Ocular myiasis is a relatively rare clinical entity that mainly affects the old and debilitated people with poor hygiene in rural settings and has a strong occupational predisposition. Presented here are two unusual cases of ocular myiasis caused by O. ovis after exposure to dust in young individuals with no history of contact with animals in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas. Although early presentation meant a mild illness and early resolution, the reporting of the cases from this region may be an indicator of human-environment conflicts.
The southern region of Poland, rich in natural and tourist attractions, encourages outdoor recreation and spending time in nature. Ongoing climate change, including global warming, has contributed to an increased abundance of ticks and an extended period of their seasonal activity. Consequently, the number of tick-borne disease cases continues to rise, and their diagnosis and treatment are often challenging and prolonged. The aim of this study is to summarize current knowledge on the occurrence of ticks in tourist areas of southern Poland and to raise public health awareness among individuals engaged in tourism and recreation, particularly regarding tick presence and the tick-borne diseases they transmit. To achieve the above goal, a review of available scientific and review articles on tick fauna and their role in the transmission of tick-borne disease pathogens in southern Poland was conducted. Electronic databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar were used in the literature analysis. The presence of ticks belonging to the family Ixodidae (Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes vespertilionis), Amblyommidae (Dermacentor reticulatus), and Argasidae (Argas reflexus, Argas polonicus) has been confirmed. In ticks collected from vegetation and humans in southern Poland, the presence of the following pathogens has been confirmed: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, Toxoplasma gondii, tick-borne encephalitis virus, Ehrlichia chaffeensis/Ehrlichia muris, Rickettsia spp., and Coxiella burnetii, as well as various coinfections. Knowledge of tick distribution and the pathogens they transmit plays a key role in assessing the risk of human and animal exposure to tick-borne diseases. Equally important is the dissemination of information on preventive strategies and protective measures against tick bites. The presence of ticks in recreational and tourist areas underscores the need for ongoing educational activities concerning ticks and tickborne diseases in southern Poland.
Heartworms, parasitic nematodes, are responsible to cause a potentially life threatening condition, heartworm disease in mammals particularly dogs and cats. The disease is prevalent in warm, humid areas with mosquitoes as intermediate hosts, increases the chances of transmission. This study aimed to investigate heartworm infection (Dirofilaria immitis) in pet dogs for the first time in Lahore using morphological, serological and molecular techniques including microscopy, PCR and rapid diagnostic kit tests. Blood samples were tested for antigens, with positive cases further analyzed using microscopy, Polymerase Chain Reaction, X-ray imaging, and echocardiography to detect heart-related changes. Modified Knott's Test, remained a valuable tool for detecting and differentiating microfilariae, particularly when used alongside other diagnostic techniques. The microfilariae was confirmed morphologically through wet mount method but had low sensitivity and requires expertise, while microscopy showed high sensitivity but yielded more false positives compared to PCR. Thoracic radiography revealed characteristic signs of D. immitis infection, but may not show early-stage changes. PCR detected D. immitis in 10% of samples, with positive bands (at 203 bp for specific primers and 450 bp for general primers) observed for both species-specific and general primers. Using these diagnostic techniques improves early detection and treatment of heartworm disease in dogs, setting a new standard for veterinary care in Pakistan.
Long-term changes in weather conditions on Earth have a significant impact on the world around us. These include not only increasingly extreme weather events such as droughts and heatwaves. These effects can be felt throughout the natural environment, influencing the spread of parasites and the diseases they transmit. Climate change can alter the range and life cycles of parasites, and accelerate and lengthen the activity period of vectors. Four species are described in this manuscript: Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, Trypanosoma cruzi and Strongyloides stercoralis. Balamuthia mandrillaris is a species of an opportunistic cyst-forming free-living amoeba. The main habitat is moist soil and freshwater reservoirs. It could be pathogenic to humans. The amoeba consumes cutaneous tissue and excretes enzymes leading to an immune response of the host. Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba that might cause primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) whose mortality rate reaches as much as 98%. Trophozoites enter the body through the nasal cavity while underwater. Most often cases of PAM include immunocompetent children and young adults. Trypanosoma cruzi is a flagellate protozoan with life cycle between hematophagous insects of the Triatominae subfamily and various mammal species including human. Trypanosoma cruzi causes the Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis). Strongyloidiasis, caused by the parasite Strongyloides stercoralis, is a neglected tropical disease (NTD). Infection starts when the host walks barefoot on soil contaminated with filariform larvae that penetrate the skin. Immunosuppression in infected patients can lead to hiperinfection and death.
