Helminth parasites of the red fox Vulpes vulpes

In the period 2013–2014 a survey was carried out on the helminthic fauna of 60 wild canids, 57 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and three wolves (Canis lupus italicus), collected in the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy. The study focused mainly on the gastrointestinal and hepatic helminths. Parasites were recovered in 91.2% of the red foxes and in all the wolves examined. Multiple infections were found in the majority of the animals (71.9% of the foxes and 100% of the wolves). In total, 14 intestinal helminth species were identified, two trematodes (Alaria alata, Brachylaima spp.), seven cestodes (Mesocestoides spp., Taenia crassiceps, Taenia pisiformis, Taenia polyacantha, Dipylidium caninum, Taenia ovis, Taenia hydatigena) and five nematodes (Uncinaria stenocephala, Toxocara canis, Trichuris vulpis, Pterigodermatites affinis, Ancylostoma caninum). The heartworm Dirofilaria immitis was also recovered in two foxes. No Echinococcus spp. were found. Our study shows that foxes are reservoir hosts of zoonotic parasites, including A. alata, a rare digenean trematode in the Italian paeninsula. Results are compared with those of other surveys on helminths of wild canids carried out in Italy and other European countries

SARS-CoV-2 infects and replicates in cells of the human endocrine and exocrine pancreas.

Infection-related diabetes can arise as a result of virus-associated β-cell destruction. Clinical data suggest that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), impairs glucose homoeostasis, but experimental evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can infect pancreatic tissue has been lacking. In the present study, we show that SARS-CoV-2 infects cells of the human exocrine and endocrine pancreas ex vivo and in vivo. We demonstrate that human β-cells express viral entry proteins, and SARS-CoV-2 infects and replicates in cultured human islets. Infection is associated with morphological, transcriptional and functional changes, including reduced numbers of insulin-secretory granules in β-cells and impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. In COVID-19 full-body postmortem examinations, we detected SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein in pancreatic exocrine cells, and in cells that stain positive for the β-cell marker NKX6.1 and are in close proximity to the islets of Langerhans in all four patients investigated. Our data identify the human pancreas as a target of SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggest that β-cell infection could contribute to the metabolic dysregulation observed in patients with COVID-19

Allergic reactions to human insulin: a review of current knowledge and treatment options

Although the incidence of insulin allergy decreased after the introduction of recombinant human insulin preparations, it is still a major problem which may be life-threatening in some cases. In this article, we attempted to review current knowledge concerning allergic reactions to human insulin and discuss the available treatment options of insulin allergy

Erratum: Contact sensitization to plants of the Compositae family: Data of the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK) from 2007 to 2016 (vol 80, pg 222, 2019)

Baron JM, Grabbe J, Ludwig A, et al. Erratum: Contact sensitization to plants of the Compositae family: Data of the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK) from 2007 to 2016 (vol 80, pg 222, 2019). Contact Dermatitis. 2019;80(6):415