Sylvestcaspersen0482

Blastocystis spp. is a common single-celled intestinal symbiont, comprising several genetic subtypes (ST) and transmissible by animal-to-animal, human-to-human, animal-to-human and, possibly, human-to-animal routes. This work was designed to explore the presence of Blastocystis in sympatric domestic and wild suids and their ability to carry zoonotic STs, in a condition of widespread opportunity to come in contact with the microorganism through their shared water and food resources, and other carriers. We sampled 42 and 37 stool samples from wild boars and domestic pigs, respectively. STs were first identified by PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Sequences represented in double-band PCR products or in Sanger chromatograms displaying multiple peaks, were resolved by next generation sequencing (NGS). Twenty-six (61.9%) wild boar and 26 (70.2%) pig samples were PCR-positive, respectively. ST3, ST5 and ST15 were found in 3.8%, 38.4% and 80.8% of the positive wild boars and 11.5%, 88.5%, 11.5% of the positive pigs, respectively. ST1 was found only in pigs (3.8%). STs 5 and 15 were common in both groups of animals, but in reversed proportions, suggesting preferential colonization. We found significantly different ST distributions among wild boars and domestic pigs. This might indicate that lifestyle differences between the two populations influence their risk for contracting certain subtypes, or that ST5 and ST15 can colonize preferentially wild or domestic animals. Based on the STs described here, wild boars and domestic pigs can act as reservoirs with zoonotic potential. The ability of suids to carry zoonotic STs appears to be higher when using NGS than Sanger sequencing, and resolution of complex sequencing profiles is imperative before excluding the presence of STs of human concern.A cross-sectional systematic sampling was carried out during three consecutive winters from 2012 to 2015, to update the knowledge on the fox tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis) distribution in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Flanders. Earlier studies reported the low endemicity status of this tapeworm in the northern region of Belgium, in contrast to the south of the country and neighbouring countries. Using a modified Segmental Sedimentation and Counting Technique, followed by PCR-RFLP and sequencing, 923 foxes' intestines were examined for the presence of E. multilocularis. Based on microscopic examination, 38 out of 923 foxes were suspected to be infected with either E. multilocularis or Amoebotaenia spp., of which 19 were molecularly confirmed to be E. multilocularis, 18 were found positive for Amoebotaenia spp. and one was negative. The overall prevalence for E. multilocularis of 2.1% confirms the low endemicity of the fox tapeworm in Flanders. However, in one area in the most eastern part of Flanders (Voeren), neighbouring the Netherlands and Wallonia, a prevalence of 57% (12/21) was observed. Continuous monitoring of the fox tapeworm remains needed to assess spatio-temporal trends in distribution and to assess the risk of this zoonotic infection in Europe. The challenging differential diagnosis of E. multilocularis and Amoebotaenia spp. based on microscopic examination calls for attention.This study aimed to determine the prevalence, histopathological observations, and phylogenetic analysis of L. serrata in cattle and its potential zoonotic and public health implications in southeastern Iran.The cross-sectional study was performed in cattle in southeastern Iran. Lymph nodes were collected from each cattle and examined by parasitological and histopathological techniques. A binary logistic regression and chi-square tests were implemented to analyze the data. Genomic DNA was randomly extracted from the nymphal stages of Linguatula isolates. Further characterization and phylogenetic relationships were done using two primers for amplification of partial DNA fragments of 18 s rRNA and cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), respectively.The results showed that 64 cattle of the total 404 were infected with L. serrata. There was no significant difference between linguatulosis infection and gender, while age was significantly different (P less then 0.05). The cyst-like spaces containing the longitudinal and transverse sections of the L. serrata nymphs were surrounded by granulomatous reactions. The higher nucleotide variation in the cox1 region was supported by estimating the evolutionary divergence between L. serrata isolates and other Linguatula records of ruminants in Iran. The phylogenetic tree confirmed the close evolutionary relationships among all reported records of L. serrata in Iran.The high prevalence of linguatulosis caused by L. click here serrata declares the existence of a potential risk of FBPs for humans in southeastern Iran. This condition can advance more serious public health problems and requires a comprehensive control program and treatment strategies to prevent the disease.Aspartyl protease inhibitors (APIs) from parasitic intestinal nematodes are highly immunogenic and have been suggested as potential vaccine antigens. Ac-API-1 from Ancylostoma caninum showed strong immunogenicity and its polyclonal antibodies could specifically recognize the excretory/secretory products of adult worms. However, little is known about molecular characteristics and biological function of API from Ancylostoma ceylanicum (Ace-API). In this study, the Ace-API mature peptide coding sequence was cloned and expressed, and molecular characteristics of its full length sequence were analyzed. Ace-API cDNA was 684 bp in length, which encoded 228 amino acids. The similarity of the Ace-API amino acid sequence to Ac-API-1 and Adu-API-1 was 96.93% and 96.49%, respectively, and they clustered together in the phylogenetic tree. Escheria coli-expressed recombinant protein was mainly soluble in the supernatant of bacterial cell lysate. Western blot showed that Ace-API protein had good reactivity to the serum of infected dogs. Pepsin inhibition assay revealed that the recombinant protein had inhibitory activity on pepsin. Immunofluorescence results demonstrated that Ace-API was mainly localized to the epidermis, excretory glands, and pseudocoelomic fluid of the adult. Using the quantitative real-time PCR, the expression of Ace-api mRNA in adults was significantly higher than that in the third stage (L3) larvae. Together, these data indicate that Ace-API is secreted extracellularly by the parasite, and might play a role in protecting the parasite against the proteolytic digestion by the host proteases, which stimulate further studies to explore this protein as a potential hookworm vaccine candidate.