Trichuris Globulosa Von Linstow, 1901 from one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) in Egypt: prevalence, morphological and molecular study.

BACKGROUND: Trichuris spp. (whipworms) are soil-transmitted helminths distributed worldwide, parasitizing several mammalian hosts such as ruminants, primates, and rodents. Trichuris spp. is one of the most common intestinal parasites affecting both humans and animals, and it can spread directly through the fecal-oral route, resulting in severe illness and financial loss. So, this work aims to detect the frequency of Trichuris spp. in camels in Beheira Governorate, Egypt, and to identify Trichuris spp. through morphometrical studies, molecular analysis, and phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 35 dromedaries out of 127 investigated had Trichuris spp. infection, meaning that the overall prevalence was 27.56%. The age of the camel affected the infection rate, older animals (> 5 years) having a higher prevalence of infection (24%) than animals of ages (< 3 years) (20%) than animals of ages (3-5 years) (19.14%). According to season: Trichuris spp. showed a unique pattern in camels in different seasons: summer (31.25%) > autumn (28.13%) > spring (25.8%) > winter (25%) indicating year-round infection. T. globulosa was identified morphometrically from camels in Beheira Governorate, Egypt. The BLAST analysis revealed the presence of T. globulosa isolate from camels using the Genbank database depending on nuclear small subunit ribosomal RNA (18s) and cytochrome b (Cytb) genes. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of T. globulosa was found in camels in Beheira Governorate, Egypt. This is the first report to confirm the identification of T. globulosa from camel based on morphometrical studies and molecular and phylogenetic analysis in Egypt. More thorough studies on the incidence, molecular, and genetic analysis of Trichuris spp. in Egypt are required in addition to camel control programs.

Correction: Dynamics of serological responses to defined recombinant proteins during Schistosoma mansoni infection in mice before and after the treatment with praziquantel.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008518.].

Toxocara cati larval migration in rats: experimental histopathological study.

Toxocara spp. (T. canis and T. cati in particular) are the major etiological nematodes that have contributed to visceral larval migrans (VLM). So to show the ability of T. cati to produce such migration in the rats as experimental model and detection through histopathological observations to detect larval migratory patterns. Adult females T. cati were collected from naturally infected feral cats. Eight rats, Rattus norvegicus had acted as a model for experimental infection, each receiving an infectious dose of about 1000 infective T. cati eggs, while 2 rats served as non-infected control group. Two infected rats were sacrificed and examined at 7, 14, 21, and 28 day post infection (dpi) and tissue samples were taken for digestioning order to recover migrated larvae and for histopathological examination. In vitro embryonation of T. cati eggs was successfully carried out, although the percentage of embryonation was 10%, prepared inoculums were also infective to rats. Larvae recovered from the lungs at 7 and 14 dpi and were also present at 21, and 28 dpi. The larvae of T. cati were present in the intestines at 14, and 21 dpi. There were no larvae or less than one larva per gram found in other studied tissues. Histopathological changes in different organs were observed. Generally speaking, a multi-tissue response can be defined as the histopathological response of T. cati larval migration. The migratory larvae of T. cati can cause severe histopathological alterations in various tissues and organs of infected animals, within the current study shows that the lungs are a favorable site of migration for these larvae. T. cati is a zoonotic parasite that is underestimated.

Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Toxocara cati Infection in Feral Cats in Alexandria City, Northern Egypt.

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to determine the prevalence and to identify precisely Toxocara spp., which infects feral cats in Alexandria, Egypt based on morphological and molecular approaches. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 feral cats trapped from different areas of Alexandria during 2018. Adult male and female worms were recovered from small intestinal contents after euthanasia and dissection of cats. Distinct morphological features were initially determined using available keys, and then after amplification and sequencing of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) gene was carried out and phylogenetic trees were constructed. RESULTS: Forty out of 100 cats were infected with Toxocara spp. Intensity of infection ranged from 1 to 9 worms/cat, with a mean of 2.27±1.6. All isolates were confirmed as T. cati based on morphological features and the sequence of nad1 gene. Results of the current study clearly show that Egyptian T. cati isolate examined herein is genetically similar to those recorded in other countries. CONCLUSION: The current work revealed high prevalence of T. cati in feral cats in the study area. This is the first genetic study that confirms T. cati from feral cats in Egypt. In addition, it demonstrated the suitability and need of genetic markers such as nad1 for identification of Toxocara spp. Furthermore highlights the public health importance of T. cati in Egypt.

