invasive forms of the parasite are carried in the vascular system to infect other cells of the body. During transportation, the molecular mechanisms by which the parasite signals and interact with host endothelial cells (EC) especially heart endothelium is currently unknown. The parasite increases host thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) expression and activates the Wnt/β-catenin and hippo signaling pathways during the early phase of infection. The links between TSP1 and activation of the signaling pathways and their impact on parasite infectivity during the early phase of infection remain unknown. To elucidate the significance of TSP1 function in YAP/β-catenin colocalization and how they impact parasite infectivity during the early phase of infection, we challenged mouse heart endothelial cells (MHEC) from wild type (WT) and TSP1 knockout mice with T. cruzi and evaluated Wnt signaling, YAP/β-catenin crosstalk, and how they affect parasite infection. We found that in the absence of TSP1, the parasite induced the expression of Wnt-5a to a maximum at 2 h (1.73±0.13), P< 0.001 and enhanced the level of phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β at the same time point (2.99±0.24), P<0.001. In WT MHEC, the levels of Wnt-5a were toned down and the level of p-GSK-3β was lowest at 2 h (0.47±0.06), P< 0.01 compared to uninfected control. This was accompanied by a continuous significant increase in the nuclear colocalization of β-catenin/YAP in TSP1 KO MHEC with a maximum Pearson correlation coefficient of (0.67±0.02), P< 0.05 at 6 h. In WT MHEC, the nuclear colocalization of β-catenin/YAP remained steady and showed a reduction at 6 h (0.29±0.007), P< 0.05. These results indicate that TSP1 plays an important role in regulating β-catenin/YAP colocalization during the early phase of T. cruzi infection. Importantly, dysregulation of this crosstalk by pre-incubation of WT MHEC with a β-catenin inhibitor, endo-IWR 1, dramatically reduced the level of infection of WT MHEC. Parasite infectivity of inhibitor treated WT MHEC was similar to the level of infection of TSP1 KO MHEC. These results indicate that the β-catenin pathway induced by the parasite and regulated by TSP1 during the early phase of T. cruzi infection is an important potential therapeutic target, which can be explored for the prophylactic prevention of T. cruzi infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh Arun
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Physiology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Kayla J. Rayford
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Physiology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Ayorinde Cooley
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Physiology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Tanu Rana
- Department of Professional Medical Education and Molecular Biology Core Facility, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Girish Rachakonda
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Physiology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Fernando Villalta
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Physiology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Siddharth Pratap
- School of Graduate Studies and Research, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Maria F. Lima
- School of Graduate Studies and Research, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, The City College of New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Nader Sheibani
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, and Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Pius N. Nde
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Physiology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
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Dean DA, Gautham G, Siqueira-Neto JL, McKerrow JH, Dorrestein PC, McCall LI. Spatial metabolomics identifies localized chemical changes in heart tissue during chronic cardiac Chagas Disease. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009819. [PMID: 34606502 PMCID: PMC8516257 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease (CD), caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is one of nineteen neglected tropical diseases. CD is a vector-borne disease transmitted by triatomines, but CD can also be transmitted through blood transfusions, organ transplants, T. cruzi-contaminated food and drinks, and congenital transmission. While endemic to the Americas, T. cruzi infects 7–8 million people worldwide and can induce severe cardiac symptoms including apical aneurysms, thromboembolisms and arrhythmias during the chronic stage of CD. However, these cardiac clinical manifestations and CD pathogenesis are not fully understood. Using spatial metabolomics (chemical cartography), we sought to understand the localized impact of chronic CD on the cardiac metabolome of mice infected with two divergent T. cruzi strains. Our data showed chemical differences in localized cardiac regions upon chronic T. cruzi infection, indicating that parasite infection changes the host metabolome at specific sites in chronic CD. These sites were distinct from the sites of highest parasite burden. In addition, we identified acylcarnitines and glycerophosphocholines as discriminatory chemical families within each heart region, comparing infected and uninfected samples. Overall, our study indicated global and positional metabolic differences common to infection with different T. cruzi strains and identified select infection-modulated pathways. These results provide further insight into CD pathogenesis and demonstrate the advantage of a systematic spatial perspective to understand infectious disease tropism. Chagas disease (CD) is a tropical disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. CD originated in the Americas but is now found globally due to population movements. CD is transmitted through a triatomine vector, organ transplants, blood transfusions, T. cruzi-contaminated food and drinks, and congenitally. It occurs in two stages, an acute stage (usually asymptomatic) and a chronic stage. Twenty to thirty percent of chronic stage cases present severe cardiac symptoms such as heart failure, localized aneurysms and cardiomyopathy. Unfortunately, what causes severe cardiac symptoms in some individuals in chronic CD is not fully understood. Therefore, we used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to analyze the heart tissue of chronically T. cruzi-infected and uninfected mice, to understand the impact of infection on the tissue metabolome. We identified discriminatory small molecules related to T. cruzi infection and determined that regions with the highest parasite burden are distinct from the regions with the largest changes in overall metabolite profile. These locations of high metabolic perturbation provide a molecular mechanism to explain why localized cardiac symptoms occur in CD, particularly at the heart apex. Overall, our work gives insight into chronic cardiac CD symptom development and shapes a framework for novel CD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danya A. Dean
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
- Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Gautham Gautham
- Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Jair L. Siqueira-Neto
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - James H. McKerrow
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Pieter C. Dorrestein
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Laura-Isobel McCall
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
- Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Rodrigues da Cunha GM, Azevedo MA, Nogueira DS, Clímaco MDC, Valencia Ayala E, Jimenez Chunga JA, La Valle RJY, da Cunha Galvão LM, Chiari E, Brito CRN, Soares RP, Nogueira PM, Fujiwara RT, Gazzinelli R, Hincapie R, Chaves CS, Oliveira FMS, Finn MG, Marques AF. α-Gal immunization positively impacts Trypanosoma cruzi colonization of heart tissue in a mouse model. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009613. [PMID: 34314435 PMCID: PMC8345864 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is considered endemic in more than 20 countries but lacks both an approved vaccine and limited treatment for its chronic stage. Chronic infection is most harmful to human health because of long-term parasitic infection of the heart. Here we show that immunization with a virus-like particle vaccine displaying a high density of the immunogenic α-Gal trisaccharide (Qβ-αGal) induced several beneficial effects concerning acute and chronic T. cruzi infection in α1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout mice. Approximately 60% of these animals were protected from initial infection with high parasite loads. Vaccinated animals also produced high anti-αGal IgG antibody titers, improved IFN-γ and IL-12 cytokine production, and controlled parasitemia in the acute phase at 8 days post-infection (dpi) for the Y strain and 22 dpi for the Colombian strain. In the chronic stage of infection (36 and 190 dpi, respectively), all of the vaccinated group survived, showing significantly decreased heart inflammation and clearance of amastigote nests from the heart tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maíra Araújo Azevedo
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Parasitologia, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Denise Silva Nogueira
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Parasitologia, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | | | - Juan Atilio Jimenez Chunga
- Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Faculdad de Ciencias Biologicas, Escuela Profesional de Microbiología y Parasitología—Laboratorio de Parasitología en Fauna Silvestre y Zoonosis, Lima, Peru
| | - Raul Jesus Ynocente La Valle
- Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Faculdad de Ciencias Biologicas, Escuela Profesional de Microbiología y Parasitología—Laboratorio de Parasitología en Fauna Silvestre y Zoonosis, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Egler Chiari
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Parasitologia, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Carlos Ramon Nascimento Brito
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte—Centro de Ciências da Saúde—Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Natal, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Ricardo Gazzinelli
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Parasitologia, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Instituto René Rachou/FIOCRUZ–MG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Robert Hincapie
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Carlos-Sanhueza Chaves
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | | | - M. G. Finn
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
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Bambaradeniya YTB, Karunaratne WAIP, Tomberlin JK, Magni PA. Effect of Type of Tissue on the Development of Chrysomya rufifacies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Sri Lanka. J Med Entomol 2021; 58:1673-1679. [PMID: 33942875 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjab044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), the hairy maggot blow fly, is of great importance for the field of forensic entomology due to its habit as an early colonizer of decomposing vertebrate remains and myiasis producer. Development studies on this species have been conducted in scattered regions of the world, using types of tissue from several species of animals as a rearing medium. Despite the commonality of C. rufifacies in Sri Lanka, developmental studies have never been performed in this region. As well, the effects of diet on development have not been tested. In the current study, C. rufifacies immatures were reared on skeletal muscle, liver, and heart from domestic swine, with flies from colonies maintained at 25 and 28°C. The minimum time needed to complete each stage at 25°C on liver (224.14 h) was fastest followed by skeletal muscle (249.33 h) and heart (251.64 h) respectively, whereas at 28°C, fly development was quickest on heart muscle (178.27 h) followed by liver (178.50 h) and skeletal muscle (186.17 h) respectively. A significant difference in total development time was determined for temperature, while the rearing medium was not significant. Temperature also showed a significant effect on the length and the width of the larvae, while the type of tissue statistically impacted only the width.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y T B Bambaradeniya
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
- Discipline of Medical, Molecular & Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | - W A I P Karunaratne
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | - J K Tomberlin
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, TX, USA
| | - P A Magni
- Discipline of Medical, Molecular & Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
- Murdoch University Singapore, King's Centre, Singapore
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8
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Milduberger N, Bustos PL, González C, Perrone AE, Postan M, Bua J. Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Cyclophilin D deficient mice. Exp Parasitol 2021; 220:108044. [PMID: 33253715 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2020.108044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, which is endemic in Latin America and around the world through mother to child transmission. The heart is the organ most frequently affected in the chronic stage of the human infection and depends on mitochondria for the required energy for its activity. Cyclophilins are involved in protein folding and the mitochondrial isoform, Cyclophilin D (CyPD), has a crucial role in the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. In the present study, we infected CyPD deficient mice, with ablation of the Ppif gene, with T. cruzi parasites and the course of the infection was analyzed. Parasite load, quantified by PCR, was significantly lower in skeletal and cardiac tissues of Ppif-/- mice compared to wild type mice. In vitro cultured cardiomyocytes and macrophages from mice lacking CyPD exhibited lower percentage of infected cells and number of intracellular parasites than those observed for wild type mice. Although histopathological analysis of heart and mRNA of heart cytokines showed differences between T. cruzi-infected mice compared to the uninfected animals, no significant differences were found mice due to the ablation of the Ppif gene. Our results suggest that cells deficient for mitochondrial CyPD, inhibited for the mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, reduces the severity of parasite aggression and spread of cellular infection.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Chagas Disease/parasitology
- Peptidyl-Prolyl Isomerase F/deficiency
- Cytokines/analysis
- Cytokines/genetics
- DNA, Protozoan/isolation & purification
- Heart/parasitology
- Liver/pathology
- Macrophages, Peritoneal/cytology
- Macrophages, Peritoneal/parasitology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Muscle, Skeletal/parasitology
- Muscle, Skeletal/pathology
- Myocardium/pathology
- Myocytes, Cardiac/cytology
- Myocytes, Cardiac/parasitology
- Parasite Load
- RNA, Messenger/analysis
- RNA, Protozoan/analysis
- RNA, Protozoan/isolation & purification
- Spleen/pathology
- Trypanosoma cruzi/genetics
- Trypanosoma cruzi/physiology
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Milduberger
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben" - ANLIS C. G. Malbrán, Paseo Colón 568, PC 1063, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Patricia L Bustos
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben" - ANLIS C. G. Malbrán, Paseo Colón 568, PC 1063, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carolina González
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben" - ANLIS C. G. Malbrán, Paseo Colón 568, PC 1063, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Centro de Altos Estudios en Ciencias Humanas y de La Salud (CAECIHS), Universidad Abierta Interamericana, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alina E Perrone
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben" - ANLIS C. G. Malbrán, Paseo Colón 568, PC 1063, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Miriam Postan
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben" - ANLIS C. G. Malbrán, Paseo Colón 568, PC 1063, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jacqueline Bua
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben" - ANLIS C. G. Malbrán, Paseo Colón 568, PC 1063, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Centro de Altos Estudios en Ciencias Humanas y de La Salud (CAECIHS), Universidad Abierta Interamericana, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Domingues CS, Cardoso FDO, Hardoim DDJ, Pelajo-Machado M, Bertho AL, Calabrese KDS. Host Genetics Background Influence in the Intragastric Trypanosoma cruzi Infection. Front Immunol 2020; 11:566476. [PMID: 33329529 PMCID: PMC7732431 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.566476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Considering the complexity of the factors involved in the immunopathology of Chagas disease, which influence the Chagas' disease pathogenesis, anti-T. cruzi immune response, and chemotherapy outcome, further studies are needed to improve our understanding about these relationships. On this way, in this article we analyzed the host genetic influence on hematological, histopathological and immunological aspects after T. cruzi infection. Methods BALB/c and A mice were intragastrically infected with T. cruzi SC2005 strain, isolated from a patient of an outbreak of Chagas disease. Parameters such as parasite load, survival rates, cytokines production, macrophages, T and B cell frequencies, and histopathology analysis were carried out. Results BALB/c mice presented higher parasitemia and mortality rates than A mice. Both mouse lineages exhibited hematological alterations suggestive of microcytic hypochromic anemia and histopathological alterations in stomach, heart and liver. The increase of CD8+ T cells, in heart, liver and blood, and the increase of CD19+ B cells, in liver, associated with a high level of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ), confer a resistance profile to the host. Although BALB/c animals exhibited the same findings observed in A mice, the response to infection occurred later, after a considerable parasitemia increase. By developing an early response to the infection, A mice were found to be less susceptible to T. cruzi SC2005 infection. Conclusions Host genetics background shaping the response to infection. The early development of a cytotoxic cellular response profile with the production of proinflammatory cytokines is important to lead a less severe manifestation of Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Salles Domingues
