Primary renal carcinoid metastasizing to distant sites 12 years after the initial diagnosis

Les carcinoïdes primitifs du rein sont rares avec une centaine de cas rapportés dans la littérature. Sur le plan histologique, il s'agit d'une tumeur bien différenciée dont la morphologie rejoint souvent celle des carcinoïdes dans les autres localisations. Nous rapportons un cas de carcinoïde primitif du rein survenant chez un homme de 41 ans, découvert à la suite de métastases hépatiques. La tumeur était particulière par son architecture tubulo-papillaire, suggérant à tort le diagnostic de carcinome papillaire du rein. Ce diagnostic a été redressé 12 ans après, à la suite de l'apparition d'autres métastases hépatiques, osseuses et pulmonaires.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

An Oral Recombinant Vaccine in Dogs against Echinococcus granulosus, the Causative Agent of Human Hydatid Disease: A Pilot Study

Dogs are the main source of human cystic echinococcosis. An oral vaccine would be an important contribution to control programs in endemic countries. We conducted two parallel experimental trials in Morocco and Tunisia of a new oral vaccine candidate against Echinococcus granulosus in 28 dogs. The vaccine was prepared using two recombinant proteins from adult worms, a tropomyosin (EgTrp) and a fibrillar protein similar to paramyosin (EgA31), cloned and expressed in a live attenuated strain of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium

Identification of first-stage dorsal-spined lungworm larvae of Tunisian barbary red deer: First report of Varestrongylus sagittatus and Elaphostrongylus cervi in Africa

International audienceBarbary red deer (Cervus elaphus barbarus) is a protected rare subspecies of red deer. The study of its Protostrongylidae fauna based only on sporadic necropsy of naturally dead animals is difficult. Therefore diagnosis of lungworms rely mainly on the identification of the first stage larvae (L1). The L1 of the different species are not readily diagnosed on morphological basis since much variation is recorded within and among dorsal-spined larvae belonging to various species. The aim of this study was to identify the dorsal-spined lungworm larvae of the Barbary red deer. A discriminant function was established, using the measurements of L1 lungworms recorded from red deer in the literature, then applied to identify 220 dorsal-spined larvae extracted from 25 Tunisian Barbary red deer fresh fecal samples. Also the ITS2 region of rDNA of four pools of larvae (n = 25-60) were amplified, sequenced and analyzed. Using discriminant analysis of morphological traits, Elaphostrongylus cervi and Varestongylus sagittatus were identified. Molecular identification confirmed the presence of E. cervi which is the most prevalent species. This study represents the first identification of V. sagittatus and E. cervi in North Africa

Modelling the transmission dynamics of cystic echinococcosis in donkeys of different ages from Tunisia

During the period from March 2006 to July 2009 a total of 2040 slaughtered donkeys were examined for cystic echinococcosis (CE). CE prevalence in donkeys was 8.48% and the infection pressure (0.0088 infections per year) and infection rate (0.0448 cysts per year) appeared to be lower than those previously reported for cattle, sheep, dromedaries and goats in Tunisia. However, the number of cysts per infection was relatively high (5.07 cysts per infection). Among the 901 collected hydatid cysts the majority were located in the liver (89.9%), 10.09% in the lungs and 4.77% were fertile (43/901). The amplification of a fragment within the mitochondrial gene coding for cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) revealed that donkeys were infected with both Echinococcus equinus (horse strain, G4 genotype) and Echinococcus granulosus (sheep strain, G1 genotype). E. granulosus G1 developed into fertile cysts (15,112 protoscoleces/ml) with a protoscoleces viability of 65.78%. This investigation is the first detailed epidemiological report on cystic echinococcosis infection in donkeys for any endemic region

Genetic variability and haplotypes of Echinococcus isolates from Tunisia

Background: The species/genotypes of Echinococcus infecting a range of intermediate, canid and human hosts were examined as well as the intraspecific variation and population structure of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) within these hosts. Methods: A total of 174 Echinococcus isolates from humans and ungulate intermediate hosts and adult tapeworms from dogs and jackals were used. Genomic DNA was used to amplify a fragment within a mitochondrial gene and a nuclear gene, coding for cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1; 828 bp) and elongation factor 1-alpha (ef1a; 656 bp), respectively. Results: E. granulosus sensu strictowas identified fromall host species examined, E. canadensis (G6) in a camel and, for the first time, fertile cysts of E. granulosus (s.s.) and E. equinus in equids (donkeys) and E. granulosus (s.s.) fromwild boars and goats. Considerable genetic variation was seen only for the cox1 sequences of E. granulosus (s.s.). The pairwise fixation index (Fst) for cox1 E. granulosus (s.s.) sequences fromdonkeyswas high andwas statistically significant comparedwith that of E. granulosus populations fromother intermediate hosts. A single haplotype (EqTu01) was identified for the cox1 nucleotide sequences of E. equinus. Conclusions: The role of donkeys in the epidemiology of echinococcosis in Tunisia requires further investigation

Species delimitation based on mtDNA genes suggests the occurrence of new species of Mesocestoides in the Mediterranean region

Background: This study is the first contribution to the molecular taxonomy of Mesocestoides spp. from domestic and wild carnivores in the Mediterranean area. A total of 13 adult worms and 13 larval stages of Mesocestoides spp. were collected from domestic and wild carnivore hosts in Italy and Tunisia. Samples collected in the Slovak Republic were used as comparative samples from outside the Mediterranean. The genes cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) of the mitochondrial genome were used as molecular markers to investigate the presence of cryptic Mesocestoides species in the area analysed. Results: Results were consistent in showing three well-supported clusters of Mesocestoides spp. in southern Italy and Tunisia, which were strongly divergent from Mesocestoides litteratus, M. corti and M. lineatus. High levels of genetic variation and no evidence of geographical structuring was found between the clusters. Conclusions: Considering the low dispersal capability of the intermediate hosts of Mesocestoides spp., the lack of geographical structuring among the Mediterranean regions could be due to a high potential for dispersion of the definitive hosts. This study provides a foundation for future formal descriptions of new species of the genus Mesocestoides in the Mediterranean area

Echinococcus equinus and Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto from the United Kingdom: genetic diversity and haplotypic variation

Cystic echinococcosis is endemic in Europe including the United Kingdom. However, information on the molecular epidemiology of Echinococcus spp. from the United Kingdom is limited. Echinococcus isolates from intermediate and definitive animal hosts as well as from human cystic echinococcosis cases were analysed to determine species and genotypes within these hosts. Echinococcus equinus was identified from horse hydatid isolates, cysts retrieved from captive UK mammals and copro-DNA of foxhounds and farm dogs. Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto (s.s.) was identified from hydatid cysts of sheep and cattle as well as in DNA extracted from farm dog and foxhound faecal samples, and from four human cystic echinococcosis isolates, including the first known molecular confirmation of E. granulosus s.s. infection in a Welsh sheep farmer. Low genetic variability for E. equinus from various hosts and from different geographical locations was detected using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1), indicating the presence of a dominant haplotype (EQUK01). In contrast, greater haplotypic variation was observed for E. granulosus s.s. cox1 sequences. The haplotype network showed a star-shaped network with a centrally placed main haplotype (EgUK01) that had been reported from other world regions