Phylogeny and ultrastructure of Henneguya fusiformis Kostoïngué, Fall, Faye and Toguebaye 1999, a newly recorded species infecting the ovaries of Clarias gariepinus in Egypt.

The genus Henneguya is the second largest within the class Myxosporea, which infects marine and freshwater fish. One hundred Clarias gariepinus specimens were collected alive from a branch of the Nile River in Kafrelsheikh, Egypt. Microscopic and molecular procedures were used to describe how Henneguya fusiformis infects the ovaries of C. gariepinus. The infected fish showed no pathogenic changes except for macroscopic creamy whitish nodules in their ovaries with the highest prevalence during the spring season. The mature spores are spindle-shaped. The total spore length, spore body length and width are 53.4 ± 0.8 (52.5-54.3) µm, 29.8 ± 0.5 (29.2-30.4) µm and 6.5 ± 0.3 (6.1-6.9) µm, respectively. The spore anterior end consisted of two equal polar capsules, located in a tandem position, each one measuring 4.2 × 2.1 µm. The polar filament formed a coil with 6-8 turns. The measurement of the spore end with two extended processes was 24.3 ± 0.4 (23.9-24.8) µm. Phylogenetic analyses of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene sequence revealed that H. fusiformis are clustered together with other myxobolids that are histozoic in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, and Asian Redtail catfish, Hemibagrus nemurus" (Clariidae) in the United States and Malaysia, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first record of H. fusiformis in Egypt. Additionally, our study is the first record of H. fusiformis in the ovaries of C. gariepinus.

Prevalence of heterophyid infection in tilapia fish "Orechromas niloticus" with emphasize of cats role as neglected reservoir for zoonotic Heterophyes heterophyes in Egypt.

The current survey was carried out to determine the prevalence of heterophyids infection in tilapia fish "Orechromaus niloticus", and the role of cats "Felis catus" as a reservoir for the zoonotic digenetic trematodes "Heterophyid"-particularly Heterophyes hetrophyes-in Egypt. All over a year, 100 tilapia fish "Orechromas niloticus" were collected randomly from local markets at Alexandria city. Fish specimens were examined for the presence of encysted metacercariae (EMC). Furthermore, specimens of infected fish were experimentally fed to cats as well as rats to detect the adult species and infection ratio, and resulted clinical signs. Results showed that 65% (CI: 55.7-74.3%) of examined fish was infected by one or more of flukes EMC. The highest infection was recorded in summer and spring, followed by autumn then winter. Regarding the identified EMC; Heterophyes spp. was the most common adults (50%). Experimental feeding of EMC to cats and rats resulted in identification of 8 adult flukes namely; H. heterophyes, H. dispar, Haplorchis pumilio, Haplorchis taichiue, Pygidiopsis geneta, Centrocestus cuspidatus, Procerum varium and Prohistomum vivax. Experimentally infected cats were more susceptible to infection compared with rats; also showed more severe clinical and pathological signs than rats. In conclusion, the current work clarifies and highlights a high infection rate of EMC in edible tilapia fish in the study area, also the possible role of cats as a reservoir of the digenetic trematodes particularly the zoonotic H. heterophyes, that necessities planning and application of suitable control measures; and continuous monitoring of fish zoonotic parasites as well as cats and its parasites.

Dynamics of serological responses to defined recombinant proteins during Schistosoma mansoni infection in mice before and after the treatment with praziquantel.

To eliminate schistosomiasis, appropriate diagnostic tests are required to monitor its prevalence and transmission, especially in the settings with low endemicity resulting from the consecutive mass drug administration. Antibodies that react with either crude soluble schistosome egg antigens or soluble worm antigen preparations have been used to monitor infection in low-prevalence regions. However, these detection methods cannot discriminate current and past infections and are cross-reactive with other parasites because both antigens contain numerous proteins and glycans from schistosomes, and standard preparations need maintenance of the life cycle of the schistosome. To evaluate the potential utility of nine recombinant Schistosoma mansoni proteins as single defined antigens for serological diagnosis, we monitored the kinetics of antibodies to each antigen during S. mansoni infection in mice before and after the treatment with praziquantel. C57BL/6 mice were infected with 50 cercariae. The levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) raised against five recombinant antigens (RP26, sm31, sm32, GST, and LAP1) significantly increased as early as 2-4 weeks after infection and rapidly declined by 2 weeks after the treatment, whereas those raised against crude S. mansoni egg antigens or other antigens remained elevated long after the treatment. The IgG1 raised against RP26, sm31, and serpin decreased after the treatment with praziquantel, whereas the IgE raised against serpin declined strikingly after the treatment. This study clarifies the dynamics of the serological responses to recombinant S. mansoni proteins during infection and after the treatment with praziquantel and identifies several candidate antigens with potential utility in the monitoring and surveillance of schistosomiasis toward the elimination of schistosomiasis.