- Laboratório de Imunomodulação e Protozoologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Flávia de Oliveira Cardoso
- Laboratório de Imunomodulação e Protozoologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Daiana de Jesus Hardoim
- Laboratório de Imunomodulação e Protozoologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Pelajo-Machado
- Laboratório de Patologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alvaro Luiz Bertho
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Plataforma de Citometria de Fluxo, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Kátia da Silva Calabrese
- Laboratório de Imunomodulação e Protozoologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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10
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Poveda C, Herreros-Cabello A, Callejas-Hernández F, Osuna-Pérez J, Maza MC, Chillón-Marinas C, Calderón J, Stamatakis K, Fresno M, Gironès N. Interaction of Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule Family 1 (SLAMF1) receptor with Trypanosoma cruzi is strain-dependent and affects NADPH oxidase expression and activity. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008608. [PMID: 32925918 PMCID: PMC7515593 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The receptor Signaling Lymphocyte-Activation Molecule Family 1 (SLAMF1) controls susceptibility to Infection by the lethal Trypanosoma cruzi Y strain. To elucidate whether genetic diversity of the parasite was related with disease susceptibility, we further analyzed the role of SLAMF1 using 6 different Trypanosoma cruzi strains including Y. The interaction of SLAMF1 receptor with T. cruzi was evidenced by fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry and quantitative PCR. All the strains, except VFRA, showed a decrease in parasite load in infected macrophages in Slamf1-/- compared to BALB/c. In macrophages gene expression NADPH oxidase (NOX2), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production increased in Slamf1-/- compared to BALB/c in 5 out of 6 strains. However, Slamf1-/-macrophages infected with VFRA strain exhibited a divergent behavior, with higher parasite load, lower NOX2 expression and ROS production compared to BALB/c. Parasitological and immunological studies in vivo with Y strain showed that in the absence of SLAMF1 the immune response protected mice from the otherwise lethal Y infection favoring a proinflammatory response likely involving CD4, CD8, dendritic cells and classically activated macrophages. In the case of VFRA, no major changes were observed in the absence of SLAMF1. Thus, the results suggest that the T. cruzi affects SLAMF1-dependent ROS production, controlling parasite replication in macrophages and affecting survival in mice in a strain-dependent manner. Further studies will focus in the identification of parasite molecules involved in SLAMF1 interaction to explain the immunopathogenesis of the disease. Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is characterized by an acute phase, with low mortality, and after many years without any sign of disease, patients develop a symptomatic chronic phase, characterized by cardiomyopathy and/or digestive mega syndromes. These differences have been attributed to the high genetic variability of this parasite. We have shown that the receptor Signaling Lymphocyte-Activation Molecule Family 1 (SLAMF1) controls susceptibility to Infection by the lethal T. cruzi Y strain. Here we studied in detail the immunopathogenic role of SLAMF1 using 6 genetically diverse strains of T. cruzi using in vitro and in vivo approaches. Our results indicate an important role of SLAMF1 in T. cruzi infection which is parasite strain-dependent. We found that parasites interact with SLAMF1 in macrophages affecting NADPH oxidase (NOX2) expression and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production 5 out of 6 strains tested. Y and VFRA strains showed a divergent behavior in vitro and the role of SLAMF1 in the in vivo infection was also strikingly different. The Y strain caused 70% mortality in BALB/c mice but not in Slamf1-/- mice. The proinflammatory response was stronger in the last, suggesting that SLAMF1 was repressing protective immune responses of mice infected with the Y strain. In contrast, for VFRA, SLAMF1 deficiency resulted in 100% survival of BALB/c mice, without major changes in the immune response in the absence of SLAMF1. Thus, the results indicate that SLAMF1 receptor interacts with T. cruzi, affecting parasite replication and ROS production in macrophages as well as the adaptive immune response in mice in a parasite strain-dependent manner. Future studies will focus in understanding the immunopathogenic role of SLAMF1 during T. cruzi infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Poveda
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alfonso Herreros-Cabello
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Callejas-Hernández
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Osuna-Pérez
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - María C. Maza
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Chillón-Marinas
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jossela Calderón
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Konstantinos Stamatakis
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Fresno
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Sanitario de Investigación Princesa, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail: (MF); (NG)
| | - Núria Gironès
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Sanitario de Investigación Princesa, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail: (MF); (NG)
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11
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Melo RPB, Oliveira PRF, Albuquerque PPF, Barretto MLM, Moura GHF, Oliveira AAF, Mota RA. Detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in heart tissue from common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) monitored for yellow fever and rabies in Pernambuco state, Northeastern of Brazil. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2020; 21:100447. [PMID: 32862888 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2020.100447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
There is limited available information concerning the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in noncaptive monkeys. Also, New World monkeys (NWM) are highly susceptible to toxoplasmosis, which is a conservation concern. This study aimed to investigate apicomplexan parasites in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) collected for yellow fever and rabies surveillance program in Northeastern region of Brazil. Heart fragments of 39 free-ranging common marmosets were analyzed for the presence of the 18S rDNA gene of apicomplexan parasites by nested PCR. Positive samples were sequenced. T. gondii DNA was detected in 17.9% (7/39) of the analyzed animals. This study is the first report on T. gondii in Callithrix jacchus in Brazil. These findings should be an alert for wildlife conservation institutions, as high susceptibility and mortality were reported for captive NWM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata P B Melo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, Dois Irmãos, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil.
| | - Pollyanne R F Oliveira
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, Dois Irmãos, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil
| | - Pedro P F Albuquerque
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, Dois Irmãos, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil
| | - Mariana L M Barretto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, Dois Irmãos, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil
| | - Gabriela H F Moura
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, Dois Irmãos, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil
| | - Andrea A F Oliveira
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, Dois Irmãos, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil
| | - Rinaldo A Mota
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, Dois Irmãos, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil
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12
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Paştiu AI, Cozma-Petruț A, Mercier A, Balea A, Galal L, Mircean V, Pusta DL, Bogdan L, Györke A. Prevalence and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii in naturally infected backyard pigs intended for familial consumption in Romania. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:586. [PMID: 31842955 PMCID: PMC6915976 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3842-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Foodborne toxoplasmosis in humans can be due to the exposure to tissue cysts of Toxoplasma gondii through the consumption of meat, including pork, of infected animals. Traditional Romanian food habits include pork as the preferred meat, while backyard pig rearing remains a common practice in many rural areas of Romania. The aims of the present study were to estimate the prevalence of T. gondii infection in naturally infected backyard pigs slaughtered for familial consumption and to genetically characterize the T. gondii strains obtained. METHODS Paired blood and heart samples were collected from 94 backyard pigs, home slaughtered for private consumption. Serum samples were analyzed using the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) for anti-T. gondii antibody detection. Heart samples were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 529-bp repeat region (REP529) for T. gondii detection. In addition, heart samples from IFAT positive animals were bioassayed in mice. The T. gondii isolates were genotyped by the analysis of 15 microsatellite markers. RESULTS The results showed that almost half of the pigs investigated were T. gondii seropositive (46.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 36.4-57.4%) and in more than a quarter of the pigs (26.6%, 95% CI: 18.0-36.7%), the parasite was detected by PCR. Three (3/44) T. gondii strains were isolated from hearts of seropositive pigs and they all belonged to genotype II. CONCLUSIONS The present study showed the presence of T. gondii infection in backyard pigs in Romania, which suggests that consumption of pork from animals reared and slaughtered at home may pose a potential threat to human health and should be given attention. In addition, to our knowledge, this is the first study to provide data concerning T. gondii strains circulating in pigs from Romania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anamaria Ioana Paştiu
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Mănăştur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj Romania
- Department of Genetics and Hereditary Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Mănăştur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj Romania
| | - Anamaria Cozma-Petruț
- Department of Bromatology, Hygiene, Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Pasteur Street, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj Romania
| | - Aurélien Mercier
- INSERM UMR_S 1094, Neuroépidémiologie Tropicale, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Limoges, Limoges, France
- Centre National de Référence Toxoplasmose/Toxoplasma Biological Resource Center, CHU Limoges, 2 Martin Luther King Street, 87042 Limoges, France
| | - Anamaria Balea
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Mănăştur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj Romania
| | - Lokman Galal
- INSERM UMR_S 1094, Neuroépidémiologie Tropicale, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Limoges, Limoges, France
- Centre National de Référence Toxoplasmose/Toxoplasma Biological Resource Center, CHU Limoges, 2 Martin Luther King Street, 87042 Limoges, France
| | - Viorica Mircean
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Mănăştur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj Romania
| | - Dana Liana Pusta
- Department of Genetics and Hereditary Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Mănăştur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj Romania
| | - Liviu Bogdan
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Pathology of Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Calea Mănăştur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj Romania
| | - Adriana Györke
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Mănăştur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj Romania
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13
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Kolören Z, Cerqueira-Cézar CK, Murata FHA, Kwok OCH, Banfield JE, Brown JD, Su C, Dubey JP. High Seroprevalence but Low Rate of Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from Wild Elk ( Cervus Canadensis) in Pennsylvania. J Parasitol 2019; 105:890-892. [PMID: 31738124] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii infections are prevalent in most warm-blooded animals worldwide. During the 2018 November hunting season in Pennsylvania, fresh (unfixed, not frozen) samples obtained from 99 harvested elk (Cervus canadensis) were tested for T. gondii infection. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 69 of 99 (69.7%) elk tested by the modified agglutination test (MAT, 1:25 cut-off). Tongues and hearts from 16 elk with high MAT titers (>1:200) were bioassayed for T. gondii by inoculation in outbred Swiss Webster (SW) and interferon-gamma gene knockout (KO) mice. Viable T. gondii was isolated from tongues of 2 elk with MAT titers of 1:200 and 1:3,200. Toxoplasma gondii from both isolates were successfully propagated in cell culture. Genetic typing on DNA extracted from culture-derived tachyzoites using the PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism with 10 genetic markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico) revealed that both isolates belonged to ToxoDB PCR-RFLP genotype #5 that is widely prevalent in wildlife in the United States. Our results suggest that elk may clear T. gondii organisms from their tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Kolören
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
- Current address: Ordu University, Faculty of Science and Literature, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Ordu, Turkey
| | - C K Cerqueira-Cézar
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - F H A Murata
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - O C H Kwok
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - J E Banfield
- Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110-9797
| | - J D Brown
- Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110-9797
- Current address: Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, 111 Henning Building, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
| | - C Su
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
| | - J P Dubey
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
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Santos Souza HF, Rocha SC, Damasceno FS, Rapado LN, Pral EMF, Marinho CRF, Silber AM. The effect of memantine, an antagonist of the NMDA glutamate receptor, in in vitro and in vivo infections by Trypanosoma cruzi. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007226. [PMID: 31536489 PMCID: PMC6752752 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a neglected tropical disease that affects 5–6 million people in endemic areas of the Americas. Presently, chemotherapy relies on two compounds that were proposed as trypanocidal drugs four decades ago: nifurtimox and benznidazole. Both drugs are able to eliminate parasitemia and to avoid seroconversion in infected people when used in the acute phase; however, their use in the chronic phase (the time when the majority of cases are diagnosed) is limited due to their serious side effects. Memantine is a glutamate receptor antagonist in the central nervous system of mammals that has been used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Our group previously reported memantine as a trypanocidal drug that is able to induce apoptosis-like death in T. cruzi. In the present work, we further investigated the effects of memantine on the infection of RAW 264.7 macrophages and in vivo (in BALB/c mice). Here, we showed that memantine is able to diminish NO and Ca2+ entry in both LPS-activated and non-activated cells. These results, together with the fact that memantine was also able to reduce the infection of macrophages, led us to propose that this drug is able to activate a pro-oxidant non-NO-dependent cell defense mechanism. Finally, infected mice that were treated with memantine had diminished parasitemia, cardiac parasitic load, and inflammatory infiltrates. In addition, the treated mice had an increased survival rate. Taken together, these results indicate memantine to be a candidate drug for the treatment of Chagas disease. Chagas disease affects approximately 5 million people and is caused by the protist parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Until now, there are no vaccines to prevent the human infection, and the therapy relies on the use of two drugs discovered more than 50 years ago, nifurtimox and benznidazole. Both drugs are efficient during the acute phase of the disease, however their efficacy in the chronic phase, when most of patients are diagnosed is controversial. In addition, both drugs are toxic, causing severe side effects during the treatment. For these reasons, new drugs against T. cruzi are urgently needed. In this work, we report a series of experiments supporting the repositioning of memantine, a drug used for treating Alzheimer´s disease, to treat the T. cruzi infection in an experimental infection model. Our data show that infected mice treated with memantine have diminished their parasitemia, cardiac parasitic load and inflammatory infiltrates and more importantly, they have diminished their mortality. Taken together, these results prompt memantine as a promising drug for treating Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Higo Fernando Santos Souza
