Organic ultraviolet filters in the blubber of two free-ranging deep-diving cetacean species.

The increasing use of personal care products has led to the widespread of organic UV filters (oUVFs) in marine ecosystems, yet their occurrence and potential impacts on pelagic and deep-sea environments remain unclear. This study assessed oUVFs contamination in the blubber of two deep-diving cetacean species -the short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)-off Madeira Island, Eastern North Atlantic. Using microwave-assisted extraction and UHPLC-MS/MS, four of eleven targeted oUVFs were detected in blubber: homosalate, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate, octocrylene, and methylene bis-benzotriazole (UV-360).

IxsS7: A novel biomarker for Ixodes scapularis tick bite exposure in humans.

Ixodes scapularis is a primary vector of several important tick-borne pathogens including Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the causative bacterial genospecies complex of Lyme disease, Babesia microti, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia miyamotoi, Ehrlichia muris eauclarensis, and Powassan virus. Salivary compounds secreted by I. scapularis during blood feeding are immunogenic and can elicit robust antibody responses in humans which can potentially be leveraged as surrogate markers of prior tick bite exposure.

Effectiveness of Long-Lasting Insecticide-Impregnated Bed Nets in Controlling Phlebotomus argentipes in Sri Lanka: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Sri Lanka is endemic for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by Leishmania donovani. Long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs) have been used for vector control, but their impact on interruption of sand fly bites remains untested in Sri Lanka. This study assessed the efficacy of LLINs compared to untreated nets in reducing vector-human contact and density of Phlebotomus argentipes, the vector of CL in Sri Lanka.

Ligand-lytic peptides for specific targeting of and parasites.

Introduction: Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are major human neglected diseases, affecting an estimate of 12 and 6 to 8 million people worldwide, respectively. Current treatments for both diseases are highly toxic for the vertebrate host and lack specificity for the parasites, highlighting the need for the discovery of new therapies against these diseases. In this study, we tested the use of the lytic peptide and a construct that incorporates a ligand to bind the lytic peptide to protozoa membranes and screened them for protozoacidal activity.

Malnutrition exacerbates pathogenesis of Lutzomyia longipalpis sand fly-transmitted Leishmania donovani.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is transmitted by Leishmania-infected sand fly bites and malnutrition is a known risk factor in human VL. Models using sand fly transmission or malnutrition promote parasite dissemination. By investigating features of L.

Leishmania sand fly-transmission is disrupted by Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1 bacteria.

Most human pathogenic Leishmania species are zoonotic agents; therefore, sand fly-based control strategies are essential to prevent parasite circulation. Here, we used the Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1 strain, that inhibits the development of Plasmodium in mosquitoes, but in the context of Leishmania-infected sand flies. We show that D.

Human sand fly challenge elicits saliva-specific innate and T1-polarized immunity that promotes killing.

Background: In -endemic areas, humans are chronically exposed to the bites of vector sand flies, whose immunogenic salivary proteins modulate host immunity. The immune consequences of this chronic antigenic exposure remain poorly understood.

Objective: To characterize bite-induced rash and cytokine responses to sand fly salivary proteins in humans chronically exposed to , the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas.

The impact of blood on vector-borne diseases with emphasis on mosquitoes and sand flies.

The impact of blood and its factors on vector-borne diseases is significant and multifaceted yet understudied. While blood is expected to play a central role in transmission, pathogen development, vector behavior, and vector competence, in experimental settings, most studies are developed in the frame of a single, infected blood meal. To effectively combat vector-borne diseases, we need to determine what is the influence of insect blood-feeding behavior on transmission and development of pathogens, toward translation to natural field settings.

Intraspecific variation in the feeding habits of short-finned pilot whales based on blubber fatty acid profiles.

Understanding trophic interactions in deep-sea ecosystems is challenging and still largely unexplored. Here, fatty acid (FA) profiles were used as biochemical tracers to explore intraspecific feeding specialization in a deep-diving apex predator. The FA profiles of free-ranging short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) biopsies from two archipelagos (Canary Islands, n = 30; Madeira Island, n = 25) of the Macaronesia biogeographic region were determined to infer the dietary preferences, ecological adaptations, and population dynamics, considering geographic location, sex, and residency patterns (HIA: highly island-associated vs.

Salivary antigens rPagSP02 and rPagSP06 are a reliable composite biomarker for evaluating exposure to Phlebotomus argentipes in Sri Lanka.

Phlebotomus argentipes is the established vector of leishmaniasis in the Indian sub-continent. Antibodies to sand fly salivary antigens are biomarkers for vector-host exposure in leishmaniasis-endemic regions. Ph.

NLRP1-dependent activation of Gasdermin D in neutrophils controls cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Intracellular pathogens that replicate in host myeloid cells have devised ways to inhibit the cell's killing machinery. Pyroptosis is one of the host strategies used to reduce the pathogen replicating niche and thereby control its expansion. The intracellular Leishmania parasites can survive and use neutrophils as a silent entry niche, favoring subsequent parasite dissemination into the host.

rPagSP02+rPagSP06 recombinant salivary antigen is a reliable biomarker for evaluating exposure to Phlebotomus argentipes in Sri Lanka.

is the established vector of leishmaniasis in the Indian sub-continent. Antibodies to sand fly salivary antigens are biomarkers for vector-host exposure in leishmaniasis-endemic regions. transmits in Sri Lanka, primarily causing cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL).

