Toxoplasma gondii
is an intracellular protozoan parasite that can remarkably infect, survive, and replicate in almost all mammalian cells and can cause severe neurological and ocular damage in ...immunocompromised individuals. It is known that Natural Killer cells (NK cells), as a type of cytotoxic lymphocyte, have critical protective roles in innate immunity during the
T. gondii
infection through releasing interferon gamma (IFN-γ). Interleukin 12 (IL-12) is a pivotal critical cytokine for the generation of IFN-γ–producing NK cells. Several studies have shown cytokines’ impact on NK cell activation; and IL-2 has an important role with a potent stimulatory factor for NK cells. In this review, we summarized the mechanism of interleukin-12 production stimulation by
T. gondii
tachyzoites and discussed several factors affecting this mechanism.
Microsporidiosis as a zoonotic disease has caused serious health problems in high-risk groups, including immunosuppressed individuals. Among the potential animal reservoirs of microsporidia, rodents ...play a key role due to close-contact with humans and their dispersion in different environments. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the global status and genetic diversity of microsporidia infection in different rodents.
The standard protocol of preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from 1 January 2000 to 15 April 2021. All peer-reviewed original research articles describing the molecular prevalence of microsporidia infection in rodents were included. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. The point estimates and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random-effects model. The variance between studies (heterogeneity) were quantified by I
index.
Of 1695 retrieved studies, 22 articles (including 34 datasets) were included for final meta-analysis. The pooled global molecular prevalence (95% CI) of microsporidia infection in rodents was 14.2% (95% CI 10.9-18.3%). The highest prevalence of microsporidia was found in Apodemus spp. 27.3% (95% CI 15-44.5%). Enterocytozoon bieneusi was the most common pathogen (26/34; 76.47% studies) according to PCR-based methods, and the genotype D as the highest reported genotype (15 studies).
The findings of the study showed a relatively high prevalence of microsporidia infection in rodents as a potential animal reservoir for infecting human. Given the relatively high incidence of microsporidiosis, designing strategies for control, and prevention of microsporidia infection in rodents should be recommended.
Abstract
Background
Microsporidia is a zoonotic pathogen with health consequences in immunocompromised patients. Small ruminants are a potential reservoir of microsporidia for humans in their ...vicinity. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the molecular prevalence of microsporidian infections with emphasis on
Enterocytozoon bieneusi
genotypes among sheep and goats at a global scale through systematic review and meta-analysis approach.
Methods
The standard protocol of preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Eligible prevalence studies on small ruminant microsporidiosis, published from 1 January 2000 until 15 April 2021 were gathered using systematic literature search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. The point estimates and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random-effects model. The variance between studies (heterogeneity) was quantified by
I
2
index.
Results
In total, 25 articles (including 34 datasets) were included for final meta-analysis. The pooled molecular prevalence of microsporidia in sheep and goats was estimated to be 17.4% (95% CI: 11.8–25%) and 16% (95% CI: 11.2–22.4%), respectively. Likewise, the overall prevalence of
E. bieneusi
was estimated to be 17.4% (95% CI: 11.8–25%) for sheep and 16.3% (95% CI: 11.3–22.8%) for goats. According to internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene analysis,
E. bieneusi
with genotypes BEB6 (15 studies) and COS-1 (nine studies) in sheep, and CHG3 (six studies) and BEB6 (five studies) in goats were the highest reported genotypes.
Conclusion
The present results highlight the role of sheep and goats as reservoir hosts for human-infecting microsporidia. Therefore, this global estimate could be beneficial on preventive and control measures.
Water and food sources play a major role in the distribution and transfer of microsporidia infection to animals and humans. So, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the status and ...genetic diversity of microsporidia infection in water, vegetables, fruits, milk, cheese, and meat. The standard protocol of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was followed. Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from 1 January 2000 and 1 February 2023. The point estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Of the 1,308 retrieved studies, 35 articles were included in the final meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of microsporidia infection in mixed water, mixed fruits, mixed vegetables, and milk was 43.3% (95% CI, 33-54.2%; I
, 94.86%), 35.8% (95% CI, 5.3-84.8%; I
, 0), 12% (95% CI, 4.9-26.6%; I
, 96.43%), and 5.8% (95% CI, 2.7-12%; I
, 83.72%), respectively. Considering the genotypes, microsporidia with genotype D in water sources and genotype CD6 in vegetables/fruits were the highest reported genotypes. Given the relatively high prevalence of microsporidiosis (especially in water sources), designing strategies for control, and prevention of microsporidia infection in these sources should be recommended.