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sandra Carla Rocha
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Flávia Silva Damasceno
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ludmila Nakamura Rapado
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Elisabeth Mieko Furusho Pral
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Claudio Romero Farias Marinho
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunoparasitology, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ariel Mariano Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Martínez-Rondán FJ, Ruiz de Ybáñez MR, López-Beceiro AM, Fidalgo LE, Berriatua E, Lahat L, Sacristán I, Oleaga Á, Martínez-Carrasco C. Cardiopulmonary nematode infections in wild canids: Does the key lie on host-prey-parasite evolution? Res Vet Sci 2019; 126:51-58. [PMID: 31437776 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2019.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 06/09/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Cardiopulmonary nematodes are among the most pathogenic parasites of domestic and wild canids. The aim of this study was to describe the species diversity, prevalence and infection intensity of these parasites in the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. 257 foxes and 74 wolves were necropsied between 2008 and 2014. Four nematode species were identified: Angiostrongylus vasorum, Eucoleus aerophilus, Crenosoma vulpis and Filaroides hirthi. This last species was only found in wolves, being the first time that is cited worldwide in this wild canid. The overall parasite prevalence was significantly higher in foxes (70%) than in wolves (28%). Specifically, prevalences in foxes and wolves were, respectively, 43% and 22% for A. vasorum, 33% and 5% for E. aerophilus, and 30% and 9% for C. vulpis. The prevalence of F. hirthi was 16%. The A. vasorum intensity was significantly higher in foxes than in wolves. Differences between host species in the risk of infection would be associated to diverging feeding behavior, and possibly reflects a parasite-host adaptation related to host's hunting strategies and cardiorespiratory requirements. This study revealed an association between infection and environmental factors, and highlighted a wide variation in the spatial distribution of A. vasorum. Our results indicate that cardiopulmonary parasites are widespread in wild canids in northwest Spain, and further agrees with other studies indicating the expansion of A. vasorum in Europe and, therefore, the urgent need to investigate infection in dogs in sympatric areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco José Martínez-Rondán
- Department of Animal Health, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - María Rocío Ruiz de Ybáñez
- Department of Animal Health, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Ana María López-Beceiro
- Department of Anatomy, Animal Production and Clinical Veterinary Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
| | - Luis Eusebio Fidalgo
- Department of Anatomy, Animal Production and Clinical Veterinary Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
| | - Eduardo Berriatua
- Department of Animal Health, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Liron Lahat
- Department of Animal Health, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Irene Sacristán
- PhD Program in Conservation Medicine, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 252, Santiago, Chile
| | - Álvaro Oleaga
- SERPA, Sociedad de Servicios del Principado de Asturias S.A., 33203 Gijón, Asturias, Spain
| | - Carlos Martínez-Carrasco
- Department of Animal Health, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
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Kitayama C, Hayashi K, Ohari Y, Kondo S, Kuroki T, Shibahara T, Itagaki T. Infection by and Molecular Features of Learedius learedi (Digenea: Schistosomatoidea) in Green Sea Turtles ( Chelonia mydas) on the Ogasawara Islands, Japan. J Parasitol 2019; 105:533-538. [PMID: 31310585] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Learedius learedi Price, 1934 , is a blood fluke found in sea turtles, and the adult fluke parasitizes the cardiovascular system of the host. In this study we surveyed 46 green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, on the Ogasawara Islands, Japan, and blood flukes were detected in the heart and blood vessels of 26 turtles. The flukes were identified as L. learedi based on a detailed morphological description. In addition, molecular identification and characterization of the parasite were performed. The nucleotide sequences of nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) regions were almost identical to those of L. learedi reported previously, but not to those of Hapalotrema spp., which is the closest related genus. The nucleotide sequences of the 28S ribosomal DNA region formed a single clade with those of the reference L. learedi in the phylogenetic tree, but not with those of Hapalotrema spp. Therefore, the nucleotide sequences of ITS2 and 28S are robust markers for distinguishing L. learedi from other species. The nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) region were analyzed to evaluate the genetic variations in L. learedi. The COI haplotypes revealed the extremely high genetic diversity of the species as well as the host turtles on the Ogasawara Islands. The haplotype frequency in the mitochondrial DNA of the green sea turtles on the Ogasawara Islands is known to be significantly different from those in other Pacific rookeries. Although the number of analyzed flukes is small in this study, no haplotype was close to that in other areas; on the basis of the data, we hypothesized that L. learedi differentiated along with the host turtles on the Ogasawara Islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiyo Kitayama
- 1 Everlasting Nature of Asia (ELNA), Ogasawara Marine Center, Ogasawara, Tokyo 100-2101, Japan
| | - Kei Hayashi
- 2 Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama University of Science, 1-3 Ikoinooka, Imabari 794-8555, Japan
| | - Yuma Ohari
- 3 Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, 3-18-8 Ueda, Morioka 020-8550, Japan
- 4 Department of Pathogenic Veterinary Science, United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
| | - Satomi Kondo
- 1 Everlasting Nature of Asia (ELNA), Ogasawara Marine Center, Ogasawara, Tokyo 100-2101, Japan
| | - Toshiro Kuroki
- 2 Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama University of Science, 1-3 Ikoinooka, Imabari 794-8555, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Shibahara
- 2 Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama University of Science, 1-3 Ikoinooka, Imabari 794-8555, Japan
| | - Tadashi Itagaki
- 3 Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, 3-18-8 Ueda, Morioka 020-8550, Japan
- 4 Department of Pathogenic Veterinary Science, United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
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Ferreira RR, Abreu RDS, Vilar-Pereira G, Degrave W, Meuser-Batista M, Ferreira NVC, da Cruz Moreira O, da Silva Gomes NL, Mello de Souza E, Ramos IP, Bailly S, Feige JJ, Lannes-Vieira J, de Araújo-Jorge TC, Waghabi MC. TGF-β inhibitor therapy decreases fibrosis and stimulates cardiac improvement in a pre-clinical study of chronic Chagas' heart disease. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007602. [PMID: 31365537 PMCID: PMC6690554 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
TGF-β involvement in Chagas disease cardiomyopathy has been clearly demonstrated. The TGF-β signaling pathway is activated in the cardiac tissue of chronic phase patients and is associated with an increase in extracellular matrix protein expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of GW788388, a selective inhibitor of TβR1/ALK5, on cardiac function in an experimental model of chronic Chagas' heart disease. To this end, C57BL/6 mice were infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (102 parasites from the Colombian strain) and treated orally with 3mg/kg GW788388 starting at 120 days post-infection (dpi), when 100% of the infected mice show cardiac damage, and following three distinct treatment schedules: i) single dose; ii) one dose per week; or iii) three doses per week during 30 days. The treatment with GW788388 improved several cardiac parameters: reduced the prolonged PR and QTc intervals, increased heart rate, and reversed sinus arrhythmia, and atrial and atrioventricular conduction disorders. At 180 dpi, 30 days after treatment interruption, the GW3x-treated group remained in a better cardiac functional condition. Further, GW788388 treatment reversed the loss of connexin-43 enriched intercellular plaques and reduced fibrosis of the cardiac tissue. Inhibition of the TGF-β signaling pathway reduced TGF-β/pSmad2/3, increased MMP-9 and Sca-1, reduced TIMP-1/TIMP-2/TIMP-4, and partially restored GATA-6 and Tbox-5 transcription, supporting cardiac recovery. Moreover, GW788388 administration did not modify cardiac parasite load during the infection but reduced the migration of CD3+ cells to the heart tissue. Altogether, our data suggested that the single dose schedule was not as effective as the others and treatment three times per week during 30 days seems to be the most effective strategy. The therapeutic effects of GW788388 are promising and suggest a new possibility to treat cardiac fibrosis in the chronic phase of Chagas' heart disease by TGF-β inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Rodrigues Ferreira
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática—Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil
| | - Rayane da Silva Abreu
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática—Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil
| | - Glaucia Vilar-Pereira
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações—Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil
| | - Wim Degrave
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática—Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil
| | - Marcelo Meuser-Batista
- Laboratório de Inovações em Terapias, Ensino e Bioprodutos—Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil
- Departamento de Anatomia Patológica e Citopatologia, Instituto Nacional de Saúde da Mulher, da Criança e do Adolescente Fernandes Figueira, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Nilma Valéria Caldeira Ferreira
- Departamento de Anatomia Patológica e Citopatologia, Instituto Nacional de Saúde da Mulher, da Criança e do Adolescente Fernandes Figueira, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Otacílio da Cruz Moreira
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ/RJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Natália Lins da Silva Gomes
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ/RJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Elen Mello de Souza
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular—Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil
| | - Isalira P. Ramos
- UFRJ, Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Sabine Bailly
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, Inserm, CEA, Biology of Cancer and Infection Laboratory, Grenoble, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Feige
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, Inserm, CEA, Biology of Cancer and Infection Laboratory, Grenoble, France
| | - Joseli Lannes-Vieira
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações—Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil
| | - Tania C. de Araújo-Jorge
- Laboratório de Inovações em Terapias, Ensino e Bioprodutos—Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil
| | - Mariana Caldas Waghabi
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática—Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil
- * E-mail:
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Pontes Ferreira C, Cariste LM, Ferri Moraschi B, Ferrarini Zanetti B, Won Han S, Araki Ribeiro D, Vieira Machado A, Lannes-Vieira J, Gazzinelli RT, Vasconcelos JRC. CXCR3 chemokine receptor guides Trypanosoma cruzi-specific T-cells triggered by DNA/adenovirus ASP2 vaccine to heart tissue after challenge. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007597. [PMID: 31356587 PMCID: PMC6687206 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
CD8+ T lymphocytes play an important role in controlling infections by intracellular pathogens. Chemokines and their receptors are crucial for the migration of CD8+ T-lymphocytes, which are the main IFNγ producers and cytotoxic effectors cells. Although the participation of chemokine ligands and receptors has been largely explored in viral infection, much less is known in infection by Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. After T. cruzi infection, CXCR3 chemokine receptor is highly expressed on the surface of CD8+ T-lymphocytes. Here, we hypothesized that CXCR3 is a key molecule for migration of parasite-specific CD8+ T-cells towards infected tissues, where they may play their effector activities. Using a model of induction of resistance to highly susceptible A/Sn mice using an ASP2-carrying DNA/adenovirus prime-boost strategy, we showed that CXCR3 expression was upregulated on CD8+ T-cells, which selectively migrated towards its ligands CXCL9 and CXCL10. Anti-CXCR3 administration reversed the vaccine-induced resistance to T. cruzi infection in a way associated with hampered cytotoxic activity and increased proapoptotic markers on the H2KK-restricted TEWETGQI-specific CD8+ T-cells. Furthermore, CXCR3 receptor critically guided TEWETGQI-specific effector CD8+ T-cells to the infected heart tissue that express CXCL9 and CXCL10. Overall, our study pointed CXCR3 and its ligands as key molecules to drive T. cruzi-specific effector CD8+ T-cells into the infected heart tissue. The unveiling of the process driving cell migration and colonization of infected tissues by pathogen-specific effector T-cells is a crucial requirement to the development of vaccine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Pontes Ferreira
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Barbara Ferri Moraschi
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Sang Won Han
- Department of Biophysics, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Joseli Lannes-Vieira
- Laboratory of Biology of the Interactions, Oswaldo Cruz Institute/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Tostes Gazzinelli
- René Rachou Research Center, Fiocruz, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States ofAmerica
| | - José Ronnie Carvalho Vasconcelos
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Biosciences, Federal University of São Paulo, Santos, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Batista JS, Araújo Júnior HND, Moura GHF, Góis RCDS, Paiva KARD, Silva JBD, Costa WP, Menezes MCD, Nunes FVA, Costa KMDFM, Medeiros GVDD. Cardiac involvement in trypanosomiasis in sheep experimentally infected by Trypanosoma vivax (Ziemman, 1905). Exp Parasitol 2019; 205:107714. [PMID: 31279927 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2019.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 02/07/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the clinical signs, electrocardiographic signs and evolution of histopathological lesions in the heart of sheep experimentally infected by Trypanosoma vivax during the acute and chronic phases of infection as well as to investigate the presence of parasitic DNA in the heart using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Twenty-two male sheep were divided into the following four groups: G1, which consisted of six sheep infected by T. vivax that were evaluated until 20 days post-infection (dpi; acute phase); G2, which consisted of six sheep infected by T. vivax that were evaluated until 90 dpi (chronic phase); and G3 and G4 groups, which each consisted of five uninfected sheep. At the end of the experimental period, electrocardiographic evaluations and necroscopic examinations were performed. Fragments of the heart were collected and stained by Hematoxylin-Eosin and Masson's trichrome, and the fragments were also evaluated by PCR for T. vivax. G2 animals presented clinical signs suggestive of heart failure and electrocardiogram alterations characterized by prolonged P, T and QRS complex durations as well as by a cardiac electrical axis shift to the left and increased heart rate. In these animals, mononuclear multifocal myocarditis and interstitial fibrosis were also observed. PCR revealed positivity for T. vivax in two G1 animals and in all G2 animals. Thus, these findings suggested that T. vivax is responsible for the occurrence of cardiac lesions, which are related to heart failure, electrocardiographic alterations and mortality of the infected animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jael Soares Batista
- Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural of the Semi-Arid University, Mossoro, 572 Av. Francisco Mota, Presidente Costa e Silva, RN, 59625-900, Brazil.
