Ancient DNA (aDNA) of Encephalitozoon intestinalis (Microsporidia, Fungi) was detected in archaeological material originated from New Town of Prague (Czech Republic) with the use of molecular methods. Microsporidial aDNA was found in 3 samples originating from 2 objects, in a well/cesspit (samples from layers from the 18th century) and in a well from the 18th/19th century. The ability to use molecular methods to detect microsporidia extends the range of paleoparasitological inquiry, and could contribute to a better understanding of parasites shared between human and animals.

• MeSH
• dějiny 18. století MeSH
• dějiny 19. století MeSH
• DNA fungální chemie   dějiny   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• Encephalitozoon genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• encephalitozoonóza dějiny   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
• sekvence nukleotidů MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny 18. století MeSH
• dějiny 19. století MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH

The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), an apex predator with an omnipresent distribution in the Arctic, is a potential source of intestinal parasites that may endanger people and pet animals such as dogs, thus posing a health risk. Non-invasive methods, such as coprology, are often the only option when studying wildlife parasitic fauna. However, the detection and identification of parasites are significantly enhanced when used in combination with methods of molecular biology. Using both approaches, we identified unicellular and multicellular parasites in faeces of arctic foxes and carcasses of sibling voles (Microtus levis) in Svalbard, where molecular methods are used for the first time. Six new species were detected in the arctic fox in Svalbard, Eucoleus aerophilus, Uncinaria stenocephala, Toxocara canis, Trichuris vulpis, Eimeria spp., and Enterocytozoon bieneusi, the latter never found in the arctic fox species before. In addition, only one parasite was found in the sibling vole in Svalbard, the Cryptosporidium alticolis, which has never been detected in Svalbard before.

• MeSH
• Ancylostomatoidea izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• Arvicolinae parazitologie   MeSH
• cizopasní červi izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• Cryptosporidium izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• divoká zvířata parazitologie   MeSH
• Eimeria izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• feces parazitologie   MeSH
• hlístice izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• lišky parazitologie   MeSH
• parazitární nemoci střev veterinární   MeSH
• psi MeSH
• Toxocara canis izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• Trichuris izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• psi MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Arktida MeSH
• Svalbard MeSH

Population structure and biogeography of marine organisms are formed by different drivers than in terrestrial organisms. Yet, very little information is available even for common marine organisms and even less for their associated parasites. Here we report the first analysis of population structure of both a cephalopod host (Sepia officinalis) and its dicyemid parasite, based on a homologous molecular marker (cytochrome oxidase I). We show that the population of common cuttlefish in the Mediterranean area is fragmented into subpopulations, with some areas featuring restricted level of gene flow. Amongst the studied areas, Sardinia was genetically the most diverse and Cyprus the most isolated. At a larger scale, across the Mediterranean, the population structure of the parasite shows co-diversification pattern with its host, but a slower rate of diversification. Differences between the two counterparts are more obvious at a finer scale, where parasite populations show increased level of fragmentation and lower local diversities. This discrepancy can be caused by local extinctions and replacements taking place more frequently in the dicyemid populations, due to their parasitic lifestyle.

• MeSH
• biologická evoluce * MeSH
• paraziti klasifikace   MeSH
• populační genetika * MeSH
• Sepia klasifikace   parazitologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Středozemní moře MeSH

