Search

The preventive situation of parasitosis, a global public health burden especially for developing countries, is not looking that good. Similar to other infections, vaccines would be the best choice for preventing and controlling parasitic infection. However, ideal antigenic molecules for vaccine development have not been identified so far, resulting from the complicated life history and enormous genomes of the parasites. Furthermore, the suppression or down-regulation of anti-infectious immunity mediated by the parasites or their derived molecules can compromise the effect of parasitic vaccines. Comparing the early immune profiles of several parasites in the permissive and non-permissive hosts, a robust innate immune response is proposed to be a critical event to eliminate the parasites. Therefore, enhancing innate immunity may be essential for designing novel and effective parasitic vaccines. The newly emerging trained immunity (also termed innate immune memory) has been increasingly recognized to provide a novel perspective for vaccine development targeting innate immunity. This article reviews the current status of parasitic vaccines and anti-infectious immunity, as well as the conception, characteristics, and mechanisms of trained immunity and its research progress in Parasitology, highlighting the possible consideration of trained immunity in designing novel vaccines against parasitic diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhu, Liu, Yan, Wang and Pan.)

Infections, including zoonoses, constitute a threat to human health due to the spread of resistant pathogens. These diseases generate an inflammatory response controlled by a resolving mechanism involving specialized membrane lipid-derived molecules called lipoxins, resolvins, maresins, and protectins. The production of some of these molecules can be triggered by aspirin or statins. Thus, it is proposed that modulation of the host response could be a useful therapeutic strategy, contributing to the management of resistance to antiparasitic agents or preventing drift to chronic, host-damaging courses. Therefore, the present work presents the state of the art on the use of statins or aspirin for the experimental management of parasitic infections such as Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis or malaria. The methodology used was a narrative review covering original articles from the last seven years, 38 of which met the inclusion criteria. Based on the publications consulted, modulation of the resolution of inflammation using statins may be feasible as an adjuvant in the therapy of parasitic diseases. However, there was no strong experimental evidence on the use of aspirin; therefore, further studies are needed to evaluate its role inflammation resolution process in infectious diseases., (Copyright © 2023 Asociación Argentina de Microbiología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Annexins (ANXs) exert different functions in cell biological and pathological processes and are thus known as double or multi-faceted proteins. These sophisticated proteins might express on both parasite structure and secretion and in parasite-infected host cells. In addition to the characterization of these pivotal proteins, describing their mechanism of action can be also fruitful in recognizing their roles in the pathogenesis of parasitic infections. Accordingly, this study presents the most prominent ANXs thus far identified and their relevant functions in parasites and infected host cells during pathogenesis, especially in the most important intracellular protozoan parasitic infections including leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis, malaria and trypanosomiasis. The data provided in this study demonstrate that the helminth parasites most probably express and secret ANXs to develop pathogenesis while the modulation of the host-ANXs could be employed as a crucial strategy by intracellular protozoan parasites. Moreover, such data highlight that the use of analogs of both parasite and host ANX peptides (which mimic or regulate ANXs physiological functions through various strategies) might suggest novel therapeutic insights into the treatment of parasitic infections. Furthermore, due to the prominent immunoregulatory activities of ANXs during most parasitic infections and the expression levels of these proteins in some parasitic infected tissues, such multifunctional proteins might be also potentially relevant as vaccine and diagnostic biomarkers. We also suggest some prospects and insights that could be useful and applicable to form the basis of future experimental studies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Laboratory workers are exposed to the risk of acquiring infections due to the manipulation of infectious materials. The biological hazard for researchers is seven times higher when compared with hospital and public health laboratory workers. Despite the implementation of standardized practices to control infections, multiple cases of Laboratory Associated Infections (LAIs) usually go unreported. There has been a lack of comprehensive epidemiological data regarding the situation of LAIs for parasitic zoonosis and besides, the available sources are not completely updated. Since most accounts of laboratory infections are organism-specific, this study has focused on common pathogenic/zoonotic species handled at parasitological laboratories and summarising the standard biosecurity protocols for the infectious agents. The main characteristics of Cryptosporidium spp., Entamoeba spp, Giardia duodenalis, Toxoplasma gondii, Leishmania spp., Echinococcus spp., Schistosoma spp., Toxocara canis, Ancylostoma caninum, Strongyloides stercoralis are considered in this review in order to assess the potential risk of developing occupational infections in the workplace along with stating prevention and prophylactic measures for each species. It was concluded that the LAIs from these agents can be prevented by using personal protective measures and good laboratory practices. However, further studies are necessary to better understand the environmental resistance of cysts, oocysts and eggs, with a view to select the most suitable disinfection methods. Furthermore, it is fundamental to constantly update epidemiological data of infection acquired by laboratory workers, to develop accurate risk indicators., Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared, (Copyright (c) 2023 Maria Francesca Sini, Claudia Tamponi, Naunain Mehmood, Giorgia Dessì, Federica Ariu, Carlo Carta, Alberto Coghetto, Plamena Pentcheva, Simona Gabrielli, Antonio Scala, Antonio Varcasia.)