Discovery of new antigens for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in humans and dogs adds valuable tools to our arsenal.

Surveillance and sustained control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) require reliable serodiagnostic tools. rK39, the gold standard antigen for VL diagnosis, is limited by its documented poor sensitivity in certain endemic regions, such as East Africa, and by the longevity of its antibodies, making it difficult to distinguish active from cured infections. In a recent publication in , Roberts et al.

Early prey intake of a short-finned pilot whale ( Gray, 1846, Cetacea: Delphinidae) in the Canary Islands.

This study reveals early prey eating by a short-finned pilot whale ( Gray, 1846, Cetacea: Delphinidae) in the Canary Islands. Stomach contents, trophic markers, skin isotopic ratios of nitrogen (δN:N/N) and carbon (δC:C/C), and fatty acid profiles of the blubber of a short-finned pilot whale of 213 cm size euthanized in free-ranging conditions were analyzed. A total of 15 species of oegopsid squids, mostly diel vertical mesopelagic migrant species of the families Enoploteuthidae, Ommastrephidae, and Histioteuthidae, as well as mother's milk, were identified in the stomach contents.

Microplastic ingestion and plastic additive detection in pelagic squid and fish: Implications for bioindicators and plastic tracers in open oceanic food webs.

The ubiquitous presence of microplastics (MPs) in the ocean represents a potential threat to marine organisms, with poorly understood long-term adverse effects, including exposure to plastic additives. The present study investigated the ingestion of MPs in two epipelagic fish species (Trachurus picturatus and Scomber colias) and three pelagic squid species (Loligo vulgaris, Ommastrephes caroli and Sthenoteuthis pteropus) from an open oceanic region of the Northeast Atlantic. Seven phthalate esters (PAEs) were also analysed in the organisms' tissue, and the potential correlation between PAEs concentrations and ingested MPs was investigated.

A Composite Recombinant Salivary Proteins Biomarker for Phlebotomus argentipes Provides a Surveillance Tool Postelimination of Visceral Leishmaniasis in India.

Incidence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent (ISC) has declined by more than 95% since initiation of the elimination program in 2005. As the ISC transitions to the postelimination surveillance phase, an accurate measurement of human-vector contact is needed to assure long-term success. To develop this tool, we identified PagSP02 and PagSP06 from saliva of Phlebotomus argentipes, the vector of Leishmania donovani in the ISC, as immunodominant proteins in humans.

Aedes aegypti sialokinin facilitates mosquito blood feeding and modulates host immunity and vascular biology.

Saliva from mosquitoes contains vasodilators that antagonize vasoconstrictors produced at the bite site. Sialokinin is a vasodilator present in the saliva of Aedes aegypti. Here, we investigate its function and describe its mechanism of action during blood feeding.

Towards a Sustainable Vector-Control Strategy in the Post Kala-Azar Elimination Era.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a potentially deadly parasitic disease. In the Indian sub-continent, VL is caused by and transmitted the bite of an infected female sand fly, the only competent vector species in the region. The highest disease burden is in the northern part of the Indian sub-continent, especially in the state of Bihar.

Heme Oxygenase-1 Induction by Blood-Feeding Arthropods Controls Skin Inflammation and Promotes Disease Tolerance.

Hematophagous vectors lacerate host skin and capillaries to acquire a blood meal, resulting in leakage of red blood cells (RBCs) and inflammation. Here, we show that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a pleiotropic cytoprotective isoenzyme that mitigates heme-mediated tissue damage, is induced after bites of sand flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. Further, we demonstrate that erythrophagocytosis by macrophages, including a skin-residing CD163CD91 professional iron-recycling subpopulation, produces HO-1 after bites.

and Characterization of Potent Antileishmanial Methionine Aminopeptidase 1 Inhibitors.

is the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). No human vaccine is available for CL, and current drug regimens present several drawbacks, such as emerging resistance, severe toxicity, medium effectiveness, and/or high cost. Thus, the need for better treatment options against CL is a priority.

A prophylactic α-Gal-based glycovaccine effectively protects against murine acute Chagas disease.

Chagas disease (ChD), caused by the hemoflagellate parasite , affects six to seven million people in Latin America. Lately, it has become an emerging public health concern in nonendemic regions such as North America and Europe. There is no prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine as yet, and current chemotherapy is rather toxic and has limited efficacy in the chronic phase of the disease.

Purification of Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchored Mucins from Trypanosoma cruzi Trypomastigotes and Synthesis of α-Gal-Containing Neoglycoproteins: Application as Biomarkers for Reliable Diagnosis and Early Assessment of Chemotherapeutic Outcomes of Chagas Disease.

Chagas disease (ChD), caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects millions of people worldwide. Chemotherapy is restricted to two drugs, which are partially effective and may cause severe side effects, leading to cessation of treatment in a significant number of patients. Currently, there are no biomarkers to assess therapeutic efficacy of these drugs in the chronic stage.

Development of Thiophene Compounds as Potent Chemotherapies for the Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused by .

() is a protozoan parasite that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis. About 12 million people are currently infected with an annual incidence of 1.3 million cases.