Search Results (103)

Kinetoplastids are protozoa that possess a unique organelle called a kinetoplast. These include the parasites Trypanosoma cruzi, T. brucei and related African trypanosomes, and Leishmania spp. These parasites cause a variety of neglected tropical diseases in humans and livestock, with devastating consequences. In the absence of any vaccine, pharmaceutical interventions are the mainstay of control, but these have historically been underfunded, fragmented, and inadequately aligned with the complex zoonotic and ecological realities of the parasites’ transmission dynamics. In this review, the landscape of current and emerging drugs for treating leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and African trypanosomiasis is critically evaluated across both veterinary and human contexts. It examines the challenges of legacy compounds, the pharmacological shortcomings in multi-host, multi-tropic and multi-stage disease systems, and the gaps in veterinary therapeutics, specifically for African animal trypanosomiasis and canine leishmaniasis but also the animal reservoir of T. cruzi. Emphasis is placed on pharmacokinetic divergence between species, the accompanying risks with the use of off-label human drugs in animals, and the ecological effects of environmental drug exposure. We propose a far-reaching One Health framework for pharmaceutical research and development, promoting dual-indication co-development, ecological pharmacology, regulatory harmonisation, and integrated delivery systems. In this context, we argue that the drug development pipeline must be rationalised as a transdisciplinary and ecologically embedded process, able to interrupt parasite transmission to human, animal, and vector interfaces. Our findings reveal that we can bridge age-old therapeutic gaps, advance towards sustainable control, and eventually eliminate the neglected diseases caused by kinetoplastid protozoan parasites by aligning pharmaceutical innovation with One Health principles. This article aims to promote future research and development of innovative drugs that are sustainable under the One Health framework. Full article

Rodents are among the most widespread mammals globally and serve as critical reservoirs for a wide array of zoonotic parasites that significantly impact human health. This review explores the growing public health concern of rodent-borne parasitic diseases, encompassing protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. Key protozoan parasites include Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania spp., Giardia intestinalis, and Cryptosporidium spp., all of which are capable of causing severe diseases in humans and are found in rodent populations. Zoonotic helminths such as Hymenolepis spp., Trichinella spiralis, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Capillaria hepatica, and Baylisascaris procyonis also demonstrate substantial zoonotic potential. Moreover, ectoparasites like Xenopsylla cheopis, Ornithonyssus bacoti, and Ixodes spp. play key roles in the transmission of vector-borne diseases, including plague, murine typhus, and Lyme disease. Anthropogenic factors, including urbanization, poor sanitation, habitat destruction, and climate change, exacerbate the emergence and spread of these infections. These drivers not only disrupt rodent ecology but also increase the frequency of human–rodent interactions, facilitating zoonotic transmission. Despite the severity of these threats, rodent-borne parasitic diseases remain underrecognized, particularly in low-resource settings where surveillance and control efforts are often limited. This review highlights the pressing need for integrated One Health strategies that encompass rodent population control, environmental hygiene, vector management, and public education. Strengthening global surveillance systems and investing in interdisciplinary research are critical for early detection, risk assessment, and prevention of future outbreaks. Tackling the ecological and environmental drivers of rodent-borne parasitic diseases is essential to safeguard both human and animal health in an increasingly interconnected world. Full article

