Epidemiology of Parasitic Infections: Approaches, Challenges and Opportunities

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 3630

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Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania
Interests: parasitic infections; epidemiology; zoonoses; public health; COVID-19
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parasitic infections are widespread in human and animal populations, and are a major public health problem. These infections have often been associated with populations of low social and economic level in underdeveloped countries. In reality, parasites are also found in developed countries, sometimes affecting millions of people.

Recent evolution in migration, population relocations and tourism, climate changes and socio-political upheavals have created favorable conditions for parasites to be introduced into environments where they have never been found, or to reappear in areas from which they have been eradicated.

The best-available epidemiological evidence of parasitic infections relies on published studies regarding the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in specified populations.

This Special Issue invites researchers and experts from all over the world to submit original research on the epidemiology of parasitic infections that will bring valuable data, thus creating databases of great medical importance. Contributions from authors exploring epidemiological aspects in systematic reviews and meta-analyses are also welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Tudor Rares Olariu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • parasitic infections
  • epidemiology
  • prevalence
  • risk factors
  • public health

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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8 pages, 1537 KiB  
Case Report
Human Pulmonary Dirofilariasis Due to Dirofilaria immitis: The First Italian Case Confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis, with a Systematic Literature Review
by Andrea Palicelli, Claudia Veggiani, Francesco Rivasi, Andrea Gustinelli and Renzo Boldorini
Life 2022, 12(10), 1584; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12101584 - 12 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1895
Abstract
Dirofilariasis is a zoonosis caused by nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria.Dirofilaria immitis is cosmopolitan as regards its distribution in animals, being responsible for human pulmonary dirofilariasis in the New World. However, human infections by Dirofilaria immitis are exceptional in Europe, and the [...] Read more.
Dirofilariasis is a zoonosis caused by nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria.Dirofilaria immitis is cosmopolitan as regards its distribution in animals, being responsible for human pulmonary dirofilariasis in the New World. However, human infections by Dirofilaria immitis are exceptional in Europe, and the previously reported Italian cases of pulmonary dirofilariasis were due to Dirofilaria repens. We performed a systematic literature review of the Italian cases of human dirofilariasis due to Dirofilariaimmitis according to the PRISMA guidelines. We also report the first autochthonous case of human pulmonary dirofilariasis due to Dirofilariaimmitis, confirmed by polymerase chain reaction analysis. The patient was a 60-year-old man who lived in the Po river valley and had never traveled abroad; on histological examination, the 2-cm nodule found in his right upper lung was an infarct due to a parasitic thrombotic lesion. Only one other autochthonous (but conjunctival) case due to Dirofilariaimmitis (molecularly confirmed) was previously found in the same geographic area. Climatic changes, the increasing movements of animal reservoirs and vectors, and new competent carriers have expanded the geographic distribution of the Dirofilaria species, increasing the risk of human infections. Our report demonstrates that at least some pulmonary Italian cases of human dirofilariasis are due to Dirofilaria immitis, as in the New World. Full article
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