The aim of the work is to obtain optimal artificial conditions for the maintenance and breeding of medicinal leeches of the species Hirudo verbana and Hirudo orientalis. 180 medicinal leeches were used in the study: 100 leeches of the H. verbana species and 80 H. orientalis leeches. Four groups of animals were formed: two control and two experimental. Control groups of medicinal leeches were kept using the standard jar method. Experiments according to the developed optimal scheme. As a result of the study, it was found that there were more juveniles obtained from the cocoon per 1 parent leech in the experimental group of medicinal leeches of the H. verbana and H. orientalis species, compared to the control group; appearance of defective cocoons. Mortality of parent leeches during breeding, mortality of juveniles before the first, after the first and sixth feeding decreases on average by more than 50% (P < 0.05) in the experimental group.
Gut microbiota, consisting of multiple beneficial microorganisms, significantly impacts host health. Recent investigations have revealed that the gut microbiota influences the pathogenicity of eukaryotes such as Blastocystis, and conversely, the protist can impact the composition of the bacterial community. This review focuses on both, beneficial and adverse interactions between Blastocystis and human gut microbiota communities. Blastocystis can modulate both the structure and composition of the gut microbiota. Research has demonstrated that Blastocystis colonization is associated with increased gut microbiota diversity, a higher abundance of beneficial bacteria like Firmicutes and Clostridiales, and reduced Bacteroides, indicating a potential beneficial relation. However, its exact role is still unknown, and it may be associated with dysbiosis in some gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Moreover, some researchers presented the contradictory study results of interactions between specific Blastocystis subtypes and gut bacteria. The bidirectional influence between microorganisms is complex, with distinct subtypes that can display varying effects on the microbiota. These discrepant findings might reflect variations in the host factors, microbial environment, or strain-level diversity.
PURPOSE:Candidozyma auris (syn. Candida auris) is a hazardous multi-drug resistant yeast that causes severe infections in hospitalized patients. Many uncertainties exist around its antifungal resistance, clinical presentation, dominant clade, and isolation sites in the European setting. Therefore, to properly assess these characteristics, we systematically reviewed case reports in Europe between the first case described in 2009 and January 2023. METHODS:We conducted this systematic review according to the PRISMA guidelines. Cases of both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients have been included. We extracted patients' demographics, C. auris isolation site, identified clade, clinical presentation, clinical outcome, as well as treatment. The case reports have been assessed for quality using standardized tools. RESULTS:Out of 251 identified articles, 12 reports from 10 European countries describing 15 cases are included In the review. The youngest affected person was an infant and the oldest was 74 years old. Blood was the most common isolation site, reported in 26% of reported cases. The fatality rate could not have been reported due to the high number of asymptomatic patients and comorbidities or other infections in symptomatic patients. About 91% of reported isolates were resistant to fluconazole, 18% to amphotericin B and none was resistant to echinocandins. The quality assessment revealed that about 33% of case reports had a high risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS:Our results show that any age group can be affected. The antimicrobials of choice in the European setting seem to be the echinocandins, although proper standardized susceptibility breakpoints are needed.
Long-term parasitological studies of non-human primates (NHPs) kept in zoological gardens offer valuable insights into host-parasite relationships in controlled settings. Despite regular veterinary supervision and preventative measures, many surveys have shown that captive primates often harbour diverse intestinal parasites, including species of zoonotic importance. This work summarises the historical and current parasitological research conducted on primates at Wrocław Zoological Garden, Poland, and highlights changes in diagnostic techniques, parasite diversity, and infection patterns over time. Early studies, employing classical coproscopic methods such as direct smear, decantation, and flotation, reported an overall parasite prevalence of around 40%, mainly nematodes. Later investigations expanded sampling strategies, enabling assessment of anthelmintic efficacy and resistance in specific taxa. Environmental and managerial factors - including close contact with caretakers and visitors, limited enclosure space, and inadequate pest control - were identified as key contributors to transmission. Over the past twenty years, the use of molecular diagnostic tools has considerably improved detection sensitivity, particularly for intestinal protozoa that were often missed by traditional microscopy. A notable shift in the parasite community composition has been observed: helminth prevalence has decreased, while protozoan infections have become more frequent. Whether these changes are due to methodological advancements or actual alterations in parasite ecology remains uncertain. Overall, the findings indicate that enhancements in husbandry, enclosure hygiene, and veterinary care have effectively reduced helminth transmission, yet protozoan infections continue to be common. Ongoing monitoring with molecular methods, alongside comparative studies across European zoological institutions, is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the long-term dynamics of primate parasitism in captivity.
