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The stimulatory effect of L-glutamate and related agents on inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production in the cestode Hymenolepis diminuta.

The effects of L-glutamate, acetylcholine, and serotonin (5HT) were examined on generation of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3], in membrane preparations of the cestode Hymenolepis diminuta. Only L-glutamate and acetylcholine stimulated a significant elevation in Ins(1,4,5)P3. The response to L-glutamate was stereospecific; D-glutamate or L-aspartate were not as potent. A role for G-protein(s) was supported by the observations that sodium fluoride stimulated Ins(1,4,5)P3 generation, and the L-glutamate response was potentiated by GTP and GTP-S and was suppressed by GDPS. However, studies with pertussis and cholera toxins indicated that the putative G-protein(s) was not pertussis or cholera toxin sensitive. The pharmacological profile of the L-glutamate response was examined partially. Trans-ACPD was a very effective agonist at 10(-5)M. While 10(-3)M L-glutamate, NMDA, and AMPA significantly elevated Ins(1,4,5)P3 levels, quisqualate and kainate did not. The elevation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 levels by L-glutamate and NMDA was antagonized by the specific glutamatergic antagonists AP-5, AP-7, CNQX, and CPP. While the response to ACPD was antagonized by AP5, CPP and CPG, CNQX was without effect. Collectively, the data support the hypothesis that in the cestode H. diminuta, L-glutamate activation of a metabotropic (ACPD) and/or ionotropic-like AMPA/NMDA receptor subtypes proceeds via a G protein(s) to enhance phospholipase C activity, ultimately resulting in the elevation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 levels in the tissues.

Acetylcholine↗

The purification and properties of glutathione reductase from the cestode Moniezia expansa.

Glutathione reductase has a central role in glutathione metabolism and as such is a potential target for chemotherapy. The aim of the work was to purify and characterise glutathione reductase from the cestode Moniezia expansa and to compare the properties of the helminth enzyme with its mammalian counterpart. The enzyme was purified by a combination of anion exchange and affinity chromatography and further characterized by chromatofocusing and gel electrophoresis. Analysis revealed a single isoenzyme of glutathione reductase in Moniezia expansa, with a pI of 5.8. The enzyme was a homodimer of native molecular weight 114 kDa, subunit weight 63 kDa. Enzyme activity was affected by buffer concentration and the presence of monovalent sodium salts. The pH optimum was 7.4 with NADPH as cofactor and 5 with NADH. The Kma for oxidized glutathione was 76 microM and for NADPH and NADH, 21 and 350 microM respectively. In addition to oxidized glutathione only the mixed disulphide between CoA and glutathione (CoASSG) showed any significant activity as substrate. The cestode enzyme was inhibited by a variety of compounds including arsonic derivatives, 2,4,6 trinitrobenzene sulfonate 1,3-bis (2-chlorethyl)-1-nitrosourea and oxidized glutathione. In conclusion the glutathione reductase of M. expansa resembles the mammalian enzyme in its general physical properties and its substrate and inhibitor profile. However, the parasite enzyme shows an unusually high activity with the mixed disulphide of coenzyme A and glutathione (CoASSG) and appears to be more sensitive to inhibition by sodium ions.

Animals↗

Vaccines against cysticercosis and hydatidosis: foundations in taeniid cestode immunology.

Recombinant oncosphere antigens have been used in the development of effective vaccines for the prevention of cysticercosis caused by Taenia ovis, Taenia saginata, Taenia solium and hydatid disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus. These vaccines were developed utilizing information gathered from numerous researchers over some 60 years which had established many of the principals concerning immunity to taeniid cestodes in their intermediate hosts. Australian scientists, or scientists with close Australian connections, made seminal early contributions to the understanding of cestode immunology that provided the foundations for more recent application of recombinant DNA methods and the development of practical vaccines. Here, some particular contributions to the field are highlighted from Drs. Michael Gemmell, Michael Rickard, David Heath and Graham Mitchell together with a précis of the recent progress in vaccine development, particularly for prevention of cysticercosis due to T. solium.

Animals↗

A new diagnostic tool for neurocysticercosis is a member of a cestode specific hydrophobic ligand binding protein family.

A protein of unknown function has been identified as a key serological tool for diagnosis of human tapeworm neurocysticercosis, a major worldwide neurological disease. Our own sequence analysis predicts that this protein is a member of a newly identified cestode specific oligomeric hydrophobic ligand binding protein family. In this report, using a rat cestode model, we confirm that homologues of this protein can bind fatty acids and their derivatives, and thus suggest a biological function for this key diagnostic tool.

Acyl Coenzyme A↗

Ultrastructure of oncospheral hook formation in the nematotaeniid cestode, Nematotaenia dispar (Goeze, 1782).

