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| 2. |
- Adler, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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Symptoms and risk factors of Cryptosporidium hominis infection in children : data from a large waterborne outbreak in Sweden
- 2017
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Ingår i: Parasitology Research. - : Springer Berlin/Heidelberg. - 0932-0113 .- 1432-1955. ; 116:10, s. 2613-2618
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cryptosporidium is a major cause of diarrheal disease worldwide. In developing countries, this infection is endemic and in children, associated with growth faltering and cognitive function deficits, with the most severe impact on those aged <2 years. Little has been reported about symptoms and risk factors for children in industrialized countries, although the disease incidence is increasing in such regions. In November 2010, a large waterborne outbreak of C. hominis occurred in the city of Östersund in Sweden. Approximately 27,000 of the 60,000 inhabitants were symptomatic. We aimed to describe duration of symptoms and the risk factors for infection with C. hominis in children aged <15 years in a Western setting. Within 2 months after a boil water advisory, a questionnaire was sent to randomly selected inhabitants of all ages, including 753 children aged <15 years. Those with ≥3 loose stools/day were defined as cases of diarrhoea. The response rate was 70.3%, and 211 children (39.9%) fulfilled the case definition. Mean duration of diarrhoea was 7.5 days (median 6, range 1-80 days). Recurrence, defined as a new episode of diarrhoea after ≥2 days of normal stools, occurred in 52.5% of the cases. Significant risk factors for infection, besides living within the distribution area of the contaminated water plant, included a high level of water consumption, male sex, and a previous history of loose stools. The outbreak was characterized by high attack and recurrence rates, emphasizing the necessity of water surveillance to prevent future outbreaks.
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| 3. |
- Aleix-Mata, Gael, et al.
(författare)
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Development and characterization of 15 novel polymorphic microsatellite loci for two important bot flies (Diptera, Oestridae) by next-generation sequencing
- 2020
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Ingår i: Parasitology Research. - : Springer Nature. - 0932-0113 .- 1432-1955. ; 119:9, s. 2829-2835
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cephenemyia stimulatorandOestrus ovisare two important parasitic bot flies (Oestridae) species causing myiasis, with a potential negative impact on the welfare of the host. Using next-generation sequencing approach and bioinformatics tools, a large panel of possible microsatellites loci was obtained in both species. Primer pairs were designed for 15 selected microsatellite loci inC. stimulatorand other 15 loci inO. ovisfor PCR amplification. Loci amplification and analysis were performed in four populations of each species. The results demonstrated that all selected loci were polymorphic, with the number of alleles ranging from 2 to 6 per locus inC. stimulatorand 3 to 13 per locus inO. ovis. This is the first time to describe these microsatellite loci forC. stimulatorandO. ovis. These two sets of microsatellite markers could be further used for biogeographic and population genetics studies.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Martin O., et al.
(författare)
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Babesia, Theileria, and Hepatozoon species in ticks infesting animal hosts in Romania
- 2017
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Ingår i: Parasitology Research. - : Springer. - 0932-0113 .- 1432-1955. ; 116:8, s. 2291-2297
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Babesia spp., Theileria spp., and Hepatozoon spp. are tick-transmitted apicomplexan parasites that cause several important diseases in animals. To increase current knowledge about the diversity of tick-transmitted pathogens in Romania, we investigated the occurrence of Babesia spp., Theileria spp., and Hepatozoon spp. in a wide range of tick species infesting animal hosts. We collected 852 ticks from 10 different animal species from 20 counties in Romania. The assessment was based on detection of parasite DNA by PCR. Five different apicomplexan parasite species were detected; among them three different species of Babesia: B. canis, B. microti, and B. ovis. Hepatozoon canis was the most frequently detected parasite, found predominately in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from domestic dogs. It was also detected in I. ricinus collected from goat, fox, and cat. Furthermore, H. canis was found in Haemaphysalis punctata and Haemaphysalis concinna ticks. In addition, Theileria buffeli was detected in Rhipicephalus bursa ticks collected from cattle.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Martin O., et al.