Despite intensive long-term efforts, with very few exceptions, the development of effective vaccines against parasitic infections has presented considerable challenges, given the complexity of parasite life cycles, the interplay between parasites and their hosts, and their capacity to escape the host immune system and to regulate host immune responses. For many parasitic diseases, conventional vaccine platforms have generally proven ill suited, considering the complex manufacturing processes involved and the costs they incur, the inability to posttranslationally modify cloned target antigens, and the absence of long-lasting protective immunity induced by these antigens. An effective antiparasite vaccine platform is required to assess the effectiveness of novel vaccine candidates at high throughput. By exploiting the approach that has recently been used successfully to produce highly protective COVID mRNA vaccines, we anticipate a new wave of research to advance the use of mRNA vaccines to prevent parasitic infections in the near future. This article considers the characteristics that are required to develop a potent antiparasite vaccine and provides a conceptual foundation to promote the development of parasite mRNA-based vaccines. We review the recent advances and challenges encountered in developing antiparasite vaccines and evaluate the potential of developing mRNA vaccines against parasites, including those causing diseases such as malaria and schistosomiasis, against which vaccines are currently suboptimal or not yet available.

Objective: To construct a human health literacy indicator system for prevention of parasitic diseases based on Delphi method., Methods: Based on literature reviews and expert interviews, a questionnaire was designed and a two-round Delphi consultation was performed. A human health literacy indicator system for prevention of parasitic diseases was constructed according to the deletion criteria and experts' advice., Results: A total of 14 experts completed the two-round consultation. The second-round authority coefficients were 0.91 to 0.96 for the first-level indicators, 0.87 to 0.97 for the second-level indicators and 0.86 to 0.97 for the third-level indicators. A human health literacy indicator system for prevention of parasitic diseases was constructed with the main framework of basic knowledge and awareness, healthy behaviors, and healthy skills, which contained 3 first-level indicators, 12 second-level indicators and 48 third-level indicators. Among the three first-level indicators, basic knowledge and awareness had the highest weighting coefficient (0.336 5), followed by healthy behaviors (0.334 9), and healthy skills had the lowest weighting coefficient (0.328 6). The three secondary-level indicators with the highest combined weights included awareness of the epidemic status (0.088 2), awareness of the resource of infection (0.085 8) and basic awareness of parasitic diseases (0.085 5)., Conclusion: A human health literacy indicator system for prevention of parasitic diseases is preliminarily constructed, which provides insights into the development of health literacy evaluation tools for prevention of parasitic diseases in the new era.

Finfish aquaculture in freshwater and marine environments is continuously expanding globally, and the potential for a substantial further increase is well documented. The industry is supplying fish products for human consumption to the same extent as capture fisheries, and new fish species for domestication are still being selected by the industry. The challenge faced by all aquacultured species, classical and novel, is the range of pathogens associated with each new fish type. A fish host in its natural environment carries a series of more or less specific parasites (specialists and generalists). Some of these show a marked ability to propagate in aquaculture settings. They may then elicit disease when infection intensities in the confined aquaculture environment reach high levels. In addition, the risk of transmission of parasites from aquaculture enterprises to wild fish stocks adds to the parasitic challenge. Control programmes of various kinds are needed and these may include chemotherapeutants and medicines as the farmer's first and convenient choice, but mechanical, biological, immunological and genetic control methods are available solutions. New methods are still to be developed by scrutinizing the life cycle of each particular parasite species and pin-pointing the vulnerable stage to be targeted. As parasites exhibit a huge potential for adaptation to environmental changes, one must realize that only one approach rarely is sufficient. The present work therefore elaborates on and advocates for implementation of integrated control strategies for diseases caused by protozoan and metazoan parasites.

Species distribution model, a mathematical model theoretically based on the temporal and spatial locations of species in the ecosystem and their associations with other species, is useful to display the current species distribution and predict the future species distribution, which has been widely applied in ecology, biogeography and spatial transmission of infectious diseases. Integrated species distribution model is a comprehensive, summative and reliable combination model that simultaneously uses multiple species distribution models or integrates multiple data sources for modeling. This review describes the theory and classification of species distribution models, and summarizes the creation and verification of integrated species distribution models and their applications in parasitic disease prevention and control. During the practical applications of integrated species distribution models, the study scale, niche matching, big data utilization, combination of multidisciplinary methods and knowledge background and ecological implications should be emphasized.