Monochromatic mode-filtering-based scattering suppression techniques have been shown to be applicable to all commonly used forms of far- and near-field antenna and RCS measurement techniques. Traditionally, the frequency-domain mode-filtering technique takes a far-field pattern, either measured directly or obtained using a suitable near-field to far-field transformation, as its starting point. The measurement is required to be conducted such that the antenna under test (AUT) is positioned offset from the origin of the measurement coordinate system. This physical offset introduces a phase taper across the AUT pattern and results in far greater interference occurring between the direct and indirect parasitically coupled spurious scattered signals. The method is very general and can be applied to all forms of near- or far-field measurements. However, for the case of a spherical near-field measurement (SNF) approach, it is somewhat cumbersome and tedious as first we must perform a probe-corrected spherical near-field to far-field transformation, which itself involves the computation of a complete set of spherical mode coefficients, and then after the displacement has been applied to the far-electric-fields, a second spherical wave expansion and summation is required to implement the mode-filtering procedure. While this data processing chain has been widely deployed and exhaustively validated, it requires passing through the asymptotic far-field, which inevitably results in additional computational effort, as well as incurring some loss of information, which can impose limitations on further near-field applications. This paper introduces an alternative, novel, rigorous algorithm that applies the displacement of the AUT directly using the vector addition theorem for spherical waves. An efficient implementation has been developed, and it is shown that the new, rigorous algorithm for the translation and filtering can be easily implemented directly within the data processing chain of any standard spherical near-field transformation algorithm, avoiding the need to first transform to the asymptotic far-field and also removing the need for a secondary spherical mode expansion and secondary spherical mode summation. While the vector addition theorem required for the spherical near-field to far-field transformation (SNFFFT) algorithm has been described in detail in the open literature, its implementation has been limited to the case of impinging waves and positive z-directed translations where the magnitude of the displacement is necessarily larger than the minimum sphere radius (MRE). In the current paper, the addition theorem will be derived in a new form that allows the translation to be applied in any desired direction, without the need for additional rotations, as well as being valid for solutions for waves transitioning through the sphere and applicable for the case where the magnitude of the translation is smaller or larger than the radius of the minimum sphere. Full article

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by protozoa of the Leishmania genus. Once confined to endemic regions such as the Middle East, Americas, North Africa, and Central Asia, CL is increasingly emerging in non-endemic areas due to a multitude of drivers, including population displacement, environmental disruption, and political instability. These overlapping drivers contribute to expanding sand fly habitats, degrading living conditions, and weakening health systems, increasing transmission. Rising global temperatures further facilitate vector expansion into new regions, where clinical unfamiliarity often leads to misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, increased morbidity, and greater financial burden. Despite its rising incidence and global spread, CL remains a neglected tropical disease since it is seldom fatal, with scant interest by public health authorities and financial donors, limiting activities that further research and prevent spread of the disease. This review synthesizes current evidence on how geopolitical instability, forced migration, and climate-driven ecological changes collectively reshape CL epidemiology and complicate diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance. As CL extends beyond traditional geographic boundaries, it requires integrated strategies that address its multifaceted drivers through strengthened cross-border surveillance, provider education, and international coordination—focusing on prevention, diagnosis, and equitable access to diagnostics and therapeutics, especially among displaced and underserved populations. Full article

Foodborne pathogens represent a class of pathogenic microorganisms capable of causing food poisoning or serving as foodborne vectors, constituting a major source of food safety concerns. With increasing demands for rapid diagnostics, conventional culture-based methods and PCR assays face limitations due to prolonged turnaround times and specialized facility requirements. While CRISPR-based detection has emerged as a promising rapid diagnostic platform, its inherent inability to detect low-abundance targets necessitates coupling with isothermal amplification, thereby increasing operational complexity. In this study, we preliminarily developed a novel amplification-free Cascade-CRISPR detection system utilizing a hairpin DNA amplifier. This method achieves detection sensitivity as low as 10 fM (82 parasites/μL) for DNA targets within 30 min without requiring pre-amplification, with background signal suppression achieved through optimized NaCl concentration. Validation using artificially contaminated food samples demonstrated the platform’s robust performance for both Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) detection, confirming broad applicability. In summary, this study preliminarily establishes an amplification-free Cascade-CRISPR detection platform that achieves high sensitivity and rapid turnaround, demonstrating strong potential for on-site screening of foodborne pathogens. Full article