Sika deer, mainly of Japanese origin, have been introduced into the British Isles and central Europe and established free-ranging populations, expanding in several countries. Introduction of the sika deer was associated with the transfer of Spiculopteragia houdemeri which has been reported for the first time in 2003 from Germany and thereafter from sika deer and other cervid species in some countries in Europe. Surveys of livestock parasites have shown that cervid-specific gastrointestinal nematodes of native deer occur in natural infections in cattle and sheep, usually at low level, and infections were experimentally transferred. However, to date there is no such information for sika deer-specific nematodes to livestock. To investigate the establishment of sika deer-derived gastrointestinal nematodes in domestic ruminants, three calves and two lambs were challenged with mixed burdens of infective larvae (~90% ostertagids, ~10% Oesophagostomum) cultured from the faeces of free-ranging sika deer; calves received 20,000 or 30,000 larvae, lambs 12,000 or 13,000. Establishment rate of ostertagids varied from 0.4% to 3.1% in the calves and was 1.3% and 8.4% in the lambs. Spiculopteragia houdemeri, index ostertagid of Japanese sika deer, was the dominant species, recovered from all animals. In addition, Ostertagia leptospicularis and Spiculopteragia boehmi, index ostertagids of native roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus), respectively, were isolated from calf and lamb and Cooperia pectinata from one lamb. Oesophagostomum venulosum established in the lambs at ~6% but no Oesophagostomum was found in any calf. This investigation indicates that both calves and lambs are permissive to the sika deer-specific S. houdemeri and other deer-derived nematodes which reached maturity, but susceptibility to infections was apparently low.
The aim of this study was to determine the presence of blood parasites in dice snake (Natrix tesellata) from Pirallahi Island, located off the western coast of the Caspian Sea of Azerbaijan. The dice snake is one of the most widespread and common species of the herpetofauna of Azerbaijan. This species of snakes represents an important link in the natural balance, since included in various biocenotic connections. A total of 67 specimens of dice snake individuals were captured during spring and summer 2021-2024. Blood sampling was carried out from the caudal vein by insulin syringe. The blood smears were stained with Giemsa solution and examined by light microscopy for haemoparasites. Microscopical examination of the blood smears revealed that 23 snakes of 67 (15.4%) were infected with Serpentoplasma sp. Multiply infected erythrocytes with one to three parasites were unusual, with most host cells containing a single inclusion. Infected thrombocytes were not detected. The parasites contained round-to-oval inclusions from small, anaplasmoid-like bodies, vacuoles with a dot or two of apparent chromatin on their margin or without chromatin dots. The structures were intracytoplasmic, measured 3-3.8 Å~ 2.5-3.3 μm and occurred as rounded vacuole-like structures, one in each infected erythrocyte. This is the first finding of haemoparasites in dice snakes in Azerbaijan.
Most often, Echinococcus parasitizes in the liver, causing the need for surgical treatment, the results of which currently do not meet expert expectations due to the high frequency of postoperative complications and the risk of relapse. The aim of the study is to improve the results of surgical treatment of liver echinococcosis by improving the tactical aspects of treatment and elimination of the residual cavity after echinococcectomy to prevent the development of purulent-septic complications. The object of the study was 442 patients with liver echinococcosis treated in the abdominal surgery of the Khorezm Regional Multidisciplinary Medical Center for the period from 2010 to 2023. To achieve the research goal and address the objectives, the following methods were used: general clinical, biochemical, instrumental and statistical methods. When determining the tactics and volume of surgical intervention, we recommend using the proposed method for treating the residual cavity using ultrasonic cavitation and a 0.02% Decasan solution, which minimized the development of purulent-septic complications in the immediate and long-term period after surgery. The new approach significantly reduced postoperative drainage needs (63.8% vs 36.6%, P < 0.001), complications (12.5% vs 5.4%, P < 0.001), and increased uncomplicated recovery (93.1% vs 80.0%). Drainage duration decreased from 11.3% to 3.5% in the long-term follow-up.
