Fasciola hepatica Infection in Cattle: Analyzing Responses of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) Using a Transcriptomics Approach.

The parasitic helminth Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke) causes economic loss to the livestock industry globally and also causes zoonotic disease. New control strategies such as vaccines are urgently needed, due to the rise of drug resistance in parasite populations. Vaccine development requires a comprehensive understanding of the immunological events during infection. Previous in vivo studies by our group have investigated global differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in response to both acute and chronic F. hepatica infection. This work demonstrated that pathways involved in the pathogenesis of ovine fasciolosis included fibrosis, inhibition of macrophage nitric oxide production, and antibody isotype switching, among others. Transcriptomic changes in PBMC populations following F. hepatica infection in cattle, in which the disease phenotype is quite different, have not yet been examined. Using RNA sequencing we investigated gene expression changes in PBMC isolated from 9 non-infected and 11 F. hepatica-experimentally-infected calves immediately before infection, at 1 and at 14 weeks post-infection. Longitudinal time-course comparisons between groups revealed 21 and 1,624 DEGs driven exclusively by F. hepatica infection in cattle at acute and chronic stages, respectively. These results show that fewer DEGs at the acute stage of infection can be identified in cattle, as compared with sheep. In addition, the log2 fold-changes of these DEGs were relatively low (-1 to 3) reflecting the different clinical presentation of F. hepatica infection in cattle. Gene pathways for hepatic fibrosis and hepatic cholestasis along with apoptosis of antigen-presenting cells were enriched at chronic stages. Our results reflect the major differences in the disease phenotype between cattle and sheep and may indicate pathways to target in vaccine development.

Obstructive jaundice of a parasitic etiology.

We present the case of a patient with colic pain in the epigastrium and right hypochondrium, which was accompanied by choluria and acholia and slightly elevated levels of bilirubin and eosinophilia. Abdominal echography and magnetic resonance imaging identified a biliary obstruction and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was used to extract 3 adult worms identified as Fasciola hepatica. This case highlights the need to consider the suspicion of biliary obstruction caused by Fasciola hepatica in the presence of obstructive jaundice, with or without eosinophilia.

Hepatic fascioliasis presenting with bile duct obstruction: a case report.

Fascioliasis is a zoonotic infection caused by a liver trematode: fasciola hepatica; which commonly affects cattle and sheep, humans are accidental hosts. Several cases have been reported in the literature worldwide with a large geographical distribution. We present a case of bile duct obstruction due to a hepatic fascioliasis, successfully treated with both a combined surgical and medical approaches. A high index of suspicion should be kept in mind for all cases of obstructive jaundice, especially in areas in which human fascioliasis infection is repeatedly reported.

Strongyloides stercoralis Infection Causing Obstructive Jaundice and Refractory Pancreatitis: A Lesson Learned from a Case Study.

A 58-year-old Japanese woman came to our institution because of leg edema and abdominal distention. She had developed acute pancreatitis 5 times in the past 3 years. Dilation of the bile duct and main pancreatic duct without obstruction was observed on computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. The presence of Strongyloides stercoralis was highly suspected from the biopsy sample from the duodenal papilla. Polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of small subunit rDNA from paraffin-embedded specimens identified the worm as S. stercoralis. All of the symptoms were considered to be associated with S. stercoralis infection. Therefore, the patient was treated with oral administration of ivermectin. Subsequently, symptoms and laboratory data improved. There has been no recurrence of the symptoms to date.

Liver Hydatid Cyst and Acute Cholangitis: a Case Report.

Amongst the cause of cystic hepatic disease, hydatid cyst is common in the Asia, South America, and Africa. The definitive therapy for hepatic hydatid disease is surgical resection. Rupture of the hydatid cyst into the biliary tree can lead to serious cholangitis. In this report, a 22-year-old man is presented with the signs and symptoms of obstructive jaundice and cholangitis. Ultrasonography reported dilated common bile duct (CBD) with sludge and stones, a hydatid cyst adjacent to the gall bladder and mild thickening of gallbladder wall without a stone. MRCP revealed dilated CBD with a cyst in segment fifth of liver. Due to signs and symptoms of obstructive jaundice in addition to lab data and imaging modalities, the ruptured hydatid cyst into a biliary tree was considered, and surgical intervention was performed to extract daughter vesicles from the CBD. Post intervention, signs and symptoms and cholestasis enzymes were subsided.

Cholestasis caused by Fasciola gigantica.

Fascioliasis is an infectious disease caused by the hepatic trematodes Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica. Here, we report the case of Fasciola gigantica presenting with biliary obstruction and abdominal pain that was diagnosed and treated by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP). A 46-year-old woman presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain and jaundice. Physical examination revealed icterus and hepatomegaly. Laboratory findings revealed an increase in liver transaminases and bilirubin. Abdominal ultrasonography showed extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile duct dilatation. The patient underwent ERCP. One live Fasciola gigantica was removed from the common bile duct by ERCP. In conclusion, fascioliasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of obstructive jaundice, especially in endemic regions, and it should be kept in mind that ERCP plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients. To our knowledge, this is the second case report of Fasciola gigantica treated by ERCP in Turkey.

[Neonatal cholestasis due to congenital toxoplasmosis. Case report]. / Colestasis neonatal por toxoplasmosis congénita. A propósito de un caso clínico.

Neonatal cholestasis is the manifestation of many different diseases. Its early etiological diagnosis is crucial, since treatment before 60 days of life changes the prognosis in children with biliary atresia. Congenital toxoplasmosis can be asymptomatic in the newborn, or have mainly neurological, ophthalmological or gastrointestinal symptoms (hepatomegaly, cholestatic jaundice). Neonatal cholestasis secondary to congenital toxoplasmosis is not a situation frequently reported. We report the case of an infant with neonatal cholestasis due to a congenital toxoplasmosis, in order to discuss the difficulties in establishing the etiological diagnostic and to review the indications of invasive studies such as liver biopsy in these situations.