| | - Hélio Noberto de Araújo Júnior
- Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural of the Semi-Arid University, Mossoro, 572 Av. Francisco Mota, Presidente Costa e Silva, RN, 59625-900, Brazil.
| | - Gabriela Hémylin Ferreira Moura
- Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural of the Semi-Arid University, Mossoro, 572 Av. Francisco Mota, Presidente Costa e Silva, RN, 59625-900, Brazil
| | - Rayr Cezar de Souza Góis
- Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural of the Semi-Arid University, Mossoro, 572 Av. Francisco Mota, Presidente Costa e Silva, RN, 59625-900, Brazil
| | - Kaliane Alessandra Rodrigues de Paiva
- Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural of the Semi-Arid University, Mossoro, 572 Av. Francisco Mota, Presidente Costa e Silva, RN, 59625-900, Brazil
| | - Jardel Bezerra da Silva
- Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural of the Semi-Arid University, Mossoro, 572 Av. Francisco Mota, Presidente Costa e Silva, RN, 59625-900, Brazil
| | - Wirton Peixoto Costa
- Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural of the Semi-Arid University, Mossoro, 572 Av. Francisco Mota, Presidente Costa e Silva, RN, 59625-900, Brazil
| | - Manuela Costa de Menezes
- Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural of the Semi-Arid University, Mossoro, 572 Av. Francisco Mota, Presidente Costa e Silva, RN, 59625-900, Brazil
| | - Francisco Vitor Aires Nunes
- Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural of the Semi-Arid University, Mossoro, 572 Av. Francisco Mota, Presidente Costa e Silva, RN, 59625-900, Brazil
| | | | - Gerard Vicente Dantas de Medeiros
- Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal Rural of the Semi-Arid University, Mossoro, 572 Av. Francisco Mota, Presidente Costa e Silva, RN, 59625-900, Brazil
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Cunha ELA, Torchelsen FKVDS, Cunha LM, de Oliveira MT, Fonseca KDS, Vieira PMA, Carneiro CM, de Lana M. Benznidazole, itraconazole and their combination in the treatment of acute experimental chagas disease in dogs. Exp Parasitol 2019; 204:107711. [PMID: 31254494 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Chagas disease (CD) is a serious public health problem in Latin America and its treatment remains neglected. Benznidazole (BZ), the only drug available in Brazil, presents serious side effects and low therapeutic efficacy, especially at the chronic phase. The last clinical trials demonstrated that the first generation of azole compounds were less successful than BZ in CD chemotherapy, which stimulated studies of these compounds associated to BZ and nifurtimox (NF). This study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of BZ, itraconazole (ITZ) and their combination (BZ + ITZ) in dogs infected with the VL-10 T. cruzi strain in the acute phase of the disease. Twenty young mongrel dogs were inoculated with 2.0 × 103 blood trypomastigotes/kg and divided into four groups: treated with BZ, ITZ and BZ + ITZ for 60 days, and control group (INT). The parasitemia of the BZ + ITZ and BZ groups were similar and showed significant reduction compared to the INT group. The group treated with ITZ also showed significant parasitemia reduction compared to the INT group. The global analysis of hemoculture (HC), blood PCR, conventional serology (CS-ELISA), heart qPCR and histopathology techniques, used in the post-treatment evaluation, revealed that BZ + ITZ combination lead to a more reduction of parasitemia during the acute phase and heart qPCR positivity, less cardiac damage (inflammation and fibrosis in the left ventricle) and total survival. According to the classical cure criteria one animal treated with BZ + ITZ can be considered cured in its final evaluation and two other dogs, one of this group and one treated with ITZ were in process of cure. At least for BZ-resistant T. cruzi strains such as VL-10, BZ + ITZ was not effective to induce parasitological cure or a profound and sustained reduction of the parasite burden in blood and infected organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Lima Alves Cunha
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas (NUPEB), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Karoline Vieira da Silva Torchelsen
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas (NUPEB), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil; Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, UFOP, Brazil
| | - Lucas Maciel Cunha
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas (NUPEB), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Maykon Tavares de Oliveira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas (NUPEB), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Kátia da Silva Fonseca
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas (NUPEB), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Paula Melo Abreu Vieira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas (NUPEB), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Cláudia Martins Carneiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas (NUPEB), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil; Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, UFOP, Brazil
| | - Marta de Lana
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas (NUPEB), Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil; Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, Bairro Bauxita, CEP: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, MG, UFOP, Brazil.
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Cerqueira-Cézar CK, da Silva AF, Murata FHA, Sadler M, Abbas IE, Kwok OCH, Brown JD, Casalena MJ, Blake MR, Su C, Dubey JP. Isolation and Genetic Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from Tissues of Wild Turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo) in Pennsylvania. J Parasitol 2019; 105:391-394. [PMID: 31059382] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis in wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) is of epidemiological interest because turkeys feed from the ground, and detection of infection in turkeys indicates contamination by oocysts in the environment. During the 2018 spring hunting season in Pennsylvania, fresh (unfixed, not frozen) samples were obtained from 20 harvested wild turkeys and tested for Toxoplasma gondii infection. Hearts from all wild turkeys and skeletal muscle from 1 were bioassayed for T. gondii by inoculation in outbred Swiss Webster (SW) and interferon-gamma gene knockout (KO) mice. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 1:5 dilution of neat serum from 5 of 15 wild turkeys and in fluid from the heart of 1 of 4 wild turkeys with the modified agglutination test (MAT); neat serum was not available from 4 wild turkeys. Viable T. gondii was isolated from hearts of 5 wild turkeys, 1 with MAT of 1:10, 1 with MAT of 1:5, and 3 seronegative (MAT < 1:5). Toxoplasma gondii was isolated from both heart and skeletal muscle in the 1 wild turkey that had skeletal muscle submitted. The KO mice inoculated with tissue from all 5 infected wild turkeys died or were euthanatized when ill, 7-21 days post-inoculation (PI). Tachyzoites were detected in lungs of all KO mice, and the T. gondii strains were successfully propagated in cell culture. The SW mice inoculated with tissues of wild turkeys remained asymptomatic, and tissue cysts were seen in the brains of infected mice when euthanatized in good health at 46 days PI; 1 of the 2 SW mice inoculated with the heart of 1 turkey died on day 26, and tachyzoites were detected in its lung. Genetic typing on DNA extracted from culture-derived tachyzoites using the PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism with 10 genetic markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico) revealed that 4 isolates belonged to ToxoDB PCR-RFLP genotype #5 and 1 was genotype #216.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila K Cerqueira-Cézar
- 1 United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - Andressa F da Silva
- 1 United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - Fernando H A Murata
- 1 United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - Meghan Sadler
- 1 United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - Ibrahim E Abbas
- 1 United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
- 2 Parasitology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
| | - Oliver C H Kwok
- 1 United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
| | - Justin D Brown
- 3 Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110-9797
- 4 Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, 111 Henning Building, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
| | - Mary Jo Casalena
- 3 Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110-9797
| | - Mitchell R Blake
- 5 National Wild Turkey Federation, 770 Augusta Road, Edgefield, South Carolina 29824
| | - Chunlei Su
- 6 Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
| | - J P Dubey
- 1 United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
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Assana E, Awah-Ndukum J, Djonmaïla JD, Djiatche HD, Awé C, Manchang TK, Zoli AP. A comparison of Taenia solium and Taenia hydatigena infection in pigs using serological diagnosis and post-mortem inspection methods in Benoué division, North Cameroon. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2019; 17:100306. [PMID: 31303222 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2019.100306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The metacestodes of Taenia solium and Taenia hydatigena are the cause of cysticercosis in pigs. T. solium is also responsible of the taeniosis/neurocysticercosis complex in humans, constituting a main cause of epilepsy cases across endemic countries. T. hydatigena is non-zoonotic, but its occurrence in pigs contributes significantly to false positive reactions should genus-species serological methods be used for diagnosis of T. solium porcine cysticercosis. T. hydatigena is often considered not common in pigs in Africa compared to T. solium. On the basis of the evidence that these two cestodes coexist in Cameroon, we examined the viscera of 305 pigs for the identification of the metacestodes of T. hydatigena in Bénoué division, North Region of Cameroon. Tongue, masticatory muscles and heart were sliced for the identification of T. solium cysticerci (TMH dissection test). Twenty seven (8.85%) and 16 (5.24%) pigs were found infected with the metacestodes of T. solium and T. hydatigena, respectively. The difference between the two rates of infection was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Serum samples were also collected for the evaluation of an inhibition ELISA (i-ELISA) specific to antibodies anti- T. solium or anti-T. hydatigena cysticerci. After incubation of these sera with cyst fluid of T. solium, T. hydatigena, T. multiceps multiceps, T. multiceps gaigeri and T. saginata to eliminate cross-reactions among cestodes parasites, the i-ELISA indicated that 26.56% and 28.52% slaughtered pigs had predominant specific antibodies to cyst fluid of T. solium and T. hydatigena, respectively. Combination of TMH dissection test, i-ELISA and a standard indirect ELISA in a Bayesian simulation approach revealed a true prevalence of 19.27% (0.7-49.27, CI 95%) and 24.85% (5.17-48.34, CI 95%) of porcine cysticercosis due to T. solium and T. hydatigena, respectively. These results indicated that T. hydatigena is as prevalent as T. solium in pigs in the North of Cameroon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Assana
- University of Ngaoundéré, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon. e.assana@-ndere.cm
| | - Julius Awah-Ndukum
- University of Ngaoundéré, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - Justin D Djonmaïla
- University of Ngaoundéré, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - Hidrice D Djiatche
- University of Ngaoundéré, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - Charles Awé
- University of Ngaoundéré, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - T K Manchang
- Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, Veterinary Research Laboratory, Wakwa Regional Centre, P.O. Box 65, Ngaoundere, Cameroon
| | - André P Zoli
- University of Ngaoundéré, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
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23
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Estrada-Orihuela SF, Ibarra-Pérez C. Lasalocid immediately and completely prevents the myocardial damage caused by coronary ischemia reperfusion in rat heart. Mol Cell Biochem 2019; 453:121-130. [PMID: 30191481 PMCID: PMC6394521 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-018-3437-2] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Lasalocid, a specific mobile membrane ionophore for calcium, dopamine and norepinephrine was assayed in its capacity to reduce or maintain unaltered the cardiovascular function in conditions of imminent myocardial injury. In experiments of coronary blockade and reperfusion carried out in rat heart, it was found that when administered from 5 to 30 minutes prior to the induction of coronary blockade, at a concentration of 2 mg/kg of body weight, the ionophore immediately, simultaneously, and completely interrupts the blood pressure decay, cardiac frequency increase, electrical ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation, as well as the fall of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and decay of mitochondrial oxygen uptake provoked by the induced myocardial injury. It appears that the molecular mode of action of the lasalocid is associated with its unique ability to transport both calcium and the catecholamines, dopamine and norepinephrine, across mitochondrial and bimolecular lipid membranes, as well as through synaptic cell membrane terminals from rat heart, myocardial fibers of the heart and heart chromaffin membrane vesicles. It is suggested that for the potential medical use of lasalocid to detain incoming ischemic myocardial damage, there exists a need to develop a personal electronic device able to simultaneously monitor, detect, and inform on the very early and simultaneous signs of cardiac alterations of electrical, mechano-chemical, metabolic and hydraulic nature, all which precede heart failure and to administer the lasalocid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio F. Estrada-Orihuela
- Centro de Invención e Innovación Tecnológica de México, S.C., Dakota 14-8, Col. Nápoles, C. P. 03810, Ciudad de México, Deleg. Benito Juárez México
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24
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Caldas IS, Menezes APDJ, Diniz LDF, Nascimento ÁFDSD, Novaes RD, Caldas S, Bahia MT. Parasitaemia and parasitic load are limited targets of the aetiological treatment to control the progression of cardiac fibrosis and chronic cardiomyopathy in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected dogs. Acta Trop 2019; 189:30-38. [PMID: 30290285 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2018.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [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: 04/14/2018] [Revised: 08/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
It is still unclear whether the progression of acute to chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy is predominantly associated with the limited efficacy of aetiological chemotherapy, or with the pharmacological resistance profiles and pathogenicity of specific Trypanosoma cruzi strains. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that parasitic load could be a limited target of aetiological chemotherapy to prevent chronic cardiomyopathy in dogs infected by different T. cruzi strains. Animals were infected with benznidazole-susceptible (Berenice-78) and -resistant (VL-10 and AAS) strains of T. cruzi. A quantitative real-time PCR strategy was developed to comparatively quantify the parasite load of the three different strains using a single standard curve. For dogs infected with the VL-10 strain, benznidazole treatment reduced cardiac parasitism during the acute phase of infection. However, similar parasite load and collagen deposition were detected in the myocardium of treated and untreated animals in the chronic phase of the infection. In animals infected with the AAS strain, benznidazole reduced parasite load, myocarditis and type III collagen deposition in the acute phase. However, increased type III collagen deposition was verified in the chronic phase. Dogs infected with the Berenice-78 strain showed a parasitological cure and no evidence of myocardial fibrosis. Parasitic load and cardiac fibrosis presented no correlation in acute or chronic phases of T. cruzi infection. Our findings in a canine model of Chagas disease suggest that parasite burden is a limited predictor for disease progression after treatment and show that benznidazole, although not inducing parasitological cure, is able to prevent total fibrosis in the early stages of infection, as well as complete prevention of cardiac damage when it eliminates parasites at the onset of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo Santana Caldas
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, MG, Brazil.
