Showing papers in "Trends in Parasitology in 2014"

TL;DR: Some recent approaches for the production of cheaper third generation vaccines are reviewed, based on robust methods for identification of immunoprotective antigens and the use of transgenic Eimeria.

TL;DR: The understanding of the effects of helminth infections and control practices on productivity and the diagnostic tools that can inform on this are reviewed.

TL;DR: Two nitro drugs are currently used in the treatment of trypanosomatid diseases and several new nitroaromatics are being developed against the trypano-somatica diseases.

TL;DR: As malaria elimination programs pursue mass screening and treatment of asymptomatic individuals, further research should strive to define the degree to which submicroscopic malaria contributes to the infectious reservoir and, in turn, what diagnostic detection threshold is needed to effectively interrupt transmission.

TL;DR: The importance of capturing the distributional ecology of any species involved in pathogen transmission, defining the environmental conditions required, and the projection of that niche onto geography is demonstrated.

TL;DR: This review outlines the cellular and molecular mechanisms of hepatic schistosomiasis, with an emphasis on the major cellular components and their release of chemokines.

TL;DR: The 2014 Gairdner Global Health Award was conferred for discovery of the unique microorganism that is the sole source of the endectocidal avermectins, and the Public sector/Private sector Partnership that developed innovative biopharmaceuticals with immeasurably beneficial impact on public health worldwide.

TL;DR: The chemical and molecular signals positively influencing the survival, reproduction, and spread of pinewood nematode are described and knowledge of these signals could potentially be used to interfere with the proliferation and dispersal of PWN.

TL;DR: UAVs fill a niche but do not replace existing remote-sensing methods within infectious disease epidemiology and public health research, and provide spatially and temporally accurate data critical to understanding the linkages between disease transmission and environmental factors.

TL;DR: Development of PKDL can be viewed as a reinfection or activation of latent Leishmania parasites and can be resolved by mounting an effective tissue-specific memory T cell response.

TL;DR: Recent advances related to the control of toxocariasis are presented, including new immunodiagnostics, therapies, and drug formulations, as well as novel interventions using DNA vaccines, immunomodulators, and probiotics.

TL;DR: Evidence for local adaptation in disease vectors is examined and conceptual models for understanding how local adaptation might modulate the effects of both short- and long-term changes in climate are presented.

TL;DR: A review of alien parasites, hosts, and vectors introduced to Europe highlights the wide range of potential public health risks, the need for better surveillance and risk assessment, and major policy gaps in global preparedness.

TL;DR: Veterinary services should introduce a risk-based surveillance system for Trichinella by documenting the control of housing conditions and feedstuff sources, and introduce a capillary network of field laboratories for monitoring the parasites in free-ranging and backyard pigs.

TL;DR: The plethora of foodborne parasites that could be distributed by globalisation has only recently been acknowledged and will provide challenges for clinicians, veterinarians, diagnosticians, and everyone concerned with food safety.

TL;DR: It is the opinion that several phylogenetic analyses have identified animal-derived trichomonads as close sister taxa of the two human-specific species, and prompt further investigation into the importance of zoonotic trICHomonads for human health.

TL;DR: Results to date indicate that parasitic diseases that can be transmitted through food make a substantial contribution to the global burden of disease.

TL;DR: This work proposes to combine auto-dissemination to the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to create a new control concept, named 'boosted SIT' that might enable the area-wide eradication of mosquitoes and many other vectors and insect pests.

TL;DR: A functional framework for interpreting how different stress agents can interact to adversely affect bee immunity and health is proposed, which provides a new background rationale in which to develop an integrated approach to bee protection, as part of a more comprehensive strategy for the conservation of insect pollinators.

TL;DR: In Leishmania, the unique association of high levels of automixis and of constitutive 'mosaic aneuploidy' unexpectedly does not lead to loss of heterozygosity but constitutes an alternative for genotype recombination, hence a source of adaptability.

TL;DR: This review explores the observed and potential associations among the multifactorial perpetrators of infectious metastasis and components of the innate immune system.

TL;DR: New advances in the study of this parasite, bladder regenerative processes, and human schistosomal bladder cancers may shed new light on the complex biological processes that connect S. haematobium infection to bladder carcinogenesis.

TL;DR: Variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) is a paradigm for antigenic variation and provides a mechanism for immune evasion and has provided important insights into trypanosome biology.

TL;DR: This review focuses on the research that has led to the current understanding of the antibody response that primigravidae (PG) acquire to Plasmodium falciparum malaria and draws from this knowledge to suggest serology and PG as sentinels for malaria transmission.

TL;DR: It is argued that a sustainable approach will require integrated pest management based upon a detailed understanding of the flea life cycle, targeting not only adult fleas but also the immature stages in the environment, combining several modes of control and limiting the risk of chemoresistance.

TL;DR: Because both channel activity and the associated clag3 genes are strictly conserved in malaria parasites, channel-mediated permeability is an attractive target for development of new therapies.

TL;DR: This review highlights parasite factors involved in disease phenotype in all three trypanosomatid diseases, with a particular focus on recent advances using large-scale 'omics' techniques.

TL;DR: Aerobic glycolysis is hypothesised to meet the biosynthetic demands of rapid proliferation and differentiation may be epigenetically regulated in response to nutrient-linked metabolism.

TL;DR: Climate change is a major threat to global environmental stability and is predicted to cause more frequent extreme weather events with higher levels of heat and cold stress, which may have wide implications for parasite epidemiology under extreme climatic events.

TL;DR: A strategy to improve the speed at which evidence is gathered on new vector control tools (VCTs) using a framework based on measurements of the vectorial capacity of an insect population to transmit disease is suggested.