Many countries have made significant progress in the implementation of World Health Organization recommended preventive chemotherapy strategy, to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF). However, pertinent challenges such as the existence of areas of residual infections in disease endemic districts pose... potential threats to the achievements made. Thus, this study was undertaken to assess the importance of these areas in implementation units (districts) where microfilaria (MF) positive individuals could not be found during the mid-term assessment after three rounds of mass drug administration.
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The trematodes Fasciola hepatica (also known as the common liver fluke or the sheep liver fluke) and Fasciola gigantica are large liver flukes (F. hepatica: up to 30 mm by 15 mm; F. gigantica: up to 75 mm by 15 mm), which are primarily found in domestic and wild ruminants (their main definitive host...s) but also are causal agents of fascioliasis in humans.
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Parasites & Vectors volume 11, Article number: 264 (2018)
Dengue creates a staggering epidemiological and economic burden for endemic countries. Without a specific therapy and with a commercial vaccine that presents some problems relative to its full effectiveness, initiatives to improve vector... control strategies, early disease diagnostics and the development of vaccines and antiviral drugs are priorities. In this study, we present the probable origins of dengue in America and the trajectories of its spread. Overall, dengue diagnostics are costly, making the monitoring of dengue epidemiology more difficult and affecting physicians’ therapeutic decisions regarding dengue patients, especially in developing countries. This review also highlights some recent and important findings regarding dengue in Brazil and the Americas. We also summarize the existing DENV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic tests to provide an improved reference since these tests are useful and accurate at discriminating DENV from other flaviviruses that co-circulate in the Americas. Additionally, these DENV PCR assays ensure virus serotyping, enabling epidemiologic monitoring.
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Parasites & Vectors volume 15, Article number: 389 (2022)
Dengue is one of the common arboviral infections and is a public health problem in South East Asia. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of dengue in SAARC (South Asian Associ...ation for Regional Cooperation) countries.
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Vue d’ensemble:
Le cycle de transmission
Téniase. Les ténias vivent dans l’intestin des êtres humains. Les œufs du ténia sont libérés avec les matières fécales. En cas de défécation à l’air libre, l'environnement (en particulier les légumes et l'eau) peut être contaminé. Cysti...cercose humaine. L'ingestion d'œufs de ténia (due à une mauvaise hygiène après l'utilisation des toilettes ou à la consommation d'eau ou d'aliments contaminés), entraîne le développement de kystes parasitaires principalement dans le cerveau (provoquant notamment des crises d’épilepsie). Cysticercose porcine. Les porcs mangeant des œufs de ténia (présents dans les matières fécales ou l'environnement) développent des kystes parasitaires principalement dans les muscles (viande). La viande infectée contient des kystes parasitaires qui ne sont pas toujours faciles à voir. La consommation de viande de porc infectée, crue ou mal cuite, entraîne le développement du ténia.
Les mesures de prévention et de contrôle
Les médicaments prescrits dans les centres de santé peuvent traiter l'infection par le ténia. Lavez vos mains avec de l'eau et du savon après avoir utilisé les toilettes. Rincez soigneusement les légumes ou faites-les cuire avant de les manger. Utilisez les toilettes ou les latrines pour éviter la contamination de l'environnement, des porcs et des autres personnes. Garder les porcs dans des enclos pour les empêcher d’être infectés. Vaccinez et traitez les porcs pour prévenir l'infection. L'inspection des viandes permet d'identifier les porcs fortement infectés. Faites bien cuire la viande de porc (elle ne doit plus être rose) pour tuer le parasite.
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Kinetoplastid parasites have caused human disease for millennia. Significant achievements have been made toward developing new treatments for leishmaniasis (particularly on the Indian subcontinent) and for human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). Moreover, the sustained decrease in the incidence of HAT... has made the prospect of elimination a tantalizing reality. Despite the gains, no new chemical or biological entities to treat kinetoplastid diseases have been registered in more than three decades, and more work is needed to discover safe and effective therapies for patients with Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. Advances in tools for drug discovery and novel insights into the biology of the host−parasite interaction may provide opportunities for accelerated progress. Here, we summarize the output from a gathering of scientists and physicians who met to discuss the current status and future directions in drug discovery for kinetoplastid diseases.
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Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease (CD), considered one of the most important parasitic infections in Latin America. Between 25 and 90 million humans are at infection risk via at least one of multiple infection mechanisms. Under natural conditions, the principal transmissio...n modes are transplacental or via one of more than 140 hematophagous triatomine bugs (Reduviidae: Triatominae). Triatomines acquire the parasite from mammal reservoirs due to their obligate blood-feeding (albeit triatomines can also feed on non-reservoir vertebrates such as birds and reptiles). The disease burden for CD in the Latin America and Caribbean region, based on disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), is at least five times greater than that of malaria, and is approximately one-fifth that of HIV/AIDS. In recent decades, CD has extended to other continents outside natural reservoir or vector distributions due to human migration, with a minimum estimated 10 million individuals infected worldwide.
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DPDx - Laboratory Identification of Parasites of Public Health Concern
Trypanosoma cruzi, is a parasitic protozoan that is the causative agent of Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis). Currently, six distinct lineages of T. cruzi are classified into discrete typing units (TcI-VI), which vary in... their geographic occurrence, host specificity, and pathogenicity.