| | - Ana Paula de Jesus Menezes
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, School of Medicine, Department of Biological Sciences and NUPEB, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Lívia de Figueiredo Diniz
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, MG, Brazil
| | - Álvaro Fernando da Silva do Nascimento
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, School of Medicine, Department of Biological Sciences and NUPEB, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Rômulo Dias Novaes
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, MG, Brazil
| | - Sérgio Caldas
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Health, Research and Development Center, Ezequiel Dias Foundation, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Maria Terezinha Bahia
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, School of Medicine, Department of Biological Sciences and NUPEB, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
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Alsulami M. Prevalence and histopathological study on cystic hydatidosis in heart and spleen of goat slaughtered at Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Ann Parasitol 2019; 65:225-236. [PMID: 31578846 DOI: 10.17420/ap6503.204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Hydatidosis or echinococcosis is considered to be one of the most common zoonotic diseases of the animals. Infection occurs when intermediate hosts such as camel, cattle, sheep, and goats ingested food or water contaminated with eggs from the definitive host (dog). This is a cross-sectional study which was carried out in one of the biggest abattoirs in Makkah in the west of Saudi Arabia. A total number of 38302 goats were examined and recorded at Makkah abattoirs. The examination had been performed to all slaughtered animals on two organs (spleen and heart) for detection of any hydatid cysts during the period from July 2018 until December 2018. The study included also histopathological tissue evaluation. The total infections number of hydatidosis in goats is 0.23%. The infected hearts were 40.35% whereas the infected spleen was 48.48% subsequently in local animals. The imported animals were 2124, the infected animals in heart were 59.64%, whereas the infected animal involving spleen were 51.51%. Meanwhile, results of histopathological examination had shown that most of the hydatid cysts in goats caused progressive focal pressure and degenerative changes in the surrounding tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muslimah Alsulami
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Jeddah; P.O. Box 80327, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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26
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Buss JJ, Wiltshire KH, Prowse TAA, Harris JO, Deveney MR. Bonamia in Ostrea angasi: Diagnostic performance, field prevalence and intensity. J Fish Dis 2019; 42:63-74. [PMID: 30324720 DOI: 10.1111/jfd.12906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Bonamia spp. parasites threaten flat oyster (Ostrea spp.) farming worldwide. Understanding test performance is important for designing surveillance and interpreting diagnostic results. Following a pilot survey which found low Bonamia sp. intensity in farmed Ostrea angasi, we tested further oysters (n = 100-150) from each of three farms for Bonamia sp. using heart smear, histology and qPCR. We used a Bayesian Latent Class Model to assess diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and specificity (DSp) of these tests individually or in combination, and to assess prevalence. Histology was the best individual test (DSe 0.76, DSp 0.93) compared to quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) (DSe 0.69, DSp 0.93) and heart smear (DSe 0.61, DSp 0.60). Histology combined with qPCR and defining a positive from either test as an infected case maximized test performance (DSe 0.91, DSp 0.88). Prevalence was higher at two farms in a high-density oyster growing region than at a farm cultivating oysters at lower density. Parasite intensities were lower than in New Zealand and European studies, and this is probably contributed to differences in the performance of test when compared to other studies. Understanding diagnostic test performance in different populations can support the development of improved Bonamia surveillance programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica J Buss
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, 5042, Australia
- South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) Aquatic Sciences and Marine Innovation Southern Australia, Adelaide, SA, 5024, Australia
| | - Kathryn H Wiltshire
- South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) Aquatic Sciences and Marine Innovation Southern Australia, Adelaide, SA, 5024, Australia
| | - Thomas A A Prowse
- School of Mathematical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - James O Harris
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Marty R Deveney
- South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) Aquatic Sciences and Marine Innovation Southern Australia, Adelaide, SA, 5024, Australia
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27
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Felizardo AA, Caldas IS, Mendonça AAS, Gonçalves RV, Tana FL, Almeida LA, Novaes RD. Impact of Trypanosoma cruzi infection on nitric oxide synthase and arginase expression and activity in young and elderly mice. Free Radic Biol Med 2018; 129:227-236. [PMID: 30248443 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2018.09.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Elderly organisms are more susceptible to infectious diseases. However, the impact of aging on antiparasitic mechanisms, especially the nitric oxide pathway, is poorly understood. Using an integrated in vivo and in vitro model, we compared the severity of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in young and elderly (8 or 72 weeks old) mice. Forty C57BL/6 mice were randomized into four groups: Y-inf, young infected; Yn-inf, young uninfected; A-inf, aged infected; An-inf, aged uninfected. Parasitemia was measured daily, and animals were euthanized after 15 days of infection. Trypanosoma cruzi-induced inflammatory processes were analyzed in blood and heart samples, as well as in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) co-cultured with splenocytes isolated from young or elderly mice. Our results indicated upregulated IgG2b and IL-17 production in elderly animals, which was not sufficient to reduce parasitemia, parasitic load and myocarditis to levels observed in young animals. The higher susceptibility of elderly mice to T. cruzi infection was accompanied by reduced cardiac inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression, nitric oxide (NO) and IFN-γ levels, as well as an antagonistic upregulation of arginase-1 expression and arginase activity. The same responses were observed when BMDMs co-cultured with splenocytes from elderly mice were stimulated with T. cruzi antigens. Our findings indicate that elderly mice were more susceptible to T. cruzi infection, which was potentially related to an attenuated response to antigenic stimulation, inhibition of iNOS gene expression and NO production, and antagonistic upregulation of arginase gene expression and activity, which created favorable conditions for heart parasitism and myocarditis development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda A Felizardo
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ivo S Caldas
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil; Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Andréa A S Mendonça
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Reggiani V Gonçalves
- Department of Animal Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-000, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda L Tana
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Leonardo A Almeida
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rômulo D Novaes
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil; Department of Structural Biology, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, 37130-001 Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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28
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Werneck MR, Greiner EC. Amphiorchis stacyi n. sp. (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) in the heart of a green turtle from Florida, USA and the literature review of Amphiorchis (Price, 1934). Parasitol Res 2018; 117:1709-1716. [PMID: 29696396 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-018-5846-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The present paper reports the occurrence of the seventh species in the genus Amphiorchis (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) collected from the heart of a green turtle found in Florida, USA. A taxonomic key to the species of Amphiorchis and a literature review for the genus are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Rondon Werneck
- BW Veterinary Consulting LTDA, Estrada RJ Km 12, Araruama, Rio de Janeiro State, 28970-000, Brazil.
| | - Ellis C Greiner
- Department of Comparative. Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
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29
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McCall LI, Morton JT, Bernatchez JA, de Siqueira-Neto JL, Knight R, Dorrestein PC, McKerrow JH. Mass Spectrometry-Based Chemical Cartography of a Cardiac Parasitic Infection. Anal Chem 2017; 89:10414-10421. [PMID: 28892370 PMCID: PMC6298790 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b02423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi parasites are the causative agents of Chagas disease, a leading infectious form of heart failure whose pathogenesis is still not fully characterized. In this work, we applied untargeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to heart sections from T. cruzi-infected and uninfected mice. We combined molecular networking and three-dimensional modeling to generate chemical cartographical heart models. This approach revealed for the first time preferential parasite localization to the base of the heart and regiospecific distributions of nucleoside derivatives and eicosanoids, which we correlated to tissue-damaging immune responses. We further detected novel cardiac chemical signatures related to the severity and ultimate outcome of the infection. These signatures included differential representation of higher- vs lower-molecular-weight carnitine and phosphatidylcholine family members in specific cardiac regions of mice infected with lethal or nonlethal T. cruzi strains and doses. Overall, this work provides new insights into Chagas disease pathogenesis and presents an analytical chemistry approach that can be broadly applied to the study of host-microbe interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura-Isobel McCall
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
- Present address: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73019-5251
| | - James T. Morton
- Department of Computer Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Jean A. Bernatchez
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Jair Lage de Siqueira-Neto
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Rob Knight
- Department of Computer Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
- Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Pieter C. Dorrestein
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
- Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - James H. McKerrow
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
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30
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Contreras-Ortiz JME, Barbabosa-Pliego A, Oros-Pantoja R, Aparicio-Burgos JE, Zepeda-Escobar JA, Hassan-Moustafa WH, Ochoa-García L, Uxúa Alonso-Fresan M, Tenorio Borroto E, Vázquez-Chagoyán JC. Effects of astaxanthin in mice acutely infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Parasite 2017; 24:17. [PMID: 28560955 PMCID: PMC5452104 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2017018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During Trypanosoma cruzi infection, oxidative stress is considered a contributing factor for dilated cardiomyopathy development. In this study, the effects of astaxanthin (ASTX) were evaluated as an alternative drug treatment for Chagas disease in a mouse model during the acute infection phase, given its anti-inflammatory, immunomodulating, and anti-oxidative properties. ASTX was tested in vitro in parasites grown axenically and in co-culture with Vero cells. In vivo tests were performed in BALB/c mice (4-6 weeks old) infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and supplemented with ASTX (10 mg/kg/day) and/or nifurtimox (NFMX; 100 mg/kg/day). Results show that ASTX has some detrimental effects on axenically cultured parasites, but not when cultured with mammalian cell monolayers. In vivo, ASTX did not have any therapeutic value against acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection, used either alone or in combination with NFMX. Infected animals treated with NFMX or ASTX/NFMX survived the experimental period (60 days), while infected animals treated only with ASTX died before day 30 post-infection. ASTX did not show any effect on the control of parasitemia; however, it was associated with an increment in focal heart lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, a reduced number of amastigote nests in cardiac tissue, and less hyperplasic spleen follicles when compared to control groups. Unexpectedly, ASTX showed a negative effect in infected animals co-treated with NFMX. An increment in parasitemia duration was observed, possibly due to ASTX blocking of free radicals, an anti-parasitic mechanism of NFMX. In conclusion, astaxanthin is not recommended during the acute phase of Chagas disease, either alone or in combination with nifurtimox.
