High neurocysticercosis (NC) prevalence was recently determined by a computed tomography (CT) scan study in the community of Tepetzitzintla, State of Puebla, Mexico. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the magnitude of fecal and parasite contamination by Taenia spp. in the soil of households of this community during the four seasons of the year. The toilet, backyard, kitchen, washboard, water containers and corrals of 14 to 26 households were sampled during each season. High Taenia spp. egg intensity was found in 24.2% of the sampled areas. The highest percentage was detected in Spring and the lowest in Summer. Significantly higher levels of Taenia spp. eggs were present in kitchen soil samples. A significant correlation was found between the presence of Taenia spp. eggs in household soil during the Summer, and NC diagnoses of the inhabitants by CT scan. Coproparasitological examinations and anti-cysticercal antibodies were determined in a cohort of inhabitants of the sampled households. Antibody levels and coproparasitological results were not associated with NC. Overall, these results illustrate the high degree of fecal contamination of potential risk to human health in rural communities and could be of use for control programmes.
Numerous infectious, inflammatory and neoplastic complications secondary to tattoo placement have been reported in the literature. Within inflammatory complications sarcoidal granulomatous reactions have been described. We report two cases, a 55-year-old woman with yellowish infiltrated plaques on bilateral ciliary region, 16 years after the placement of a permanent tattoo in the eyebrows, and a 20-year-old tattoo artist who developed orange papules on 3 of his tattoos. Histopathology in both cases confirmed diagnosis of sarcoidal granulomatous reaction due to tattoo pigment.
Transgenic papaya callus lines expressing the components of the S3Pvac vaccine constitute a stable platform to produce an oral vaccine against cysticercosis caused by Taenia solium or T. crassiceps. The development of effective delivery systems to cope with the reduced immunogenicity of new subunit vaccines is a priority in vaccinology. Herein, experimental evidence supporting a papaya-based platform to produce needle-free, recombinant, highly immunogenic vaccines is shown. Papaya (Carica papaya) callus lines were previously engineered by particle bombardment to express the three protective peptides of the S3Pvac anti-cysticercosis vaccine (KETc7, KETc12, KETc1). Calli were propagated in vitro, and a stable integration and expression of the target genes has been maintained, as confirmed by PCR, qRT-PCR, and HPLC. These results point papaya calli as a suitable platform for long-term transgenic expression of the vaccine peptides. The previously demonstrated protective immunogenic efficacy of S3Pvac-papaya orally administered to mice is herein confirmed in a wider dose-range and formulated with different delivery vehicles, adequate for oral vaccination. This protection is accompanied by an increase in anti-S3Pvac antibody titers and a delayed hypersensitivity response against the vaccine. A significant increase in CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte proliferation was induced in vitro by each vaccine peptide in mice immunized with the lowest dose of S3Pvac papaya (0.56 ng of the three peptides in 0.1 µg of papaya callus total protein per mouse). In pigs, the obliged intermediate host for Taenia solium, S3Pvac papaya was also immunogenic when orally administered in a two-log dose range. Vaccinated pigs significantly increased anti-vaccine antibodies and mononuclear cell proliferation. Overall, the oral immunogenicity of this stable S3Pvac-papaya vaccine in mice and pigs, not requiring additional adjuvants, supports the interest in papaya callus as a useful platform for plant-based vaccines.
Serological tests are needed to estimate the prevalence of Taenia solium cysticercosis in endemic rural areas. The predictive value of serum antibody levels to diagnose porcine cysticercosis and human neurocysticercosis (NC) was herein assessed by ELISA using serum samples from 247 backyard pigs (141 without cysticercosis and 106 with cysticercosis) and 183 human subjects (116 non-NC subjects and 67 NC patients) in central Mexico diagnosed by necropsy and computed tomography, respectively. A sensitivity of 77.3 and 92.5% and a specificity of 88.6 and 100% were found to diagnose porcine and human cysticercosis, respectively. The prevalence of porcine and human cysticercosis in the state of Morelos was estimated by ELISA. Anti-cysticercal antibodies were found in 8.4 and 19.02% of assayed sera from 1,811 humans and 804 pigs, respectively. Marginalization and living in the eastern region were risk factors for humans, whereas free-roaming, medium marginalization levels and living in Sierra de Huautla were risk factors for pigs. These results clearly evidence the persistence of cysticercosis transmission and neurocysticercosis in a region neighboring Mexico City, pointing out the need to apply effective measures already available for its control.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.