Helminth infections and nutrition can independently alter the composition and abundance of the gastrointestinal microbiota, however, their combined effect is poorly understood. Here, we used the T. retortaeformis-rabbit system to examine how the helminth infection and host restriction from coprophagy/ready-to-absorb nutrients affected the duodenal microbiota, and how these changes related to th...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the gastrointestinal parasites present in feral cats on Christmas Island, with particular interest in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. PROCEDURE Faecal and serum samples were collected from 28 and 25 cats respectively that were trapped as part of an ongoing eradication program being run on Christmas Island by the Department of Environment and Conservation. Fa...

Background Rodents are considered as reservoirs of various zoonotic diseases including helminthic infections. The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of helminth infections in rodents, in Boyer-Ahmad district, Southwestern Iran. Methods Overall, 52 rodents were captured from various areas of the district by Sherman live traps. The animals were then euthanized and dissected. During ...

A field trials were conducted to assess the helminth parasites of 12 marsh frogs (Rana ridibunda ridibunda) in the Anzali, Astara and Aghbaba regions in the north of Iran in May 1994. Experimental results showed that 83.8% of the Anzali marsh frogs were infected by one or two kinds of metacercarian cysts of digenetic trematodes. The helminth parasites were included Skrjabinoeces breviansa, S. s...

  Abstract   Strongyloidiasis is caused by infestation with Strongyloides stercoralis, a free   living tropical and semitropical soil helminth that has a larval form that penetrates   intact skin. Clinical manifestations may be varied from an asymptomatic infection   in immunocompetent hosts to a diffuse and fatal form in immunocompromised   hosts.   We report a 56-year-old man from Dezful (sou...

Parasitic helminths are extremely resilient in their ability to maintain chronic infection burdens despite (or maybe because of) their hosts' immune response. Explaining how parasites maintain these lifelong infections, identifying the protective immune mechanisms that regulate helminth infection burdens, and designing prophylactics and therapeutics that combat helminth infection, while preserv...

Most studies evaluating epidemiologic relationships between helminths and HIV have been conducted in the pre-ART era, and evidence of the impact of helminth infections on HIV disease progression remains conflicting. Less is known about helminth infection and clinical outcomes in HIV-infected adults receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). We sampled HIV-infected adults for eight gastrointestinal...

Co-infection by multiple parasites is common within individuals. Interactions between co-infecting parasites include resource competition, direct competition and immune-mediated interactions and each are likely to alter the dynamics of single parasites. We posit that co-infection is a driver of variation in parasite establishment and growth, ultimately altering the production of parasite transm...