Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a cosmopolitan parasitic zoonosis with public health and economic significance. In this study, we report CE in uncommon host, a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) in the Kuwait Zoo with description of clinical and pathological findings. In September 2025, a 32-year-old adult female common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) died at the zoo of Kuwait after showing severe symptoms. Post-mortem examination revealed a handball-sized cyst embedded in the hepatic umbilical fissure, causing lesions. The content of the cyst was examined microscopically as well as by sequencing of the mitochondrial nad1 gene from one of the clonal protoscoleces found in the cyst. The cyst proved to be Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto, genotype G1. The clinical case of the infection is described in detail. DNA sequence was nearly identical to sequences of G1 genotype of E. granulosus available in GenBank. This report of CE in a chimpanzee in the zoo highlights the problem related to environmental contamination. The implication of dogs in environmental contamination and other aspects of CE epidemiology in Kuwait is discussed. This is the first report of genetically identified hydatid cyst of E. granulosus sensu stricto in Kuwait and the first genetically confirmed case of the genotype G1 in chimpanzee.
Vermipsylla alakurt (Siphonaptera: Vermipsyllidae) is mainly distributed in alpine areas of north-western China, infesting sheep, goat and yaks, causing pruritus, anaemia and losses to animal husbandry. The carriage of vector-borne pathogens by this flea remains unclear. In January 2025, 89 fleas were collected from sheep in the China-Kazakhstan border area of northwest China and identified as V. alakurt by morphology and COII gene sequencing. Multiple genetic markers targeting the genera of Anaplasma, Coxiella, Babesia and Theileria were amplified and sequenced. Among 83 female fleas, Anaplasma ovis (n = 6), Coxiella burnetii (n = 37), Babesia sp. (n = 7), Babesia ovis (n = 1) and Theileria annulata (n = 4) were identified. The co-infection of Coxiella burnetii with Anaplasma ovis and Theileria annulata were respectively found. Multiple typical vector-borne pathogens were detected at the first time in V. alakurt fleas. This finding indicates that V. alakurt fleas can carry Anaplasma, Coxiella, Babesia and Theileria in the alpine region of the China-Kazakhstan border.
Leishmaniasis remains difficult to treat because available therapies are constrained by toxicity, administration burden, variable efficacy, cost, and drug resistance. This critical narrative review evaluates the preclinical evidence for pentalinonsterol (PEN), a plant-derived cholestane-type steroidal ketone originally isolated from the Mayan medicinal plant Pentalinon andrieuxii. Experimental studies demonstrate PEN activity against Leishmania promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes, together with marked parasite ultrastructural injury; however, no parasite molecular target has been validated. PEN also modulates host-cell responses involving NF-κB/AP-1 signalling, antigen presentation and co-stimulatory markers, dendritic-cell IL-12 production, T-cell IFN-γ responses, MAPK–cPLA₂ signalling, and Nrf2-associated transcriptional and redox responses. These findings establish host-active pharmacology but do not demonstrate that any PEN-responsive host pathway is required for parasite clearance. Liposomal PEN reduced parasite burdens in experimental visceral leishmaniasis, although its pharmacokinetic, tissue-delivery, safety, or efficacy advantage over free PEN has not been established. Overall, the available evidence remains preclinical: parasite-directed activity and host-cell modulation have each been demonstrated, but their molecular targets, causal interdependence, relative contribution to parasite clearance, and temporal relationship remain unresolved. PEN is therefore most appropriately regarded as a putative dual-action antileishmanial natural product for which the proposed dual mechanism requires direct experimental validation.
Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a microsporidium, and Giardia duodenalis is an important intestinal pathogen, both infect a wide range of hosts, including cattle. This study investigated the seasonal distribution and genetic diversity of these pathogens in dairy cattle in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China. A total of 505 fecal samples were collected from an intensive dairy farm during different seasonal sampling periods in 2024. Genomic DNA was extracted, and the internal transcribed spacer region of E. bieneusi and the small subunit (SSU) rRNA, beta-giardin (bg), glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), and triosephosphate isomerase (tpi) genes of G. duodenalis were amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. Overall prevalence of E. bieneusi and G. duodenalis was 26.53
Myxosporeans infecting amphibians, particularly Asian salamanders, remain poorly investigated. I conducted a parasitological survey of Japanese salamanders to investigate the occurrence of myxosporean infections. A parasitological survey was conducted on 132 individuals representing 27 taxa (26 species and one hybrid taxon) of Japanese salamanders belonging to three families. The parasites obtained were examined morphologically using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and molecular analyses were performed using partial sequences of the small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA genes. Myxosporean parasites belonging to the genus Cystodiscus were identified from the gallbladders of three hynobiid salamanders: Hynobius kimurae, H. tagoi, and H. utsunomiyaorum. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, the parasite is herein described as a new species, Cystodiscus uptoni n. sp. The species is characterized by its myxospore morphology and the presence of motile plasmodia. This represents the first record of a myxosporean infection in salamanders in Asia and the first record of the genus Cystodiscus from Japan. Molecular phylogenetic analyses supported the distinctiveness of the new species from previously sequenced congeners. Myxosporeans were not detected in the remaining 23 salamander taxa, although plasmodia-like structures lacking mature spores were observed in H. hirosei. This study provides the first evidence of myxosporean infection in Asian salamanders and expands the known host and geographic ranges of Cystodiscus. The results highlight the need for further investigations of myxosporean diversity and host associations in Asian salamanders.