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Affiliation(s)
- José María Eloy Contreras-Ortiz
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Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) Kilómetro 15.5 Carretera Panamericana Toluca-Atlacomulco C.P. 50200 Toluca Estado de México
| | - Alberto Barbabosa-Pliego
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Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) Kilómetro 15.5 Carretera Panamericana Toluca-Atlacomulco C.P. 50200 Toluca Estado de México
| | - Rigoberto Oros-Pantoja
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Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Avenida Paseo Tollocan S/N, Moderna de la Cruz C.P. 50180 Toluca de Lerdo Estado de México
| | - José Esteban Aparicio-Burgos
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Escuela Superior de Apan de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. Carr. Apan-Calpulalpan Km. 8, Chimalpa, Tlalayote S/N, Colonia Chimalpa Apan Hidalgo México
| | - José Antonio Zepeda-Escobar
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Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) Kilómetro 15.5 Carretera Panamericana Toluca-Atlacomulco C.P. 50200 Toluca Estado de México
| | - Wael Hegazy Hassan-Moustafa
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Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) Kilómetro 15.5 Carretera Panamericana Toluca-Atlacomulco C.P. 50200 Toluca Estado de México
| | - Laucel Ochoa-García
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Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) Kilómetro 15.5 Carretera Panamericana Toluca-Atlacomulco C.P. 50200 Toluca Estado de México
| | - María Uxúa Alonso-Fresan
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Hospital Veterinario de Pequeñas Especies, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Jesús Carranza No. 203, Universidad 50130
Toluca de Lerdo México
| | - Esvieta Tenorio Borroto
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Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) Kilómetro 15.5 Carretera Panamericana Toluca-Atlacomulco C.P. 50200 Toluca Estado de México
| | - Juan Carlos Vázquez-Chagoyán
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Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) Kilómetro 15.5 Carretera Panamericana Toluca-Atlacomulco C.P. 50200 Toluca Estado de México
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31
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Lizardo K, Almonte V, Law C, Aiyyappan JP, Cui MH, Nagajyothi JF. Diet regulates liver autophagy differentially in murine acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Parasitol Res 2017; 116:711-723. [PMID: 27987056 PMCID: PMC5283091 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-5337-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Chagas disease is a tropical parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which affects about ten million people in its endemic regions of Latin America. After the initial acute stage of infection, 60-80% of infected individuals remain asymptomatic for several years to a lifetime; however, the rest develop the debilitating symptomatic stage, which affects the nervous system, digestive system, and heart. The challenges of Chagas disease have become global due to immigration. Despite well-documented dietary changes accompanying immigration, as well as a transition to a western style diet in the Chagas endemic regions, the role of host metabolism in the pathogenesis of Chagas disease remains underexplored. We have previously used a mouse model to show that host diet is a key factor regulating cardiomyopathy in Chagas disease. In this study, we investigated the effect of a high-fat diet on liver morphology and physiology, lipid metabolism, immune signaling, energy homeostasis, and stress responses in the murine model of acute T. cruzi infection. Our results indicate that in T. cruzi-infected mice, diet differentially regulates several liver processes, including autophagy, a stress response mechanism, with corresponding implications for human Chagas disease patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kezia Lizardo
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Public Health Research Institute, Rutgers state University, 225 Warren Street, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Vanessa Almonte
- Departments of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Calvin Law
- Departments of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Janeesh Plakkal Aiyyappan
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Public Health Research Institute, Rutgers state University, 225 Warren Street, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Min-Hui Cui
- Departments of Radiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
- Departments of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Jyothi F Nagajyothi
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Public Health Research Institute, Rutgers state University, 225 Warren Street, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA.
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Rybak ER, Shipley S, Tatarov I, Zhang T, Sun W, Braileanu G, Burdorf L, Sievert E, Azimzadeh AM, DeTolla LJ, Pierson RN. Clinical Trypanosoma cruzi Disease after Cardiac Transplantation in a Cynomolgus Macaque ( Macaca fascicularis). Comp Med 2016; 66:494-498. [PMID: 28304254 PMCID: PMC5157966] [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] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Revised: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A cynomolgus macaque received a heterotopic cardiac allograft as part of a transplant study, with monoclonal antibodies targeted to specific immune costimulation molecules (CD154, CD28) but no traditional immunosuppressive therapy after surgery. Clinical anemia was detected on postoperative day (POD) 35 and had worsened (Hgb, 2.3 g/dL; Hct = 7.3%) by POD 47, despite type-matched whole-blood transfusions. After a total of 4 blood transfusions, hematologic parameters were improved (Hgb, 5.9 g/dL; Hct, 18.7%). On POD 50, a peripheral blood smear revealed trypomastigotes, and qualitative RT-PCR of whole blood identified the organism as Trypanosoma cruzi. Although clinically stable initially, the macaque soon developed sufficient weight loss to necessitate euthanasia on POD 64. The final diagnosis was clinical anemia due to T. cruzi infection. This study represents the first reported case of Chagas disease after heart transplant in a NHP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elana R Rybak
- Department of Surgery First Equine, Dover, Delaware, Banfield Pet Hospital, Laurel, Maryland
| | - Steve Shipley
- Department of Surgery and Comparative Medicine Program and Veterinary Resources, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; These authors contributed equally to the study
| | - Ivan Tatarov
- Department of Surgery and Comparative Medicine Program and Veterinary Resources, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland;,
| | - Tianshu Zhang
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Wenji Sun
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Gheorghe Braileanu
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Lars Burdorf
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Evelyn Sievert
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Agnes M Azimzadeh
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Louis J DeTolla
- Comparative Medicine Program and Veterinary Resources, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Richard N Pierson
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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Hernández M, Wicz S, Corral RS. Cardioprotective actions of curcumin on the pathogenic NFAT/COX-2/prostaglandin E 2 pathway induced during Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Phytomedicine 2016; 23:1392-1400. [PMID: 27765359 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2016.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Revised: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 06/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diverse cardiovascular signaling routes have been considered critical for Chagas cardiomyopathy caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Along this line, T. cruzi infection and endothelin-1 (ET-1) have been shown to cooperatively activate the Ca2+/NFAT cascade in cardiomyocytes, leading to cyclooxygenase type 2 (COX-2) induction and increased release of prostanoids and prohypertrophic peptides. PURPOSE To determine whether the well-known cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin (Cur) could be helpful to interfere with this key machinery for pathogenesis of Chagas myocarditis. STUDY DESIGN Cur treatment was evaluated through in vivo studies using a murine model of acute T. cruzi infection and in vitro experiments using ET-1-stimulated and parasite-infected mouse cardiomyocytes. METHODS Cur-treated and untreated infected mice were followed-up to estimate survival postinfection and heart tissues from both groups were analyzed for inflammatory infiltration by histopathology, whereas parasite load, induction of arachidonic acid pathway and natriuretic peptide expression were determined by real-time PCR. Molecular analysis of Cur myocardial targets included intracellular calcium measurement, NFAT and COX-2 induction in transfected cells, and assessment of NFAT, COX-2 and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) levels by immunoblotting, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by ELISA, b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) by real-time PCR, and PGE2/EP4 receptor/BNP interaction by transwell experiments. RESULTS Cur treatment of acute Chagas mice enhanced survival and proved to hinder relevant inflammatory processes in the heart, including leukocyte recruitment, activation of the eicosanoid pathway and BNP overexpression, without modifying parasite burden in the organ. Cur was capable of blocking Ca2+-dependent NFATc1 transcriptional activity, COX-2 and mPGES-1 induction, and subsequent PGE2 production in ET-1-stimulated and parasite-infected cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, the decline of cardiomyocyte-derived prostaglandin levels achieved upon Cur treatment impaired effective PGE2/EP4 receptor interaction, resulting in attenuated expression of BNP, a strong indicator of cardiac pathogenesis in Chagas disease, in both infected and uninfected cells. CONCLUSION Our current study shows a putative mechanism of action of Cur involving inhibition of the Ca2+/NFAT-dependent, pathogenic COX-2/mPGES-1/PGE2 pathway in T. cruzi-infected myocytes, underlying cardioprotection achieved in Cur-treated infected mice. With a view to the limited therapeutic possibilities available, Cur represents a promising approach for the treatment of Chagas heart disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías Hernández
- Laboratorio de Biomedicina Molecular, Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Susana Wicz
- Laboratorio de Biomedicina Molecular, Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Ricardo S Corral
- Servicio de Parasitología-Chagas, Hospital de Niños "Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez", Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Pennacchi Y, Shirakashi S, Nowak BF, Bridle AR. Immune reactivity in early life stages of sea-cage cultured Pacific bluefin tuna naturally infected with blood flukes from genus Cardicola (Trematoda: Aporocotylidae). Fish Shellfish Immunol 2016; 58:490-499. [PMID: 27702677 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2016.09.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Revised: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT), Thunnus orientalis, due to its high average price on the market is an economically valuable fish species. Infections by blood flukes from the genus Cardicola (Trematoda: Aporocotylidae) represent a growing concern for the cage culture of bluefin tuna in Japan, Australia and Southern Europe. The accumulation of numerous Cardicola eggs in the fish gills causes severe pathology that has been linked to mortality in PBT juveniles up to one year old. The only effective treatment used to mitigate the infection is the oral administration of the antihelminthic drug praziquantel (PZQ) to the affected fish. However, with the need to minimise therapeutic drug use in aquaculture it is hoped that immunoprophylaxis can provide a future alternative to protect the PBT juveniles against Cardicola infection. Currently, little is known of the host immune response to these parasites and of their infection dynamics. In this study, using real-time qPCR we aimed to quantitatively detect C. orientalis and C. opisthorchis DNA within the gills and heart of cultured PBT juveniles and to investigate the host immune response at the transcriptional level in the gills. The research focused mainly during early stages of infection soon after young PBT were transferred to culture cages (from 14 to 77 days post-transfer). An increase (up to 11-fold) of immune-related genes, namely IgM, MHC-I, TCR-β and IL-1β was observed in the PBT gills infected with Cardicola spp. (28-77 days post-transfer). Furthermore, IgM (19-fold increase) and MHC-I (11.5-fold increase) transcription was strongly up-regulated in gill samples of PBT infected with C. orientalis relative to uninfected fish but not in fish infected with C. opisthorchis. Cardicola-specific DNA was first detected in the host 14 days post-transfer (DPT) to sea-cages which was 55 days earlier than the first detection of parasite eggs and adults by microscopy. Oral administration of PZQ did not have an immediate effect on parasite DNA presence in the host and the DNA presence started to reduce after 24 days only in the host heart. The results provide evidence of an immune response in early age sea-cage cultured juveniles of PBT naturally infected with C. orientalis and C. opisthorchis. This response, whilst not protective against primary infection, provides evidence that immunisation at an early age may have potential as a health strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sho Shirakashi
- Aquaculture Research Institute, Kindai University, Nishimuro, Wakayama, Japan
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Palit A, Bhudia SK, Arvanitis TN, Sherwood V, Wayte S, Turley GA, Williams MA. Effect of fibre orientation on diastolic mechanics of human ventricle. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2016; 2015:6523-6. [PMID: 26737787 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2015.7319887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Fibre orientation of myocardial wall plays a significant role in ventricular wall stress, which is assumed to be responsible for many cardiac mechanics, including ventricular remodelling, associated with heart failure. Previous studies, conducted to identify the effects of fibre orientation on left -ventricle (LV) diastolic mechanics, used only animal's myocardium properties (no human data) and therefore, may not apply for predicting human cardiac mechanics. In the present study, computational modelling of LV diastole was carried out to investigate the effects of fibre orientation on LV end diastolic pressure volume relation (EDPVR) and wall stress distribution using subject-specific in vivo passive properties of human myocardium for two human hearts. Results indicated that LV inflation increased when fibres were aligned more towards LV longitudinal axis and the effect was more notable when the fibre angle was higher in endocardium than epicardium wall. Changes in fibre angle distribution considerably altered fibre stress distribution of LV wall and the changes were significant in anterior and lateral regions of equatorial and apical locations. Furthermore, the regions of high fibre stress from midwall to endocardium were gradually confined towards endocardium with the decrease in fibre angle. Such information will be useful for future studies/diagnoses of LV mechanics in normal and pathological conditions.