Prevalence and distribution pattern of intestinal helminths in chicken and pigeons in Aswan, Upper Egypt.

There is scarce data available on helminth infection of poultry in the region of Aswan province, Upper Egypt. A total of 276 poultry (156 baladi chickens and 120 domestic pigeons) were collected from different villages in Aswan province to screen the presence of intestinal helminths during the period from April 2016 to March 2017. The current investigation revealed that the overall prevalence was 55.79% (154/276). Additionally, 59.09% baladi chickens had mixed infections with four cestodes and three nematodes. Among cestodes, Raillietina tetragona was the most prevalent species (16.02%) followed by Raillietina echinobothrida (10.98%), Cotugnia digonopora (6.41%), and Raillietina cesticillus (1.28%). The most prevalent nematodal species were Heterakis gallinarum (15.38%), Ascaridia galli (8.97%), and Subulura brumpti (1.28%). In pigeons, 52.5% were found to be infected by four cestodes: Raillietina echinobothrida (22.5%), Cotugnia digonopora (13.33%), Raillietina tetragona (9.16%), and Raillietina cesticillus (3.33%) as well as one species of nematodes, Ascaridia columbae (9.16%). There was a close relationship between the occurrence of intestinal helminths and the age of domestic birds revealing that the high prevalence was found in adults rather than young birds. Meanwhile, it has been found that the highest prevalence was found in summer, while the lowest infection rate was recorded in winter. Further studies are needed to determine the effects of the parasites on the health and productivity of poultry in such area.

Gastrointestinal helminths of stray cats in Alexandria, Egypt: A fecal examination survey study.

This study investigates the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) helminths among stray cats in Alexandria city, Egypt. Between May 2013 and April 2015, a total of 170 fecal samples were randomly collected from cats and examined parasitologically. GI helminths were found in 58.23% of the samples, comprising cestodes (23.52%), nematodes (20%), and trematodes (14.70%). The prevalent cestodes found were Dipylidium caninum (18.82%), Hymenolepis spp. (3.52%), and Taenia taeniaeformis (1.17%). The prevalent nematodes were Toxocara cati (8.23%), Toxascaris leonina (8.32%), hook worms (1.76%), and lastly Trichuris sp., Physaloptera sp., and Strongyloides cati (0.58% for each). The trem\atodes eggs comprised Heterophyids (11.76%), Alaria spp. (1.76%) and Mesostepahnus spp. (1.17%). The current study highlights the high prevalence of GI helminths in stray cats in Alexandria, Egypt and provides new and updated results that may help in the effort to control these parasites. Further investigations of GI parasites detected in cats in Egypt, particularly of those that play a role in public health, are recommended.

First case of intestinal acariasis from Egypt.

We are hereby reporting a case where the eggs and adults of the mold mites; Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Shrank) and the trophozoites of Blastocystis sp. were found in stool of three years old child from Minia City, Egypt. Intestinal mite infection was diagnosed after repeated identification of mite' stages from six consecutive stool samples to exclude the possibilities of contamination and spurious infection. The patient was suffering from severe colicky abdominal pain and burning sensation around the anus one month ago. All other members of his family were having the same acarine in their feces, but were all symptomless. The patient was treated with ivermectin 200 µg/kg body weight once every 10 days for three doses. His cure indicated that he was having asymptomatic blastocystosis.

Molecular and phylogenetic study on Toxocara vitulorum from cattle in the mid-Delta of Egypt.

Toxocara vitulorum is an important intestinal nematode that commonly infects ruminants world-wide, notably in tropical and sub-tropical regions. In Egypt, T. vitulorum has a high prevalence rate in cattle and buffaloes calves. The current work aims to identify and verify T. vitulorum collected from cattle in El-Mahlla El-Kubra city in the mid-Delta of Egypt, using molecular and phylogenetic tools. The first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) and 18S genes of ribosomal DNA were amplified, sequenced, and compared with nucleotide sequences deposited in data bases, and also used to construct the phylogenetic trees. Our results confirm that T. vitulorum isolated from cattle in Egypt is genetically identical to those recorded in other countries. Moreover, the phylogenetic trees show a close relationship among different species of Toxocara, including the zoonotic species. Our results show that ITS genes can be targeted as genetic markers to diagnose and discriminate among different Toxocara spp. The data presented here may be helpful in the pursuit of further molecular and genetic studies of Toxocara species.

