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Query: UMLS:C0024530 (malaria)
 44,886 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The apicomplexa are parasitic protozoa that are responsible for important human and animal diseases, including malaria, toxoplasmosis, cryptosporidiosis, coccidiosis and babesiosis. Like other members of the superphylum Alveolata, apicomplexans have regulated exocytosis of specialized secretory organelles, such as the apicomplexan-specific rhoptries and micronemes that are required for host cell invasion. The secretions of another class of organelles, the dense granules and osmiophilic bodies, are proposed to be required for maintenance of the parasitophorous vacuole and host cell egress. Little is known about the osmiophilic bodies and to date only one protein, P377, has been localized to this organelle. In this issue, de Koning-Ward et al. describe the disruption of pfg377 in the virulent human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, which results in reduced osmiophilic body formation, a marked decrease in female fitness, and dramatically impaired infectivity to mosquitoes. These findings suggest that targeting PFG377 may be a strategy to block parasite transmission.
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PMID:Osmiophilic bodies and the odd organelles of alveolates. 1808 89

Hypoglycaemia has been identified as a life-threatening metabolic complication in almost 20% of severely ill dogs suffering from babesiosis due to Babesia canis rossi infection, and has been correlated with mortality. Hyperinsulinaemia as a result of inappropriate insulin secretion may precipitate hypoglycaemia, and has been suggested as a possible cause of hypoglycaemia in human and murine malaria. This prospective, cross-sectional, observational study, including 94 dogs with naturally occurring virulent babesiosis, sought to identify the presence of inappropriate insulin secretion in hypoglycaemic canine babesiosis. Pre-treatment jugular blood samples were collected for simultaneous determination of plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. Animals were retrospectively divided into three groups: hypoglycaemic (BG<3.3 mmol/L; n=16), normoglycaemic (BG 3.3-5.5 mmol/L; n=62), and hyperglycaemic (BG>5.5 mmol/L; n=16). The median insulin concentrations for the hypoglycaemic, normoglycaemic, and hyperglycaemic groups were 10.7 pmol/L, 10.7 pmol/L, and 21.7 pmol/L, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in insulin concentration between the three groups. Additionally, the median insulin concentration in the hypoglycaemic and normoglycaemic groups was below the detection limit of the assay, suggesting that insulin secretion was appropriately low (i.e. undetectable) in these cases. Only two dogs had inappropriately elevated insulin concentrations. One of these dogs was hypoglycaemic. We conclude that hyperinsulinaemia is an infrequent cause of hypoglycaemia in virulent canine babesiosis. Other causes of hypoglycaemia, such as increased glucose consumption, depletion of hepatic glycogen stores, and hepatic dysfunction with impaired gluconeogenesis, are speculated to play more important roles in the pathophysiology of hypoglycaemia in canine babesiosis.
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PMID:Plasma insulin concentrations in hypoglycaemic dogs with Babesia canis rossi infection. 1816 50

This prospective, interventional, case-controlled study sought to determine the association between adrenocortical function and mortality in dogs with naturally occurring Babesia rossi babesiosis. Sixty-eight dogs with canine babesiosis were studied and fifteen normal dogs were used as controls. Blood samples were obtained from the jugular vein in each dog prior to treatment, at admission to hospital, for the measurement of basal plasma ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone) and serum cortisol concentrations. Immediately thereafter, each dog was injected intravenously with 5 microg/kg of ACTH (tetracosactrin). A second blood sample was taken 1h later for serum ACTH-stimulated cortisol measurement and the resultant calculation of delta cortisol by subtracting basal from ACTH-stimulated cortisol. Diagnosis of babesiosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse line blot (RLB). Three outcomes were defined: hospitalization with subsequent death (n=4); hospitalization followed by recovery (n=48); and treatment as an outpatient (n=16). Basal cortisol, but not ACTH-stimulated cortisol, was significantly higher in patients compared to control dogs. Basal- and ACTH-stimulated serum cortisol concentrations were significantly higher in the dogs that died, compared to hospitalized dogs that survived and compared to dogs treated as outpatients. There was no significant difference in delta cortisol concentrations or cortisol to ACTH ratios across outcome groups in dogs suffering from B. rossi babesiosis However, dogs with delta cortisol concentrations below 83 nmol/l had significantly higher cortisol to ACTH ratios compared to dogs with delta cortisol concentrations above 83 nmol/l. These findings of increased basal- and ACTH-stimulated cortisol and increased cortisol to ACTH ratios confirm the absence of adrenal insufficiency and concur with those in human malaria.
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PMID:Adrenal response to the low dose ACTH stimulation test and the cortisol-to-adrenocorticotrophic hormone ratio in canine babesiosis. 1846 98

