Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by Leishmania infantum , is a systemic parasitic disease and presents a global health problem which can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated. Dogs are the main hosts and provide reservoirs for the transmission of the disease to humans.

Gene drive is the process of copying of an endonuclease‐containing cassette that leads to increased frequency of inheritance of the desired traits in a targeted population. CRISPR/Cas9 technology is advancing genetic manipulation of insects in the field of gene drive experiments. The CRISPR/Cas9 drive could be engineered for genetic manipulation of parasites and/or vectors for disease control. A number

Treatment for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is hampered by the toxicity and/or high cost of drugs, as well as by emergence of parasite resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new antileishmanial agents.

We evaluate whether the serum and aqueous humour (AH) level of IgG anti‐Hsp70.1 antibodies improved the biological diagnosis of ocular toxoplasmosis.

Identification of a 29 kDa heat stress protein in filarial parasite Setaria cervi and evaluation of its diagnostic potential against lymphatic filariasis.

This study aimed to evaluate the toxicity and humoral and cellular immune response of three heterologous vaccines against Leishmania infantum , yet containing synthetic peptides from Leishmania major in the experimental model in hamsters.

Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium spp. can cause devastating pathological effects in humans and livestock, and in particular to young or immunocompromised individuals. The current treatment plans for these enteric parasites are limited due to long drug courses, severe side effects or simply a lack of efficacy. The study of the early interactions between the parasites and the site of infection in

The possibility of manipulating the immune response in lambs to the gastrointestinal nematode Trichostrongylus colubriformis to reduce production losses associated with infection was investigated. In a series of four experiments, attempts to immunize sheep via the mucosal route to modify the immune response and induce mucosal tolerance are outlined. Initially, a proof of concept study was conducted

Merozoite surface protein 8 (MSP‐8) of Plasmodium parasites play an important role in erythrocyte invasion and is a potential malaria vaccine candidate.

Gyrodactylids are ubiquitous ectoparasites of teleost fish, but our understanding of the host immune response against them is fragmentary. Here, we used RNA‐Seq to investigate genes involved in the primary response to infection with Gyrodactylus bullatarudis on the skin of guppies, Poecilia reticulata, an important evolutionary model, but also one of the most common fish in the global ornamental trade

Leishmania donovani , the causative agent for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), modulates host monocytes‐macrophages to ensure its survival. However, knowledge regarding the host‐parasite interactions underpinning the disease remains limited. As disease progression is associated with polarization of monocytes/macrophages towards M2 which is regulated by cytokines IL‐4/IL‐13 and IL‐10, this study evaluated

The objective of this study was to determine the association of TNF‐α −308 G/A, IFN‐γ +874 T/A, IL‐12B + 1188 A/C, IL‐10 −1082 G/A and IL‐4 −590 C/T polymorphisms with susceptibility to CL.

Fasciola hepatica causes economically important disease in livestock worldwide. The relevance of this parasitic infection extends beyond its direct consequences due to its immunoregulatory properties.

The objective of this study was to identify and characterize cell populations within ovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) associated with Haemonchus contortus (Hc) larval morbidity and impairment in vitro.

A 24‐year‐old patient presented with a 4‐month‐long high‐spiking fever, characteristic rash, sore throat and arthralgias. Bone marrow biopsy examination demonstrated visceral leishmaniasis with the presence of typical Leishman‐Donovan bodies. During the treatment for visceral leishmaniasis with the sodium stibogluconate, he died suddenly. According to the symptoms, we infer that the patient catch the

Schistosomiasis is the most important helminth disease in the world from a public health perspective, S. mansoni and S. japonicum account for the majority of global intestinal schistosomiasis cases, and the pathogenesis is widely assumed to be fundamentally similar. However, the majority of research on schistosomiasis has been carried out on S. mansoni and comparisons between the two species are rarely

Gill health is one of the main health challenges for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) mariculture worldwide, and amoebic gill disease (AGD), caused by the marine ectoprotozoan Neoparamoeba perurans , is currently one of the most significant diseases in terms of prevalence and economic impact. This review describes the host response of Atlantic salmon to the disease, focusing on the pathological changes

The salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Lsal ) is an ectoparasitic copepod that exerts immunomodulatory and physiological effects on its host Atlantic salmon. Over 30 years of research on louse biology, control, host responses and the host‐parasite relationship has provided a plethora of information on the intricacies of host resistance and parasite adaptation. Atlantic salmon exhibit temporal and

Proliferative kidney disease (PKD), caused by the myxozoan Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, is one of the most serious parasitic diseases of salmonids in which outbreaks cause severe economic constraints for the aquaculture industry and declines of wild species throughout Europe and North America. Given that rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss ) is one of the most widely farmed freshwater fish and an

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by parasites belonging to genus Leishmania (L .) is classified as a category I disease by the TDR/WHO. The understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease was built from the findings of available experimental models. Among all available models, the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus ) is the most suitable model for the experimental representation of VL. In this

Skin lesions in nonulcerated cutaneous leishmaniasis (NUCL) caused by Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi are characterized by a mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate in the dermis, which is composed mainly of lymphocytes, followed by macrophages, few plasma cells and epithelioid granulomas with mild tissue parasitism. Previous studies have shown that the main population of lymphocytes present in the dermal

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite that causes giardiasis, one of the most common worldwide gastrointestinal diseases. For rational development of a Giardia vaccine, increasing our understanding of the host‐Giardia interaction is crucial. In this study, we analysed the immunogenicity and antigenicity of two G lamblia strain variants [GS and GS‐5G8 (+)], which express different levels of the variant‐specific

E6020 is a synthetic agonist of Toll‐like receptor‐4 (TLR4). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different doses of E6020‐SE on Trypanosoma cruzi‐specific immune responses and its ability to confer protection against acute lethal infection in mice. Forty female BALB/c were infected with 500 trypomastigotes of T cruzi H1 strain, divided into four groups (n = 10) and treated at 7‐

To investigate the immunoglobulin (Ig) G response after being fed upon by Cimex lectularius L.

The mammalian immune system has evolved to protect our body from a wide variety of dangers. Fending off pathogens is a major function, and under most circumstances, it does so efficiently and effectively. However, parasitic pathogens have developed effective means to dampen and abuse the immune system in order to establish themselves within a host. Macrophages, the all‐rounder cell of the immune system

Helminth infection represents a major health problem causing approximately 5 million disability‐adjusted life years worldwide. Concerns that repeated anti‐helminthic treatment may lead to drug resistance render it important that vaccines are developed but will require increased understanding of the immune‐mediated cellular and antibody responses to helminth infection. IL‐4 or antibody‐activated murine

Leishmaniasis is a neglected infectious disease with clinical presentations ranging from asymptomatic or mild symptoms to chronic infection and eventual death. The mechanisms of disease susceptibility and pathology have been extensively studied, but there are no steadfast rules regarding leishmaniasis. A Th1 response is usually associated with infection control, while a predominant Th2 response is

The present study aimed to evaluate the pathology of the exophthalmia and the host‐immune response in naturally Theileria annulata ‐infected calves. The newborn calves detected positive for theileriosis were grouped into calves with theileriosis and absence of exophthalmia (n = 30), and calves with theileriosis and the presence of exophthalmia (n = 13). Sixteen healthy calves, free from any haemoprotozoal

Human malarial infection occurs after an infectious Anopheles mosquito bites. Following the initial liver‐stage infection, parasites transform into merozoites, infecting red blood cells (RBCs). Repeated RBC infection then occurs during the blood‐stage infection, while patients experience various malarial symptoms. Protective immune responses are elicited by this systemic infection, but excessive responses

Helminthic infection and the parallel host immune reactions are the results of a protracted dynamic co‐interaction between the host and worms. An assessment of the effect of Toxocara canis infection on arthritis in rats stimulated by Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) was the main purpose of the investigation. An arthritis model was established by the administration of 0.1 mL FCA in the palmar surface

Interleukin‐13 (IL‐13) is a Th2‐associated cytokine that typically induces gut contractility and mucus secretion to eliminate helminth parasites from the digestive tract. Little evidence exists of IL‐13's direct effect on Haemonchus contortus larvae (L3) and thus was the objective of this study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate characteristics of B cells in human tegumentary leismaniasis (TL) analysing cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), most prevalent form and mucosal leishmaniasis (ML), aggressive form characterized by the destruction of the oral‐nasal‐pharyngeal cavities.