Ultrastructural characteristics of oncospheral hook morphogenesis in the nematotaeniid cestode, Nematotaenia dispar, are described. The primordia of embryonic hooks appear in the advanced phase of the pre-oncosphere in 6 specialised hook-forming cells or oncoblasts. Each hook primordium, situated near an invaginated part of the nucleus, is surrounded by numerous free ribosomes, mitochondria and extended Golgi regions. Simultaneously with the hook primordium elongation and transformation into a blade, handle and base, the hook material differentiates into an electron-dense cortex and a less dense, inner, crystal-like core. The exit of the blade of the mature hook, protruding from the oncosphere, is surrounded by a circular, septate desmosome and 2 rigid, dense rings on either side. The pattern of oncospheral hook morphogenesis in N. dispar is compared with that of 2 previously examined cyclophyllidean cestodes, Inermicapsifer madagascariensis and Catenotaenia pusilla.

Animals↗

Digestion and digestive-transport surfaces in cestodes and their fish hosts.

The structural and functional organization of digestive-transport surfaces in some lower cestodes and their fish hosts was studied. It has been shown that the ultrastructure of cestode microtriches and fish enterocyte microvilli being the basis of membrane-linked digestion is quite similar. These organelles increase the digestive-transport surfaces both in helminths and fishes. However, the hydrolytic enzyme activity in helminths is usually 2-4 times lower than that of the fishes. Desorption (adsorption) characteristics of various hydrolases in helminths and fishes are also different. In helminths the easily desorbed fraction of each enzyme is always more abundant than in fishes. In contrast, the intensity of transport processes in helminths is higher when compared with fishes. The adaptation of digestive-transport surfaces and enzyme systems to feeding conditions is discussed.

Animals↗

Terminology of the sucker-like organs of the scolex of trypanorhynch cestodes.

The literature associated with descriptions and definitions of the sucker-like attachment organs in trypanorhynchs, termed either bothria or bothridia, is reviewed. There are descriptions of 14 trypanorhynch species representing 10 families. In none of these trypanorhynchs was a membrane separating the attachment organ from the scolex parenchyma described, one of the definitions used to distinguish bothria from bothridia. Transmission electron microscopy of the bothria of the trypanorhynch species Nybelinia queenslandensis Beveridge & Jones, 1998 (Tentaculariidae) and Otobothrium mugilis Hiscock, 1954 (Otobothriidae) also failed to show any membranous structure separating the surface of the attachment organ from the cestode parenchyma. The sucker-like attachment organs of trypanorhynchan cestodes appear, therefore, to be bothria rather than bothridia. As a result, changes in the terminology of related features of the scolex are proposed here. Henceforth, the pars bothridialis should be referred to as the pars bothrialis and the bothridial pits should be referred to bothrial pits.

Animals↗

In vivo and ex vivo uptake of albendazole and its sulphoxide metabolite by cestode parasites: relationship with their kinetic behaviour in sheep.

The current experiments correlate the disposition kinetics of albendazole (ABZ) following its intravenous (i.v.) and intraruminal (i.r.) administrations to Moniezia spp.-infected sheep, with the pattern of drug/metabolite uptake by tapeworms collected from treated animals. The ex vivo uptake pattern of ABZ and albendazole sulphoxide (ABZSO) by the same cestode parasite was also investigated. Naturally infected (Moniezia spp.) Corriedale lambs were treated with ABZ by either i.v. (Group A, n = 15) or i.r. (Group B, n = 15) administration at 7.5 mg/kg. Plasma and abomasal fluid samples were obtained over a 120-h period. Two animals per group were killed at 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 6 h post-treatment; parasite material (tapeworms), bile and intestinal fluid samples were recovered. Furthermore, Moniezia spp. tapeworms obtained from sheep killed at the local abattoir were incubated with either ABZ or ABZSO for different time periods in a Kreb's Ringer Tris buffer (ex vivo experiments). Samples were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography for ABZ, ABZSO and albendazole sulphone (ABZSO2). ABZ plasma concentrations decreased rapidly and were not detectable beyond 10 h following i.v. administration. ABZSO and ABZSO2 were the metabolites recovered in plasma after both treatments. ABZ and its metabolites were extensively distributed to the digestive tract, mainly into the abomasal fluid, after the i.v. and i.r. administrations. The parent drug and its active ABZSO metabolite were recovered in tapeworms collected from both i.v. and i.r. treated lambs. However, the availability of both ABZ and ABZSO was higher in parasite material recovered from i.v. treated animals. The uptake of ABZ by the cestode parasite, both in vivo and ex vivo, was significantly greater than that of its sulphoxide metabolite, which agrees with the higher lipophilicity of the parent drug.

Abomasum↗

[Hepatic larvae of Cestode parasites of the vole rat Arvicola terrestris in Auvergne (France)].