Two recent literature reviews have shown that: i) agroecological crop protection (ACP) practices generally reduce risks of viral zoonoses, unlike conventional (agrochemical-based) practices which tend to increase them; ii) substitution-based crop protection (CP) practices (mainly biocontrol-based) could result in fewer health risks from bacterial infectious diseases. Here, we present an analysis of the scientific literature to determine to what extent the conclusions regarding viruses or bacteria can be extended to infectious diseases caused by protozoan or helminthic parasites. This analysis of cases of both vector-transmitted and water- or food-borne parasitic diseases, shows, in terms of reduction of health risks: i) an overall negative effect arising from the use of synthetic plant protection products; ii) the relevance of substitution CP practices not strictly under the ACP banner. On the other hand, the public and veterinary health issue of antiparasitic resistance is not affected by CP practices. The positive effects at the large spatio-temporal scales of ACP approaches remain valid, although to a slightly lesser extent than for bacterial diseases and viral zoonoses, in particular through biodiversity conservation which fosters natural regulations and control, preventing the undesirable effects of synthetic pesticides., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A blueprint on Shanghai's ecological space design between 2021 and 2035 was released in 2021, aiming to build an ecological city and improve the development of ecological civilization. The transmission of parasitic diseases is strongly associated with climate and ecological environments. Currently, the prevalence of parasitic diseases has been maintained at extremely low-transmission levels, and there are almost no local cases; however, the alteration of ecological environments may results in a potential transmission risk of parasitic diseases. Hereby, the current status of key parasitic diseases in Shanghai Municipality was described, and the potential transmission risk of parasitic diseases and responses to this risk were analyzed during the construction of an ecological city in Shanghai Municipality. In addition, the suggestions pertaining to surveillance and management of parasitic diseases were proposed during the mid- and long-term construction of an ecological city in Shanghai Municipality.

Background: Despite the limited knowledge regarding the effects of deworming medication (DM) on nutritional indicators in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), deworming programmes continue to be implemented in resource-limited countries. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the effects of DM on anaemia among children aged 6-59 months in SSA., Methods: The analysis was performed using data obtained from 17 demographic and health surveys (DHSs) conducted in SSA. Children were considered to be anaemic if their haemoglobin (Hb) concentration was less than 11.0 g/dl, adjusting for altitude. To account for both multiple measures at the cluster level and the clustering of children within the same country, generalized linear mixed models were used to analyse the anaemia outcomes in 50,075 children aged 6-59 months., Results: Overall, anaemia was reported in 61.8% of the children, and their median Hb concentration was 10.5 g/dl (interquartile range 9.4-11.5). The prevalence of anaemia ranged from 34.5% in Rwanda to 81.1% in Mali. Multivariate analyses showed that children who did not receive DM had increased odds of being anaemic (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-1.16)., Conclusions: The current study revealed that DM can decrease the risk of anaemia among preschool-age children (pre-SAC) in SSA. Thus, tailored public health programmes aimed at reducing childhood anaemia need to consider deworming. However, longitudinal studies are needed to validate the association that has been reported in this cross-sectional study., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

The Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which started in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has affected the whole world and caused approximately four million deaths. Consequently, scientists have done a great deal of research in such a short time about the disease. Meanwhile, parasites, whose evolutionary process is as old as human history, are often underestimated despite their high prevalence and lethality. Recent studies; however, have shown that immunity changes caused by parasitic infections affect the course of viral diseases. For example, because severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Plasmodium use a common CD147 receptor to enter the cell and have similarities in their MHC-presented antigenic determinants, scientists suggest that immunity against parasitic infections protects the body against SARS-CoV-2 infections. This could explain the low COVID-19 incidence in malaria-endemic countries. Additionally, the cytokine storm, which is responsible for mortality in COVID-19 infections, is caused by the activation of the immune system to Th1 way. On the other hand, helminth infections, which activate the immune system to Th2 way, can reduce mortality by preventing the cytokine storm. The relationship between COVID-19 and parasites is not limited to changes in the immune system changes. Studies have shown that the pause in the fight against parasitic infections due to the diversion of all attention toward COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic will lead to an increase in incidences of malaria, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminths. For this reason, efforts to mitigate this increase should be resumed as soon as possible by taking additional measures globally.

Here we highlight coinfections of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with ectoparasites, helminths, and protozoa, described in the literature, and the urgent need to understand the conditions of these associated pathologies. We emphasize the notion that such information is crucial for the continuity of measures that have been used for decades to control neglected parasitic diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background:  There are relatively few scientific works on the use of homeopathy to manage plant pathogens, particularly nematodes. A handful of studies focused on Meloidogyne spp. parasitizing vegetables have brought contradictory results on nematode control and enhancement of plant tolerance to parasitism., Objective:  Our goal was to assess the effect of Cina -a well-known anti-nematode ingredient-on Meloidogyne enterolobii parasitizing lettuce., Methods:   Cina was applied daily on nematode-inoculated plants, from the seedling stage until harvest. We tested an evenly spaced range of Hahnemannian concentrations ( c ), which were applied though irrigation with a constant dose of the ingredient. Several absolute and relative controls were employed to allow the assessment of the effect of Cina on nematode reproduction and lettuce growth., Results:   Cina affected growth of non-parasitized plants, both positively and negatively; this effect was modulated by the c applied and the thermal stress suffered by the plants in one of the assays. The effect of Cina on the growth of nematode-parasitized plants was neutral or negative. Cina reduced nematode reproduction by 25-36%., Conclusion:  Based on the moderate negative effect of Cina on M. enterolobii reproduction, it seems this ingredient may be useful as a complementary strategy for Meloidogyne control. But Cina did not enhance the tolerance of lettuce to Meloidogyne spp., Competing Interests: None declared., (Faculty of Homeopathy. This article is published by Thieme.)