Background:
Recently, a hypothesis about the negative relationship between cancers and parasites has been proposed and investigated; some parasitic worms and their products can affect the cancer cell ...proliferation. Due to the potential anti-cancer effect of helminthic parasites, in the present study, the excretory–secretory protein of
Toxocara canis
(
T. canis
) parasite was used to evaluate the possible anti-cancer properties and their effect on gastrointestinal and liver cancer cell proliferation-related genes in laboratory conditions.
Methods and materials:
The selected synthesized peptide fraction from the
T. canis
excretory–secretory Troponin protein peptide (ES TPP) was exposed at 32, 64, 128, and 256 μg/ml concentrations to three gastrointestinal cancer cell lines AGS, HT-29, and Caco 2, as well as HDF cells as normal cell lines. We used the MTT assay to evaluate cellular changes and cell viability (CV). Variations in gene (Bcl-2, APAF1, ZEB1, VEGF, cyclin-D1, and caspase-3) expression were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR.
Results:
After 24 h of exposure to pept1ides and cell lines, a decrease in CV was observed at a concentration of 64 μg/ml and compared to the control group. Then, after 48 h, a significant decrease in the CV of Caco 2 cells was observed at a concentration of 32 μg/ml; in the other cancer cell lines, concentrations above 32 μg/ml were effective. The peptide was able to significantly alter the expression of the studied genes at a concentration of 100 μg/ml.
Conclusion:
Although the studied peptide at high concentrations could have a statistically significant effect on cancer cells, it is still far from the standard drug and can be optimized and promising in future studies.
Background: We aimed to characterize Cryptosporidium spp. in rats, cats, pigeons, and crows.
Methods: Fifty-five animal origin Cryptosporidium spp. genome were identified, genotyped and confirmed by ...nested PCR and of RFLP-PCR analysis as well as sequenced based on 18s rRNA and gp60 genes in Tehran (2012-2019). Finally, the phylogenetic analysis was performed by MEGA software (version 7).
Results: By the molecular method, Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in 24 (15.2%), 15 (15%), 2 (2%) and 13 (13%) cases of wild rats, cat, pigeon, and crow, respectively. Among the identified species by the RFLP pattern, most isolates were identified as C. parvum (24/157) 17.8% in rats, (15/100) 15% in cats, (13/100) 13%in crew and (2/100) 2% in pigeons; and the rest of the cases were C. muris and C. felis. The results of sequencing did not prove the existence of C. parvum, C. felis, C. muris, and rat genotype. Subtyping of C. parvum was indicated that the dominant subtype family belongs to the IId family and the subtype A20G1 was the most common subtype detected in all hosts while A19G1 was detected in one isolate of cat and pigeon.
Conclusion: Free-ranging animals are infected by species/subtype of Cryptosporidium, which can infect humans. This shows by itself the hygienic importance of the free-ranging animals in urban ecosystems. In the transmission of human cryptosporidiosis, the multi-host Cryptosporidium species such as C. parvum, C. felis, and C. muris can be transferred potentially from these animals to humans.
Abstract
Objective
Intestinal protozoa
Blastocystis hominis
and
Cryptosporidium
spp. are two influential factors in intestinal complications and malignancies. In present study, we estimated the ...pooled prevalence and odds ratio (OR) of the two parasites in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and their possible association with the deadly disease.
Method
Our systematic search was conducted for published researches between January 1, 2000 and April 30, 2022 by using four international databases include Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science as well as Google scholar search engine. The random- and fixed-effects models were used to estimate the pooled prevalence, OR, and 95% confidence interval (CI) by comprehensive meta-analysis (V2.2, Bio stat) software. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied.
Results
Thirteen papers (seven case–control and six cross-sectional studies) for
B. hominis
/CRC and six papers (two case–control and four cross-sectional studies) for
Cryptosporidium
spp./CRC were eligible to include in data synthesis. Pooled prevalence of
B. hominis
and
Cryptosporidium
spp. in CRC patients was calculated to be 26.8% (95% CI 19.4–35.7%) and 12.7% (95% CI 6.8–22.5%), respectively. Based on case–control studies, significant difference was found between case and controls in both protozoa (
B. hominis
OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.39–3.18% vs.