This paper investigates and characterizes a tunable inductor structure based on coupled-line configurations, referred to as a coupled-line tunable inductor (CLTI). By integrating switches along the coupled-line paths, the mutual inductance can be selectively enabled or disabled, providing a means for active inductance modulation. Spiral inductors with one-turn and two-turn cores were used in conjunction with inner-coupled-line placements to explore different coupling configurations. The test structures were implemented using printed circuit board (PCB) technology, and their performance was analyzed through electromagnetic simulations and vector network analyzer (VNA) measurements. The results confirm that switch-controlled coupled lines enable effective inductance tuning, with a measurable reduction in inductance when the coupled-line path is activated. In the switch-OFF state, only minimal performance degradation was observed due to parasitic effects. These findings provide useful insights into the practical behavior of coupled-line tunable inductors and suggest their applicability in RF circuits and adaptive analog systems, particularly where integration and compact tunability are desired. Full article

Leishmaniases are neglected tropical diseases caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus, with a significant global health burden, particularly in low-income regions. The parasites rely on a unique thiol-based redox system centered on trypanothione, which is essential for survival under oxidative stress encountered during their life cycle in both insect vectors and mammalian hosts. Given the absence of mammalian analogs, the trypanothione system represents an attractive target for antileishmanial drug development. However, accurate quantification of the reduced and oxidized forms of trypanothione has been challenging due to its instability and structural similarity between redox states. Here, we developed and validated a rapid, sensitive liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for assessing the trypanothione redox state in Leishmania infantum. By incorporating N-ethylmaleimide as a thiol-blocking agent during sample preparation, the native redox state was preserved, enabling precise measurement of the reduced-to-oxidized ratio. Our approach demonstrated high sensitivity (nanomolar range), a rapid analysis time (5 min/sample), and robustness across various conditions. Moreover, we validated the method’s relevance in detecting oxidative stress and response to the trypanothione reductase inhibitor auranofin. This LC-MS technique provides a valuable tool for exploring Leishmania redox biology and supports the discovery of redox-targeting therapies against leishmaniasis. Full article

Vector-borne parasitic diseases represent a critical public health challenge in Africa, disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations and linking human, animal, and environmental health through the One Health framework. In this review, we explore the existing burden of these diseases, particularly those that are underreported. Climate change, urbanization, the introduction of alien species, and deforestation exacerbate the emergence and reemergence of arthropod-borne zoonotic parasitic diseases like malaria, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis, complicating control and disease elimination efforts. Despite progress in managing certain diseases, gaps in surveillance and funding hinder effective responses, allowing many arthropod zoonotic parasitic infections to persist unnoticed. The increased interactions between humans and wildlife, driven by environmental changes, heighten the risk of spillover events. Leveraging comprehensive data on disease existence and distribution coupled with a One Health approach is essential for developing adaptive surveillance systems and sustainable control strategies. This review emphasizes the urgent need for interdisciplinary collaboration among medical professionals, veterinarians, ecologists, and policymakers to effectively address the challenges posed by vector-borne zoonotic parasitic diseases in Africa, ensuring improved health outcomes for both humans and animals. Full article

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne infection caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania. CL is an emerging global health concern due to increasing migration, travel, and climate change. Traditionally, it was confined to endemic regions such as the Americas, the Middle East, and Central Asia; however, it is now spreading to non-endemic areas. Climate change has further contributed to the expansion of sandfly habitats, increasing CL transmission risk in previously unaffected areas. Healthcare providers in non-endemic regions often misdiagnose CL, delaying treatment and morbidity. Diagnosis remains challenging due to the need for species-specific identification, while treatment is limited by cost, availability, and personnel expertise. This review explores the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic challenges, and management of CL in the context of global mobility. It highlights rising CL cases in refugee settlements, particularly in Lebanon and Jordan, due to poor living conditions, inadequate vector control, and healthcare barriers. While there have been advances in systemic and topical therapies, access in refugee and resource-poor settings remains a barrier. Addressing the global burden of CL requires improved surveillance, healthcare provider training, and increased awareness. By enhancing global collaboration and policy changes, public health efforts can mitigate the expanding impact of CL. Full article