The mechanistic (or mammalian) target of rapamycin (mTOR) is considered as a critical regulatory enzyme involved in essential signaling pathways affecting cell growth, cell proliferation, protein translation, regulation of cellular metabolism, and cytoskeletal structure. Also, mTOR signaling has crucial roles in cell homeostasis via processes such as autophagy. Autophagy prevents many pathogen infections and is involved on immunosurveillance and pathogenesis. Immune responses and autophagy are therefore key host responses and both are linked by complex mTOR regulatory mechanisms. In recent years, the mTOR pathway has been highlighted in different diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and infectious and parasitic diseases including leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis, and malaria. The current review underlines the implications of mTOR signals and intricate networks on pathogen infections and the modulation of this master regulator by parasites. Parasitic infections are able to induce dynamic metabolic reprogramming leading to mTOR alterations in spite of many other ways impacting this regulatory network. Accordingly, the identification of parasite effects and interactions over such a complex modulation might reveal novel information regarding the biology of the abovementioned parasites and might allow the development of therapeutic strategies against parasitic diseases. In this sense, the effects of inhibiting the mTOR pathways are also considered in this context in the light of their potential for the prevention and treatment of parasitic diseases.

Food-borne parasitic diseases include meat-borne, fish-borne, plant-borne, water-borne, mollusk-borne and freshwater crustacean-borne parasitic diseases. The review summarizes the current status and control of 6 major food-borne parasitic diseases in China, including clonorchiasus, paragonimiasis, Taenia solium taeniasis, toxoplasmosis, trichinellosis and angiostrongyliasis, aiming to increase the understanding of food-borne parasitic diseases and provide insights into the development of the control strategy for food-borne parasitic diseases. The transmission of food-borne parasitic diseases are predominantly associated with diet, and neither eating raw nor semi-cooked food is the most effective measure to prevent the development of food-borne parasitic diseases.

Infectious diseases remain the leading cause of death in children in low- and middle-income countries. Infection with helminths and intestinal protozoa cause considerable morbidity. The aim of this study was to assess the health status of schoolchildren in nine villages of the Kilombero district in Tanzania. We conducted a cross-sectional survey and subjected 427 children aged 6-12 years to standardized diagnostic tests. We found that 15% of children were infected with Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar/Entamoeba moshkovskii, 12% with Schistosoma mansoni, and 5% with Plasmodium falciparum. The most common soil-transmitted helminth species was Trichuris trichiura (7%). Strongyloides stercoralis, Schistosoma haematobium, Giardia intestinalis and lymphatic filariasis were rare. Having a latrine inside the house was associated with a lower odds of parasite infections (odds ratio (OR) 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27-0.96, p = 0.04). Children from households with goats were at higher odds of E. histolytica/E. dispar/E. moshkovskii infection (OR 3.03, 95%%CI 1.29-7.10, p = 0.01).When compared to a cross-sectional survey conducted in the same district in the 1980s, there seems to have been a substantial reduction in the prevalence and intensity of parasitic infections, except for T. trichiura, which showed a similar prevalence. Our data suggest that the general development, coupled with infectious disease control programmes improved children's health markedly. However, continued efforts to control parasitic diseases, including new approaches of drug combinations, stronger intersectoral collaboration, rigorous surveillance and public health responses tailored to the local settings are needed to move from control to elimination., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Human parasitic infections-including malaria, and many neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)-have long represented a Gordian knot in global public health: ancient, persistent, and exceedingly difficult to control. With the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic substantially interrupting control programmes worldwide, there are now mounting fears that decades of progress in controlling global parasitic infections will be undone. With Covid-19 moreover exposing deep vulnerabilities in the global health system, the current moment presents a watershed opportunity to plan future efforts to reduce the global morbidity and mortality associated with human parasitic infections. In this chapter, we first provide a brief epidemiologic overview of the progress that has been made towards the control of parasitic diseases between 1990 and 2019, contrasting these fragile gains with the anticipated losses as a result of Covid-19. We then argue that the complementary aspirations of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the World Health Organization (WHO)'s 2030 targets for parasitic disease control may be achieved by aligning programme objectives within the One Health paradigm, recognizing the interdependence between humans, animals, and the environment. In so doing, we note that while the WHO remains the preeminent international institution to address some of these transdisciplinary concerns, its underlying challenges with funding, authority, and capacity are likely to reverberate if left unaddressed. To this end, we conclude by reimagining how models of multisectoral global health governance-combining the WHO's normative and technical leadership with greater support in allied policy-making areas-can help sustain future malaria and NTD elimination efforts., Competing Interests: Disclosures The authors have no disclosures or financial conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Humans and crown catarrhines evolved with the inability to synthesize the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal). In turn, they naturally produce high quantities of the glycan-specific antibodies that can be protective against infectious agents exhibiting the same carbohydrate modification on their surface coat. The protective immunity induced by α-Gal is ensured through an antibody-mediated adaptive and cell-mediated innate immune response. Therefore, the α-Gal antigen represents an attractive and feasible target for developing glycan-based vaccines against multiple diseases. In this review article we provide an insight into our current understanding of the mechanisms involved in the protective immunity to α-Gal and discuss the possibilities and challenges in developing a single-antigen pan-vaccine for prevention and control of parasitic diseases of medical and veterinary concern., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study was performed to find out the clusters with high parasite infection risk to discuss the geographical pattern. Clusters were detected using SatScan software, which is a statistical spatial scan program using Kulldorff's scan statistic. Information on the parasitic infection cases in Korea 2011-2019 were collected from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clusters of Ascaris lumbricoides infection were detected in Jeollabuk-do, and T. trichiura in Ulsan, Busan, and Gyeongsangnam-do. C. sinensis clusters were detected in Ulsan, Daegu, Busan, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Gyeongsangbuk-do. Clusters of intestinal trematodes were detected in Ulsan, Busan, and Gyeongsangnam-do. P. westermani cluster was found in Jeollabuk-do. E. vermicularis clusters were distributed in Gangwon-do, Jeju-do, Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju. This clustering information can be referred for surveillance and control on the parasitic infection outbreak in the infection-prone areas.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the worst global health crises of this generation. The core of this pandemic is the rapid transmissibility of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, its high morbidity and mortality, and the presence of infectious asymptomatic carriers. As a result, COVID-19 has dominated this year's headlines and commanded significant research attention. As we consider SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that scientists, governments, the media, and the general population also come to grips with the everyday cost of parasitic diseases. Plasmodium (malaria), schistosomes, filarial worms, hookworms, Ascaris, whipworms, and other protozoan and metazoan parasites take a tremendous toll on local communities. Yet, because most of these diseases are no longer endemic to developed countries, their research and intervention are not funded at levels that are proportional to their global morbidity and mortality. The scientific and public health communities must indeed vigorously fight SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, but while doing so and beyond, it will be essential to demonstrate steadfast resolve toward understanding and combating the parasitic diseases that for centuries have haunted humankind., (© American Society of Parasitologists 2020.)