Cryptosporidium
spp. OR 5.06; 95% CI 1.8–13.6%). Considering the
Blastocystis
subtypes, ST1 (5/6; 83.33% studies) and ST3 (5/6; 83.33% studies) had the highest number of reports in CRC patients. Regarding the
Cryptosporidium
species, only
C. parvum
and
C. hominis
were reported.
Conclusion
Given the significant prevalence of both parasites in CRC patients and their statistically significant association, there is a need to pay more attention to these two intestinal parasites in under treatment patients.
Background. Toxocariasis is an important health problem caused by the parasitic species Toxocara canis (T. canis) and Toxocara cati (T. cati). Prevalence of toxocariasis in pregnant women as a ...vulnerable population is doubly important, and the aim of this study is to estimate the overall prevalence of toxocariasis infection in pregnant women according to the available reports. Methods. The present study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklists. A systematic search was carried out in international scientific databases (Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and PubMed) between 1990 and 2023. The overall prevalence of parasitic infection was estimated with a random-effects model. All analyses (overall prevalence, heterogeneity, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis) were performed with comprehensive meta-analysis (V2.2, Bio stat) software. Results. Amid the final eleven included studies, based on the random-effects model, the estimation of the pooled prevalence of Toxocara spp. was 20.8% (95% CI, 9.8–38.7%). The association between the risk factors of toxocariasis and the prevalence of the disease was not statistically significant. Conclusions. In the present study, significant prevalence was reported; however, considering the limited number of studies, it seems that the actual prevalence of the disease is higher. Therefore, it seems necessary to monitor this health problem in pregnant women.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In the present study, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the global and regional seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. and associated risk factors among children.
The present ...systematic review and meta-analysis was followed based on the Preferred Reporting. Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) protocol. We searched the online databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) and Google Scholar search engine for studies that measured seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. among children, published between 1 January 2000 and 15 January 2022. Accordingly, the pooled seroprevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using a random-effects meta-analysis model.
A total of 65 articles from 22 countries met the inclusion criteria. The global seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. infection among children was estimated as 25% (95% CI 22-29). Meta-regression analysis showed that the type of population studied (p = 0.002) and year of publication (p = 0.044) it may be the source of heterogeneity. The highest and lowest pooled seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. infection were estimated in Thailand and Colombia as 58.2% (95% CI 50.9-65.5) and 7.04% (95% CI 3.05-11.3), respectively. Male gender was associated with a higher risk of Toxocara spp. compared to females, and this association was statistically significant (OR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.09-1.41, p = 0.001). However, residing in rural areas did not show a statistically significant increase in risk compared to living in urban areas (OR = 1.39; 95% CI 0.88-2.21, p = 0.143).
Toxocariasis is common among children, hence, prevention and control scheme of this helminth in children should be considered by health officials and health policymakers, especially in developing countries, where seroprevalence is highest.
Abstract
Background
Microsporidiosis is an emerging zoonotic disease that is considered a global public health concern. Dogs are suggested as one of potential reservoirs for transmitting the ...microsporidia infection to humans. However, there is little data on distribution of microsporidia in dogs. The current study aimed to evaluate the global prevalence and genetic diversity of microsporidia infection among the dog population.
Methods
We searched four major databases for studies reporting the prevalence of microsporidia in dogs until 30 May 2020. A random-effects model was used to estimate the overall and the subgroup-pooled prevalence of microsporidia across studies.
Result
Finally, a total of 32 studies (including 37 datasets) from 17 countries were included in this meta-analysis. The overall prevalence (95% CI) of microsporidia infection was estimated at 23.1% (13.5–36.8%) using microscopic methods, 20.9% (14.6–29%) using serological methods, and 8.4% (6.1–11.5%) using molecular methods. Molecular methods showed that the highest number of reports was related to
Enterocytozoon bieneusi
with a pooled prevalence of 6.5% (4.9–8.7%). Considering
E. bieneusi
genotypes, most studies reported the PtEb IX (10 studies) and the D (eight studies) genotypes.
Conclusion
These results emphasize the role of a dog as a reservoir host for human-infecting microsporidia. In addition, monitoring programs for human-infecting microsporidia in animals with close contact to humans should be considered.
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