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36
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Meseck EK, Njaa BL, Haley NJ, Park EH, Barr SC. Use of a Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction to Rapidly Differentiate Neospora Caninum from Toxoplasma Gondii in an Adult Dog with Necrotizing Myocarditis and Myocardial Infarct. J Vet Diagn Invest 2016; 17:565-8. [PMID: 16475515 DOI: 10.1177/104063870501700607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This report describes a 3-year-old male castrated Mastiff dog that died unexpectedly with locally extensive, acute, necrotizing myocarditis and myocardial infarction. Intralesional protozoal tachyzoites in the affected myocardium were confirmed to be Neospora caninum by a novel multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Protozoal organisms were not identified in other tissues by histology, immunohistochemistry, or PCR. The multiplex PCR assay was used to quickly provide preliminary results on fresh myocardium to differentiate N. caninum and Toxoplasma gondii. Neosporosis is an uncommon cause of myocarditis in adult dogs and differential diagnoses for myocarditis in this population of dogs are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Meseck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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37
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Rodrigues AA, Notário AFO, Teixeira TL, e Silva RT, Quintal APN, Alves RN, Brígido PC, Siqueira CS, Martins FA, Machado FC, Clemente TM, da Silva AA, Borges BC, Teixeira SC, dos Santos MA, da Silva CV. A high throughput analysis of cytokines and chemokines expression during the course of Trypanosoma cruzi experimental oral infection. Acta Trop 2016; 157:42-53. [PMID: 26827742 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [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: 09/20/2015] [Revised: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi has high biological and biochemical diversity and variable tissue tropism. Here we aimed to verify the kinetics of cytokine and chemokine in situ secretion in animals infected with two distinct T. cruzi strains after oral inoculation. Also, we investigated parasite migration, residence and pathological damage in stomach, heart and spleen. Our results showed that host immune response against T. cruzi infection is an intricate phenomenon that depends on the parasite strain, on the infected organ and on the time point of the infection. We believe that a wide comprehension of host immune response will potentially provide basis for the development of immunotherapeutic strategies in order to clear parasitism and minimize tissue injury. In this context, we find that KC poses as a possible tool to be used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adele A Rodrigues
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana Flávia O Notário
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Thaise L Teixeira
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Rebecca T e Silva
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Amanda P N Quintal
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Rosiane N Alves
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Paula C Brígido
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Carla S Siqueira
- Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Flávia A Martins
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Fabrício C Machado
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil; Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, Brazil
| | - Tatiana M Clemente
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil; Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, Brazil
| | - Aline A da Silva
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Bruna C Borges
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Samuel C Teixeira
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Marlus A dos Santos
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Claudio V da Silva
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
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Robles MDR, Kinsella JM, Galliari C, Navone GT. New host, geographic records, and histopathologic studies of Angiostrongylus spp (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae) in rodents from Argentina with updated summary of records from rodent hosts and host specificity assessment. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2016; 111:181-91. [PMID: 26982178 PMCID: PMC4804501 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760150371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, 21 species of the genus Angiostrongylus (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae) have been reported around the world, 15 of which are parasites of rodents. In this study, new host, geographic records, and histopathologic studies of Angiostrongylus spp in sigmodontine rodents from Argentina, with an updated summary of records from rodent hosts and host specificity assessment, are provided. Records of Angiostrongylus costaricensis from Akodon montensis and Angiostrongylus morerai from six new hosts and geographical localities in Argentina are reported. The gross and histopathologic changes in the lungs of the host species due to angiostrongylosis are described. Published records of the genus Angiostrongylus from rodents and patterns of host specificity are presented. Individual Angiostrongylus species parasitise between one-19 different host species. The most frequent values of the specificity index (STD) were between 1-5.97. The elevated number of host species (n = 7) of A. morerai with a STD = 1.86 is a reflection of multiple systematic studies of parasites from sigmodontine rodents in the area of Cuenca del Plata, Argentina, showing that an increase in sampling effort can result in new findings. The combination of low host specificity and a wide geographic distribution of Angiostrongylus spp indicates a troubling epidemiological scenario although, as yet, no human cases have been reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- María del Rosario Robles
- Centro Científico Tecnológico-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones
Científicas y Técnicas, Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, Buenos Aires,
Argentina
| | | | - Carlos Galliari
- Centro Científico Tecnológico-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones
Científicas y Técnicas, Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, Buenos Aires,
Argentina
| | - Graciela T Navone
- Centro Científico Tecnológico-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones
Científicas y Técnicas, Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, Buenos Aires,
Argentina
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Coelho C, Lopes AP, Mesquita JR, Cardoso L, Vieira-Pinto M. Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Hunted Wild Boars (Sus scrofa): Heart Meat Juice as an Alternative Sample to Serum for the Detection of Antibodies. Ecohealth 2015; 12:685-688. [PMID: 26597339 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-015-1073-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Revised: 10/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a global zoonosis caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Detection of antibodies to T. gondii in serum samples from hunted animals may represent a key step for public health protection. It is also important to assess the circulation of this parasite in wild boar population. However, in hunted animals, collection of blood is not feasible and meat juice may represent an alternative sample. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate heart meat juice of hunted wild boars as an alternative sample for post-mortem detection of antibodies to T. gondii by modified agglutination test (MAT). The agreement beyond chance between results from meat juice assessed with Cohen's kappa coefficient revealed that the 1:20 meat juice dilution provided the highest agreement. McNemars's test further revealed 1:10 as the most suitable meat juice dilution, as the proportion of positive paired samples (serum and meat juice from the same animal) did not differ at this dilution. All together, these results suggest a reasonable accuracy of heart meat juice to detect antibodies to T. gondii by MAT and support it as an alternative sample in post-mortem analysis in hunted wild boars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Coelho
- Centro de Ciência Animal e Veterinária (CECAV), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
- Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Viseu, Portugal
| | - Ana Patrícia Lopes
- Centro de Ciência Animal e Veterinária (CECAV), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - João Rodrigo Mesquita
- Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Viseu, Portugal
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Luís Cardoso
- Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Madalena Vieira-Pinto
- Centro de Ciência Animal e Veterinária (CECAV), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.
- Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.
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40
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Mylonas KJ, Jenkins SJ, Castellan RFP, Ruckerl D, McGregor K, Phythian-Adams AT, Hewitson JP, Campbell SM, MacDonald AS, Allen JE, Gray GA. The adult murine heart has a sparse, phagocytically active macrophage population that expands through monocyte recruitment and adopts an 'M2' phenotype in response to Th2 immunologic challenge. Immunobiology 2015; 220:924-33. [PMID: 25700973 PMCID: PMC4451497 DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2015.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2014] [Revised: 01/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Tissue resident macrophages have vital homeostatic roles in many tissues but their roles are less well defined in the heart. The present study aimed to identify the density, polarisation status and distribution of macrophages in the healthy murine heart and to investigate their ability to respond to immune challenge. Histological analysis of hearts from CSF-1 receptor (csf1-GFP; MacGreen) and CX3CR1 (Cx3cr1(GFP/+)) reporter mice revealed a sparse population of GFP positive macrophages that were evenly distributed throughout the left and right ventricular free walls and septum. F4/80+CD11b+ cardiac macrophages, sorted from myocardial homogenates, were able to phagocytose fluorescent beads in vitro and expressed markers typical of both 'M1' (IL-1β, TNF and CCR2) and 'M2' activation (Ym1, Arg 1, RELMα and IL-10), suggesting no specific polarisation in healthy myocardium. Exposure to Th2 challenge by infection of mice with helminth parasites Schistosoma mansoni, or Heligmosomoides polygyrus, resulted in an increase in cardiac macrophage density, adoption of a stellate morphology and increased expression of Ym1, RELMα and CD206 (mannose receptor), indicative of 'M2' polarisation. This was dependent on recruitment of Ly6ChighCCR2+ monocytes and was accompanied by an increase in collagen content. In conclusion, in the healthy heart resident macrophages are relatively sparse and have a phagocytic role. Following Th2 challenge this population expands due to monocyte recruitment and adopts an 'M2' phenotype associated with increased tissue fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie J Mylonas
- BHF/University Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute (QMRI), University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland, United Kingdom.
| | - Stephen J Jenkins
- Centre for Inflammation Research, QMRI, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Raphael F P Castellan
- BHF/University Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute (QMRI), University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Dominik Ruckerl
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research (IIIR), The King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Kieran McGregor
- BHF/University Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute (QMRI), University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander T Phythian-Adams
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research (IIIR), The King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, Scotland, United Kingdom; Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research (MCCIR), University of Manchester, Grafton Street, Manchester M13 9NT, England, United Kingdom
| | - James P Hewitson
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research (IIIR), The King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Sharon M Campbell
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research (IIIR), The King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew S MacDonald
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research (IIIR), The King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, Scotland, United Kingdom; Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research (MCCIR), University of Manchester, Grafton Street, Manchester M13 9NT, England, United Kingdom
| | - Judith E Allen
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research (IIIR), The King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Gillian A Gray
- BHF/University Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute (QMRI), University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Santoro M, D'Alessio N, Di Prisco F, Neola B, Restucci B, Pagano TB, Veneziano V. Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in southern Italy. Acta Parasitol 2015. [PMID: 26204007 DOI: 10.1515/ap-2015-0050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Angiostrongylus vasorum (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae) infection was detected at post-mortem examination in the pulmonary arteries and hearts of 34/102 (33,3%) of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from the Campania Region in southern Italy. Pathological changes consisted of granulomatous interstitial pneumonia caused by larvae and intravascular pulmonary adult nematodes. These changes confirm that angiostrongylosis infection in red foxes has a mainly chronic course, in which the infected host may disperse parasite larvae in the environment over its lifetime. Results suggest that the life cycle of A. vasorum is well established in the red fox in the Campania Region representing a potential infection risk for dogs.
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Jarvi SI, Pitt WC, Farias ME, Shiels L, Severino MG, Howe KM, Jacquier SH, Shiels AB, Amano KK, Luiz BC, Maher DE, Allison ML, Holtquist ZC, Scheibelhut NT. Detection of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in the Blood and Peripheral Tissues of Wild Hawaiian Rats (Rattus rattus) by a Quantitative PCR (qPCR) Assay. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0123064. [PMID: 25910229 PMCID: PMC4409314 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2014] [Accepted: 02/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a rat lungworm, a zoonotic pathogen that causes human eosinophilic meningitis and ocular angiostrongyliasis characteristic of rat lungworm (RLW) disease. Definitive diagnosis is made by finding and identifying A. cantonensis larvae in the cerebral spinal fluid or by using a custom immunological or molecular test. This study was conducted to determine if genomic DNA from A. cantonensis is detectable by qPCR in the blood or tissues of experimentally infected rats. F1 offspring from wild rats were subjected to experimental infection with RLW larvae isolated from slugs, then blood or tissue samples were collected over multiple time points. Blood samples were collected from 21 rats throughout the course of two trials (15 rats in Trial I, and 6 rats in Trial II). In addition to a control group, each trial had two treatment groups: the rats in the low dose (LD) group were infected by approximately 10 larvae and the rats in the high dose (HD) group were infected with approximately 50 larvae. In Trial I, parasite DNA was detected in cardiac bleed samples from five of five LD rats and five of five HD rats at six weeks post-infection (PI), and three of five LD rats and five of five HD rats from tail tissue. In Trial II, parasite DNA was detected in peripheral blood samples from one of two HD rats at 53 minutes PI, one of two LD rats at 1.5 hours PI, one of two HD rats at 18 hours PI, one of two LD rats at five weeks PI and two of two at six weeks PI, and two of two HD rats at weeks five and six PI. These data demonstrate that parasite DNA can be detected in peripheral blood at various time points throughout RLW infection in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan I. Jarvi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - William C. Pitt
- USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Hawaii Field Station, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, 22630, United States of America
| | - Margaret E. Farias
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Laura Shiels
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
- USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Hawaii Field Station, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Michael G. Severino
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Kathleen M. Howe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Steven H. Jacquier
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Aaron B. Shiels
- USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Hawaii Field Station, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Karis K. Amano
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Blaine C. Luiz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Daisy E. Maher
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Maureen L. Allison
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Zachariah C. Holtquist
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
| | - Neil T. Scheibelhut
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States of America
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Hamilton CM, Kelly PJ, Bartley PM, Burrells A, Porco A, Metzler D, Crouch K, Ketzis JK, Innes EA, Katzer F. Toxoplasma gondii in livestock in St. Kitts and Nevis, West Indies. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:166. [PMID: 25889004 PMCID: PMC4374192 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-0776-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite capable of infecting all warm-blooded animals including livestock. In these animals, the parasite forms cysts in the tissues which may pose a risk to public health if infected meat is consumed undercooked or raw. The aim of this study was to determine the exposure of livestock to T. gondii in St. Kitts and Nevis. METHODS Sera and/or heart tissue and meat juice were collected from pigs (n = 124), sheep (n = 116) and goats (n = 66) at the St. Kitts Abattoir. Sera and meat juice were screened for reactive antibodies to T. gondii using an in-house ELISA. Heart tissue was screened for T. gondii DNA using quantitative PCR and positive samples were genotyped using RFLP. RESULTS Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in sera from 48% of pigs, 26% of sheep and 34% of goats tested. Antibodies were also detected in the meat juice from 55% of pig hearts, 22% of sheep hearts and 31% of goat hearts tested. There was a significant positive correlation between serology and meat juice results. T. gondii DNA was detected in heart tissue of 21% of pigs, 16% of sheep and 23% of goats tested. Preliminary PCR-RFLP analysis identified a predominance of the Type III genotype of T. gondii. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest widespread environmental contamination with T. gondii oocysts and that livestock could be a potentially important source of T. gondii infection if their infected meat is consumed (or handled) undercooked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare M Hamilton
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ, UK.
- Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 334, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies.
| | - Patrick J Kelly
- Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 334, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies.
| | - Paul M Bartley
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ, UK.
| | - Alison Burrells
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ, UK.
| | - Alice Porco
- Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 334, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies.
| | - Deidra Metzler
- Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 334, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies.
| | - Kirsten Crouch
- Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 334, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies.
| | - Jennifer K Ketzis
- Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 334, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies.
| | - Elisabeth A Innes
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ, UK.
| | - Frank Katzer
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ, UK.
