Immunoexpression of intermediate filaments and morphological changes in the liver and bile duct of rats infected with Fasciola hepatica.

We investigated the immunoexpression of the intermediate filament proteins, cytokeratin and desmin, and the morphological changes in the liver of rats during experimental fasciolosis at 4, 7 and 10 weeks post-infection. Rats were infected with 30 Fasciola hepatica metacercariae. Paraffin sections of the liver were stained using H & E, PAS and azan stains. Immunohistochemical reactions were performed using antibodies against cytokeratin and desmin. The experimental F. hepatica infection led to fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver, and to inflammation of the common bile ducts. The expression of cytokeratin was increased in the epithelial cells of both the liver bile ductules at 4, 7 and 10 weeks post-infection and in the common bile ducts at 7 and 10 weeks post-infection compared to uninfected rats; expression in the common bile ducts was more intense. The myofibroblasts of the liver and smooth myocytes of the interlobular bile ducts and common bile ducts, showed a slight increase in desmin expression compared to the uninfected rats. The increased expression of cytokeratins in the hyperplastic rat common bile duct epithelium during the biliary phase of fasciolosis at 7 and 10 weeks post-infection may be explained by mechanical irritation by the parasite and an inflammatory reaction in the bile duct epithelium and in periductal fibrous tissue.

[Fascioliasis and brucellosis in same patient]. / Ayni Hastada Fascioliazis ve Bruselloz.

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infectious disease that can affect many organs and systems and leads to very different clinical circumstances. Brucellosis is rare in association with various infectious agents. Fascioliasis is a zoonotic disease caused by Fasciola hepatica, popularly referred to as a large leaf-shaped liver fluke. This case is a 39-year-old male patient, and his complaints began a week ago, which were chills, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, weakness, sweating, and widespread pain. The patient was considered brucellosis in the preliminary diagnosis. Rose Bengal test and Wright test (1/640) were detected as positive. Due to patients having elevated liver enzymes, abdominal ultrasound was taken. A liver lesion was seen with abdominal ultrasound. So, abdominal computed tomography (CT) was taken. The CT result report came in the form that at the left lobe of the liver segment 2, largely necrosis that showed no contrast enhancement, approximately 61x63 mm in size (compatible with fascioliasis) is viewed. The patient's IHA test results, required for fascioliasis, were detected as 1/320 positive. Especially for zoonotic diseases in areas with high endemicity, it should be considered that more than one infectious agent can be present together in high-risk patients.

The anti-fasciolasis properties of silver nanoparticles produced by Trichoderma harzianum and their improvement of the anti-fasciolasis drug triclabendazole.

Recently, new strains of Fasciola demonstrated drug resistance, which increased the need for new drugs or improvement of the present drugs. Nanotechnology is expected to open some new opportunities to fight and prevent diseases using an atomic scale tailoring of materials. The ability to uncover the structure and function of biosystems at the nanoscale, stimulates research leading to improvement in biology, biotechnology, medicine and healthcare. The size of nanomaterials is similar to that of most biological molecules and structures; therefore, nanomaterials can be useful for both in vivo and in vitro biomedical research and applications. Therefore, this work aimed to isolate fungal strains from Taif soil samples, which have the ability to synthesize silver nanoparticles. The fungus Trichoderma harzianum, when challenged with silver nitrate solution, accumulated silver nanoparticles (AgNBs) on the surface of its cell wall in 72 h. These nanoparticles, dislodged by ultrasonication, showed an absorption peak at 420 nm in a UV-visible spectrum, corresponding to the plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles. The transmission electron micrographs of dislodged nanoparticles in aqueous solution showed the production of reasonably monodisperse silver nanoparticles (average particle size: 4.66 nm) by the fungus. The percentage of non hatching eggs treated with the Triclabendazole drug was 69.67%, while this percentage increased to 89.67% in combination with drug and AgNPs.

Computerized tomographic findings of hepatic fascioliasis compared with melioidosis-caused liver abscesses.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the computerized tomographic (CT) findings of hepatic fascioliasis (HF) vs. melioidosis-caused liver (ML) abscesses. MATERIAL AND METHOD: CT images of 15 patients with hepatic fascioliasis (HF) and 16 patients with melioidosis-caused liver (ML) abscesses were retrospectively reviewed. The authors evaluated and compared HF and ML abscesses (by chi2 and Fisher exact tests) vis-a-vis their location of liver involvement, size, shape, number margins, enhancement patterns, subcapsular lesions, internal architecture, dilatation of intrahepatic bile duct and combination with splenic abscesses. RESULTS: Fourteen HF patients had only liver abscesses and 1 had combined liver and splenic abscesses. Four ML patients had liver abscesses alone while 12 had combined liver and splenic abscesses (p = 0.000). Eight of the 15 HF (53.3%) and 2 of the 16 ML (12.5%) patients had subcapsular lesions (p = 0.019). The liver abscesses were round or oval with linear tracts in 8 of the 15 HF (53.3%) and none of the ML patients (p = 0.001). Between the respective HF and ML patients, there was a significant difference in those with round shaped in ML (p = 0.008), multiple and conglomerately distributed in HF (p = 0.050), multiple and discretely distributed in ML (p = 0.001) no (or minimal) peripheral contrast enhancement in HF (p = 0.011) and moderate or mark peripheral enhancement in ML (p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: The CT findings of liver abscesses that helped to differentiate hepatic fascioliasis from melioidosis liver abscesses were: their number shape, enhancement pattern, presence of subcapsular lesion (s) and co-occurrence with splenic abscesses. The diagnosis of hepatic fascioliasis by CT is suggested when the following characteristics were seen: (1) multiple, small round or oval (with linear tracts) conglomerates presenting as hypodense lesions; (2) no (or minimal) peripheral contrast enhancement; (3) subcapsular lesions; or (4) less frequent co-occurrence with splenic abscesses.

