Serum ferritin levels in children with malaria anaemia in Ibadan

This study assessed the serum ferritin levels in plasma samples from children (4 – 74 months old) admitted for malaria at the Adeoyo Maternity Hospital (Beere) Ibadan, Oyo State, using a sandwich-ELISA. These values were compared with malaria parasitemia, MSP-1 antibody titre and packed cell volume values previously obtained through standard methods. Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS, Excel and Epi-Calc software. Results showed that theserum ferritin level in the population ranged in from 363ng/ml to 1000ng/ml, with a mean value of 630ng/ml. There was a negative correlation between serum ferritin levels and the packed cellvolume, and malaria parasitemia in the children; while the serum ferritin levels increased with increasing malaria antibodies. There was no significant difference in the mean levels of ferritin in anaemic and non-anaemic children. Serum ferritin concentration decreased with increasing age in children with malaria. Gender was found to have no significant association with serum ferritin levels in children with malaria anaemia

Optimization of the T-cell proliferation assay in fascioliasis using a non-radioactive method, the Alamar Blue Assay

T-cell proliferation studies are traditionally carried out with radioactive reagents or fluorescent reagents that require measurement with advanced technology instrumentation. We attempted to calibrate the optimal conditions suitable for the use of a non-radioactive assay for the measurement of a T-cell proliferation assay in bovine fascioliasis, but applicable to the study ofother infectious diseases in our developing country setting. Crude antigen extract was prepared from 15 adult Fasciola gigantica flukes. Cellular responses were detected by the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in response to stimulation by serial dilutions of the crude antigen extract. The results showed that the antigen dilution 1:1,600 gave the highest PBMC proliferative response (Stimulation Index, S.I = 1.10± 0.2). Percentage reduced Alamar Blue was 27.3- 71.6%. This suggests that the cell-mediated immune response in bovine immunity to Fasciola infection may be reliablymeasured in our setting with the Alamar Blue Assay

TIMPs of parasitic helminths: a large-scale analysis of high-throughput sequence datasets

Background: Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteases (TIMPs) are a multifunctional family of proteins that orchestrate extracellular matrix turnover, tissue remodelling and other cellular processes. In parasitic helminths, such as hookworms, TIMPs have been proposed to play key roles in the host-parasite interplay, including invasion of and establishment in the vertebrate animal hosts. Currently, knowledge of helminth TIMPs is limited to a small number of studies on canine hookworms, whereas no information is available on the occurrence of TIMPs in other parasitic helminths causing neglected diseases.\ud \ud Methods: In the present study, we conducted a large-scale investigation of TIMP proteins of a range of neglected human parasites including the hookworm Necator americanus, the roundworm Ascaris suum, the liver flukes Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini, as well as the schistosome blood flukes. This entailed mining available transcriptomic and/or genomic sequence datasets for the presence of homologues of known TIMPs, predicting secondary structures of defined protein sequences, systematic phylogenetic analyses and assessment of differential expression of genes encoding putative TIMPs in the developmental stages of A. suum, N. americanus and Schistosoma haematobium which infect the mammalian hosts.\ud \ud Results: A total of 15 protein sequences with high homology to known eukaryotic TIMPs were predicted from the complement of sequence data available for parasitic helminths and subjected to in-depth bioinformatic analyses.\ud \ud Conclusions: Supported by the availability of gene manipulation technologies such as RNA interference and/or transgenesis, this work provides a basis for future functional explorations of helminth TIMPs and, in particular, of their role/s in fundamental biological pathways linked to long-term establishment in the vertebrate hosts, with a view towards the development of novel approaches for the control of neglected helminthiases

The genome of Onchocerca volvulus, agent of river blindness

Human onchocerciasis is a serious neglected tropical disease caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus that can lead to blindness and chronic disability. Control of the disease relies largely on mass administration of a single drug, and the development of new drugs and vaccines depends on a better knowledge of parasite biology. Here, we describe the chromosomes of O. volvulus and its Wolbachia endosymbiont. We provide the highest-quality sequence assembly for any parasitic nematode to date, giving a glimpse into the evolution of filarial parasite chromosomes and proteomes. This resource was used to investigate gene families with key functions that could be potentially exploited as targets for future drugs. Using metabolic reconstruction of the nematode and its endosymbiont, we identified enzymes that are likely to be essential for O. volvulus viability. In addition, we have generated a list of proteins that could be targeted by Federal-Drug-Agency-approved but repurposed drugs, providing starting points for anti-onchocerciasis drug development