The autopsy of 943 vole rats Arvicola terrestris scherman Shaw (Mammal Microtidae) from Auvergne (Departments of Puy-de-Dôme and Cantal) obtained for the year 1981 and 1982 shows evidence of four different species of hepatic cestode larvae. Cysticercus fasciolaris occurred in 37 (3.92%), Echinococcus multilocularis in 23 (2.44%), C. tenuicollis in 11 (1.16%) and C. laticollis in 10 (1.06%). C. longicollis occurred in one (0.10%) as parasite of the abdominal cavity. There is usually just one larva for a liver but a multiple parasitism is not excluded: 2 larvae of C. fasciolaris (2 cases), or 3 or 5 larvae (one case each); 5 larvae of C. tenuicollis (1 case). Mixed parasitism also is possible (C. fasciolaris + C. laticollis: 1 case. C. fasciolaris + E. multilocularis: 3 cases). So 77 livers (8.16%) are parasitized. The role of the vole rat in the epidemiology of the five species of cestodes is discussed. Anatomical and histological aspects are described for each species to make certain the differential and specific diagnosis of the young and frequent E. multilocularis larvae.

Animals↗

Description of Paranoplocephala yoccozi n. sp. (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) from the snow vole Chionomys nivalis in France, with a review of anoplocephaud cestodes of snow voles in Europe.

We describe Paranoplocephala yoccozi n. sp. (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) from the snow vole Chionomys nivalis in Bourg-Saint-Maurice, French Alps, compare it with several related species from rodents, and review the anoplocephalid cestodes of snow voles in Europe. Paranoplocephala yoccozi n. sp. is primarily distinguished from the related species by its large scolex of characteristic shape, robust neck region, and the structure of the cirrus sac, vitellarium and vagina. We show that the anoplocephalid cestodes of snow voles in Europe, representing the genera Anoplocephaloides and Paranoplocephala, include at least seven species. This fauna consists primarily of species that snow voles share with other voles inhabiting the high-mountain areas. Some of the species, including P. yoccozi n. sp., appear to have a very localized distribution, which is assumed to be a consequence of the historical fragmentation of snow vole populations.

Animals↗

The prevalence and epidemiology of cestodes in dogs in Clwyd, Wales. I. Farm dogs.

The results of a survey of 51 farms in Clwyd carried out between 1981 and 1983 to elucidate the prevalence and epidemiology of dog cestodes are reported. Taeniid species were obtained from 24 (17.1%) of the 140 dogs which purged. Taenia ovis and T. hydatigena appeared to depend largely on dogs scavenging from carcasses for the perpetuation of their life-cycles, whereas T. multiceps was found only in dogs on two farms where sheep heads formed the main diet of the dogs. Dog husbandry in relation to cestode epidemiology is discussed, and recommendations for control are made.

Agriculture↗

A programme to reduce the risk of infection by Echinococcus multilocularis: the use of praziquantel to control the cestode in a village in the hyperendemic region of Alaska.

This paper reports the results of a 10-year field trial designed to reduce the risk of infection by Echinococcus multilocularis to residents of a village in a hyperendemic area (Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island). The objective was to prevent dispersal of infective eggs of the cestode within the village by means of monthly treatments of dogs with praziquantel. Northern voles, Microtus oeconomus, present in the village as commensals, served as an index of risk, as the incidence of infection in the voles provides information about the availability of eggs within the confines of the inhabited area. Voles were examined annually during early June before the population of overwintering voles was diluted by the first annual litters. The pretreatment infection-rate within the village was 29% (range 22-35%), and in control areas at some distance from the village for the entire study period it averaged 53% (284 infected voles from a sample of 533). Some fluctuation in incidence of infection in village voles occurred, apparently depending on the extent to which the residents kept their dogs chained and thus available for treatment. The success of the programme was demonstrated by the reduction in prevalence of infection to about 1% of voles in 1985, and an average infection rate during the last five years of the study of 5% (29 infected voles in a sample of 582). This 83% average reduction in the prevalence of the larval cestode within the village reflects a corresponding reduction in the risk of acquiring by the residents of the village. The method would be applicable for the control of E. multilocularis in most hyperendemic regions. Success depends, however, on elimination of unrestrained dogs and a precise schedule of treatment.

Alaska↗

DNA differential diagnosis of human taeniid cestodes by base excision sequence scanning thymine-base reader analysis with mitochondrial genes.

For DNA differential diagnosis of human Taenia cestodes, a base excision sequence scanning thymine-base method using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and cytochrome b genes as targets was used. The characteristic thymine-base peak profiles provide four distinct types, unique for T. saginata, T. asiatica, and two genotypes of T. solium. This approach provides a useful tool for the identification and diagnosis of human taeniid cestodes without DNA sequencing if nucleotide sequence databases are available.