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The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease, an important public health problem throughout Latin America. Current therapeutic options are characterised by limited efficacy, long treatment regimens and frequent toxic side-effects. Advances in this area have been compromised by gaps... in our knowledge of disease pathogenesis, parasite biology and drug activity. Nevertheless, several factors have come together to create a more optimistic scenario. Drug-based research has become more systematic, with increased collaborations between the academic and commercial sectors, often within the framework of not-for-profit consortia. High-throughput screening of compound libraries is being widely applied, and new technical advances are helping to streamline the drug development pipeline. In addition, drug repurposing and optimisation of current treatment regimens, informed by laboratory research, are providing a basis for new clinical trials. Here, we will provide an overview of the current status of Chagas disease drug development, highlight those areas where progress can be expected, and describe how fundamental research is helping to underpin the process.
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Taeniasis and cysticercosis caused by the parasite T. solium affect vulnerable populations,
mainly in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, where pigs (the intermediate host) roam
free and poor sanitation allows pigs access to human faeces.
Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, and it is endemic in Central, South America, Mexico and the
South of the United States. It is an important cause of early mortality and morbidity, and it is associated with poverty and stigma. A third of
the cases evolve into chronic... cardiomyopathy and gastrointestinal disease. The infection is transmitted vertically and by blood/organ
donation and can reactivate with immunosuppression. Case identification requires awareness and screening programmes targeting the
population at risk (women in reproductive age, donors, immunocompromised patients). Treatment with benznidazole or nifurtimox is most
effective in the acute phase and prevents progression to chronic phase when given to children. Treating women antenatally reduces but does
not eliminate vertical transmission. Treatment is poorly tolerated, contraindicated during pregnancy, and has little effect modifying the
disease in the chronic phase. Screening is easily performed with serology. Migration has brought the disease outside of the endemic
countries, where the transmission continues vertically and via blood and tissue/organ donations. There are more than 32 million migrants
from Latin America living in non-endemic countries. However, the infection is massively underdiagnosed in this setting due to the lack of
awareness by patients, health authorities and professionals. Blood and tissue donation screening policies have significantly reduced
transmission in endemic countries but are not universally established in the non-endemic setting. Antenatal screening is not commonly
done. Other challenges include difficulties accessing and retaining patients in the healthcare system and lack of specific funding for the
interventions. Any strategy must be accompanied by education and awareness campaigns directed to patients, professionals and policy
makers. The involvement of patients and their communities is central and key for success and must be sought early and actively. This review
proposes strategies to address challenges faced by non-endemic countries
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The larval stage of the parasite Taenia solium can encyst in the central nervous system causing neurocysticercosis, which is the main cause of acquired epilepsy in the countries in which the parasite is endemic. Endemic areas are those with the presence (or likely presence) of the full life cycle of... Taenia solium. The parasite is most prevalent in poor and vulnerable communities in which pigs roam free, open defecation is practiced, basic sanitation is deficient, and health education is absent or limited. Several tools are available for the control of Taenia solium. Preventive chemotherapy for Taenia solium taeniasis, which is directed at the adult tapeworm, is one of them. Other tools focus on pig management, pig vaccination and treatment, sanitation and hygiene, and community education. Three potential drugs—niclosamide, praziquantel, and albendazole—have been considered for use for preventive chemotherapy in Taenia solium taeniasis control programs through mass drug administration or targeted chemotherapy. In this Guideline, we provide recommendations for preventive chemotherapy in Taenia solium-endemic areas using niclosamide, praziquantel, or albendazole, including at which dose and in which population groups.
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Chagas disease (CD), caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects ~6–7 million people worldwide. Significant limitations still exist in our understanding of CD. Harnessing individual participant data (IPD) from studies could support more in-depth analyses to address
the many outstanding rese...arch questions. This systematic review aims to describe the characteristics and treatment practices of clinical studies in CD and assess the breadth and
availability of research data for the potential establishment of a data-sharing platform.
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Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic infection caused by worms. It is most common in rural and impoverished populations. In the Americas, the parasite species is Schistosoma mansoni, which is associated with intestinal schistosomiasis. The main risk factor for infection is exposure through househo...ld, work, or recreational activities in fresh water contaminated with faeces from infected humans.
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Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease), caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis, is traditionally acquired by drinking water containing copepods (water fleas) infected with D. medinensis larvae, but in recent years also appears increasingly to be transmitted by eating fish or other aquatic anima...ls. The worm typically emerges through the skin on a lower limb of the host 1 year after infection, causing pain and disability.
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Human echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease (a disease that is transmitted to humans from animals) that is caused by parasites, namely tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus.
La equinococosis humana es una zoonosis (es decir, una enfermedad transmitida al ser humano por los animales) provocada por tenias parásitas del género Echinococcus que se presenta en cuatro formas:
L’échinococcose humaine est une zoonose (maladie transmise à l’homme par l’animal) causée par des parasites, à savoir des ténias du genre Echinococcus. L’échinococcose se présente sous 4 formes :
More than one million people each year become infected by parasites that cause the disease cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). This disease manifests as one or more skin lesions or ulcers that are slow to heal with variable response rates to drug treatments. Thus far, little attention has been paid to how... the cultural effects of gender shape perceptions and experiences of CL. This review aims to bring together and analyse existing studies which use qualitative data to explore these differences. These studies offered insights into our specific research questions.
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Map of Distribution of clonorchiasis, worldwide.
Foodborne trematodes are a group of diseases that include the parasites Clonorchis, Opisthorchis, Fasciola and Paragonimus. These parasitic flukes have a complex life cycle involving diverse definitive hosts and one or two intermediate hosts. Foodbo...rne trematodes cause infection in humans via the consumption of contaminated food (raw fish, crustaceans or vegetables). Infection can result in severe liver and lung disease and together these diseases are estimated to cause 2 million life years lost to disability and death worldwide every year.
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