During the last century, emerging diseases have increased in number, posing a severe threat for human health. Zoonoses, in particular, represent the 60% of emerging diseases, and are a big challenge for public health due to the complexity of their dynamics. Mathematical models, by allowing an a priori analysis of dynamic systems and the simulation of different scenarios at once, may represent an efficient tool for the determination of factors and phenomena involved in zoonotic infection cycles, but are often underexploited in public health. In this context, we developed a deterministic mathematical model to compare the efficacy of different intervention strategies aimed at reducing environmental contamination by macroparasites, using raccoons (Procyon lotor) and their zoonotic parasite Bayilsascaris procyonis as a model system. The three intervention strategies simulated are raccoon depopulation, anthelmintic treatment of raccoons and faeces removal. Our results show that all these strategies are able to eliminate the parasite egg population from the environment, but they are effective only above specific threshold coverages. Host removal and anthelmintic treatment showed the fastest results in eliminating the egg population, but anthelmintic treatment requires a higher effort to reach an effective result compared to host removal. Our simulations show that mathematical models can help to shed light on the dynamics of communicable infectious diseases, and give specific guidelines to contain B. procyonis environmental contamination in native, as well as in new, areas of parasite emergence. In particular, the present study highlights that identifying in advance the appropriate treatment coverage is fundamental to achieve the desired results, allowing for the implementation of cost- and time-effective intervention strategies., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Reptiles are reservoirs of a wide range of pathogens, including many protozoa, helminths, pentastomids, and arthropod parasitic species, some of which may be of public health concern. In this review we discuss the zoonotic risks associated with human-reptile interactions. Increased urbanization and introduction of exotic species of reptile may act as drivers for the transmission of zoonotic parasites through the environment. In addition, being a part of human diet, reptiles can be a source of life-threatening parasitoses, such as pentastomiasis or sparganosis. Finally, reptiles kept as pets may represent a risk to owners given the possibility of parasites transmitted by direct contact or fecal contamination. Awareness of reptile-borne zoonotic parasitoses is important to advocate control, prevention, and surveillance of these neglected diseases., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

With the rapid development of molecular biology, the isothermal amplification technique has been used for the nucleic acid detection of parasites and other pathogens due to its high efficiency and rapid and simple procedures, and has become an important tool to promote the field detection and control of parasitic diseases. Recombinase-aided isothermal amplification assay (RAA), a novel isothermal amplification technique, which is simple and easy to perform, rapid for field detection, no need for high-end equipment, and rapid field detection, may amplify the target gene fragments within 5 to 20 min under an isothermal condition (usually 37 to 42 ℃) and achieve a real-time observation of the amplification results. RAA has been successfully employed for the nucleic acid detection of a wide range of parasites and other pathogens to date, and has shown a high sensitivity and specificity. Notably, such an assay is suitable for the large-scale field detection in non-lab environments, and is therefore considered to have a potential value of application in rapid field detections.

Omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are synthesized from the essential fatty acids alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid, respectively. They are pivotal components of all mammalian cells and were found to be useful in prevention and treatment of a variety of health problems owing to their anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. Omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are further metabolized to anti-inflammatory mediators, such as lipoxins, resolvins, and protectins. Moreover, these polyunsaturated fatty acids were found to have in vivo and in vitro protective efficacies against some parasitic infections. Therefore, dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids should be encouraged because of their considerable beneficial effects., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors don't have any conflict or funding source to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: vegetables form a major component of the human diet. However, poor agronomic practices may put consumers at risk of parasitic infections. This study evaluated the parasitic contamination of vegetables grown in selected farms in Ibadan, Nigeria., Methods: Two hundred and eighty vegetable species: African eggplant ( Solanum macrocarpon ), lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ), cucumber ( Brassica oleracea ), spinach ( Amaranthus cruentus ), white jute ( Corchorus olitorius ), pumpkin ( Telfaria occidentalis ), green pepper ( Capsicum sp .), okro ( Abelmoschus esculentus ), quill grass ( Celosia argenta L ), tomato ( Lycopersicum sativus ) were collected from farms within Ibadan. Samples were washed in water, and the resulting washing solution was filtered and centrifuged to concentrate the parasitic stages. Sediments were examined by iodine and modified Ziehl-Neelsen stained smears technique., Results: parasites were detected in 14 (5.0%, 95% CI 32.6%-67.3%) of samples. The highest contaminated vegetable was white jute 32.1 (95% CI 17.9%-50.6%), followed by pumpkin 7.1(95% CI 1.9-22.6), quill grass 7.1% (95% CI 1.9-22.6) and lettuce 3.5 (95% CI 0.6-17.7). The commonest parasites were Strongyloides stercoralis larvae 42.9 (95% CI 21.3-67.4), Entamoeba histolytica/E.dipaar 21.4 (95% CI 7.5-47.5), Trichostrongylus spp 21.4 (95% CI 21.3-67.4), and Ascaris sp . 14.3 (95% CI 4.0-39.9)., Conclusion: these findings provide evidence of contamination of vegetables from farms in Ibadan with parasites of public health importance. Information on best practices should be designed, packaged and disseminated through appropriate channels to enhance positive behavior change among farmers., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (©Oluwasola Olaiya Obebe et al.)

Small ruminants are particularly well suited to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goals surrounding food security, human wellbeing and poverty alleviation in different environmental and climatic settings. However the current efficiency of food production from small ruminants in both developed agricultural regions and in lower and middle income countries is woefully inadequate to meet predicted global needs over the forthcoming decades. Most global research to address this challenge is focussed on the genetics of animal growth, conformation and disease tolerance or resistance traits, albeit the practical consequences of such selection and strategies to use genetically improved animals in the field are uncertain. Any long-term benefits derived from small ruminant genetic selection will only be impactful if steps are first taken to keep animals alive, healthy and productive through iterative planned health management. Parasites are the foremost global infectious disease constraints to efficient small ruminant production. Their genetic adaptability to exploit opportunities afforded by effects of climatic or management changes on free-living stages, or exposure of parasitic stages to drugs, presents specific challenges to their sustainable control. Hence, parasite control provides a relevant means of engagement with livestock keepers and farmers on the topic of planned animal health management. The value of parasitology in this regard is enhanced by the availability of simple to use and accessible diagnostic tools.

Diarrhea has long been recognized as an important cause of mortality during childhood. In parallel with ensuring access to proven care practices is the imperative to apply modern advances in medicine, science, and technology to accelerate progress against diarrheal disease, particularly in developing countries where the burden of avoidable harm is the greatest. In order to highlight achievements and identify outstanding areas of need, we reviewed the landscape of recent innovations that have significance for the study and clinical management of pediatric diarrhea in low resource settings.

China has achieved a great success in control and elimination of key parasitic diseases. In 2007, the elimination of lymphatic filariasis was verified by WHO. The schistosomiasis incidence and snail-distributed areas have reduced to the lowest level in the history. The transmission and disease burden of echinococcosis have been contained largely, and the populations infected with soil-transmitted trematode and food-borne parasites have also shown a significantly declining trend. Because of rapid globalization and climate changes, however, many new challenges have arisen. In his paper, the 2020-2030 roadmaps towards the control and elimination of these key parasitic diseases are described. Moreover, China is actively implementing its global health strategy, and will be more and more engaged into global health affairs, in which a series of China-Africa health cooperation projects have been in planning with a wish of making a greater contribution to the SDGs., (© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Parasitic zoonosis (PZs) have a cosmopolitan significant impact on public health but they are often omitted in discussions, especially in developing countries. Zoonotic parasites include protozoa, cestodes, nematodes, trematodes and arthropods, and notably in African and Arabian countries have a high prevalence among livestock and man. Through this comprehensive review, we summarize the extant published research of the most significant zoonotic parasites present in some countries of Arabic world and we identify the epidemiology and risk factors for significant infections and suggest some effective control measures. This review might help the researches, governments about the zoonotic impact of these neglected infections for future considerations and application for real control programs.