Cytochrome b Group↗

Release of exogenously supplied [3H]glutamate and endogenous glutamate from tissue slices of the cestode Hymenolepis diminuta.

The effect of high potassium depolarization on the release of exogenously supplied [3H]glutamate and endogenous glutamate from tissue slices of the cestode Hymenolepis diminuta was examined. Increasing concentrations of potassium stimulated the release of radiolabel from tissues preloaded with [3H]glutamate. This release was by a partially calcium-dependent, magnesium-antagonized process. In the presence of tetrodotoxin, or absence of sodium, release of radiolabel was depressed, presumably by blockade of sodium-dependent neuronal potentials. The release of glutamate of both exogenous and endogenous origin was specifically and significantly elevated by high potassium; glutamate release was significantly depressed in calcium-free saline. The release of other amino acids of endogenous origin, including aspartate, was not elevated by high potassium. Collectively the data provide strong evidence for glutamate to be viewed as the only acidic amino acid neurotransmitter candidate in the cestodes.

Animals↗

Cloning and characterization of Echinococcus granulosus (Cestode) EgactI and EgactII actin gene promoters and their functional analysis in the NIH3T3 mouse cell line.

We report here for the first time the structure and function of a promoter from a cestode. The ability of DNA fragments respectively encompassing the 935-bp and 524-bp regions upstream from the ATG codon from the EgactI and EgactII actin genes of Echinococcus granulosus to promote transcription was studied in the NIH3T3 mouse cell line. The results of transfection assays showed that both regions have strong promoter activity in these cells. The fragments were tested in both orientations and the 524-bp fragment of EgactII presented a bidirectional promoter activity. Deletion analysis of EgactI and EgactII promoters indicated the presence of regulatory regions containing putative silencer elements. These results indicate that both EgactI and EgactII promoters are functional and that the preliminary functional evaluation of E. granulosus and possibly of other cestode promoters can be performed in heterologous cell lines.

3T3 Cells↗

Reinvestigation of spermiogenesis in the proteocephalidean cestode Proteocephalus longicollis (Zeder, 1800).

The reinvestigation of spermiogenesis in the proteocephalidean cestode Proteocephalus longicollis (Zeder, 1800) provides new details that were not described previously for this species. The 2 centrioles with roots are oriented at the first tangential to the long axis of the nucleus in a differentiation zone. They come to be arranged in the same plane only when a single intercentriolar body (ICB) appears between them. The ICB had been described previously as consisting of a number of dense elements (Swiderski, 1985) but, in the present study, appeared as a single, electron-dense plate. Also new for this species is the observation of 2 arching membranes that appear at the base of the differentiation zone only when the 2 flagella rotate toward the median cytoplasmic protrusion. Moreover, the formation of a crested body is described for the first time in P. longicollis. The present data support the suggestion that the process of spermiogenesis in proteocephalidean tapeworms corresponds in most features to that observed in some members of the unrelated tetraphyllidean clades, the Onchobothriidae and Phyllobothriidae. This may represent more evidence regarding the close relationship between tetraphyllidean and proteocephalidean cestodes, but existing information is fragmentary and controversial in some characters.

Animals↗

Polycystic echinococcosis in Colombia: the larval cestodes in infected rodents.

Described are the characteristics of the polycystic larval cestodes found in an endemic area of echinococcosis in the Easter Plains of Colombia and the tissue reaction evoked in infected rodents. Of 848 free-ranging animals examined, polycystic hydatids were found in 44/93 Cuniculus paca and 1/369 Proechimys sp. None of 20 Dasyprocta fuliginosa examined was infected, but hunters provided a heart with hydatid cysts and information about two additional animals with infected livers. Recognition of an endemic area of polycystic echinococcosis provides a means to investigate the life cycle of the parasites and to study the histogenesis of the larval cestodes in susceptible laboratory animals.

Animals↗

Ultrastructural observation on spermatocytogenesis in Taeniid cestodes.

AIM: To study the spermatocytogenesis of taeniid cestodes at the ultrastructural leaves. METHODS: Transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: The ultrastructural observation on spermatocytogenesis in Taenia solium, T. saginata and T. pisiformis were made by TEM. Two types of spermatogonia; type A and B, as well as the supporting cells surrounding the peripheral of spermatogonia are recognized. The type A spermatogonia are stem cells and the type B are mother cells which produce 16 primary spermatocytes by mitosis for 4 times with the cells unseparated. The primary spermatocytes are characterized by the ribosome masses in the cytoplasm. 32 secondary spermatocytes arranged in roselike were produced by reductive division of primary spermatocytes. The secondary spermatocytes become the spermatid quickly by short time development. CONCLUSION: The dividing mode of spermatogonia in Taeniid cestodes is mitosis with cells unseparated.

Animals↗