Co-infections are common in natural populations and interactions among co-infecting parasites can significantly alter the transmission and host fitness costs of infection. Because both exposure and susceptibility vary over time, predicting the consequences of parasite interactions on host fitness and disease dynamics may require detailed information on their effects across different environment...

The Caspian frisian roach (Rutilus frisii kutum), economically a very important fish species in Iran, is propagated in fishponds, reared into the rivers in fingerling size and then harvested from the Caspian Sea in adult stage. We found six monogenean parasites on the Caspian frisian roach including five Dactylogyrus spp. on fingerlings cultured in fishponds and rivers and two Dactylogyrus spp....

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identifies ten infectious agents (viruses, bacteria, parasites) able to induce cancer disease in humans. Among parasites, a carcinogenic role is currently recognized to the digenetic trematodes Schistosoma haematobium, leading to bladder cancer, and to Clonorchis sinensis or Opisthorchis viverrini, which cause cholangiocarcinoma. Furthermor...

The 70 kDa heat shock protein (HSP70) is a molecular chaperone that assists the parasite Leishmania in returning to homeostasis after being subjected to different types of stress during its life cycle. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of HSP70 transfection of L. amazonensis promastigotes (pTEX-HSP70) in terms of morphology, resistance, infectivity and mitochondrial bioenergetics. ...

To determine the status of infection caused by intestinal parasites among children and adolescents living in Legaspi city, the Philippines, we performed a small survey by fecal examination for helminth ova and protozoan cysts with formalin-ether concentration method. Of the 64 examinees, the infection rate was 78.1%. The infection rates of primary school children, preschool children and adolesc...

Title of Document: THE DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TRANSGENIC LEISHMANIA MAJOR EXPRESSING MURINE CD40L. Ann Elizabeth Field, Ph.D., 2007 Directed By: David Mosser, Professor, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics Leishmanization is the inoculation of live Leishmania into the host to vaccinate against subsequent infections. This approach has been largely discontinued due to safety concerns...

Co-infection by multiple parasites is common within individuals. Interactions between co-infecting parasites include resource competition, direct competition and immune-mediated interactions and each are likely to alter the dynamics of single parasites. We posit that co-infection is a driver of variation in parasite establishment and growth, ultimately altering the production of parasite transm...

Susceptibility to infection from nematode parasites in sheep is most pronounced in young animals and in periparturient ewes. The susceptibility of young animals is a consequence of an inability to develop effective acquired immune responses to nematode parasites. In the periparturient ewe, susceptibility arises from a temporary loss of acquired immunity. Loss of immunity is associated with a ri...

Type I IFNs exert diverse effector and regulatory functions in host immunity to viral and nonviral infections; however, the role of endogenous type I IFNs in leishmaniasis is unclear. We found that type I IFNR-deficient (IFNAR-/-) mice developed attenuated lesions and reduced Ag-specific immune responses following infection with Leishmania amazonensis parasites. The marked reduction in tissue p...

Simultaneous infection by multiple parasite species (viruses, bacteria, helminths, protozoa or fungi) is commonplace. Most reports show co-infected humans to have worse health than those with single infections. However, we have little understanding of how co-infecting parasites interact within human hosts. We used data from over 300 published studies to construct a network that offers the first...