Articles

The phylogeography of Indoplanorbis exustus (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in Asia

The freshwater snail Indoplanorbis exustus is found across India, Southeast Asia, central Asia (Afghanistan), Arabia and Africa. Indoplanorbis is of economic importance in that it is responsible for the transmiss...

Authors: Liang Liu, Mohammed MH Mondal, Mohamed A Idris, Hakim S Lokman, PRV Jayanthe Rajapakse, Fadjar Satrija, Jose L Diaz, E Suchart Upatham and Stephen W Attwood

Larval trematode communities in Radix auricularia and Lymnaea stagnalis in a reservoir system of the Ruhr River

Analysis of the data available from traditional faunistic approaches to mollusc-trematode systems covering large spatial and/or temporal scales in Europe convinced us that a parasite community approach in well...

Authors: Miroslava Soldánová, Christian Selbach, Bernd Sures, Aneta Kostadinova and Ana Pérez-del-Olmo

Trapping mosquitoes using milk products as odour baits in western Kenya

Ample evidence has shown that blood seeking mosquitoes locate their hosts by following odours produced by the hosts. Odour baited traps would therefore, provide a solution in controlling diseases spread by mos...

Authors: Eunice A Owino

Exotic Rickettsiae in Ixodes ricinus: fact or artifact?

Several pathogenic Rickettsia species can be transmitted via Ixodes ricinus ticks to humans and animals. Surveys of I. ricinus for the presence of Rickettsiae using part of its 16S rRNA gene yield a plethora of n...

Authors: Ellen Tijsse-Klasen, Manoj Fonville, Leo van Overbeek, Johan HJ Reimerink and Hein Sprong

Individual exposure to Simulium bites and intensity of Onchocerca volvulus infection

Onchocerca volvulus, the causative agent of river blindness, is transmitted through the black fly Simulium damnosum s.l., which breeds in turbulent river waters. To date, the number of flies attacking humans has ...

Authors: C A Jacobi, P Enyong and A Renz

Samuels DS, Radolf JD: Borrelia: Molecular Biology, Host Interaction and Pathogenesis

Authors: Olivier AE Sparagano

Characterization of the Taenia spp HDP2 sequence and development of a novel PCR-based assay for discrimination of Taenia saginata from Taenia asiatica

A previously described Taenia saginata HDP2 DNA sequence, a 4-kb polymorphic fragment, was previously used as the basis for developing PCR diagnostic protocols for the species-specific discrimination of T. sagina...

Authors: Luis M González, Begoña Bailo, Elizabeth Ferrer, Maria D Fernandez García, Leslie JS Harrison, Michael RE Parkhouse, Donald P McManus and Teresa Gárate

Museum material reveals a frog parasite emergence after the invasion of the cane toad in Australia

A parasite morphologically indistinguishable from Myxidium immersum (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) found in gallbladders of the invasive cane toad (Bufo marinus) was identified in Australian frogs. Because no written reco...

Authors: Ashlie Hartigan, David N Phalen and Jan Šlapeta

Near-infrared spectroscopy as a complementary age grading and species identification tool for African malaria vectors

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was recently applied to age-grade and differentiate laboratory reared Anopheles gambiae sensu strico and Anopheles arabiensis sibling species of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato comp...

Authors: Maggy Sikulu, Gerry F Killeen, Leon E Hugo, Peter A Ryan, Kayla M Dowell, Robert A Wirtz, Sarah J Moore and Floyd E Dowell

Factors associated with compliance with community directed treatment with ivermectin for onchocerciasis control in Southwestern Ethiopia

Although ivermectin is distributed free of charge through the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), not all eligible individuals within communities receive the annual treatment. This poses a ser...

Authors: Daniel Yirga, Kebede Deribe, Kifle Woldemichael, Mekite Wondafrash and Wondosen Kassahun

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis of closely related wild and captive tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans morsitans) populations

Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) are vectors of trypanosomes that cause sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock across sub-Saharan Africa. Tsetse control strategies rely on a detailed understand...