Babesiosis is a significant vector-borne zoonotic disease with major global economic and health implications, affecting various vertebrate hosts. Babesia parasites are auxotrophic for essential nutrients, relying on their hosts for metabolic support. This study investigated salivary metabolomic changes in dogs naturally infected with Babesia canis (N = 14) compared to healthy controls (N = 14) using untargeted and targeted mass spectrometry-based approaches. Saliva, a biofluid rich in metabolites, undergoes alterations in response to systemic diseases, making it a promising medium for studying host–pathogen interactions. Metabolomic profiling was performed using a Dionex UltiMate 3000 UHPLC system coupled with a Thermo Orbitrap Q Exactive mass spectrometer. An untargeted analysis detected 2257 salivary features, of which, 868 were significantly altered, with seven metabolites identified by reference to standards. A targeted analysis revealed significant changes in seven metabolites. Functional bioinformatics indicated disruptions in amino acid, nucleotide, and lipid metabolism, alongside alterations in energy production pathways, and purine metabolism. These findings provide critical insights into the metabolic shifts underlying canine babesiosis, supporting the development of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in the future. This study highlights the intricate interplay between host and pathogen, particularly in nutrient acquisition and metabolic regulation. Full article

The aim of this study is to evaluate the model performance in the classification of FAMACHA© scores using Support Vector Machines (SVMs) with a focus on the estimation of the FAMACHA© scoring system used for early diagnosis and treatment management of parasitic infections. FAMACHA© scores are a color-based visual assessment system used to determine parasite load in animals, and in this study, the accuracy of the model was investigated. The model’s accuracy rate was analyzed in detail with metrics such as sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive values. The results showed that the model had high sensitivity and specificity rates for class 1 and class 3, while the performance was relatively low for class 2. These findings not only demonstrate that SVM is an effective method for classifying FAMACHA© scores but also highlight the need for improvement for class 2. In particular, the high accuracy rate (97.26%) and high kappa value (0.9588) of the model indicate that SVM is a reliable tool for FAMACHA© score estimation. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the potential of SVM technology in veterinary epidemiology and provides important information for future applications. These results may contribute to efforts to improve scientific approaches for the management of parasitic infections. Full article

Background/Objectives: Many tropical diseases such as malaria, Chagas, human African Trypanosomiasis, and Lymphatic filariasis coexist in endemic countries, affecting more than 1 billion people worldwide, and are recognised as major global vector-borne diseases. Tackling this disease requires an accurate diagnosis that is sensitive, specific, and rapid. This study aimed to describe and validate a new highly sensitive and specific multiple-analysis system that can effectively detect numerous etiological agents in a single test. Methods: A total of 230 human blood samples were assessed retrospectively for parasite characterisation, as well as 58 stool samples from non-human primates. Primers and probes were designed in the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene, except for Plasmodium spp., for which the novel target was Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit 1. Results: The analytical specificity of the presented method was 100%, with no unspecific amplifications or cross-reactions with other blood parasitic diseases. The detection limit obtained was between 0.6 and 3.01 parasites/µL for Plasmodium species, 1.8 parasites/mL for Trypanosomatidae, and 2 microfilariae/mL in the case of Filariae. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and kappa coefficient reached almost 100%, except for Filariae, whose sensitivity dropped to 93.9% and whose negative predicted value dropped to 89.5%. The operational features described a turnaround and a hands-on time shorter than the compared methods with a lower cost per essay. Conclusions: This work presents a cost-effective and highly sensitive multiplexed tool (RT-PCR-bp) capable of performing simultaneous detection for blood parasitic diseases using specific fluorescence probes, enabling the diagnosis of low parasite loads and coinfections. Full article