BACKGROUND: Leishmania development in sand flies is confined to the alimentary tract and is closely connected with blood meal digestion. Previously, it has been published that activities of sand fly midgut proteases are harmful to Leishmania, especially to amastigote-promastigote transition forms. However, our experiments with various Leishmania-sand fly pairs gave quite opposite results. METHODS: We evaluated the effect of semi-digested midgut content on different life stages of Leishmania donovani and Leishmania major in vitro. Various morphological forms of parasites, including macrophage-derived amastigotes and transition forms, were incubated 2 h with midguts dissected at various intervals (6-72 h) post-blood meal or with commercially available proteinase, and their viability was determined using flow cytometry. In parallel, using amastigote-initiated experimental infections, we compared development of L. donovani in sand flies that are either susceptible (Phlebotomus argentipes and P. orientalis) or refractory (P. papatasi and Sergentomyia schwetzi) to this parasite. RESULTS: In vitro, sand fly midgut homogenates affected L. major and L. donovani in a similar way; in all sand fly species, the most significant mortality effect was observed by the end of the blood meal digestion process. Surprisingly, the most susceptible Leishmania stages were promastigotes, while mortality of transforming parasites and amastigotes was significantly lower. Parasites were also susceptible to killing by rabbit blood in combination with proteinase, but resistant to proteinase itself. In vivo, L. donovani developed late-stage infections in both natural vectors; in P. argentipes the development was much faster than in P. orientalis. On the other hand, in refractory species P. papatasi and S. schwetzi, promastigotes survived activity of digestive enzymes but were lost during defecation. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that Leishmania transition forms are more resistant to the killing effect of semi-digested blood meal than 24 h-old promastigotes. Data suggest that Leishmania mortality is not caused directly by sand fly proteases, we assume that this mortality results from toxic products of blood meal digestion. Survival of L. donovani promastigotes in refractory sand flies until blood meal defecation, together with similar mortality of Leishmania parasites incubated in vitro with midgut homogenates of susceptible as well as refractory species, contradict the previously raised hypotheses about the role of midgut proteases in sand fly vector competence to Leishmania.

• MeSH
• gastrointestinální trakt enzymologie   parazitologie   MeSH
• králíci MeSH
• krev metabolismus   MeSH
• Leishmania donovani fyziologie   MeSH
• Leishmania major fyziologie   MeSH
• Phlebotomus parazitologie   MeSH
• proteasy metabolismus   MeSH
• viabilita buněk MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• králíci MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

BACKGROUND: Leishmania infantum is the most widespread etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the world, with significant mortality rates in human cases. In Latin America, this parasite is primarily transmitted by Lutzomyia longipalpis, but the role of Lutzomyia migonei as a potential vector for this protozoan has been discussed. Laboratory and field investigations have contributed to this hypothesis; however, proof of the vector competence of L. migonei has not yet been provided. In this study, we evaluate for the first time the susceptibility of L. migonei to L. infantum. METHODS: Females of laboratory-reared L. migonei were fed through a chick-skin membrane on rabbit blood containing L. infantum promastigotes, dissected at 1, 5 and 8 days post-infection (PI) and checked microscopically for the presence, intensity and localisation of Leishmania infections. In addition, morphometric analysis of L. infantum promastigotes was performed. RESULTS: High infection rates of both L. infantum strains tested were observed in L. migonei, with colonisation of the stomodeal valve already on day 5 PI. At the late-stage infection, most L. migonei females had their cardia and stomodeal valve colonised by high numbers of parasites, and no significant differences were found compared to the development in L. longipalpis. Metacyclic forms were found in all parasite-vector combinations since day 5 PI. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that Lutzomyia migonei belongs to sand fly species permissive to various Leishmania spp. Here we demonstrate that L. migonei is highly susceptible to the development of L. infantum. This, together with its known anthropophily, abundance in VL foci and natural infection by L. infantum, constitute important evidence that L. migonei is another vector of this parasite in Latin America.

• MeSH
• hmyz - vektory * MeSH
• Leishmania infantum cytologie   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• mikroskopie MeSH
• Psychodidae růst a vývoj   parazitologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Zvědavý pavouček, chytrá myška, nenechavá moucha a spousta dalších zvířátek, které žijí s lidmi ve městech a na zahrádkách, pozorují lidské hemžení. Jsou dobří pozorovatelé, ale mohou se od nás, od lidí, skutečně něčemu přiučit? Možná jim vrtá hlavou, proč si lidé tak často předávají ty malé barevné papírky s čísly a obrázky známých lidí, proč strkají do bankomatu ty barevné plastové kartičky nebo třeba jak se rozhodují, jestli si něco koupí na dluh nebo ne. Stačí otevřít tuhle knížku, podívat se do tajů peněz očima zvířátek, a možná se i nám, čtenářům malým a velkým, podaří dovědět něco nového o finančních zákonitostech, které platí všude kolem nás, tak jako v uličce pod blikající lampou.