Authors: Gurdeep K Lall, Alistair C Darby, Bjorn Nystedt, Ewan T MacLeod, Richard P Bishop and Susan C Welburn

The use of annual killifish in the biocontrol of the aquatic stages of mosquitoes in temporary bodies of fresh water; a potential new tool in vector control

Mosquitoes that breed in temporary pools in remote areas that dry up seasonally are especially difficult to control through chemical or biological means. The annual killifish has been suggested as a means of e...

Authors: Jonathan R Matias and Araceli Q Adrias

Clark CG, Johnson PJ, Adam RD: Anaerobic Parasitic Protozoa: Genomics and Molecular Biology

Authors: Kevin M Tyler

Co-infections with Plasmodium falciparum, Schistosoma mansoni and intestinal helminths among schoolchildren in endemic areas of northwestern Tanzania

Malaria, schistosomiasis and intestinal helminth infections are causes of high morbidity in most tropical parts of the world. Even though these infections often co-exist, most studies focus on individual disea...

Authors: Humphrey D Mazigo, Rebecca Waihenya, Nicholas JS Lwambo, Ladislaus L Mnyone, Aneth M Mahande, Jeremiah Seni, Maria Zinga, Anthony Kapesa, Eliningaya J Kweka, Stephen E Mshana, Jorg Heukelbach and Gerald M Mkoji

Increased transcription of Glutathione S-transferases in acaricide exposed scabies mites

Recent evidence suggests that Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis mites collected from scabies endemic communities in northern Australia show increasing tolerance to 5% permethrin and oral ivermectin. Previous finding...

Authors: Kate E Mounsey, Cielo J Pasay, Larry G Arlian, Marjorie S Morgan, Deborah C Holt, Bart J Currie, Shelley F Walton and James S McCarthy

Role of sand lizards in the ecology of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in the Netherlands

Lizards are considered zooprophylactic for almost all Borrelia burgdorferi species, and act as dilution hosts in parts of North America. Whether European lizards significantly reduce the ability of B. burgdorferi

Authors: Ellen Tijsse-Klasen, Manoj Fonville, Johan HJ Reimerink, Annemarieke Spitzen - van der Sluijs and Hein Sprong

Partial mitochondrial DNA sequences suggest the existence of a cryptic species within the Leucosphyrus group of the genus Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae), forest malaria vectors, in northern Vietnam

During the last decade, Southeast Asian countries have been very successful in reducing the burden of malaria. However, malaria remains endemic in these countries, especially in remote and forested areas. The ...

Authors: Kohei Takenaka Takano, Ngoc Thi Hong Nguyen, Binh Thi Huong Nguyen, Toshihiko Sunahara, Michio Yasunami, Manh Duc Nguyen and Masahiro Takagi

Insecticide resistance in Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) from villages in central, northern and south west Ethiopia and detection of kdr mutation

Anopheles arabiensis is the major vector of malaria in Ethiopia. Malaria vector control in Ethiopia is based on selective indoor residual spraying using DDT, distribution of long lasting insecticide treated nets ...

Authors: Meshesha Balkew, Muntaser Ibrahim, Lizette L Koekemoer, Basil D Brooke, Howard Engers, Abraham Aseffa, Teshome Gebre-Michael and Ibrahim Elhassen

High occurrence of cyclosporiasis in Istanbul, Turkey, during a dry and warm summer

We evaluated the incidence of Cyclospora cayetanensis in immunocompetent, diarrheic patients during the summers of 2006-2009 in Istanbul. Stools from 1876 patients were examined using microscopic techniques. Cycl...

Authors: Melda Ozdamar, Elif Hakko and Salih Turkoglu

Parasitic manipulation and neuroinflammation: Evidence from the system Microphallus papillorobustus (Trematoda) - Gammarus (Crustacea)

Neuropathological consequences of neuroinflammatory processes have been implicated in a wide range of diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS). Glial cells, the resident immune cells of the CNS, res...