Morphologic and molecular characteristics of Sarcocystis atraii n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) infecting the common coot (Fulica atra) from Egypt.

A single morphologic type of Sarcocystis cysts found in two out of 43 examined common coots, Fulica atra, is considered to represent a new species for which the name Sarcocystis atraii n. sp. is proposed and its description is provided. Coots were hunted from the vicinity of Brolos Lake located at KafrElsheikh province, Egypt. The structural morphology of the revealed sarcocysts was described using light and transmission electron microscopy. Sarcocysts were found in the leg and thigh muscles. The cysts were microscopic and measured 165-850 µm in length × 50-85 µm in width. Histologically; the sarcocyst wall was wavy and had minute undulations. Ultrastructurally, it measured 1-3 µm in thickness and possessed many mushroom-like villar protrusions sometimes originating from other mushroom-like villar protrusions that measured approximately 0.5-2 µm in length and up to 2 µm in width, with the presence of electron dense ground substance of 300 nm to 1 µm thick. The bradyzoites were elongated, banana-shaped and measured 7.5-14 × 1.5-2.5 µm, with centrally or terminally located nuclei. The ultrastructural features of the cyst wall belonged to type 24. On the basis of sequencing and phylogenic analyses for 18S rRNA , 28S rRNA genes and ITS-1 region; S. atraii n. sp. is considered a genetically distinct species, being most closely related to avian Sarcocystis spp. whose definitive hosts are predatory mammals.

Morphologic identification of a new Sarcocystis sp. in the common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus ) (Aves: Gruiformes: Rallidae) from Brolos Lake, Egypt.

Sarcocystis species are among the most common and widespread protozoan parasites of mammals and birds. The current study provides the first record of infection with Sarcocystis species in the common moorhens from Brolos Lake, KafrElsheikh province, Egypt. Morphology of the parasite cysts was described using light and transmission electron microscopy. Out of 25 examined birds, sarcocysts were found in neck, thigh, and legs muscles of two birds. The cysts were microscopic and measured 150-650 µm in length×45-185 µm in width. Histologically, the sarcocyst wall appeared striated and characterized by the presence of radial spines. Ultrastructurally, it measured 2-4.5 µm in thickness and had irregularly shaped crowded finger-like villar protrusions that measured 1.5-4 µm in length and up to 0.4-2 µm in width with the presence of dense electron ground substance of 200-750 nm thick. Several septa derived from the ground substance were present and divided the cyst into compartments containing both bradyzoites and metrocytes. The bradyzoites were banana-shaped and measured 6-12 × 1-2 µm with centrally or posteriorly located nuclei. The ultrastructural features of the cyst wall belonged to type 10 cyst wall according the classification of Dubey et al. (1989) and Dubey and Odening (2001).

ELISA and some biochemical tests of heterophyidae infection in laboratory animals.

Heterophyiasis is an important food-borne parasitic zoonosis in Egypt, among the inhabitants living around brackish-water lakes especially fishermen, and it is a common human parasite in the Nile Delta. The experiment was done on two laboratory animals (rats and dogs), and the time of sample collection was done periodically at 6, 9, 15, 21, and 28 days post-infection to evaluate different tests required. Whole blood was collected with heparin or ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid as anticoagulant to help in the hematological studies such as red blood cells count (RBCs), white blood cells count, packed cell volume (PCV), and hemoglobin (Hb). Only marked increase in the total leuckocytic count was recorded while RBCs, PCV, and Hb were decreased in most of the results obtained. Total protein and globulin decreased while albumin and A/G ratio increased. Liver enzymes showing marked increase in aspartate aminotransferase and increase in alanine aminotransferase in dogs and rats denoting that liver has a role in the response to that infection. Kidney-function tests, urea, and creatinine showed slight increase at 6 days post-infection (d.p.i.). After preparation of different Ag (antigen) from different collected helminthes, the protein content of each was determined. The sera of infected animals were collected to find antibodies in their blood against the parasite using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and using crude heterophyid antigen collected from their intestines after scarification. The worms washed, homogenized, and then centrifuged to collect supernatant fluid as antigens. The results indicated that antibody starts to appear at 9 d.p.i. and increases till 21 and 28 d.p.i. and detection depends on antigen concentration.