Malaria disease affects millions of people annually, making the Amazon Basin a major hotspot in the Americas. While traditional control strategies rely on physical and chemical methods, the Anopheles microbiome offers a promising avenue for biological control, as certain bacteria can inhibit parasite development and alter vector immune and reproductive systems, disrupting the transmission cycle. For this reason, this study aimed to explore the bacterial communities in An. darlingi and An. triannulatus s.l., including breeding sites, immature stages, and adults from San Pedro de los Lagos (Leticia, Amazonas) through next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The results revealed a higher bacterial genus richness in the L1–L2 larvae of An. triannulatus s.l. Aeromonas and Enterobacter were prevalent in most samples, with abundances of 52.51% in L3–L4 larvae and 48.88% in pupae of An. triannulatus s.l., respectively. In breeding site water, Verrucomicrobiota bacteria were the most dominant (52.39%). We also identified Delftia (15.46%) in An. triannulatus s.l. pupae and Asaia (98.22%) in An. triannulatus, linked to Plasmodium inhibition, and Elizabethkingia, in low abundances, along with Klebsiella and Serratia, known for paratransgenesis potential. Considering the high bacterial diversity observed across the different mosquito life stages, identifying bacterial composition is the first step towards developing new strategies for malaria control. However, the specific roles of these bacteria in anophelines and the malaria transmission cycle remain to be elucidated. Full article

Proteinopathies, characterized by the misfolding, aggregation, and deposition of proteins, are hallmarks of various neurodegenerative and systemic diseases. Increasingly, research has highlighted the role of protein misfolding in parasitic infections, unveiling intricate interactions between host and parasite that exacerbate disease pathology and contribute to chronic outcomes. The life cycles of parasitic protozoa, including Plasmodium, Toxoplasmosis, and Leishmania species, are complicated and involve frequent changes between host and vector environments. Their proteomes are severely stressed during these transitions, which calls for highly specialized protein quality control systems. In order to survive harsh intracellular conditions during infection, these parasites have been demonstrated to display unique adaptations in the unfolded protein response, a crucial pathway controlling endoplasmic reticulum stress. In addition to improving parasite survival, these adaptations affect host cell signaling and metabolism, which may jeopardize cellular homeostasis. By causing oxidative stress, persistent inflammation, and disturbance of cellular proteostasis, host–parasite interactions also contribute to proteinopathy. For instance, Plasmodium falciparum disrupts normal protein homeostasis and encourages the accumulation of misfolded proteins by influencing host redox systems involved in protein folding. In addition to interfering with host chaperone systems, the parasitic secretion of effector proteins exacerbates protein misfolding and aggregate formation. Autophagy, apoptosis regulation, organelle integrity, and other vital cellular processes are all disrupted by these pathological protein aggregates. Long-term misfolding and aggregation can cause irreversible tissue damage, which can worsen the clinical course of illnesses like visceral leishmaniasis, cerebral malaria, and toxoplasmosis. Treating parasite-induced proteinopathies is a potentially fruitful area of therapy. According to recent research, autophagy modulators, proteasome enhancers, and small-molecule chaperones may be repurposed to lessen these effects. Pharmacological agents that target the UPR, for example, have demonstrated the ability to decrease parasite survival while also reestablishing host protein homeostasis. Targeting the proteins secreted by parasites that disrupt host proteostasis may also offer a novel way to stop tissue damage caused by proteinopathies. In conclusion, the intersection of protein misfolding and parasitic infections represents a rapidly advancing field of research. Dissecting the molecular pathways underpinning these processes offers unprecedented opportunities for developing innovative therapies. These insights could not only transform the management of parasitic diseases but also contribute to a broader understanding of proteinopathies in infectious and non-infectious diseases alike. Full article

Electric vehicles (EVs) rely on robust inverter-to-motor connections to ensure high-efficiency operation under the challenging conditions imposed by wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors. High switching frequencies and steep voltage rise times in WBG inverters lead to repetitive transient overvoltages, causing insulation degradation and premature motor winding failure. This study proposes a wideband (WB) model of EV cables, developed in EMTP-RV, to improve transient voltage prediction accuracy compared to the traditional constant parameter (CP) model. Using a commercially available EV-dedicated cable, the WB model incorporates frequency-dependent parasitic effects calculated through the vector fitting technique. The motor design is supported by COMSOL Multiphysics and MATLAB 2023 simulations, leveraging the multi-conductor transmission line (MCTL) model for validation. Using practical data from the Toyota Prius 2010 model, including cable length, motor specifications, and power ratings, transient overvoltages generated by high-frequency inverters are studied. The proposed model demonstrates improved alignment with real-world scenarios, providing valuable insights into optimizing insulation systems for EV applications. Full article