Authors: Simone Helluy and Frederic Thomas

Cold storage and cryopreservation of tick cell lines

Tick cell lines are now available from fifteen ixodid and argasid species of medical and veterinary importance. However, some tick cell lines can be difficult to cryopreserve, and improved protocols for short-...

Authors: Gertrud Lallinger, Erich Zweygarth, Lesley Bell-Sakyi and Lygia MF Passos

One Health approach to identify research needs in bovine and human babesioses: workshop report

Babesia are emerging health threats to humans and animals in the United States. A collaborative effort of multiple disciplines to attain optimal health for people, animals and our environment, otherwise known as ...

Authors: Adalberto A Pérez de León, Daniel A Strickman, Donald P Knowles, Durland Fish, Eileen Thacker, José de la Fuente, Peter J Krause, Stephen K Wikel, Ryan S Miller, Gale G Wagner, Consuelo Almazán, Robert Hillman, Matthew T Messenger, Paul O Ugstad, Roberta A Duhaime, Pete D Teel…

Emergence of zoonotic arboviruses by animal trade and migration

Arboviruses are transmitted in nature exclusively or to a major extend by arthropods. They belong to the most important viruses invading new areas in the world and their occurrence is strongly influenced by cl...

Authors: Martin Pfeffer and Gerhard Dobler

Imported and travelling dogs as carriers of canine vector-borne pathogens in Germany

With the import of pets and pets taken abroad, arthropod-borne diseases have increased in frequency in German veterinary practices. This is reflected by 4,681 dogs that have been either travelled to or relocat...

Authors: Brigitte Menn, Susanne Lorentz and Torsten J Naucke

Experimental infection and co-infection of dogs with Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis: hematologic, serologic and molecular findings

Rhipicephalus sanguineus is a ubiquitous tick responsible for transmitting Ehrlichia canis and most likely Anaplasma platys to dogs, as either single or co-infections. The objective of this study was to assess th...

Authors: SD Gaunt, MJ Beall, BA Stillman, L Lorentzen, PPVP Diniz, R Chandrashekar and EB Breitschwerdt

Comparison of selected canine vector-borne diseases between urban animal shelter and rural hunting dogs in Korea

A serological survey for Dirofilaria immitis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia canis, and Borrelia burgdorferi infections in rural hunting and urban shelter dogs mainly from southwestern regions of the Republ...

Authors: Sun Lim, Peter J Irwin, SeungRyong Lee, MyungHwan Oh, KyuSung Ahn, BoYoung Myung and SungShik Shin

Environmental risk mapping of canine leishmaniasis in France

Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania infantum, a Trypanosomatid protozoan transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies. Leishmaniasis is endemic in southern France, but the influences o...

Authors: Lise Chamaillé, Annelise Tran, Anne Meunier, Gilles Bourdoiseau, Paul Ready and Jean-Pierre Dedet

A survey of canine filarial diseases of veterinary and public health significance in India

Dirofilaria spp., Acanthocheilonema spp. and Brugia spp. have all been reported in Indian dogs. In previous studies, diagnosis was made by morphological identification only. This is the first geographically strat...

Authors: Puteri Azaziah Megat Abd Rani, Peter J Irwin, Mukulesh Gatne, Glen T Coleman, Linda M McInnes and Rebecca J Traub

Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and Bartonella henselae bacteremia in a father and daughter with neurological disease

Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii is an important, emerging, intravascular bacterial pathogen that has been recently isolated from immunocompetent patients with endocarditis, arthritis, neurological disease a...

Authors: Edward B Breitschwerdt, Ricardo G Maggi, Paul M Lantos, Christopher W Woods, Barbara C Hegarty and Julie M Bradley

Canine vector-borne diseases in India: a review of the literature and identification of existing knowledge gaps

Despite the combination of favourable climate for parasites and vectors, and large populations of stray dogs, information concerning the epidemiology, diagnosis and management of canine vector-borne diseases i...