(författare)
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Detection of Cercopithifilaria bainae in western Romania
- 2017
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Ingår i: Parasitology Research. - : Springer. - 0932-0113 .- 1432-1955. ; 116:11, s. 3235-3238
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cercopithifilaria species are tick-transmitted filarial parasites of mammals. In Europe, three Cercopithifilaria spp. are known to parasitize dogs, all occurring mainly in the Mediterranean countries. In Romania, Cercopithifilaria bainae has been reported in a single dog in eastern Romania but the occurrence in other parts of the country is not known. To further elucidate the geographic distribution of Cercopithifilaria spp. infection, 544 ticks were collected from dogs in several locations across Romania. The presence of Cercopithifilaria spp. was investigated with real-time PCR. A single Dermacentor reticulatus female tick was found to be infected with Cercopithifilaria bainae. The finding in the present study is geographically separated from the previous finding in Romania by 800 km, as well as by the Carpathian mountain range. Hence, C. bainae is more geographically widespread in Romania than previously recognized. However, the single detection does suggest that infection is rather uncommon in Romanian dogs. Nevertheless, further studies on Cercopithifilaria spp. distribution and prevalence are needed.
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| 6. |
- Andersson, Martin O., et al.
(författare)
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New records and host associations of the tick Ixodes apronophorus and the first detection of Ehrlichia sp HF in Romania
- 2018
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Ingår i: Parasitology Research. - : Springer. - 0932-0113 .- 1432-1955. ; 117:4, s. 1285-1289
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ixodes (Ixodes) apronophorus is a neglected tick species and its geographical distribution, host associations, and role as a disease vector are not well known. We collected I. apronophorus from several locations in Romania. Morphological identification of ticks was confirmed by analysis of 16S rDNA and 12S rDNA gene sequences. We report new host associations of I. apronophorus, which was collected from dogs, foxes, and a hare-all new hosts for this tick species in Romania. Furthermore, we report for the first time occurrence of Ehrlichia sp. HF in I. apronophorus. Ehrlichia sp. HF was identified by sequencing a part of the 16S rDNA gene and was found in 16% (3/19) of the tested ticks. Ehrlichia sp. HF has not been previously reported in Eastern Europe and seems to have a much larger geographic distribution than previously known. Currently, it is unknown whether I. apronophorus is a competent vector for Ehrlichia sp. HF, or if the findings in this study represent infection in the hosts, namely dogs and fox.
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| 7. |
- Andersson, Martin O., et al.
(författare)
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Tick-borne pathogens in tick species infesting humans in Sibiu County, central Romania
- 2018
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Ingår i: Parasitology Research. - : Springer. - 0932-0113 .- 1432-1955. ; 117:5, s. 1591-1597
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Romania has a highly diverse tick fauna. Consequently, a high diversity of tick-transmitted pathogens might be a potential threat to humans. However, only a limited number of tick species regularly infest humans, and pathogens present in such species are therefore of particular interest from a medical perspective. In this study, 297 ticks were collected from humans during 2013 and 2014. Ixodes ricinus was the predominant tick species, accounting for 272 specimens or 91.6% of the ticks in the study. Nevertheless, other tick species were also found to infest humans: Dermacentor marginatus constituted 7% of the ticks found on humans (21/297), Haemaphysalis punctata 1% (3/297), and Haemaphysalis concinna 0.3% (1/297). Ticks were tested by PCR for a wide range of tick-borne pathogens. In total, 11.8% of the ticks carried human pathogenic bacteria, while no viral or protozoan pathogens were detected. The most frequently detected pathogen was Rickettsia spp., occurring in 5.4% of the ticks (16/297) and comprising three species: Rickettsia (R.) raoultii, R. monacensis, and R. helvetica. Borrelia s.l. occurred in 3% (9/297) of the ticks. "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis" occurred in 1.7% (5/297) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in 1.3% (4/297). Anaplasma bovis was detected in an H. punctata and Borrelia miyamotoi in an I. ricinus. These results point to the need for further studies on the medical importance of tick-borne pathogens in Romania.
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| 8. |
- Areskog, Marlene, et al.
