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By PLoS Medicine Blog
Mysore K, Flannery EM, Tomchaney M, Severson DW, Duman-Scheel M (2013) Disruption of Aedes aegypti Olfactory System Development through Chitosan/siRNA Nanoparticle Targeting of semaphorin-1a. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 7(5): e2215. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002215 The following new articles are publishing in PLOS NTDs this week: There is not yet a vaccine for schistosomiasis and treatment presently relies on a single drug, praziquantel, which has shown cases of reduced efficacy in certain areas, raising serious concerns about the need to develop a new therapy. In this paper, Dr. Mathieu Vanderstraete and colleagues have investigated the possibility of fighting Schistosoma mansoni by targeting key receptors involved in the parasite’s glucose uptake, metabolism and reproduction
May 17th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by Ronnie G. Gavilan, Maria L. Zamudio, Jaime Martinez-Urtaza Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a foodborne pathogen that has become a public health concern at the global scale. The epidemiological significance of V. parahaemolyticus infections in Latin America received little attention until the winter of 1997 when cases related to the pandemic clone were detected in the region, changing the epidemic dynamics of this pathogen in Peru.
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by Florian Gehre, Jacob Otu, Kathryn DeRiemer, Paola Florez de Sessions, Martin L. Hibberd, Wim Mulders, Tumani Corrah, Bouke C. de Jong, Martin Antonio Background Human tuberculosis (TB) in West Africa is not only caused by M. tuberculosis but also by bacteria of the two lineages of M. africanum.
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by Zeleke Mekonnen, Selima Meka, Mio Ayana, Johannes Bogers, Jozef Vercruysse, Bruno Levecke Background In veterinary parasitology samples are often pooled for a rapid assessment of infection intensity and drug efficacy. Currently, studies evaluating this strategy in large-scale drug administration programs to control human soil-transmitted helminths (STHs; Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm), are absent. Therefore, we developed and evaluated a pooling strategy to assess intensity of STH infections and drug efficacy. Methods/Principal Findings Stool samples from 840 children attending 14 primary schools in Jimma, Ethiopia were pooled (pool sizes of 10, 20, and 60) to evaluate the infection intensity of STHs.
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by G. Sybren de Hoog, Sarah A. Ahmed, Mohammad J. Najafzadeh, Deanna A. Sutton, Maryam Saradeghi Keisari, Ahmed H
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by Mathieu Vanderstraete, Nadège Gouignard, Katia Cailliau, Marion Morel, Julien Lancelot, Jean-François Bodart, Colette Dissous Background Chemotherapy of schistosomiasis relies on a single drug, Praziquantel (PZQ) and mass-use of this compound has led to emergence of resistant strains of Schistosoma mansoni, therefore pointing out the necessity to find alternative drugs. Through their essential functions in development and metabolism, receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) could represent valuable drug targets for novel anti-schistosome chemotherapies. Taking advantage of the similarity between the catalytic domains of S. mansoni insulin receptors (SmIR1 and SmIR2) and Venus Kinase Receptors (SmVKR1 and SmVKR2), we studied the possibility to fight schistosomes by targeting simultaneously the four receptors with a single drug.
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by Lei Pan, Lijuan Zhang, Desheng Fan, Xiuchun Zhang, Hong Liu, Qunying Lu, Qiyi Xu Background Q fever is the most widespread zoonosis, and domestic animals are the most common sources of transmission. It is not only difficult to distinguish from other febrile diseases because of the lack of specific clinical manifestations in humans, but it is also difficult to identify the disease in C. burnetii-carrying animals because of the lack of identifiable features. Conventional serodiagnosis requires sera from the acute and convalescent stages of infection, which are unavailable at early diagnosis. Nested PCR and real-time PCR require equipment.
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by Arturo Centurion-Lara, Lorenzo Giacani, Charmie Godornes, Barbara J. Molini, Tara Brinck Reid, Sheila A. Lukehart Background The pathogenic non-cultivable treponemes include three subspecies of Treponema pallidum (pallidum, pertenue, endemicum), T. carateum, T. paraluiscuniculi, and the unclassified Fribourg-Blanc treponeme (Simian isolate)
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by Stephan Karl, Lucía Gutiérrez, Rafael Lucyk-Maurer, Roland Kerr, Renata R. F. Candido, Shu Q. Toh, Martin Saunders, Jeremy A. Shaw, Alexandra Suvorova, Andreas Hofmann, Michael J.
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by Bo-Chi Lin, Li-Hsin Su, Shih-Che Weng, Yu-Jiao Pan, Nei-Li Chan, Tsai-Kun Li, Hsin-Chih Wang, Chin-Hung Sun The protozoan Giardia lamblia differentiates into infectious cysts within the human intestinal tract for disease transmission. Expression of the cyst wall protein (cwp) genes increases with similar kinetics during encystation. However, little is known how their gene regulation shares common mechanisms. DNA topoisomerases maintain normal topology of genomic DNA. They are necessary for cell proliferation and tissue development as they are involved in transcription, DNA replication, and chromosome condensation
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by Keshava Mysore, Ellen M. Flannery, Michael Tomchaney, David W. Severson, Molly Duman-Scheel Despite the devastating impact of mosquito-borne illnesses on human health, surprisingly little is known about mosquito developmental biology, including development of the olfactory system, a tissue of vector importance. Analysis of mosquito olfactory developmental genetics has been hindered by a lack of means to target specific genes during the development of this sensory system. In this investigation, chitosan/siRNA nanoparticles were used to target semaphorin-1a (sema1a) during olfactory system development in the dengue and yellow fever vector mosquito Aedes aegypti.
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By PLoSNTDs
by Young-An Bae, Do-Whan Ahn, Eung-Goo Lee, Seon-Hee Kim, Guo-Bin Cai, Insug Kang, Woon-Mok Sohn, Yoon Kong Background Clonorchis sinensis causes chronic cumulative infections in the human hepatobiliary tract and is intimately associated with cholangiocarcinoma. Approximately 35 million people are infected and 600 million people are at risk of infections worldwide. C. sinensis excretory-secretory products (ESP) constitute the first-line effector system affecting the host-parasite interrelationship by interacting with bile fluids and ductal epithelium.
May 16th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Journal Watch,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By GHHub
TANZANIA plans to step up its efforts in wiping out the so-called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that continue to affect millions of people, especially the poor. via allAfrica.com: Tanzania Steps Up War Against Neglected Diseases.
May 15th, 2013 | Posted in Infectious Disease,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
By GHHub
Niger is offering cash rewards to anyone reporting a case of Guinea worm as part of efforts to permanently eradicate the parasitic disease in the impoverished West African nation, the health ministry said. via Niger Offers Reward to Help Eradicate Guinea Worm.
May 14th, 2013 | Posted in Featured Content,Hub Selects,Infectious Disease,Neglected Tropical Diseases | Read More »