Infection with Entamoeba histolytica is widespread and cosmopolitan, but is particularly common in hot zone countries in areas with poor sanitary and hygienic conditions, a lack of access to safe drinking water, and noncompliance with food hygiene. Currently, no cases of indigenous E. histolytica infections have been registered in Poland; only cases imported from areas with a hot climate zone have been reported. So far, no severe extraintestinal amoebiasis has been diagnosed in Poland in people returning from the Mediterranean area. We report an unusual case of concomitant large liver abscess complicated by small bowel obstruction in an Italian immigrant with chronic myelodysplastic leukaemia who had been in Poland for 10 years. The patient did not present with clinical symptoms of colitis like diarrhoea. The patient had not travelled outside Europe and had never been in tropical areas. The clinical course of the infection, the results of imaging, laboratory, serological and parasitological tests, and the therapeutic methods used are discussed in detail. Attention is drawn to the need to consider amoebiasis and its dangerous complications in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain and pathological space-occupying lesions in the liver of unknown etiology in people returning from travel to the Mediterranean climate.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) still have a detrimental effect on public health. Lack of adequate therapy inevitably leads to the decrease in lymphocyte T CD4+ population and emergence of opportunistic infections (OIs) and AIDS-indicators. Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PjP) is recognized as one of the most common OIs in people living with HIV. Giardia intestinalis is a protozoan parasite, commonly reported throughout the world as the most important non-viral cause of human diarrhea. Immunocompromised patients are a high risk group for parasitic infections. Giardiosis usually is self-limiting, however it can cause severe dehydration and malnutrition, especially in immunocompromised individuals. In this work we described a case of 46-year old men, who stoped ART and expanded IRIS symptoms due to PjP and Giardia intestinalis infections. We concluded that parasitic stool examination in HIV/AIDS individuals should be performed to detect asymptomatic protozoa infections, which can lead to diarrhea during ARV treatment. Moreover, determination of the IRIS risk factors may have a detrimental effect on the prevention of severe complications in patients living with AIDS.
Anurans vocalize in different social contexts, in which the advertisement call is the most disseminated. Different endoparasites usually parasitize these animals, but how these endoparasite infections affect anuran vocalizations remains unclear. Therefore, we investigate how endoparasite infections influence the advertisement call and mating success of Physalaemus cuvieri. For that, we searched and recorded the advertisement call of this anuran at a Caatinga area, during the rainy season from March to April 2021 and February to April 2022, totaling 63 sampling days. After recording the advertisement call, we monitored their success in starting amplexus with females. In the lab, we necropsied all collected individuals to see if some endoparasites infected them. We found a significant effect of the parasite load only on call intervals-more parasitized individuals exhibited higher call intervals. In addition, we observed that the less-weight individuals tended to be more parasitized. Lastly, only the male snout-vent lengths affected the matting success in the studied population of Physalaemus cuvieri. The present study is an essential contribution to understanding how anuran health influences communication and sexual selection.
In order to overcome obstacles in diagnosis, surveillance, treatment, and vector control, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a crucial weapon in the fight against malaria. The eradication of malaria has benefited greatly from the exceptional accuracy and efficiency of AI-driven solutions. This review of the literature examines several uses of AI in the fight against malaria, emphasizing new developments. AI-driven solutions have the potential to improve malaria prevention and eradication efforts with sustained innovation and investment, ultimately enhancing global health security. AI is transforming the treatment of malaria by facilitating personalised medicine, speeding up drug discovery, and enhancing diagnostics. AI is improving treatment approaches and tackling the problems caused by drug-resistant malaria parasites through machine learning, deep learning, and in silico drug repurposing. Achieving long-term malaria eradication targets will require sustained investment in AI-driven malaria research. In epidemiological tracking, artificial intelligence (AI) has also become a potent instrument. AI-driven methods offer creative ways to find novel treatment approaches, maximize drug discovery, and forecast the dynamics of malaria transmission, especially in light of the growing resistance of Plasmodium parasites to current medications. Thus, this review paper provides insights into the developments made by AI in combating malaria.
Theileriosis caused by Theileria lestoquardi (malignant ovine theileriosis) in sheep and Theileria annulata (topical theileriosis) in cattle, is a tick-borne hemoprotozoal disease that causes major economic losses in animal production caused by a tick-transmitted haemoprotozoan Theileria species, infecting various domestic and wild animals. It is a threat to the buffalo population in Pakistan due to high mortality rates and economic losses. Extensive mixed farming in Pakistan poses threats due to mixed infections and increased mortality rates. The current case report describes the mixed infection and characterization of Theileria lestoquardi with Theileria annulata in a buffalo raised in a mixed farming setup, in Pakistan. A 6.5-year-old female buffalo presented at the Outdoor Hospital exhibiting swollen sub-scapular lymph nodes, pale mucous membranes, a high fever (41.5°C), dullness, depression, shortness of breath, and a decrease in milk production. Investigation through microscopy, hematology, and PCR confirmed that the buffalo was suffering from theileriosis. A Giemsa-stained thin blood smear showed piroplasms indicating theileriosis. Hematological analysis of the blood revealed lower values for hemoglobin and red blood cells (RBCs), while higher counts of lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes were observed during the infection. The PCR performed on the blood sample was positive for Theileria spp. using RLB universal primers and T. annulata-specific primers. The sequence revealed similarity with T. lestoquardi reported in Pakistan, Iran, Tunisia, and India. The buffalo was treated with Bupralex® and Oxtra LA® at a dosage of 1ml/20kg of body weight I/M, respectively, along with supportive treatment. Despite these interventions, the animal died probably due to damage to cardiac muscles. This study reports the first case of T. annulata mixed infection with T. lestoquardi in a buffalo in Punjab, Pakistan. It can be concluded that mixed farming exacerbates the epidemiology and spread of ovine malignant theileriosis and mortalities possibly due to cardiac arrest in mixed infections.
