A Mother’s Gift: Congenital Transmission of Trypanosoma and Leishmania Species

Grinnage-Pulley, Tara; Scott, Benjamin; Petersen, Christine A.

doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1005302

Cited by 27 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Furthermore, a number of parasite species can cause mild to severe diseases in dogs (Robertson and Thompson 2002). Many parasites carried by pet dogs may be transmittable to humans, including cestodes (e.g., echinococcosis), nemotodes (e.g., toxocariosis, dirofilariosis and onchocerciasis), and protozoa (e.g., leishmaniosis, giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis) (Baneth et al 2016;Gracio et al 2015;Grinnage-Pulley et al 2016;Tasic-Otasevic et al 2015). Additionally, people with immature, weakened, and/or compromised immune systems (e.g., infants, elderly, AIDS patients, and organ transplantation recipients) are susceptible to infections with a wider range of parasitic species, such as Cryptosporidium canis that typically do not infect immunocompetent humans (Adamu et al 2014;Cama et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of intestinal parasites in companion dogs with diarrhea in Beijing, China, and genetic characteristics of Giardia and Cryptosporidium species

et al. 2017

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Companion animals including dogs are one of the important components in One Health. Parasites may cause not only diseases in pet animals but also many zoonotic diseases infecting humans. In this study, we performed a survey of intestinal parasites in fecal specimens (n = 485) collected from outpatient pet dogs with diarrhea in Beijing, China, for the entire year of 2015 by microscopic examination (all parasites) and SSU rRNA-based nested PCR detection (Giardia and Cryptosporidium). We observed a total of 124 (25.6%) parasite-positive specimens that contained one or more parasites, including Giardia duodenalis (12.8%), Cryptosporidium spp. (4.9%), Cystoisospora spp. (4.3%), trichomonads (4.3%), Toxocara canis (3.5%), Trichuris vulpis (0.6%), and Dipylidium caninum (0.2%). Among the 55 dog breeds, infection rates were significantly higher in border collies and bulldogs, but lower in poodles (p < 0.05). Risk factor analysis suggested that age was negatively correlated with the infection rate (p < 0.00001), while vaccination and deworming in the past 12 months could significantly reduce the parasite infections (p < 0.01). Among the 62 Giardia-positive specimens, 21 were successfully assigned into assemblages using glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) and/or beta-giardin (bg) genes, including assemblage D (n = 15), C (n = 5), and F (n = 1). Among the 24 Cryptosporidium-positive specimens by SSU rRNA PCR, 20 PCR amplicons could be sequenced and identified as Cryptosporidium canis (n = 20). Collectively, this study indicates that parasites are a significant group of pathogens in companion dogs in Beijing, and companion dogs may potentially transmit certain zoonotic parasites to humans, particularly those with weak or weakened immunity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of intestinal parasites in companion dogs with diarrhea in Beijing, China, and genetic characteristics of Giardia and Cryptosporidium species

et al. 2017

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“…Congenital infection with T. cruzi is mostly asymptomatic and may progress to chronic Chagas disease, with cardiac and/or gastrointestinal disorders occurring years later (24)(25)(26). In cases of symptomatic Chagas disease, there is a spectrum of clinical manifestations, commonly nonspecific, and they can appear at birth or days later (24,27).…”

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confidence: 99%

Towards a New Strategy for Diagnosis of Congenital Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

et al. 2017

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The immigration of Latin American women of childbearing age has spread the congenital transmission of Chagas disease to areas of nonendemicity, and the disease is now a worldwide problem. Some European health authorities have implemented screening programs to prevent vertical transmission, but the lack of a uniform protocol calls for the urgent establishment of a new strategy common to all laboratories. Our aims were to (i) analyze the trend of passive IgG antibodies in the newborn by means of five serological tests for the diagnosis and follow-up of congenital infection, (ii) assess the utility of these techniques for diagnosing a congenital transmission, and (iii) propose a strategy for a prompt, efficient, and cost-effective diagnosis of infection. In noninfected newborns, a continuous decreasing trend of passive IgG antibodies was observed, but none of the serological assays seroreverted in any the infants before 12 months. From 12 months onwards, serological tests achieved negative results in all the samples analyzed, with the exception of the highly sensitive chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). In contrast, in congenitally infected infants, the antibody decline was detected only after treatment initiation. In order to improve the diagnosis of congenital infection, we propose a new strategy involving fewer tests that allows significant cost savings. The protocol could start 1 month after birth with a parasitological test and/or a PCR. If negative, a serological test would be carried out at 9 months, which if positive, would be followed by another at around 12 months for confirmation.

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“…Studies of infections during pregnancy by different vector‐borne parasites would provide important insights into the general mechanisms underlying the generation of immune system tolerance. Infections by parasites of the genuses Trypanosoma , Plasmodium and Toxoplasma are subject to questions similar to those discussed in this review regarding Leishmania . Thus, there is a need for research focused on the role of the infection through foetal development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

T‐cell tolerance as a potential effect of congenital leishmaniasis on offspring immunity

Galindo-Sevilla

Mancilla-Ramı́rez

2018

Parasite Immunology

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Congenital transmission of leishmaniasis is recognized in cases detected by passive surveillance. Most cases are from low-resource countries, limiting the study of several important aspects of this route of infection, including the offspring's immune response. Studies on natural and experimentally infected animals suggest that parasites might be transmitted to the embryo or foetus at any time during pregnancy. As immune system undergoes sequential stages of development, an infection before the time of self-recognition could lead to central tolerance, making an individual specifically tolerant and susceptible to infection. In the alternative scenario, infection after self-recognition would allow the proper development of T-lymphocyte clones in response to Leishmania antigens, providing resistance to the disease. Newborns undergo a transient period of low expression of several immune surface molecules and a naïve adaptive immune response with no memory, which together might contribute to slow elimination of the parasite over several months. This insight is a proposed independent mechanism of the previously proven T-cell exhaustion and must be investigated. Analyses of infected placenta, cord blood and infant immunity are required for a better understanding of immunity in congenital leishmaniasis infection.

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A Mother’s Gift: Congenital Transmission of Trypanosoma and Leishmania Species

Cited by 27 publications

References 36 publications

Prevalence of intestinal parasites in companion dogs with diarrhea in Beijing, China, and genetic characteristics of Giardia and Cryptosporidium species

Prevalence of intestinal parasites in companion dogs with diarrhea in Beijing, China, and genetic characteristics of Giardia and Cryptosporidium species

Towards a New Strategy for Diagnosis of Congenital Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

T‐cell tolerance as a potential effect of congenital leishmaniasis on offspring immunity

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