Search results for "INFECTIONS"

HIV-1 Adaptation to Antigen Processing Results in Population-Level Immune Evasion and Affects Subtype Diversification

2014

Summary The recent HIV-1 vaccine failures highlight the need to better understand virus-host interactions. One key question is why CD8+ T cell responses to two HIV-Gag regions are uniquely associated with delayed disease progression only in patients expressing a few rare HLA class I variants when these regions encode epitopes presented by ∼30 more common HLA variants. By combining epitope processing and computational analyses of the two HIV subtypes responsible for ∼60% of worldwide infections, we identified a hitherto unrecognized adaptation to the antigen-processing machinery through substitutions at subtype-specific motifs. Multiple HLA variants presenting epitopes situated next to a giv…

A Superantigen as Virulence Factor in an Acute Bacterial Infection

1994

This study addresses the role of a bacterial superantigen as a potential virulence factor during an acute systemic infection. BALB/c mice were intravenously infected with a recombinant Staphylococcus aureus strain capable of producing plasmid-encoded staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) or with the SEB plasmid-deficient parental strain. Infection with SEB-producing bacteria resulted in an initial expansion and subsequent decrease of circulating V beta 8+ T lymphocytes. This numeric decrease was accompanied by a SEB-specific state of hyporesponsiveness of splenic T cells. In parallel with SEB-triggered unresponsiveness of a large proportion of T lymphocytes, a weakening of the overall T cell r…

Host immune response to Cryptosporidium parvum infection

2010

Species of the genus Cryptosporidium are protozoan parasites (Apicomplexa) that cause gastroenteritis in animals and humans. Of these Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis are the major causative agents of human cryptosporidiosis. Whereas infection is self-limiting in the immunocompetent hosts, immunocompromised individuals develop a chronic, life-threatening disease. As specific therapeutic or preventive interventions are not yet available, better understanding of the immune response to the parasite is required. This minireview briefly summarizes the factors involved in the innate and acquired immune response in this pathogen-host interaction with an emphasis on more recent da…

Cestodes from Hector's beaked whale ( Mesoplodon hectori ) and spectacled porpoise ( Phocoena dioptrica ) from Argentinean waters.

2010

Single individuals of 2 little-known cetacean species, Mesoplodon hectori and Phocoena dioptrica, stranded and died on the coast of Argentina (Buenos Aires and Chubut provinces, respectively) and were studied for the presence of helminths. The cestodes found were described and illustrated using light microscopy. The following cestode taxa were recovered: Tetrabothrius (Tetrabothrius) hobergi n. sp. (several fragmented specimens, at least 1 gravid) and Tetrabothrius (s.l.) sp. 1 (several fragmented immature specimens) from M. hectori, and Tetrabothrius (s.l.) sp. 2 (single fragmented immature specimen) and 2 morphotypes of tetraphyllidean larvae from P. dioptrica. Tetrabothrius (T.) hobergi …

Taste, a new incentive to switch to (R)-praziquantel in schistosomiasis treatment.

2009

Background Praziquantel (PZQ) is the drug compound of choice in the control and treatment of schistosomiasis. PZQ is administered as a racemate, i. e. 1∶1 mixture of enantiomers. The schistosomicidal activity arises from one PZQ-enantiomer, whereas the other enantiomer does not contribute to the activity. The WHO's Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) has assigned the low-cost preparation of pure schistosomicidal (−)-PZQ a key priority for future R&D on PZQ, but so far this transition has not happened. PZQ has two major administration drawbacks, the first being the high dose needed, and its well documented bitter and disgusting taste. Attempts of taste-mask…

Epidemiology of tattoo skin disease in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the Sado estuary, Portugal

2003

We report on the epidemiology of tattoo disease in a community of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the Sado estuary, Portugal. The presence of tattoos (T++) and tattoo-like (T+) lesions was examined in 586 photographic records of 35 dolphins taken from 1994 to 1997. Images were rated into 3 categories: good (GI), average (AI) and poor (PI). Dolphins positive for T++ lesions were observed in 19 GI. Dolphins with T+ lesions were seen in 39 GI, 23 AI and 6 PI. For statistical analysis the dolphins were divided into 2 age classes (immature and adult) and the data grouped into 2 periods (1994-1995 and 1996-1997). Minimum prevalence of T++ lesions in 32 dolphins was 21.9% in 1994-1995 …

Mechanisms of Resistance to Ceftolozane/Tazobactam in Pseudomonas aeruginosa : Results of the GERPA Multicenter Study

2020

ABSTRACT Resistance mechanisms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) were assessed on a collection of 420 nonredundant strains nonsusceptible to ceftazidime (MIC > 8 μg/ml) and/or imipenem (>4 μg/ml), collected by 36 French hospital laboratories over a one-month period (the GERPA study). Rates of C/T resistance (MIC > 4/4 μg/ml) were equal to 10% in this population (42/420 strains), and 23.2% (26/112) among the isolates resistant to both ceftazidime and imipenem. A first group of 21 strains (50%) was found to harbor various extended-spectrum β-lactamases (1 OXA-14; 2 OXA-19; 1 OXA-35; 1 GES-9; and 3 PER-1), carbapenemases (2 GES-5; 1 IMP-8; and 8 VIM-2), or both (1 VIM-2…

Endoscopy at Bedside in Isolated Patients with Severe COVID-19: Our Approach during the Pandemic

2021

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the management of emergency medicine and those complications that needed interventional procedures, such as endoscopy or other radiological procedures. At the beginning of the outbreak, there were no exploitable recommendations regarding the proper policy to apply for limiting the virus spread during endoscopy. Between the first and the second wave, the approach regarding interventional procedures changed, due to higher awareness and newly defined protocols, even if different among the health centers. Patients with severe COVID-19 may develop major gastrointestinal complications or require nutritional support, so interventional procedures are required at bedsid…

Telemedicine and Remote Screening for COVID-19 in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: Results From the SoCOVID-19 Survey

2020

Intermediate hosts of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in Tenerife, Spain.

2015

The nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis is the causative agent of human angiostrongy- liasis, the main clinical manifestation of which is eosinophilic meningitis. Although this para- site has been found recently in its definitive rat host in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), showing a widespread distribution over the north-east part of the island, there are no avail- able data regarding which snail and/or slug species are acting as intermediate hosts on this island. Consequently, the objective of this work was to determine the possible role of three mollusc species, Plutonia lamarckii , Cornu aspersum and Theba pisana , as intermediate hosts of A . cantonensis in Tenerife. Between 2011 and…