The success of Trematoda and Nematoda infection in fish involves a complexity of variables. The objective of this study was to report the parasitological descriptors (prevalence, mean abundance, and mean intensity) and community status of Myloplus nigrolineatus as well as to evaluate the relationship between abundance and richness of endoparasites with biometric parameters, sex, Kn the hosts, percentage cover native vegetation and water temperature. A total of 7,256 endoparasites were found: 861 digeneas and 6,395 specimens of nematodes were collected in the intestine from Myloplus nigrolineatus. One species of Digenea and five species of Nematoda were collected. The initial documentation of the prevalence (%) of endohelminth species in M. nigrolineatus revealed the following: Dadaytrema oxicephala (70%), Chabaudinema americanum (52%), Cucullanus pinnai pinnai (13%), Myleusnema bicornis (65%), Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus (9%) and Rondonia rondoni (35%). The mean intensity and mean abundance were 329.82 ± 416 and 315.48 ± 417, respectively. The trematode Dadaytrema oxycephala was considered a central and dominant species. The total abundance was explained by the variables total length, relative condition factor (Kn), percentage cover native vegetation and water temperature. Fish relative condition factor (Kn) and sex were not influenced by the parasite infection and did not impair the body condition of the hosts. The GLMM showed there is no relationship between abundance and richness of endoparasites with percentage cover native vegetation, while that every twenty centimeters more in the total length of the hosts, the abundance of endoparasites in the intestine increases, approximately, 2 specimens.
48 young, middle-aged and elderly male and female subjects with various chronic diseases of various body systems were studied under the influence of the complex of biologically active substances of the medicinal leech species Hirudo verbana. It was found that medicinal leeches are able to show strong analgesic effects in various chronic pathologies, regardless of gender and age. The beginning of the pain-relieving effect occurs already after the first attachment, and the maximum effect is manifested after the third and fourth production. In addition to the pain-relieving effect, most of the subjects, regardless of the article and age, felt a strong influx of energy, and after completing the course of productions, the physiological parameters of the blood began to recover and the functionality of the organs began to recover.
Cystic echinococcosis (CE), a globally parasitic disease is primarily caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. This zoonotic infection carries significant medical, veterinary, and economic implications. In human the disease occurs by the ingestion of parasite eggs and can create in any organ especially liver and lungs. Current therapeutic methods have some limitations. Therefore, effect of pulsed electric fields (PEF) as a non-invasive method was utilized on daughter cysts as an important part of hydatid cyst. Daughter cysts was extracted from sheep liver hydatid cyst, divided into three groups. The first group was exposed to PEF at intensities of 70V/cm, 150 V/cm and 1300V/cm. The second group was treated with albendazole (100 μg/ml). The third group, was exposed with different intensities of PEF (as above) following incubation of daughter cysts with albendazole (100 μg/ml). Structural changes in the daughter cysts were analyzed using a stereomicroscope. The laminated layer remained undamaged in all three groups. In the first group (PEF), some degree of opacity and detachment of germinal layer was observed especially in higher pulse intensity (1300 V/cm). Albendazole treatment (second group) induced significant opacity. In the combined PEF and albendazole (third group), although germinal layer detachment was occurred in addition to opacity but the level of detachment was not similar to those that observed in the first group. The destructive effect of PEF on the germinal layer of daughter cysts can be considered as a promising result in the treatment of CE.
Dermanyssus gallinae is considered to be one of the world's most troublesome ectoparasites of laying hens, with the consequences for the hens being reflected in production rates, including reduced egg quantity and quality. Despite intensive efforts to develop research on this mite, it remains challenging to combat. This article reviews current and recent knowledge on the biology and genetics of D. gallinae, and new targets for control are discussed as identified by the authors of recent publications. It is imperative to acknowledge the significance of this knowledge in order to facilitate the identification of genetic markers associated with the emergence of acaricide resistance. This, in turn, will enable the development of alternative strategies and methods to control D. gallinae.
