Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0017536 (giardiasis)
 1,714 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The pathophysiology of diseases produced by protozoal infections is caused not only by a direct effect of the parasites on their host (e.g. host cell lysis or parasite adherence), but also by indirect effects, where molecules of parasite origin exert an effect on host cells, which in turn produces a cascade of events (including the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, prostaglandins and nitric oxide) responsible for the symptomatology observed. The role of the host itself in the pathogenic events is not negligeable and its genetic background, nutritional and immunological status will influence the outcome of the infection (which will result in asymptomatic infections in some individuals and severe disease in others). The general and specific features of a variety of protozoal infections of medical and veterinary importance (including malaria, babesiosis, trypanosomiasis, toxoplasmosis, cryptosporidiosis, amoebiasis, giardiasis and trichomoniasis) are discussed in this review and a number of common patterns are identified.
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PMID:[Physiopathology of protozoan infections]. 895 86

Prophylactic vaccines can be expected to be one of the major practical outputs of parasitology research. Various groups within Australia have pursued the vaccine objective for several years, with particular emphasis on blood-stage falciparum malaria in man, intestinal helminths of sheep and cattle, cutaneous myiasis (blowfly strike) in sheep, cysticercosis in sheep and cattle, bovine babesiosis, and cattle ticks. Other vaccine programmes are concerned with giardiasis, filariasis, toxoplasmosis, fascioliasis, coccidiosis in poultry, cutaneous leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis japonica. For many years, the only available vaccine against a parasite in Australia has been the attenuated Babesia bovis vaccine produced by the Tick Fever Research Centre of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries. Strategies for achieving molecular vaccines are generally similar within the various research groups. They involve analysis of the immunology and immunochemistry of a model or in-vitro system; development of functional monoclonal antibodies; analysis of antibody specificities in clinically and/or functionally defined polyclonal sera; screening of cDNA or genomic expression libraries; peptide synthesis; identification of an appropriate vaccination schedule involving adjuvants or new recombinant DNA-based antigen delivery systems. Outlined below are five of the major vaccine programmes.
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PMID:Molecular vaccines against parasites. 1546 18

Protozoan pathogens are a highly diverse group of unicellular organisms, several of which are significant human pathogens. One group of protozoan pathogens includes obligate intracellular parasites such as agents of malaria, leishmaniasis, babesiosis, and toxoplasmosis. The other group includes extracellular pathogens such as agents of giardiasis and amebiasis. An unfortunate unifying theme for most human protozoan pathogens is that highly effective treatments for them are generally lacking. We will review targeting protozoan mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) as a novel drug discovery approach towards developing better therapies, focusing on Plasmodia, Leishmania, and Toxoplasma, about which the most is known.
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PMID:Parasite mitogen-activated protein kinases as drug discovery targets to treat human protozoan pathogens. 2163 85

Over 77 million dogs and 93 million cats share our households in the United States. Multiple studies have demonstrated the importance of pets in their owners' physical and mental health. Given the large number of companion animals in the United States and the proximity and bond of these animals with their owners, understanding and preventing the diseases that these companions bring with them are of paramount importance. Zoonotic protozoal parasites, including toxoplasmosis, Chagas' disease, babesiosis, giardiasis, and leishmaniasis, can cause insidious infections, with asymptomatic animals being capable of transmitting disease. Giardia and Toxoplasma gondii, endemic to the United States, have high prevalences in companion animals. Leishmania and Trypanosoma cruzi are found regionally within the United States. These diseases have lower prevalences but are significant sources of human disease globally and are expanding their companion animal distribution. Thankfully, healthy individuals in the United States are protected by intact immune systems and bolstered by good nutrition, sanitation, and hygiene. Immunocompromised individuals, including the growing number of obese and/or diabetic people, are at a much higher risk of developing zoonoses. Awareness of these often neglected diseases in all health communities is important for protecting pets and owners. To provide this awareness, this review is focused on zoonotic protozoal mechanisms of virulence, epidemiology, and the transmission of pathogens of consequence to pet owners in the United States.
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PMID:Transmission and epidemiology of zoonotic protozoal diseases of companion animals. 2329 59

Parasites are an important cause of human disease worldwide. The clinical severity and outcome of parasitic disease is often dependent on the immune status of the host. Specific parasitic diseases discussed in this chapter are amebiasis, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, cyclosporiasis, cystoisosporiasis, microsporidosis, granulomatous amebic encephalitis, toxoplasmosis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, malaria, babesiosis, strongyloidiasis, and scabies.
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PMID:Parasites. 2772 21