Blood smear analysis is especially useful for diagnosing five infectious diseases: babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, relapsing fever due to Borrelia infection, malaria, and American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease). It should be performed in patients with persistent or recurring fever or in those who have traveled to the developing world or who have a history of tick exposure, especially if accompanied by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, or hepatosplenomegaly.
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PMID:Blood smear analysis in babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, relapsing fever, malaria, and Chagas disease. 1864 88

Despite the evidence suggesting that mouse pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency provides protection against malaria in rodents, there has been no investigation of a parallel protective effect against babesiosis caused by Babesia rodhaini. Here, we examined whether a PK-deficient co-isogenic mouse strain (CBA-Pk-1(slc)) was protected against B. rodhaini infection. We demonstrated that deficiency in pyruvate kinase correlated with a significant protective effect, with survival rates of 50%, 58% and 56% in groups inoculated with 10, 10(3) and 10(5) parasitized erythrocytes, respectively. In contrast, control CBA (CBA-Pk-1(+)) mice exhibited 100% lethality, regardless of the infectious dose. In addition, CBA-Pk-1(slc) mice showed decreased levels of parasitemia when compared to CBA-Pk-1(+) mice, in groups given 10, 10(3) or 10(5) parasitized erythrocytes. These results indicate that similar to PK deficiency in rodents, PK deficiency in mice affects the in vivo growth of B. rodhaini and protects the mice from lethal babesiosis.
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PMID:Babesia rodhaini: the protective effect of pyruvate kinase deficiency in mice. 1878 33

Fevers of unknown origin (FUOs) are defined as prolonged fevers of 101 degrees F or greater lasting 3 or more weeks that remain undiagnosed after comprehensive inpatient/outpatient laboratory testing. Tick-borne infections are uncommon causes of FUOs. Any infectious disease accompanied by prolonged fevers can present as an FUO if the diagnosis is not suspected or if specific laboratory testing is not done to confirm the diagnosis. Babesiosis is transmitted by the Ixodes scapularis ticks endemic to areas in the northeastern United States. We present the case of a 73-year-old, non-human immunodeficiency virus, male from Long Island who presented with FUO for 6 weeks. As with malaria, there are usually few or no localizing signs in babesiosis. During the patient's hospitalization, babesiosis was suspected on the basis of nonspecific laboratory findings, that is, relative lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, and an elevated lactate dehydrogenase. When babesiosis was considered in the differential diagnosis, stained blood smears demonstrated the red blood cell inclusions of babesiosis. In the hospital, the patient developed noncardiac pulmonary edema, which rapidly resolved which has been described as a rare complication of babesiosis. He also had an elevated immunoglobulin-M Lyme titer indicating coinfection with Lyme disease. Although his hemolytic anemia persisted for weeks, he only had 3% parasitemia and intact splenic function. We believe this to be the first case of babesiosis presenting as an FUO in a normal host.
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PMID:Fever of unknown origin (FUO) due to babesiosis in a immunocompetent host. 1899 33

Babesiosis is tick-borne malaria-like disease. Man is an opportuneistic host for Babesia species. This paper presented the second Egyptian human babesiosis. The signs and symptoms, CBC, liver functions and kidney functions tests and all other serologic tests did not give any definite diagnosis. Also, he was sero-negative for malaria infection. The patient was critically diagnosed by the demonstration of the typical ring forms of Babesia species in stained blood smears. He was successfully treated with Quinine and Clindamycin, and was discharged from the hospital after the clinical and parasitological improvement. The epidemiology of zoonotic babesiosis was discussed.
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PMID:Egyptian human babesiosis and general review. 1914 36

