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Microorganisms
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Parasites and Infection: Strategies to Control, Diagnose, and Treat Parasitic...
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Parasites and Infection: Strategies to Control, Diagnose, and Treat Parasitic Diseases

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2024 | Viewed by 1125

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Érica S. Martins-Duarte

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Parasitology, Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Interests: T. gondii

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parasitism is an ecological relation in which an organism, a parasite, lives inside or on another organism, the host, with the former depending on this organism to acquire essential nutrients and survive. Thus, it is a relationship that benefits the parasite at the expense of the host but not necessarily killing the latter. In humans, parasitic diseases hamper development and still cause high mortality, especially in children in developing countries. In addition, such infections in poultry, cattle, or swine, for example, are responsible for economic losses in livestock. In this Special Issue, we hope to receive original and review papers highlighting new advances in the diagnosis, control, and treatment of parasitic diseases that affect humans and animals of veterinary importance.

Dr. Érica S. Martins-Duarte
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • protozoan
  • ectoparasites
  • helminths

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 723 KiB  
Article
Subtype Distribution of Blastocystis spp. in Patients with Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Northern Spain
by Cristina Matovelle, Joaquín Quílez, María Teresa Tejedor, Antonio Beltrán, Patricia Chueca and Luis Vicente Monteagudo
Microorganisms 2024, 12(6), 1084; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12061084 - 27 May 2024
Viewed by 229
Abstract
Limited molecular data exist on the prevalence and subtype distribution of Blastocystis spp., the most prevalent parasite in human and animal feces worldwide. A total of 44 different subtypes (STs) of Blastocystis are currently recognized based on the sequence of the small subunit [...] Read more.
Limited molecular data exist on the prevalence and subtype distribution of Blastocystis spp., the most prevalent parasite in human and animal feces worldwide. A total of 44 different subtypes (STs) of Blastocystis are currently recognized based on the sequence of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) gene. This is a molecular study of Blastocystis spp. in hospitalized patients with gastrointestinal symptoms in northern Spain. We analyzed 173 Blastocystis-positive patients with gastrointestinal symptoms by using nested PCR for molecular detection, subtype identification, phylogenetic analyses, and genetic diversity assessment. ST2 (34.1%) and ST3 (34.7%) predominated, followed by ST1 (15.6%) and ST4 (15.6%). Mixed infections with different subtypes were observed in some patients. Sequence analysis revealed for the first time in European humans the allele 88 (a variant of ST1). In other cases, alleles commonly found in animal samples were detected (allele 9 in ST2, allele 34 in ST3, and allele 42 in ST4). Phylogenetic analysis showed high variability in ST1 and ST2, suggesting a polyphyletic origin, while both ST3 and ST4 exhibited higher genetic homogeneity, indicating a possible monophyletic origin and recent transmission to humans. These data confirm Blastocystis spp. subtype diversity and may help in understanding the evolutionary processes and potential zoonotic transmission of this parasite. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites and Infection: Strategies to Control, Diagnose, and Treat Parasitic Diseases)
15 pages, 4162 KiB  
Article
Synthetic Peptides Selected by Immunoinformatics as Potential Tools for the Specific Diagnosis of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis
by Gabriel Moreira, Rodrigo Maia, Nathália Soares, Thais Ostolin, Wendel Coura-Vital, Rodrigo Aguiar-Soares, Jeronimo Ruiz, Daniela Resende, Rory de Brito, Alexandre Reis and Bruno Roatt
Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 906; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050906 - 30 Apr 2024
Viewed by 575
Abstract
Diagnosing canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in Brazil faces challenges due to the limitations regarding the sensitivity and specificity of the current diagnostic protocol. Therefore, it is urgent to map new antigens or enhance the existing ones for future diagnostic techniques. Immunoinformatic tools are [...] Read more.
Diagnosing canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in Brazil faces challenges due to the limitations regarding the sensitivity and specificity of the current diagnostic protocol. Therefore, it is urgent to map new antigens or enhance the existing ones for future diagnostic techniques. Immunoinformatic tools are promising in the identification of new potential epitopes or antigen candidates. In this study, we evaluated peptides selected by epitope prediction for CVL serodiagnosis in ELISA assays. Ten B-cell epitopes were immunogenic in silico, but two peptides (peptides No. 45 and No. 48) showed the best performance in vitro. The selected peptides, both individually and in combination, were highly diagnostically accurate, with sensitivities ranging from 86.4% to 100% and with a specificity of approximately 90%. We observed that the combination of peptides showed better performance when compared to peptide alone, by detecting all asymptomatic dogs, showing lower cross-reactivity in sera from dogs with other canine infections, and did not detect vaccinated animals. Moreover, our data indicate the potential use of immunoinformatic tools associated with ELISA assays for the selection and evaluation of potential new targets, such as peptides, applied to the diagnosis of CVL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites and Infection: Strategies to Control, Diagnose, and Treat Parasitic Diseases)
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