Industrial growth has increased the exposure to endocrine disruptor compounds (EDCs) in all organisms. Bisphenol A (BPA), an EDC, has been demonstrated to be involved in the susceptibility to parasite infections. However, few studies have analysed this connection in more depth. The aim of this study was to determine whether early BPA exposure in female mice affects the systemic immune response and

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is caused by a protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani mainly influencing the population of tropical and subtropical regions across the globe. The arsenal of drugs available is limited, and prolonged use of such drugs makes parasite to become resistant. Therefore, it is very imperative to develop a safe, cost‐effective and inexpensive vaccine against VL. Although in recent

AIMS Visceral leishmaniasis(VL) represents one of the most challenging infectious diseases worldwide. The reason that once infected, patient develops immunity against Leishmania parasite has paved way to develop prophylactic vaccines against disease, but only some of these have moved ahead for clinical trials. Herein, the study to explore novel and potential vaccine candidates was extended to pathogenic

Leishmania donovani (a causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis) poses a serious health threat to the human population which is fatal if left untreated. The life cycle of Leishmania alternates between vertebrate host and Phlebotomine fly as intermediate ones. Due to the difficulties linked to vector (sandfly) control and the lack of an effective vaccine, the control of leishmaniasis relies mostly

BACKGROUND Leishmaniasis is an important infectious disease that develops because of escaping parasite from the host immune system or preventing host macrophages apoptosis. Recently, the development of transgenic methods and the parasite genome manipulation has provided many advantages. So, in this study, the effect of the transgenic Leishmania infantum expressing mLLO-BAX-SMAC proteins was examined

Investigating the anti‐angiogenic effect of bevacizumab on chronic schistosomiasis mansoni in a trial to hinder the Schistosome‐induced angiogenesis and porto‐systemic shunting complications.

Co‐inhibitory receptors play a major role in controlling the Th1 response during blood‐stage malaria. Whilst PD‐1 is viewed as the dominant co‐inhibitory receptor restricting T cell responses, the roles of other such receptors in coordinating Th1 cell activity during malaria are poorly understood.

Both maternal microbiota and helminth infection may alter offspring immunity but the relationship between these is underexplored. We hypothesized that maternal helminth exposure prior to pregnancy has lasting consequences on offspring intestinal microbiota and consequent immunity. Female BALB/c adult mice were infected with 500L3 Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (N brasiliensis ). Infection was cleared

The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in modulating host immune responses. Oral Toxoplasma gondii infection can promote intestinal inflammation in certain mice strains. The IDO‐AhR axis may control tryptophan (Trp) metabolism constituting an important immune regulatory mechanism in inflammatory settings.

AIMS Neuroinflammation can manifest upon infection with the neurotropic parasite Toxoplasma gondii (ME49), which can lead to brain injury and cognitive dysfunction. Rhoptry organelle proteins (ROPs) secreted by T gondii play critical roles in host invasion. METHODS AND RESULTS In this study, influenza virus-like particles (VLPs) expressing T gondii ROP4 or ROP13 were generated to assess vaccination-induced

To characterize several anti‐Leishmania tropica nanobodies and to investigate their effect on Leishmania infection.

Macrophages, the major population of tissue‐resident mononuclear phagocytes, contribute significantly to the immune response during helminth infection. Alternatively activated macrophages (AAM) are induced early in the anti‐helminth response following tissue insult and parasite recognition, amplifying the early type 2 immune cascade initiated by epithelial cells and ILC2s, and subsequently driving

AIMS Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by Leishmania donovani in India, is fatal if untreated, having serious concern of limited chemotherapeutic options. In this study, we evaluated antileishmanial efficacy of purified chlorogenic acid (CGA) against promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes infected into RAW264.7 macrophages. METHODS AND RESULTS Chlorogenic acid was effective both on promastigotes

Studies in animal models suggest that protection against malaria induced by intradermal (ID) administration of sporozoites is less effective compared to intravenous injection (IV). We investigated in a murine model the protective efficacy and immune responses after ID or IV immunization of sporozoites. Mice were immunized via either IV or ID route with P. berghei sporozoites in combination with chloroquine