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Bonney KM, Taylor JM, Thorp EB, Epting CL, Engman DM. Depletion of regulatory T cells decreases cardiac parasitosis and inflammation in experimental Chagas disease. Parasitol Res 2015; 114:1167-78. [PMID: 25576191 PMCID: PMC4336812 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-014-4300-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2014] [Accepted: 12/23/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi may lead to a potentially fatal cardiomyopathy known as Chagas heart disease. This disease is characterized by infiltration of the myocardium by mononuclear cells, including CD4+ T cells, together with edema, myofibrillary destruction, and fibrosis. A multifaceted systemic immune response develops that ultimately keeps parasitemia and tissue parasitosis low. T helper 1 and other pro-inflammatory T cell responses are effective at keeping levels of T. cruzi low in tissues and blood, but they may also lead to tissue inflammation when present chronically. The mechanism by which the inflammatory response is regulated in T. cruzi-infected individuals is complex, and the specific roles that Th17 and T regulatory (Treg) cells may play in that regulation are beginning to be elucidated. In this study, we found that depletion of Treg cells in T. cruzi-infected mice leads to reduced cardiac parasitosis and inflammation, accompanied by an augmented Th1 response early in the course of infection. This is followed by a downregulation of the Th1 response and increased Th17 response late in infection. The effect of Treg cell depletion on the Th1 and Th17 cells is not observed in mice immunized with T. cruzi in adjuvant. This suggests that Treg cells specifically regulate Th1 and Th17 cell responses during T. cruzi infection and may also be important for modulating parasite clearance and inflammation in the myocardium of T. cruzi-infected individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Bonney
- Liberal Studies, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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Mello DB, Ramos IP, Mesquita FCP, Brasil GV, Rocha NN, Takiya CM, Lima APCA, Campos de Carvalho AC, Goldenberg RS, Carvalho AB. Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Protect Mice Infected with Trypanosoma cruzi from Cardiac Damage through Modulation of Anti-parasite Immunity. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0003945. [PMID: 26248209 PMCID: PMC4527728 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), is a complex disease endemic in Central and South America. It has been gathering interest due to increases in non-vectorial forms of transmission, especially in developed countries. The objective of this work was to investigate if adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ASC) can alter the course of the disease and attenuate pathology in a mouse model of chagasic cardiomyopathy. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS ASC were injected intraperitoneally at 3 days post-infection (dpi). Tracking by bioluminescence showed that cells remained in the abdominal cavity for up to 9 days after injection and most of them migrated to the abdominal or subcutaneous fat, an early parasite reservoir. ASC injection resulted in a significant reduction in blood parasitemia, which was followed by a decrease in cardiac tissue inflammation, parasitism and fibrosis at 30 dpi. At the same time point, analyses of cytokine release in cells isolated from the heart and exposed to T. cruzi antigens indicated an anti-inflammatory response in ASC-treated animals. In parallel, splenocytes exposed to the same antigens produced a pro-inflammatory response, which is important for the control of parasite replication, in placebo and ASC-treated groups. However, splenocytes from the ASC group released higher levels of IL-10. At 60 dpi, magnetic resonance imaging revealed that right ventricular (RV) dilation was prevented in ASC-treated mice. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE In conclusion, the injection of ASC early after T. cruzi infection prevents RV remodeling through the modulation of immune responses. Lymphoid organ response to the parasite promoted the control of parasite burden, while the heart, a target organ of Chagas disease, was protected from damage due to an improved control of inflammation in ASC-treated mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debora B. Mello
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Isalira P. Ramos
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Departamento de Radiologia, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fernanda C. P. Mesquita
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Guilherme V. Brasil
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Nazareth N. Rocha
- Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Christina M. Takiya
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula C. A. Lima
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Antonio C. Campos de Carvalho
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Regina S. Goldenberg
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Adriana B. Carvalho
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Meza SKL, Kaneshima EN, Silva SDO, Gabriel M, de Araújo SM, Gomes ML, Monteiro WM, Barbosa MDGV, Toledo MJDO. Comparative pathogenicity in Swiss mice of Trypanosoma cruzi IV from northern Brazil and Trypanosoma cruzi II from southern Brazil. Exp Parasitol 2014; 146:34-42. [PMID: 25296157 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2014.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [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: 08/05/2013] [Revised: 07/28/2014] [Accepted: 08/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The geographical heterogeneity of Chagas disease (ChD) is mainly caused by genetic variability of the etiological agent Trypanosoma cruzi. Our hypothesis was that the pathogenicity for mice may vary with the genetic lineage (or Discrete Typing Unit - DTU) of the parasite. To test this hypothesis, parasitological and histopathological evaluations were performed in mice inoculated with strains belonging to the DTU T. cruzi IV (TcIV) from the State of Amazonas (northern Brazil), or the DTU T. cruzi II (TcII) from the State of Paraná (southern Brazil). Groups of 10 Swiss mice were inoculated with eight strains of TcIV obtained from acute cases (7) from two outbreaks of orally acquired ChD, and from the triatomine Rhodnius robustus (1) from Amazonas; and three strains of TcII obtained from chronic patients in Paraná. We evaluated the pre-patent period, patent period, maximum peak of parasitemia, day of maximum peak of parasitemia, area under the parasitemia curve, inflammatory process, and tissue parasitism in the acute phase. TcIV was less virulent than TcII, and showed significantly (p < 0.005) lower parasitemia levels. Although the levels of tissue parasitism did not differ statistically, mice infected with TcIV displayed significantly (p < 0.001) fewer inflammatory processes than mice infected with TcII. This supported the working hypothesis, since TcIV from Amazonas was less pathogenic than TcII from Paraná; and agreed with the lower severity of human cases of ChD in the Amazon region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila Karina Lüders Meza
- Post-Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University of Maringá (UEM), Paraná, Brazil; Center for Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of Western Paraná, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Silvana Marques de Araújo
- Post-Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University of Maringá (UEM), Paraná, Brazil; Department of Basic Health Sciences, UEM, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Mônica Lúcia Gomes
- Post-Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University of Maringá (UEM), Paraná, Brazil; Department of Basic Health Sciences, UEM, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Maria das Graças Vale Barbosa
- Post-Graduate Program in Tropical Medicine, State University of Amazonas, Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado Tropical Medicine Foundation, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Max Jean de Ornelas Toledo
- Post-Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University of Maringá (UEM), Paraná, Brazil; Department of Basic Health Sciences, UEM, Paraná, Brazil.
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Cornelissen JBWJ, van der Giessen JWB, Takumi K, Teunis PFM, Wisselink HJ. An experimental Toxoplasma gondii dose response challenge model to study therapeutic or vaccine efficacy in cats. PLoS One 2014; 9:e104740. [PMID: 25184619 PMCID: PMC4153576 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
High numbers of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in the environment are a risk factor to humans. The environmental contamination might be reduced by vaccinating the definitive host, cats. An experimental challenge model is necessary to quantitatively assess the efficacy of a vaccine or drug treatment. Previous studies have indicated that bradyzoites are highly infectious for cats. To infect cats, tissue cysts were isolated from the brains of mice infected with oocysts of T. gondii M4 strain, and bradyzoites were released by pepsin digestion. Free bradyzoites were counted and graded doses (1000, 100, 50, 10), and 250 intact tissue cysts were inoculated orally into three cats each. Oocysts shed by these five groups of cats were collected from faeces by flotation techniques, counted microscopically and estimated by real time PCR. Additionally, the number of T. gondii in heart, tongue and brains were estimated, and serology for anti T. gondii antibodies was performed. A Beta-Poisson dose-response model was used to estimate the infectivity of single bradyzoites and linear regression was used to determine the relation between inoculated dose and numbers of oocyst shed. We found that real time PCR was more sensitive than microscopic detection of oocysts, and oocysts were detected by PCR in faeces of cats fed 10 bradyzoites but by microscopic examination. Real time PCR may only detect fragments of T. gondii DNA without the presence of oocysts in low doses. Prevalence of tissue cysts of T. gondii in tongue, heart and brains, and anti T. gondii antibody concentrations were all found to depend on the inoculated bradyzoite dose. The combination of the experimental challenge model and the dose response analysis provides a suitable reference for quantifying the potential reduction in human health risk due to a treatment of domestic cats by vaccination or by therapeutic drug application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan B. W. J. Cornelissen
- Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen UR, Department of Infection Biology, Lelystad, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Joke W. B. van der Giessen
- Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen UR, Department of Bacteriology and TSEs, Lelystad, The Netherlands
- National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Katsuhisa Takumi
- National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Peter F. M. Teunis
- National Institute for Public Health and the Enviroment (RIVM), Centre for Epidemiology, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Henk J. Wisselink
- Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen UR, Department of Infection Biology, Lelystad, The Netherlands
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Carneiro ZA, da S. Maia PI, Sesti-Costa R, Lopes CD, Pereira TA, Milanezi CM, da Silva MAP, Lopez RFV, Silva JS, Deflon VM. In vitro and in vivo trypanocidal activity of H2bdtc-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014; 8:e2847. [PMID: 24810753 PMCID: PMC4014426 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease, which remains a serious public health concern and continues to victimize thousands of people, primarily in the poorest regions of Latin America. In the search for new therapeutic drugs against T. cruzi, here we have evaluated both the in vitro and the in vivo activity of 5-hydroxy-3-methyl-5-phenyl-pyrazoline-1-(S-benzyl dithiocarbazate) (H2bdtc) as a free compound or encapsulated into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN); we compared the results with those achieved by using the currently employed drug, benznidazole. H2bdtc encapsulated into solid lipid nanoparticles (a) effectively reduced parasitemia in mice at concentrations 100 times lower than that normally employed for benznidazole (clinically applied at a concentration of 400 µmol kg(-1) day(-1)); (b) diminished inflammation and lesions of the liver and heart; and (c) resulted in 100% survival of mice infected with T. cruzi. Therefore, H2bdtc is a potent trypanocidal agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zumira A. Carneiro
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro I. da S. Maia
- Instituto de Química de São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renata Sesti-Costa
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carla D. Lopes
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tatiana A. Pereira
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cristiane M. Milanezi
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcelo A. Pereira. da Silva
- Instituto de Física de São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
- Centro Universitário Central Paulista - UNICEP, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renata F. V. Lopez
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - João S. Silva
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Victor M. Deflon
- Instituto de Química de São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
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Gonzalez-Mejia ME, Torres-Rasgado E, Porchia LM, Salgado HR, Totolhua JL, Ortega A, Hernández-Kelly LCR, Ruiz-Vivanco G, Báez-Duarte BG, Pérez-Fuentes R. Metallothionein-1 and nitric oxide expression are inversely correlated in a murine model of Chagas disease. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2014; 109:174-81. [PMID: 24676665 PMCID: PMC4015253 DOI: 10.1590/0074-0276140339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2013] [Accepted: 02/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, represents an endemic among Latin America countries. The participation of free radicals, especially nitric oxide (NO), has been demonstrated in the pathophysiology of seropositive individuals with T. cruzi. In Chagas disease, increased NO contributes to the development of cardiomyopathy and megacolon. Metallothioneins (MTs) are efficient free radicals scavengers of NO in vitro and in vivo. Here, we developed a murine model of the chronic phase of Chagas disease using endemic T. cruzi RyCH1 in BALB/c mice, which were divided into four groups: infected non-treated (Inf), infected N-monomethyl-L-arginine treated (Inf L-NAME), non-infected L-NAME treated and non-infected vehicle-treated. We determined blood parasitaemia and NO levels, the extent of parasite nests in tissues and liver MT-I expression levels. It was observed that NO levels were increasing in Inf mice in a time-dependent manner. Inf L-NAME mice had fewer T. cruzi nests in cardiac and skeletal muscle with decreased blood NO levels at day 135 post infection. This affect was negatively correlated with an increase of MT-I expression (r = -0.8462, p < 0.0001). In conclusion, we determined that in Chagas disease, an unknown inhibitory mechanism reduces MT-I expression, allowing augmented NO levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Leonardo M Porchia
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de Enfermedades Crónicas, Centro de
Investigación Biomédica de Oriente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Puebla,
México
| | - Hilda Rosas Salgado
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de Enfermedades Crónicas, Centro de
Investigación Biomédica de Oriente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Puebla,
México
| | - José-Luis Totolhua
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de Enfermedades Crónicas, Centro de
Investigación Biomédica de Oriente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Puebla,
México
| | - Arturo Ortega
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y
de Estudios Avanzados, Unidad Zacatenco, México DF,México
| | | | | | | | - Ricardo Pérez-Fuentes
- Facultad de Medicina, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla,
México
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de Enfermedades Crónicas, Centro de
Investigación Biomédica de Oriente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Puebla,
México
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Dubey JP, Jenkins MC, Ferreira LR, Choudhary S, Verma SK, Kwok OCH, Fetterer R, Butler E, Carstensen M. Isolation of viable Neospora caninum from brains of wild gray wolves (Canis lupus). Vet Parasitol 2014; 201:150-3. [PMID: 24522164 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [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: 10/31/2013] [Revised: 12/24/2013] [Accepted: 12/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Neospora caninum is a common cause of abortion in cattle worldwide. Canids, including the dog and the dingo (Canis familiaris), the coyote (Canis latrans), and the gray wolf (Canis lupus) are its definitive hosts that can excrete environmentally resistant oocysts in the environment, but also can act as intermediate hosts, harboring tissue stages of the parasite. In an attempt to isolate viable N. caninum from tissues of naturally infected wolves, brain and heart tissue from 109 wolves from Minnesota were bioassayed in mice. Viable N. caninum (NcWolfMn1, NcWolfMn2) was isolated from the brains of two wolves by bioassays in interferon gamma gene knockout mice. DNA obtained from culture-derived N. caninum tachyzoites of the two isolates were analyzed by N. caninum-specific Nc5 polymerase chain reaction and confirmed diagnosis. This is the first report of isolation of N. caninum from tissues of any wild canid host.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Dubey
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA.
| | - M C Jenkins
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
| | - L R Ferreira
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
| | - S Choudhary
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
| | - S K Verma
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
| | - O C H Kwok
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
| | - R Fetterer
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
| | - E Butler
- Division of Wildlife, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 5463-C West Broadway, Forest Lake, MN 55025, USA
| | - M Carstensen
- Division of Wildlife, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 5463-C West Broadway, Forest Lake, MN 55025, USA
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