Authors: Puteri Azaziah Megat Abd Rani, Peter J Irwin, Mukulesh Gatne, Glen T Coleman and Rebecca J Traub

Canine babesiosis in northern Portugal and molecular characterization of vector-borne co-infections

Protozoa and bacteria transmitted by arthropods, including ticks and phlebotomine sand flies, may cause a wide range of canine vector-borne diseases. Dogs can be simultaneously or sequentially infected with mu...

Authors: Luís Cardoso, Yael Yisaschar-Mekuzas, Filipa T Rodrigues, Álvaro Costa, João Machado, Duarte Diz-Lopes and Gad Baneth

Biology and ecology of the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus

The brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) is the most widespread tick in the world and a well-recognized vector of many pathogens affecting dogs and occasionally humans. This tick can be found on dogs living ...

Authors: Filipe Dantas-Torres

Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection in a leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) housed in a zoological park in north-eastern Italy

Canine heartworm (cHW) disease is now recognised as potential cause of serious disease in cats and other felids, especially in endemic areas. In March 2009, a 23-years-old male African leopard (Panthera pardus pa...

Authors: Sandro Mazzariol, Rudi Cassini, Laura Voltan, Luca Aresu and Antonio Frangipane di Regalbono

Zaccone G, Perrière C, Mathis A, Kapoor BG: Fish Defenses: Pathogens, Parasites and Predators

Book review of "Fish Defenses: Volume 2. Pathogens, Parasites and Predators" by G. Zaccone, C. Perrière, A. Mathis, B. G. Kapoor (eds.)

Authors: Pin Nie

Entamoeba histolytica and E. dispar trophozoites in the liver of hamsters: in vivo binding of antibodies and complement

Human amoebiasis is caused by the parasitic protozoan Entamoeba histolytica that lives in the large intestine of hosts, where can produce asymptomatic colonization until severe invasive infections with blood diar...

Authors: Cássia AX Costa, Álvaro C Nunes, Anderson J Ferreira, Maria A Gomes and Marcelo V Caliari

Mosquito cell line glycoproteins: an unsuitable model system for the Plasmodium ookinete-mosquito midgut interaction?

Mosquito midgut glycoproteins may act as key recognition sites for the invading malarial ookinete. Effective transmission blocking strategies require the identification of novel target molecules. We have parti...

Authors: Simon Wilkins and Peter F Billingsley

Evidence for a new species of Cryptosporidium infecting tortoises: Cryptosporidium ducismarci

Cryptosporidiosis affects the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract of humans as well as of a wide range of companion, farm, laboratory and wild animals. In the past few years, three independent studies have ...

Authors: Donato Traversa

Rabinowitz PM, Conti LA: Human-Animal Medicine, Clinical Approaches to Zoonoses, Toxicants and Other Shared Health

Book review of "Human-Animal Medicine, Clinical Approaches to Zoonoses, Toxicants and Other Shared Health Risks" by Peter M. Rabinowitz and Lisa A. Conti (eds.)

Authors: Filipe Dantas-Torres

Local impact of temperature and precipitation on West Nile virus infection in Culex species mosquitoes in northeast Illinois, USA

Models of the effects of environmental factors on West Nile virus disease risk have yielded conflicting outcomes. The role of precipitation has been especially difficult to discern from existing studies, due i...

Authors: Marilyn O Ruiz, Luis F Chaves, Gabriel L Hamer, Ting Sun, William M Brown, Edward D Walker, Linn Haramis, Tony L Goldberg and Uriel D Kitron

An extra-domiciliary method of delivering entomopathogenic fungus, Metharizium anisopliae IP 46 for controlling adult populations of the malaria vector, Anopheles arabiensis

Fungal biopesticides have the potential to significantly reduce densities of malaria vectors as well as associated malaria transmission. In previous field trials, entomopathogenic fungus was delivered from wit...

Authors: Dickson W Lwetoijera, Robert D Sumaye, Edith P Madumla, Deogratius R Kavishe, Ladslaus L Mnyone, Tanya L Russell and Fredros O Okumu

Parasite-induced aggression and impaired contest ability in a fish host

Success of trophically transmitted parasites depends to a great extent on their ability to manipulate their intermediate hosts in a way that makes them easier prey for target hosts. Parasite-induced behavioura...