Bruceine A, a natural quassinoid compound extracted from the dried fruits of Brucea javanica (L.) Merr., was evaluated for its antibabesial activity in vitro and in vivo. Bruceine A inhibited the in vitro growth of Babesia gibsoni in canine erythrocytes at lower concentration compared with the standard antibabesial drug diminazene aceturate and killed the parasites within 24 hr at a concentration of 25 nM. Oral administration of bruceine A at a dosage of 6.4 mg/kg/day for 5 days resulted in no clinical findings in a dog with normal ranges of hematological and biochemical values in the blood. Three dogs were infected with B. gibsoni and two of them were treated with bruceine A at a dosage of 6.4 mg/kg/day for 6 days from day 5 post-infection. An untreated dog developed typical acute babesiosis symptoms including severe anemia, high fever, and complete loss of appetite and movement. However, the two bruceine A-treated dogs maintained their healthy conditions throughout the experimental period of 4 weeks although complete elimination of parasites from the peripheral blood was not achieved and decreases in the packed cell volume and the erythrocyte and platelet counts were observed. Since natural quassinoid compounds have been used as traditional medicines for the treatment of various ailments including cancer and malaria, the present results suggest that bruceine A or other related compounds are potential candidates for the treatment of canine babesiosis.
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PMID:Evaluation of efficacy of bruceine A, a natural quassinoid compound extracted from a medicinal plant, Brucea javanica, for canine babesiosis. 1919 74

The Duffy antigen is the only receptor for Plasmodium vivax, a hemoparasite of the phylum Apicomplexa and the cause of vivax malaria in humans. Resistance to this parasite in the majority of black African individuals and their descendents is due to a mutation in the gene promoter region, which blocks its transcription on erythrocytes. Regarding bovine babesiosis, it is known that taurine breeds are more susceptible to parasite infection than zebuine breeds. In order to verify whether the same human resistance occurs in bovine, the 5' flanking region of the DARC gene was isolated and characterized in Bos indicus and Bos taurus. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified and genotyped (SNP1: EF_647729.1:g.91C>T; SNP2: EF_647729.1:g.405C>T; SNP3: EF_647729.1: g.433A>G and SNP4: EF_647729.1:g.588A>G), which showed significant frequency differences among 99 bovines of each species (n=198). Characterization of the isolated region revealed the presence of 6 putative haplotypes, 14 genotypes, which are formed by haplotypes, and numerous putative transcription factor binding sites. Only the thymine presence on SNPs 1 and 2, more common in B. indicus, was observed to alter some of the sites in this region. Despite this fact, analyses through real-time PCR on bovines that present the most common homozygote genotypes of each species, which contrast for all the polymorphism, revealed no difference on the DARC gene transcription. Thus, in principle, it was concluded that the polymorphisms identified would not be useful as molecular markers in an improvement program for resistance to babesiosis.
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PMID:Characterization and transcriptional analysis of the promoter region of the Duffy blood group, chemokine receptor (DARC) gene in cattle. 1955 88

Human babesiosis is an emerging tick-borne infectious disease caused by intraerythrocytic protozoan species of the genus Babesia with many clinical features similar to those of malaria. Over the last 50 years, the epidemiology of human babesiosis has changed from a few isolated cases to the establishment of endemic areas in the northeastern and midwestern United States. Episodic cases are reported in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. The severity of infection ranges from asymptomatic infection to fulminant disease resulting in death, although the majority of healthy adults experience a mild-to-moderate illness. People over the age of 50 years and immunocompromised individuals are at the highest risk of severe disease, including those with malignancy, HIV, lacking a spleen, or receiving immunosuppressive drugs. Asymptomatic carriers present a blood safety risk when they donate blood. Definitive diagnosis of babesial infection generally is made by microscopic identification of the organism on thin blood smear, amplification of Babesia DNA using PCR, and detection of Babesia antibody in acute and convalescent sera. Specific antimicrobial therapy consists of atovaquone and azithromycin or clindamycin and quinine. Exchange transfusion is used in severe cases. The use of multiple prevention strategies is recommended and consists of personal, residential, and community approaches.
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PMID:Update on babesiosis. 1972 10


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