(författare)
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PGP expression in Cooperia oncophora before and after ivermectin selection
- 2013
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Ingår i: Parasitology Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0932-0113 .- 1432-1955. ; 112, s. 3005-3012
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate genetic selection and P-glycoprotein (PGP) expression in three different isolates of Cooperia oncophora before treatment and after ivermectin (IVM) injection. Adult parasites were recovered from nine calves experimentally infected with the isolates represented by one IVM susceptible laboratory isolate, and two field isolates showing signs of phenotypic macrocyclic lactone resilience according to the faecal egg count reduction test. Five males and five females per isolate were examined both pre- and post-IVM treatment giving a total of 60 worms. A sequence from C. oncophora (Con-pgp) was identified, showing 83% similarity to Pgp-9 of Caenorhabditis elegans. Primers specific to putative Con-pgp-9 mRNA were designed, generating a 153-bp PCR product. Total RNA was prepared from all worms, and Con-pgp-9 expression was measured by quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR. Our results showed that mean PGP concentrations were four to five times higher in female as compared to male worms. No significant differences in gene expression between experimental groups pre- and post-IVM selection were detected. However, PGP gene expression tended to be increased by IVM treatment in male worms (p = 0.091), with 70% higher mean expression in treated than in untreated male worms. Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis did not demonstrate any bottleneck effect within the different isolates post-treatment. The total mean gene diversity values were 0.158 and 0.153 before and after treatment, respectively. Inbreeding coefficient in subpopulations compared to total population F ST was 0.0112, suggesting no genetic differentiation between or within the investigated isolates in relation to treatment. In conclusion, comparison of Con-pgp-9 expression showed no significant difference before and after treatment, but some tendency towards increasing expression in male worms.
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| 9. |
- Axelsson Olsson, Diana, et al.
(författare)
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A simple method for long-term storage Acanthamoeba species
- 2009
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Ingår i: Parasitology Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0932-0113 .- 1432-1955. ; 104:4, s. 935-937
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a novel and simple technique for storing live Acanthamoeba for long periods of time. The amoebae are maintained at refrigerator temperatures in a peptone-yeast extract-glucose (PYG) medium normally used for cultivation. Using this method, we obtained survival rates of at least 4 years for Acanthamoeba polyphaga and 3 years for Acanthamoeba castellanii and Acanthamoeba rhysodes. Advantages of this storage method are: (1) it is quick and simple, (2) inexpensive, (3) does not require encystment before storage, (4) resuscitation of cysts can be achieved within a week of culture in PYG medium at 27A degrees C, and does not require co-culture with bacteria or any special equipment.
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| 10. |
- Baltrusis, Paulius, et al.
(författare)
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Molecular detection of two major gastrointestinal parasite genera in cattle using a novel droplet digital PCR approach
- 2019
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Ingår i: Parasitology Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0932-0113 .- 1432-1955. ; 118, s. 2901-2907
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cooperia sp. and Ostertagia sp. are two cosmopolitan parasitic nematodes often found in mixed gastrointestinal infections in cattle across temperate regions. In light of the recent increase in the emergence of anthelmintic resistance in these and other nematodes derived from cattle around the globe, and their negative impact on animal health and productivity, novel molecular assays need to be put forth in order to facilitate the monitoring of parasite burden in infected herds, using pasture and/or fecal samples. Here, we describe a novel droplet digital PCR platform-based concept for precise identification and quantification of the two most abundant and important parasite genera in grazing western European cattle. By exploiting a single nucleotide difference in the two parasites' ITS2 sequence regions, we have developed two specific hydrolysis probes labeled with FAM (TM) or HEX (TM) fluorophores, which can not only distinguish between the DNA sequences of the two, but also quantify them in mixed DNA samples. A third, newly developed universal probe was also tested along the genus-specific probes to provide a robust and accurate reference. It was evident that the universal probe displayed congruent results to those obtained by the genus-specific probes when used with DNA from both parasites in a single sample. All in all, the results of our assay suggest that this novel protocol could be used to distinguish and quantify cattle parasites belonging to the two most important genera (i.e., Cooperia and Ostertagia) in a single mixed DNA sample.
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