Authors: V N Mikheev, A F Pasternak, J Taskinen and E T Valtonen

Synthetic sex pheromone attracts the leishmaniasis vector Lutzomyia longipalpis to experimental chicken sheds treated with insecticide

Current strategies for controlling American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) have been unable to prevent the spread of the disease across Brazil. With no effective vaccine and culling of infected dogs an unpopular...

Authors: Daniel P Bray, Graziella B Alves, Maria E Dorval, Reginaldo P Brazil and J GC Hamilton

The development of drugs for treatment of sleeping sickness: a historical review

Only four drugs are available for the chemotherapy of human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness; Suramin, pentamidine, melarsoprol and eflornithine. The history of the development of these drugs is we...

Authors: Dietmar Steverding

Scientometric analysis of the world-wide research efforts concerning Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a chronic disease that is found in various countries of the world. The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of leishmaniasis on the world's research output. The present study...

Authors: K Al-Mutawakel, C Scutaru, A Shami, M Sakr, DA Groneberg and D Quarcoo

Simplified molecular detection of Leishmania parasites in various clinical samples from patients with leishmaniasis

Molecular methods to detect Leishmania parasites are considered specific and sensitive, but often not applied in endemic areas of developing countries due to technical complexity. In the present study isothermal,...

Authors: Claire M Mugasa, Thierry Laurent, Gerard J Schoone, Frank L Basiye, Alfarazdeg A Saad, Sayda el Safi, Piet A Kager and Henk DFH Schallig

Attracting, trapping and killing disease-transmitting mosquitoes using odor-baited stations - The Ifakara Odor-Baited Stations

To accelerate efforts towards control and possibly elimination of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and lymphatic filariasis, optimally located outdoor interventions could be used to complement existing ...

Authors: Fredros O Okumu, Edith P Madumla, Alex N John, Dickson W Lwetoijera and Robert D Sumaye

Capillariaisis (Trichurida, Trichinellidae, Capillaria hepatica) in the Brazilian Amazon: low pathogenicity, low infectivity and a novel mode of transmission

Human capillariasis caused by Capillaria hepatica (syn. Calodium hepaticum) is a rare disease with no more than 40 cases registered around the world. Classically, the disease has severe symptoms that mimic acute ...

Authors: Luis Marcelo Aranha Camargo, Juliana de Souza Almeida Aranha Camargo, Luana Janaina de Souza Vera, Pedro di Tarique Crispim Barreto, Eudes Kang Tourinho and Marcia Maria de Souza

Natural infection of the sand fly Phlebotomus kazeruni by Trypanosoma species in Pakistan

The natural infection of phlebotomine sand flies by Leishmania parasites was surveyed in a desert area of Pakistan where cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic. Out of 220 female sand flies dissected, one sand fly, P...

Authors: Hirotomo Kato, Hiroshi Uezato, Hiroshi Sato, Abdul M Bhutto, Farooq R Soomro, Javed H Baloch, Hiroyuki Iwata and Yoshihisa Hashiguchi

Gibbons LM: Keys to the Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates. Supplementary Volume

Book review of "Keys to the Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates. Supplementary Volume" by Lynda M. Gibbons

Authors: František Moravec

Mongolian and Japanese Joint Conference on "Echinococcosis: diagnosis, treatment and prevention in Mongolia" June 4, 2009

The first Mongolian-Japanese Joint Conference on "Echinococcosis: diagnosis, treatment and prevention in Mongolia" was held in Ulaanbaatar on June 4^th, 2009. It was the first chance for Mongolian experts (clinici...

Authors: A Gurbadam, D Nyamkhuu, G Nyamkhuu, A Tsendjav, O Sergelen, B Narantuya, Z Batsukh, G Battsetseg, B Oyun-Erdene, B Uranchimeg, D Otgonbaatar, D Temuulen, E Bayarmaa, D Abmed, S Tsogtsaikhan, A Usukhbayar…