Hydra-Amoeba system: a double infection with a lethal ending

Within each ecosystem, organisms and populations maintain a complex set of relationships. These interactions can determine the distribution area of a species and play an essential role in its evolution. Parasites are ubiquitous components of nature and have a high influence on various aspects of the biology and ecology of organisms, affecting the populations of their hosts and, therefore, their communities and ecosystems. Free-living amoebae are unicellular organisms that can be found in water, soil or air. Some species are of great importance in human health. In Hydra, there are several reports of Hydramoeba hydroxena infections. In this work we present a double parasitosis: two concatenated infectious periods in the host polyp of Hydra vulgaris and Hydra vulgaris pedunculata for three freshwater bodies in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hydramoeba sp. and Acanthoamoeba sp. unchain a series of anatomical lesions that in all cases cause the death of the polyps due to total disintegration. This finding becomes important at a sanitary level due to the appearance of Acanthoamoeba sp. in waters associated with human recreational activities; For the Hydra genus, the importance lies at an ecological and evolutionary level, considering the possible impact on its natural populations.Fil: Deserti, Maria Irene. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas. Laboratorio de Biología de Cnidarios; ArgentinaFil: Lorenzo Morales, Jacob. Universidad de La Laguna; España. Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas; EspañaFil: Acuña, Fabian Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas. Laboratorio de Biología de Cnidarios; Argentina. Estación Científica Coiba; Panam

An approach to the effects of longevity, sexual maturity, and reproduction on telomere length and oxidative stress in different Psittacidae species

Introduction: Aging is a multifactorial process that includes molecular changes such as telomere shortening. Telomeres shorten progressively with age in vertebrates, and their shortening rate has a significant role in determining the lifespan of a species. However, DNA loss can be enhanced by oxidative stress. The need for novel animal models has recently emerged as a tool to gather more information about the human aging process. Birds live longer than other mammals of the same size, and Psittacidae species are the most persevering of them, due to special key traits.Methods: We aimed to determine telomere length by qPCR, and oxidative stress status using colorimetric and fluorescence methods in different species of the order Psittaciformes with different lifespans.Results: We found that telomeres shorten with age for both long- and short-lived birds (p < 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively), with long-lived birds presenting longer telomeres than short-lived ones (p = 0.001). In addition, short-lived birds accumulated more oxidative stress products than long-lived birds (p = 0.013), who showed a better antioxidant capacity (p < 0.001). Breeding was found related to telomere shortening in all species (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003 for long- and short-lived birds). Short-lived birds, especially breeding females, increased their oxidative stress products when breeding (p = 0.021), whereas long-lived birds showed greater resistance and even increased their antioxidant capacity (p = 0.002).Conclusion: In conclusion, the relationship between age and telomere length in Psittacidae was verified. The influence of breeding increased cumulative oxidative damage in short-lived species, while long-lived species may counteract this damage

Protein secretion and encystation in Acanthamoeba

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are protists of ubiquitous distribution characterised by their changing morphology and their crawling movements. They have no common phylogenetic origin but can be found in most protist evolutionary branches. Acanthamoeba is a common FLA that can be found worldwide and is capable of infecting humans. The main disease is a life altering infection of the cornea named Acanthamoeba keratitis. Additionally, Acanthamoeba has a close relationship to bacteria. Acanthamoeba feeds on bacteria. At the same time, some bacteria have adapted to survive inside Acanthamoeba and use it as transport or protection to increase survival. When conditions are adverse, Acanthamoeba is capable of differentiating into a protective cyst. This study had three objectives. First, isolate and identify new FLA and Acanthamoeba strains. Second, identify encystation factors of Acanthamoeba. Third, identify and characterise new potential antimicrobial proteins produced by Acanthamoeba. The isolation of environmental amoebae was performed, and several strains of Acanthamoeba were identified from previously known genotypes. Also, two new species of FLA were identified: Allovahlkampfia minuta and Leptomyxa valladaresi. The dynamics of encystment were studied in different strains of Acanthamoeba. RNAseq was used to study gene expression during differentiation and identify differentially expressed genes. We identified different encystment factors including at least two encystment related proteases. A new antimicrobial zymogram was developed that identified antimicrobial proteins being secreted by Acanthamoeba. A 33 kDa protease was found to be able to lyse bacteria. We created DNA constructs encoding the protease and a lysozyme from Acanthamoeba for heterologous expression. The genes were successfully cloned. However, bacteria were not able to produce the proteins most probably due to their antimicrobial characteristics. Further studies are required regarding encystment and antimicrobial factors identified. Such experiments should help elucidate critical factors of Acanthamoeba’s biology that could help treat several infections

Haemoglobin levels for population from Gambo, a rural area of Ethiopia, and their association with anaemia and malaria

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of appropriate reference intervals is critical not only to provide optimal clinical care, but also to enrol populations in medical research. The aim of this study was to generate normal ranges of laboratory values for haemoglobin among healthy Ethiopian adults and children and to determine if anaemia is a possible indicator of malaria in women and children in this area of Ethiopia. METHODS: This study was carried out from January 2008 to May 2010. The reference sample population with malaria-negative consisted of 454 individuals, divided women, men and children. The malaria-infected sample population consisted of 117 individuals. The reference ranges were based on the guidelines from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Haemoglobin concentration was determined by Hemo-Control EKF Diagnostic Analyser on whole blood. Testing for malaria-positive and negative infection was done by microscopy and by PCR. RESULTS: The lower limits for adult haemoglobin range obtained from this population were slightly higher than those derived from other African populations, but were equal to those established by other studies in Ethiopia and the World Health Organization (WHO). Regarding children, the minimum values were lower than those obtained from different African populations and those established by WHO. The malaria-negative group had anaemia in 35.6% of cases and in the malaria-positive group in 70.9%. There was a stronger, statistically significant association between anaemia and malaria-positive samples than between anaemia and malaria-negative samples in women and both groups of children. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study are a contribution in the definition of the haemoglobin parameters in African populations, which could be taken as standards for interpretation of laboratory results. The haemoglobin indices in adults from Gambo tended to be higher than other African populations and in children were lower than other studies in Africa. The results also suggest that anaemia is not useful as a supportive diagnostic criterion to monitor and evaluate malaria in women and children from Ethiopia, because a 29.1% of malaria cases will be not detected, because of not having anaemia

Anti-Acanthamoeba Activity of Brominated Sesquiterpenes from Laurencia johnstonii

Focusedonourinteresttodevelopnovelantiparasisticagents,thepresentstudywasaimed to evaluate the biological activity of an extract of Laurencia johnstonii collected in Baja California Sur, Mexico, against an Acantamoeba castellanii Neff strain. Bioassay-guided fractionation allowed us to identify the amoebicidal diastereoisomers α-bromocuparane (4) and α-isobromocuparane (5). Furthermore, bromination of the inactive laurinterol (1) and isolaurinterol (2) yielded four halogenated derivatives, (6)–(9), which improved the activity of the natural sesquiterpenes. Among them, the most active compound was 3α-bromojohnstane (7), a sesquiterpene derivative which possesses a novel carbon skeleton johnstane