Search results for " parasite"

Evaluation of School Children Nutritional Status in Ecuador Using Nutrimetry: A Proposal of an Education Protocol to Address the Determinants of Maln…

2022

The education sector is a cornerstone in the battle against malnutrition in children. However, there are still no consolidated protocols that outline strategies for how nutrition programs in low- and middle-income countries can be delivered through the education sector. Establishing the correct community diagnosis is essential prior to the elaboration of an intervention plan for a school population that takes into account more than just traditional variables related to the nutritional status. A total of 574 boys and girls aged 3–11 years from three educational institutions in different municipalities in Ecuador participated in the study. Sociodemographic, anthropometric (weight and height) …

Prevalence of intestinal parasites among inmates in Midwest Brazil.

2017

Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-26T17:40:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2017-09-21 Fundacao de Desenvolvimento, Ensino, Ciencia e Tecnologia do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul (FUNDECT) Background Intestinal parasitic infections constitute a public health issue in developing countries, with prevalence rates as high as 90%, a figure set to escalate as the socioeconomic status of affected populations deteriorates. Investigating the occurrence of these infections among inmates is critical, since this group is more vulnerable to the spread of a number of infectious illnesses. Methods This cross-sectional, analytical, quantitative study was conducted in July 2015 at prison…

Pairing success and sperm reserve of male Gammarus pulex infected by Cyathocephalus truncatus (Cestoda: Spathebothriidea).

2011

SUMMARYManipulative parasites with complex life cycles are known to induce behavioural and physiological changes in their intermediate hosts. Cyathocephalus truncatus is a manipulative parasite which infects Gammarus pulex as intermediate host. G. pulex males display pre-copulatory mate guarding as a response to male-male competition for access to receptive females. In this paper, we tested the influence that C. truncatus-infection might have on male G. pulex sperm number and pairing success. We considered 3 classes of G. pulex males in our experiments: (i) uninfected males found paired in the field, (ii) uninfected males found unpaired in the field, or (iii) infected males found unpaired i…

Special considerations for studies of extracellular vesicles from parasitic helminths: A community-led roadmap to increase rigour and reproducibility.

2023

Over the last decade, research interest in defining how extracellular vesicles (EVs) shape cross-species communication has grown rapidly. Parasitic helminths, worm species found in the phyla Nematoda and Platyhelminthes, are well-recognised manipulators of host immune function and physiology. Emerging evidence supports a role for helminth-derived EVs in these processes and highlights EVs as an important participant in cross-phylum communication. While the mammalian EV field is guided by a community-agreed framework for studying EVs derived from model organisms or cell systems [e.g., Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (MISEV)], the helminth community requires a supplem…

Characterization and multicentric validation of a common standard for Toxoplasma gondii detection using nucleic acid amplification assays.

2014

ABSTRACT The molecular diagnosis of toxoplasmosis essentially relies upon laboratory-developed methods and suffers from lack of standardization, hence the large diversity of performances between laboratories. Moreover, quantifications of parasitic loads differ among centers, a fact which prevents the possible prediction of the severity of this disease as a function of parasitic loads. The objectives of this multicentric study performed in eight proficient laboratories of the Molecular Biology Pole of the French National Reference Center for Toxoplasmosis (NRC-T) were (i) to assess the suitability of a lyophilized preparation of Toxoplasma gondii as a common standard for use in this PCR-base…

2015

Characterization of host-pathogen interactions is a fundamental approach in microbiological and immunological oriented disciplines. It is commonly accepted that host cells start to change their phenotype after engulfing pathogens. Techniques such as real time PCR or ELISA were used to characterize the genes encoding proteins that are associated either with pathogen elimination or immune escape mechanisms. Most of such studies were performed in vitro using primary host cells or cell lines. Consequently, the data generated with such approaches reflect the global RNA expression or protein amount recovered from all cells in culture. This is justified when all host cells harbor an equal amount o…

The IFN-γ-Inducible GTPase, Irga6, Protects Mice against Toxoplasma gondii but Not against Plasmodium berghei and Some Other Intracellular Pathogens

2011

Clearance of infection with intracellular pathogens in mice involves interferon-regulated GTPases of the IRG protein family. Experiments with mice genetically deficient in members of this family such as Irgm1(LRG-47), Irgm3(IGTP), and Irgd(IRG-47) has revealed a critical role in microbial clearance, especially for Toxoplasma gondii. The in vivo role of another member of this family, Irga6 (IIGP, IIGP1) has been studied in less detail. We investigated the susceptibility of two independently generated mouse strains deficient in Irga6 to in vivo infection with T. gondii, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Leishmania mexicana, L. major, Listeria monocytogenes, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Plasmodium …

Collective defence portfolios of ant hosts shift with social parasite pressure

2014

Host defences become increasingly costly as parasites breach successive lines of defence. Because selection favours hosts that successfully resist parasitism at the lowest possible cost, escalating coevolutionary arms races are likely to drive host defence portfolios towards ever more expensive strategies. We investigated the interplay between host defence portfolios and social parasite pressure by comparing 17 populations of two Temnothorax ant species. When successful, collective aggression not only prevents parasitation but also spares host colonies the cost of searching for and moving to a new nest site. However, once parasites breach the host's nest defence, host colonies should resor…

γ δ T Cell Modulation in Anticancer Treatment

2010

The broad antimicrobial and antitumoral reactivity of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells, their ability to produce inflammatory cytokines involved in protective immunity against intracellular pathogens and tumors and their strong cytolytic and bactericidal activities suggest their direct involvement in immune control of cancers and infections. gammadelta T cells can be selectively activated by naturally occurring or synthetic phosphoantigens, and drugs that enhance their accumulation into stressed cells, offering new avenues for the development of gammadelta T cell-based immunotherapies. The recent development of small drugs selectively activating Vgamma9Vdelta2 T lymphocytes, which upregulate endogeno…

Mathematical models for the management of helminth parasites: from biological processes to the evolution of anthelmintic resistance

2010

International audience; Helminth parasitic diseases are mainly controlled by anthelmintic treatments, but control schemes are now threatened by the large development of anthelmintic resistance. Integrated parasite management needs to be developed but processes underpinning parasite population dynamics and resistant gene evolution are still lacking. Here, we review the mathematical models that have been developed to understand the evolution of anthelmintic resistance in host-helminth parasite models (intestinal helminth parasites of herbivores and human soil-transmitted helminths). A first part is dedicated to generic models that allowed the understanding of processes underlying host-helmint…