Fascioliasis hepática / Hepatic fascioliasis

La fascioliasis hepática es una enfermedad parasitaria infecciosa producida por el trematodo Fasciola hepática. El humano es infectado accidentalmente al ingerir vegetales (principalmente berros) contaminados con las formas enquistadas del parásito (metacercarias). Clínicamente se reconoce una fase hepática (fase aguda) que comprende desde la liberación de la larva en el duodeno hasta su llegada a la vía biliar, y una fase biliar (fase crónica), en donde la Fasciola se localiza en la vía biliar, madura a su forma adulta y produce huevos. El diagnóstico requiere un alto índice de sospecha dado el polimorfismo en la presentación y muchas veces el desconocimiento de antecedentes epidemiológicos. Las manifestaciones clínicas dependen del período en el cual se encuentra la enfermedad, sin embargo, lo más habitual es la presencia de dolor abdominal y eosinofilia. El diagnóstico definitivo requiere la demostración del parásito a través de métodos directos (visualización por medio de colangiografía retrógrada endoscópica o búsqueda de huevos en deposiciones o bilis) o a través de la demostración por métodos serológicos. El tratamiento actualmente disponible con triclabendazol es altamente efectivo.

The hepatic fascioliasis is a parasitic disease caused by infectious trematode fasciola hepática. Man is infected accidentally by ingesting vegetables (mainly watercress) contaminated with the parasite encysted forms (metacercariae). Clinically a hepatic phase (acute phase) is recognized, ranging from the release of the larvae in the duodenum to their arrival to the bile duct and a bile phase (chronic phase), where fasciola is located in the bile duct, and the parasite matures to the adult form and produces eggs. The diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion given the polymorphism in the presentation and the frequent lack of epidemiological history. The clinical manifestations depend on the current period of the disease is, however, the most common is the presence of abdominal pain and eosinophilia. Definitive diagnosis requires demonstration of the parasite through direct methods (visualization by ERCP or search for eggs in stool or bile), or through the demonstration by serological methods. The currently available treatment is highly effective with triclabendazole.

Adnexal fascioliasis masquerading as ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative diagnosis of ovarian cancer is still problematic as multiple disease processes may present with pelvic mass. Fascioliasis is a parasitic disease producing unique clinical manifestations. CASE REPORT: A 49-year-old female patient admitted to our hospital with the complaint of occasional abdominal pain. Pelvic examination revealed a right adnexal mass. Serum CA-125 level was elevated. Explorative laparotomy was performed with the initial diagnosis of ovarian tumor. Final diagnosis was adnexal fascioliasis. CONCLUSION: In the setting of a newly diagnosed pelvic mass, care should be taken when interpreting an elevated CA-125 level. While ovarian cancer is high on the list of differential diagnoses, atypical clinical presentation of fasciola may give rise to a misdiagnosis of malignancy.

Fasciolasis hepatica: reporte de un caso y revisión de la literatura / Hepatic fasciolasis: report of a case and review of the literature

La fasciolasis humana es una zoonosis causada por la Fasciola hepática, trematodo que en su vida adulta afecta principalmente el ganado ovino y bovino, siendo el hombre huésped accidental. La dificultad en el diagnóstico clínico, dada su variada sintomatología, muchas veces requerirá del apoyo imagenológico, por lo que el radiólogo debe estar preparado y conocer la epidemiología de este patógeno, especialmente en aquellas zonas endémicas (Latinoamérica, zonas de Asia y el Norte de Africa). Es importante considerarla dentro del diagnóstico diferencial de lesiones focales hepáticas, especialmente en el contexto clínico de eosinofilia.

Estudio de los moluscos fluviátiles de una localidad afectada por un brote de fascioliasis / Fluvial mollusks from a locality affected by a fascioliasis outbreak

Se informa que se ralizó un estudio de las diferentes especies de moluscos dulceacuícolas en la localidad de Fomento, afectada por un brote de fascioliasis. Se plantea que en el área del municipio se colectaron diferentes especies de moluscos, encontrándose entre éstos Lymnaea cubensis (Pfeiffer, 1839) y Lymnaea columella (Say, 1871): hospederos intermediarios de Fasciola hepatica (Linne, 1758). Se expone que los análisis de laboratorio corroboaron que L. cubensis es el principal vector en esta epidemia. Se indica la necesidad de realizar los estudios pertinentes sobre la posibilidad de aplicar el método de control biológico a los vectores de esta enfermedad

Bovine fascioliasis in Nigeria--intercurrent parasitic and bacterial infections.

The bacterial and parasitic infections associated with field cases of bovine fascioliasis due to Fasciola gigantica were investigated; 47.6% of infected cattle had blood parasites, 61.9% had faecal-borne parasites and 85.8% had positive bacterial isolates in the bile in contrast to 13.3% with blood parasites, 71.1% with faecal-borne parasites and 28.9% positive for bile bacteria among uninfected cattle. Trypanosoma spp., Babesia, Paramphistomum and Schistosoma were the most commonly found parasites associated with fascioliasis. On the other hand Staphylococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli and mixed infections of these with other Enterobacteriaceae were the common bacteria isolated from the bile of infected cattle. The parasitaemia of Babesia was significantly higher in infected than uninfected cattle but there was no significant difference in strongyle egg count between the 2 groups of cattle.