Dog hookworm: a cause of eosinophilic enterocolitis in humans.
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Ancylostoma↗
Biomedical subjects
A Loukas
Publications and source records attributed to A Loukas.
Renal responses to bicycle exercise in trained athletes: influence of exercise intensity.
The effects of exercise on renal function were studied in 11 male bicyclists, using a bicycle ergometer. At a work intensity of 100/150 W, bicycle exercise for 1 h was associated with a significant increase in urine volume, endogenous creatinine clearance, and renal sodium and potassium excretion. In contrast, exercise of the same duration at a work intensity of 150/200 W produced no significant changes in the above variables. Exercise intensity seems to influence renal responses, presumably through a differential effect on renal blood flow.
Adolescent↗
Detection of antibodies to secretions of Ancylostoma caninum in human eosinophilic enteritis.
To evaluate the role of canine hookworms in human eosinophilic enteritis (EE) in north-eastern Australia, we tested human sera in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) which incorporated antigens of adult Ancylostoma caninum. Sera from the following groups were examined: 10 patients with EE (unexplained recurrent abdominal pain and related symptoms, with peripheral eosinophilia) from Townsville and Brisbane; 2 persons known to be infected with A. caninum and 20 presumed unexposed healthy controls; 20 patients with other gastrointestinal diseases; 20 with other identified parasitic infections; and 20 with atopic conditions. High levels of specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgE antibodies were found in patients with EE but not other gastrointestinal disease. Excretory-secretory (ES) products were more discriminating than somatic antigens in the ELISA and the IgG/ES-ELISA was the most specific; occasional cross-reactions could be explained on epidemiological or parasitological grounds. The IgM-ELISA was neither specific nor sensitive. We conclude that canine ancylostomiasis is a major cause of human EE in north-eastern Australia, and the pathogenesis is based probably on hypersensitivity to antigens secreted by the parasite.
Ancylostoma↗
A novel C-type lectin secreted by a tissue-dwelling parasitic nematode.
Many parasitic nematodes live for surprisingly long periods in the tissues of their hosts, implying sophisticated mechanisms for evading the host immune system. The nematode Toxocara canis survives for years in mammalian tissues, and when cultivated in vitro, secretes antigens such as TES-32. From the peptide sequence, we cloned TES-32 cDNA, which encodes a 219 amino-acid protein that has a domain characteristic of host calcium-dependent (C-type) lectins, a family of proteins associated with immune defence. Homology modelling predicted that TES-32 bears remarkable structural similarity to mammalian immune-system lectins. Native TES-32 acted as a functional lectin in affinity chromatography. Unusually, it bound both mannose- and galactose-type monosaccharides, a pattern precluded in mammalian lectins by a constraining loop adjacent to the carbohydrate-binding site. In TES-32, this loop appeared to be less obtrusive, permitting a broader range of ligand binding. The similarity of TES-32 to host immune cell receptors suggests a hitherto unsuspected strategy for parasite immune evasion.
Amino Acid Sequence↗