The protozoan parasite Leishmania possesses a single flagellum, which is remodelled during the parasite's life cycle from a long motile flagellum in promastigote forms in the sand fly to a short immotile flagellum in amastigotes residing in mammalian phagocytes. This study examined the protein composition and in vivo function of the promastigote flagellum. Protein mass spectrometry and label free protein enrichment testing of isolated flagella and deflagellated cell bodies defined a flagellar proteome for L. mexicana promastigote forms (available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD011057). This information was used to generate a CRISPR-Cas9 knockout library of 100 mutants to screen for flagellar defects. This first large-scale knockout screen in a Leishmania sp. identified 56 mutants with altered swimming speed (52 reduced and 4 increased) and defined distinct mutant categories (faster swimmers, slower swimmers, slow uncoordinated swimmers and paralysed cells, including aflagellate promastigotes and cells with curled flagella and disruptions of the paraflagellar rod). Each mutant was tagged with a unique 17-nt barcode, providing a simple barcode sequencing (bar-seq) method for measuring the relative fitness of L. mexicana mutants in vivo. In mixed infections of the permissive sand fly vector Lutzomyia longipalpis, paralysed promastigotes and uncoordinated swimmers were severely diminished in the fly after defecation of the bloodmeal. Subsequent examination of flies infected with a single paralysed mutant lacking the central pair protein PF16 or an uncoordinated swimmer lacking the axonemal protein MBO2 showed that these promastigotes did not reach anterior regions of the fly alimentary tract. These data show that L. mexicana need directional motility for successful colonisation of sand flies.

• MeSH
• flagella genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Leishmania genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• proteom genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• protozoální proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Psychodidae parazitologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

• Konspekt
• Ortopedie. Chirurgie. Oftalmologie
• NLK Obory
• ortopedie
• zdravotní výchova

• MeSH
• korespondence jako téma MeSH
• lékařství MeSH
• významné osobnosti MeSH
• Publikační typ
• korespondence MeSH

• Konspekt
• Literatura. Literární život
• NLK Obory
• lékařství
• humanitní vědy a umění

• O autorovi
• Purkyně, Jan Evangelista, 1787-1869 Autorita

Kniha přináší výběr pozoruhodných přednášek, které zazněly na celostátním kongresu České lékařské akademie, jež se konal v roce 2016 v Mariánských Lázních. Vzhledem k mimořádnému zájmu publika o tato témata se autoři – editoři této knihy – rozhodli zpracovat obsah setkání knižně a zpřístupnit jej tak širší odborné veřejnosti. Kniha přináší na 128 stranách celkem 15 příspěvků, na jejichž zpracování se podílelo 17 autorů. Mohutný záběr a sestava velmi různorodých autorů, povětšinou předních odborníků a všeobecně známých osobností, činí tuto knihu atraktivní pro všechny lékaře a mediky bez rozdílu zaměření. Nakladatelská anotace; Kniha přináší výběr pozoruhodných přednášek, které zazněly na celostátním kongresu České lékařské akademie, jež se konal v roce 2016 v Mariánských Lázních.Kniha přináší na 128 stranách celkem 15 příspěvků, na jejichž zpracování se podílelo 17 autorů. Mohutný záběr a sestava velmi různorodých autorů, povětšinou předních odborníků a všeobecně známých osobností, činí tuto knihu atraktivní pro všechny lékaře a mediky bez rozdílu zaměření.

• MeSH
• preventivní lékařství MeSH
• Publikační typ
• přednášky MeSH
• sborníky MeSH

• Konspekt
• Lékařské vědy. Lékařství
• NLK Obory
• preventivní medicína