Withania somnifera is an Ayurvedic Indian medicinal plant whose immunomodulatory activities have been widely used as a home remedy for several ailments. We recently observed immunostimulatory properties in the root extracts of chemotypes NMITLI‐101, NMITLI‐118, NMITLI‐128 and pure withanolide, Withaferin A. In the present study, we evaluated the potential immunoprophylactic efficacies of these extracts

American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) has different clinical manifestations and those are dependent on the immunological status of the host. Since CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and its mediators play a fundamental role in the host response to Leishmania and that there is also a search for antigenic molecules to be used as future vaccines and tools for prognostic tests, this study characterized ACL patients

Experimental leishmaniasis is widely used to study the effector functions of T helper cell subsets in vivo. Healing and nonhealing Leishmania major infections have been correlated with T helper 1 and T helper 2 responses, respectively. In the present study, we determined T cell effector functions ex vivo, without any further restimulation and compared them to those obtained following antigen‐specific

This study investigated the potential of five miRNA candidates for cerebral toxoplasmosis/HIV co-infection (CT/HIV) biomarkers. miR-155-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-125b-5p and miR-29c-3p were tested in 79 plasma divided into groups: 32 CT/HIV patients; 27 individuals with asymptomatic toxoplasmosis (AT); and 20 individuals seronegative for toxoplasmosis (NC). From each was collected peripheral

Immunomodulatory molecules produced by helminth parasites are receiving much attention recently as novel therapeutic agents for inflammation and autoimmune diseases. In this study, we show that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) homologue from the filarial parasite, Wuchereria bancrofti (rWbaMIF-2), can suppress inflammation in a dextran sulphate sodium salt (DSS)-induced colitis model. The

In a bid to develop a novel immunoprophylactic measure against visceral leishmaniasis (VL), MHC class-II-restricted epitopes of LdODC were identified by reverse vaccinology approach. Five consensus HLA-DRB1*0101-restricted epitopes were screened. The analysis revealed that the set of epitopes was presented by at least 54 diverse MHC class-II alleles. Based on in silico screening, followed by molecular

AIMS The aim of the present study was to assess serum cytokine and miRNA expression in visceral leishmaniasis-HIV (VL-HIV) co-infection and HIV mono-infection. METHODS AND RESULTS We analyzed 113 serum samples from HIV patients in areas endemic for leishmaniasis. The diagnosis of VL was confirmed in 65 of these 113 samples. The VL-HIV and HIV groups presented significant differences regarding hemoglobin

Schistosomiasis and malaria are endemic in sub‐Saharan Africa where Schistosoma haematobium (Sh) and Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) coinfections are thus frequent. We explored the effect of Sh infection on antibody responses directed to Pf merozoite antigens and on malaria susceptibility in Beninese children.

AIM To provide useful information based on the macropathology, histopathology and immunohistochemical investigation in the spleens of dogs with Babesia rossi infection. METHODS AND RESULTS Control spleens were collected from four healthy dogs euthanized for welfare reasons. Nine dogs that died naturally because of a mono-infection with Babesia rossi were selected for the diseased group. One haematoxylin

Many pathogenicity factors are involved in the development of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) caused by N fowleri. However, most of them are not exclusive for N fowleri and they have not even been described in other nonpathogenic Naegleria species. Therefore, the objective of this work was to identify differential proteins and protein pattern recognition between Naegleria fowleri and Naegleria

Although antibodies are considered critical for malaria protection, little is known about the mechanisms/factors that maintain humoral immunity, especially regarding the induction and maintenance of memory B cells over time. In Brazilian endemic areas, this is the first time that the profile of antibody responses and the occurrence of antigen‐specific memory B cells (MBC) against P vivax were investigated

The main effector mechanisms of neutrophils are the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). In this work, we evaluated the role of NETs and the activity of MPO in the interactions of rodent neutrophils with amoebae and in amoebic liver abscess (ALA)-resistant and ALA-susceptible models. We showed with in vitro assays that mice produced greater amounts of NETs and

The ability of Toxoplasma gondii to cause clinical disease in immune‐competent and immune‐deficient hosts coupled with its ease of use in vitro and availability of murine models has led to its use as a model organism to study how the immune system controls an intracellular infection. This article reviews the studies that established the role of the cytokine IFN‐γ in the activation of macrophages to