Search results for "IASI"

Antibody trapping: A novel mechanism of parasite immune evasion by the trematode Echinostoma caproni

2017

Background Helminth infections are among the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases, causing an enormous impact in global health and the socioeconomic growth of developing countries. In this context, the study of helminth biology, with emphasis on host-parasite interactions, appears as a promising approach for developing new tools to prevent and control these infections. Methods/Principal findings The role that antibody responses have on helminth infections is still not well understood. To go in depth into this issue, work on the intestinal helminth Echinostoma caproni (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae) has been undertaken. Adult parasites were recovered from infected mice and cultured in vi…

Fasciola hepatica reinfection potentiates a mixed Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg response and correlates with the clinical phenotypes of anemia.

2016

Background: Fascioliasis is a severe zoonotic disease of worldwide extension caused by liver flukes. In human fascioliasis hyperendemic areas, reinfection and chronicity are the norm and anemia is the main sign. Herein, the profile of the Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg expression levels is analyzed after reinfection, correlating them with their corresponding hematological biomarkers of morbidity. Methodology/Principal findings: The experimental design reproduces the usual reinfection/chronicity conditions in human fascioliasis endemic areas and included Fasciola hepatica primo-infected Wistar rats (PI) and rats reinfected at 8 weeks (R8), and at 12 weeks (R12), and negative control rats. In a cross-sect…

Direct-acting antivirals and visceral leishmaniasis: a case report

2019

Abstract Background Visceral leishmaniasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by protozoa belonging to the genus Leishmania. The clinical presentation of visceral leishmaniasis strictly depends on the host immunocompetency, whereas depressive conditions of the immune system impair the capability to resolve the infection and allow reactivation from sites of latency of the parasite. Case presentation We describe a case of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) that occurred in a patient with chronic hepatitis C treated with direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAA). The hypothesized mechanism is the alteration of protective inflammation mechanisms secondary to DAA therapy. Downregulation of type II an…

Evaluation of a rapid immunochromatographic test for the detection of low burden Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm) in dogs and cats

2017

The performance of a rapid immunochromatographic test for the detection of Dirofilaria immitis antigens (Speed Diro™; BVT-Virbac, France) was assessed in 49 experimentally infected dogs and in 244 naturally infected animals; 142 dogs and 102 cats. In experimentally infected dogs, Speed Diro™ showed a sensitivity of 90.9% in dogs infected with one adult female worm and 100% in dogs infected with more than one female worm. Specificity was 100%. For naturally infected dogs, the Knott test and PetChek® HTWM PF served as reference methods for microfilaremia and antigenemia, respectively. All microfilaemic dogs (55/142) were positive with Speed Diro™. Importantly, none of the 21 dogs infected wit…

CD3ε Expression Defines Functionally Distinct Subsets of Vδ1 T Cells in Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

2018

Human γδ T cells expressing the Vδ1 T cell receptor (TCR) recognize self and microbial antigens and stress-inducible molecules in a major histocompatibility complex -unrestricted manner and are an important source of innate interleukin-17. Vδ1 T cells are expanded in the circulation and intestines of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In the present study, we show that patients with HIV have elevated frequencies, but not absolute numbers, of circulating Vδ1 T cells compared to control subjects. This increase was most striking in the patients with Candida albicans co-infection. Using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy, we identify two populations of Vδ1 T cells, …

Verrucous Plaque With Unusually Large Candida Blastoconidia: A Unique Clinicopathological Presentation of Systemic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis.

2018

Mucocutaneous candidiasis is a common infection affecting both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed individuals. Diversity in the clinical and histopathological presentation of mucocutaneous candidiasis is well known. However, the occurrence of cutaneous verrucous lesions and giant yeast-like structures has been rarely reported. In this article, we describe a case of disseminated mucocutaneous candidiasis in an immunosuppressed patient who presented as a verrucous plaque on the scrotum with giant Candida blastoconidia. This peculiar presentation expands the clinicopathological spectrum of mucocutaneous candidiasis and highlights the wide range of clinical manifestations and great morphologi…

Predicting invasive fungal disease due to Candida species in non-neutropenic, critically ill, adult patients in United Kingdom critical care units.

2016

BACKGROUND: Given the predominance of invasive fungal disease (IFD) amongst the non-immunocompromised adult critically ill population, the potential benefit of antifungal prophylaxis and the lack of generalisable tools to identify high risk patients, the aim of the current study was to describe the epidemiology of IFD in UK critical care units, and to develop and validate a clinical risk prediction tool to identify non-neutropenic, critically ill adult patients at high risk of IFD who would benefit from antifungal prophylaxis. METHODS: Data on risk factors for, and outcomes from, IFD were collected for consecutive admissions to adult, general critical care units in the UK participating in t…

Pulmonary Strongyloides stercoralis infection.

2016

MEDical wards Invasive Candidiasis ALgorithms (MEDICAL):Consensus proposal for management

2016

Abstract Introduction A majority of invasive Candida infections occur in medical wards; however, evidence for management in this setting is scarce and based primarily on the intensive care or surgical setting. On behalf of the Italian Society for Anti-Infective Therapy (SITA) and the Italian Federation of Associations of Hospital Doctors on Internal Medicine (FADOI), the MEDICAL group produced practical management algorithms for patients in internal medicine wards. Methods The MEDICAL group panel, composed of 30 members from internal medicine, infectious disease, clinical pharmacology, clinical microbiology and clinical epidemiology, provided expert opinion through the RAND/UCLA method. Res…

Taeniasis vs cysticercosis infection routes

2016

Although cysticercosis caused by Taenia solium ( T. soliu ) is considered a neglected disease, its life cycle has been well known for more than two centuries. T. solium not only causes cysticercosis but also taeniasis in humans. These two diseases have totally different infection routes. To acquire taeniasis (the presence of the adult stage of T. solium in the intestine), humans have to ingest the larval stage (cysticercus) that infects a variety of organs and viscera in pigs, its intermediate hosts. Therefore, taeniasis is acquired when eating raw or undercooked infected pork. The adult stage in the human intestine release eggs that contain a hexacanth embryo, the oncosphere. If humans acc…