Parasitic diseases have been widely epidemic in China with a long history. Great endeavours made in past 70 years led to significant decrease in morbidity and mortablity caused by several major parasitic diseases, while challenges existed to eliminate parasitic diseases. Surveillance-response system has play a crucial role in identifying public health problems, ascertaining the distribution and epidemic dynamics, discovering outbreaks and epidemic anomalies, evaluating the effects of on-site intervention activities and identifying risk factors. In this article, we reviewed the progress of the surveillance system for parasitic diseases, analysed the role of NIPD in the construction and application of surveillance-response system of parasitic diseases through elaborating the surveillance activities and typical surveillance-response events led by NIPD. Suggestion and comments for improve the surveillance-response system were put forward for further control or elimination of parasitic diseases., (© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

There is a plethora of meat-borne hazards - including parasites - for which there may be a need for surveillance. However, veterinary services worldwide need to decide how to use their scarce resources and prioritise among the perceived hazards. Moreover, to remain competitive, food business operators - irrespective of whether they are farmers or abattoir operators - are preoccupied with maintaining a profit and minimizing costs. Still, customers and trade partners expect that meat products placed on the market are safe to consume and should not bear any risks of causing disease. Risk-based surveillance systems may offer a solution to this challenge by applying risk analysis principles; first to set priorities, and secondly to allocate resources effectively and efficiently. The latter is done through a focus on the cost-effectiveness ratio in sampling and prioritisation. Risk-based surveillance was originally introduced into veterinary public health in 2006. Since then, experience has been gathered, and the methodology has been further developed. Guidelines and tools have been developed, which can be used to set up appropriate surveillance programmes. In this paper, the basic principles are described, and by use of a surveillance design tool called SURVTOOLS (https://survtools.org/), examples are given covering three meat-borne parasites for which risk-based surveillance is 1) either in place in the European Union (EU) (Trichinella spp.), 2) to be officially implemented in December 2019 (Taenia saginata) or 3) only carried out by one abattoir company in the EU as there is no official EU requirement (Toxoplasma gondii). Moreover, advantages, requirements and limitations of risk-based surveillance for meat-borne parasites are discussed., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The analysis of epidemiological data has played an important role for the academic research carried out by the National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, China CDC, since its foundation in 1950s. Those researches, e.g., the temporal-spatial patterns of disease transmission and the identification of risk factors, have contributed significantly to the national parasitic disease control and elimination programmes in China. With the development and application of epidemiological data analysis in the last decade, all research results improve our understanding of parasitic diseases epidemiology and related health issues through the application platform of epidemiological big data and analytical tools. In particular, implementation research on analytical predictions on disease outbreak or epidemic risks have provided references to the scientific guidance on effective preventions and interventions in the parasitic disease elimination in China, such as fliariasis, malaria and schistosomiasis. This review has reflected the function of data accumulation and application of temporospatial tools in parasitic diseases control, and the ways of the NIPD's sustained contributions to the disease control programmes in China., (© 2020 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.)

Spatial epidemiology is a new branch of epidemiology, and is a subject that mainly analyzes the geographical distribution and changes of population health or diseases and its related impact factors. Recently, spatial epidemiology has been extensively applied in the prevention and control of parasitic diseases in China, and delightful results have been achieved. However, the research and application of theories and methods of spatial epidemiology are still needed to protect the people's health in China.

Although foodborne parasites (FBPs) are becoming recognized as important foodborne pathogens, they remain neglected compared with bacterial and viral foodborne pathogens. As drivers for infection with FBPs are variable, it is often unclear for funding bodies where research should be prioritized. Through a COST Action (Euro-FBP; FA1408), we harnessed Europe-wide expertise to address these questions, using an Expert Knowledge Elicitation approach. Eating habits, lack of food-chain control, lack of awareness from relevant agencies, globalization, and water quality were identified as major drivers for FBP infection. Prioritized research needs to be largely focused on methodological gaps, but also on surveillance concerns, impact-assessment issues, and the role of microbiota. Despite the European focus, these responses should be relevant to those concerned with FBPs globally., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The investigation of the glycan repertoire of several organisms has revealed a wide variation in terms of structures and abundance of glycan moieties. Among the parasites, it is possible to observe different sets of glycoconjugates across taxa and developmental stages within a species. The presence of distinct glycoconjugates throughout the life cycle of a parasite could relate to the ability of that organism to adapt and survive in different hosts and environments. Carbohydrates on the surface, and in excretory-secretory products of parasites, play essential roles in host-parasite interactions. Carbohydrate portions of complex molecules of parasites stimulate and modulate host immune responses, mainly through interactions with specific receptors on the surface of dendritic cells, leading to the generation of a pattern of response that may benefit parasite survival. Available data reviewed here also show the frequent aspect of parasite immunomodulation of mammalian responses through specific glycan interactions, which ultimately makes these molecules promising in the fields of diagnostics and vaccinology.