Colestasis neonatal por toxoplasmosis congénita: A propósito de un caso clínico / Neonatal cholestasis due to congenital toxoplasmosis: Case report

La colestasis neonatal es la forma de presentación de diversas enfermedades; es necesario un diagnóstico etiológico temprano, ya que el tratamiento antes de los 60 días de vida cambia el pronóstico en los niños que presentan atresia biliar. La toxoplasmosis congénita puede ser asintomática en el recién nacido, o presentar fundamentalmente alteraciones neurológicas, oftalmológicas y hepáticas (hepatomegalia, ictericia no colestásica). La colestasis neonatal secundaria a toxoplasmosis congénita no es una situación informada con frecuencia. Se presenta el caso de un lactante con colestasis neonatal cuya etiología responde a una toxoplasmosis congénita, con el objetivo de discutir las difcultades en establecer el diagnóstico etiológico y las indicaciones de realizar estudios invasivos, como la biopsia hepática, en estas situaciones.(AU)

Neonatal cholestasis is the manifestation of many different diseases. Its early etiological diagnosis is crucial, since treatment before 60 days of life changes the prognosis in children with biliary atresia. Congenital toxoplasmosis can be asymptomatic in the newborn, or have mainly neurological, ophthalmological or gastrointestinal symptoms (hepatomegaly, cholestatic jaundice). Neonatal cholestasis secondary to congenital toxoplasmosis is not a situation frequently reported. We report the case of an infant with neonatal cholestasis due to a congenital toxoplasmosis, in order to discuss the diffculties in establishing the etiological diagnostic and to review the indications of invasive studies such as liver biopsy in these situations.(AU)

Colestasis neonatal por toxoplasmosis congénita: A propósito de un caso clínico / Neonatal cholestasis due to congenital toxoplasmosis: Case report

La colestasis neonatal es la forma de presentación de diversas enfermedades; es necesario un diagnóstico etiológico temprano, ya que el tratamiento antes de los 60 días de vida cambia el pronóstico en los niños que presentan atresia biliar. La toxoplasmosis congénita puede ser asintomática en el recién nacido, o presentar fundamentalmente alteraciones neurológicas, oftalmológicas y hepáticas (hepatomegalia, ictericia no colestásica). La colestasis neonatal secundaria a toxoplasmosis congénita no es una situación informada con frecuencia. Se presenta el caso de un lactante con colestasis neonatal cuya etiología responde a una toxoplasmosis congénita, con el objetivo de discutir las difcultades en establecer el diagnóstico etiológico y las indicaciones de realizar estudios invasivos, como la biopsia hepática, en estas situaciones.

Neonatal cholestasis is the manifestation of many different diseases. Its early etiological diagnosis is crucial, since treatment before 60 days of life changes the prognosis in children with biliary atresia. Congenital toxoplasmosis can be asymptomatic in the newborn, or have mainly neurological, ophthalmological or gastrointestinal symptoms (hepatomegaly, cholestatic jaundice). Neonatal cholestasis secondary to congenital toxoplasmosis is not a situation frequently reported. We report the case of an infant with neonatal cholestasis due to a congenital toxoplasmosis, in order to discuss the diffculties in establishing the etiological diagnostic and to review the indications of invasive studies such as liver biopsy in these situations.

Colestasis neonatal por toxoplasmosis congénita. A propósito de un caso clínico. / [Neonatal cholestasis due to congenital toxoplasmosis. Case report].

Neonatal cholestasis is the manifestation of many different diseases. Its early etiological diagnosis is crucial, since treatment before 60 days of life changes the prognosis in children with biliary atresia. Congenital toxoplasmosis can be asymptomatic in the newborn, or have mainly neurological, ophthalmological or gastrointestinal symptoms (hepatomegaly, cholestatic jaundice). Neonatal cholestasis secondary to congenital toxoplasmosis is not a situation frequently reported. We report the case of an infant with neonatal cholestasis due to a congenital toxoplasmosis, in order to discuss the difficulties in establishing the etiological diagnostic and to review the indications of invasive studies such as liver biopsy in these situations.

Biliary Fasciola gigantica case report from Turkey.

We present a case of Fasciola gigantica-induced biliary obstruction and cholestasis diagnosed and treated via endoscopy and trichlorobendazole treatment. This is the first case of Fasciola gigantica treated via endoscopic biliary extraction during ERCP and drug treatment reported from Turkey.

Indirect effect of a turmeric diet: enhanced bile duct proliferation in Syrian hamsters with a combination of partial obstruction by Opisthorchis viverrini infection and inflammation by N-nitrosodimethylamine administration.

The present study revealed the indirect effect of a turmeric (TUR) diet on the histopathological changes and proliferating cell nuclear antigen staining in Syrian hamsters with partial obstruction by liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini) infection and inflammation by N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) administration. The result of the analysis of histopathological changes shows that a TUR diet has an anti-inflammatory property in the case of a single condition of NDMA administration or O. viverrini infection, as has been reported previously. Unfortunately, an adverse indirect effect of TUR was observed in the combination of infection with O. viverrini and administration of NDMA, with a 30-50% increase in new bile duct formation, correlated with an increase in proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Our present result suggests that the properties of curcumin are anti-inflammation and antioxidant including enhancing biliary contraction and bile flow. Thus, a combination of factors (treated with O. viverrini, NDMA, and TUR diet) result in an increasing bile duct proliferation which may cause from biliary homeostasis.