Background: Drylands, which are among the biosphere's most naturally limiting and environmentally variable ecosystems, constitute three-quarters of the African continent. As a result, environmental sustainability and human development along with vector-borne disease (VBD) control historically have been especially challenging in Africa, particularly in the sub-Saharan and Sahelian drylands. Here, the VBD burden, food insecurity, environmental degradation, and social vulnerability are particularly severe. Changing climate can exacerbate the legion of environmental health threats in Africa, the social dimensions of which are now part of the international development agenda. Accordingly, the need to better understand the dynamics and complex coupling of populations and environments as exemplified by drylands is increasingly recognized as critical to the design of more sustainable interventions., Main Body: This scoping review examines the challenge of vector-borne disease control in drylands with a focus on Africa, and the dramatic, ongoing environmental and social changes taking place. Dryland societies persisted and even flourished in the past despite changing climates, extreme and unpredictable weather, and marginal conditions for agriculture. Yet intrusive forces largely out of the control of traditional dryland societies, along with the negative impacts of globalization, have contributed to the erosion of dryland's cultural and natural resources. This has led to the loss of resilience underlying the adaptive capacity formerly widely exhibited among dryland societies. A growing body of evidence from studies of environmental and natural resource management demonstrates how, in light of dryland system's inherent complexity, these factors and top-down interventions can impede sustainable development and vector-borne disease control. Strengthening adaptive capacity through community-based, participatory methods that build on local knowledge and are tailored to local ecological conditions, hold the best promise of reversing current trends., Conclusions: A significant opportunity exists to simultaneously address the increasing threat of vector-borne diseases and climate change through methods aimed at strengthening adaptive capacity. The integrative framework and methods based on social-ecological systems and resilience theory offers a novel set of tools that allow multiple threats and sources of vulnerability to be addressed in combination. Integration of recent advances in vector borne disease ecology and wider deployment of these tools could help reverse the negative social and environmental trends currently seen in African drylands.

Objective: To understand the status and capability of professionals at provincial parasitic diseases control institutions in main clonorchiasis-endemic areas of China., Methods: The status and capacity of professionals at four provincial parasitic diseases control institutions were collected using questionnaire surveys, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Heilongjiang and Jilin, and the data were analyzed., Results: There were totally 37 professionals working on parasitic diseases control in the four provincial institutions in 2018, including 33 full-time and 4 part-time professionals, and there were 12, 16, 3 and 6 professionals working at Guangdong, Guangxi, Heilongjiang and Jilin provincial institutions, respectively. Of the 37 professionals, there were 24.32%, 37.84% and 37.84% at ages of 35 years and lower, 35 to 45 years, and greater than 45 years. Men consisted of 54.05% of all professionals, and 86.49% had an education of bachelor and above, while 78.38% had a title of moderate or above. Among all professionals, there were 29 responsible for clonorchiasis prevention and control; however, they all participated in the prevention and control of other parasitic diseases; 33 professionals were able to prepare Kato-Katz smears and 34 read the smears; 30 professionals were able to detect metacercaria in fishes, and 24 and 16 professionals were able to perform immunological and mo-lecular tests. In addition, 26 professionals participated in provincial projects, 19 in national projects; however, few professionals participated in international projects or undertook provincial, national or international projects. Furthermore, there were 34 professionals (91.89%) participating in national trainings on parasitic diseases; however, only 12 (32.43%) completed a training for more than one week., Conclusions: There are few professionals at provincial parasitic diseases control institutions in main clonorchiasis-endemic areas of China, and they have a relative high capability in parasitic disease control; however, their research capacity is relative weak.

Parasitic diseases are among the major health problems of various societies, especially people in developing countries, causing high economic and mortality burdens. Many researchers have reported that awareness and knowledge of a disease are effective in preventing and controlling the disease. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes on parasitic diseases of the population in Ahvaz County, southwestern Iran. This community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in 2017 on 3500 subjects above 15 years old of Ahvaz County. First, participants were provided the necessary information regarding the study, and then data were collected using a constructed questionnaire. Of the 3500 participants, 1732 (49.5%) were female and 1768 (50.5%) were male, 348 (9.9%) said that they had been infected with a parasitic disease at least once in their lifetime. Almost half of the participants (42.8%) knew malaria was a parasitic disease and 50.2%, 48.9%, and 41.5% were aware of the possible transmission of parasitic diseases through uncooked meat, dirty hands, and close contact with animals. Regarding clinical symptoms, 73.2% and 32.6% of the respondents knew diarrhea and abdominal pain respectively were clinical symptoms of intestinal parasitic diseases. However, only 31.3% were aware of the close contact with cats and the risk of human toxoplasmosis and possible abortion in pregnant women. The findings reveal that the attitude of most participants toward treatment was positive (93.9%), but only 47.5% of believed that disinfecting fruits and vegetables could prevent intestinal parasitic infections., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Parasitic diseases have plagued mankind throughout history, and even today parasites continue to cause disease, disability and death in millions of people worldwide. Targeted electronic educational media for bringing awareness to local inhabitants of endemic communities, including public health practitioners, are vital tools in the battle against parasitic diseases., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Several of the authors are involved in the development of vaccines against diseases discussed in the article, including vaccines in clinical trials for hookworm infection and schistosomiasis.

Research approaches that cross disciplinary silos, industry sectors, and political borders are now increasingly prioritized for tackling issues of global concern. Nevertheless, team science can be challenging. The goal of this article is to help researchers proactively consider factors influencing conflicts and successes with an emphasis on the health sciences., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)