Is it really a 'kissing' bug? | Around Indiana - Greensburg Daily News
Is it really a 'kissing' bug? | Around Indiana - Greensburg Daily News |
- Is it really a 'kissing' bug? | Around Indiana - Greensburg Daily News
- Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic Market: Technological Advancement & Growth Analys - News By ReportsGO
- Drug could prevent the spread of malaria after ‘breakthrough’ research - iNews
- Pathogens in food – why foodborne parasites are relevant too - New Food
| Is it really a 'kissing' bug? | Around Indiana - Greensburg Daily News Posted: 30 Aug 2019 08:35 AM PDT  WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a warning regarding the Triatoma sanguisuga insect, more commonly known as the kissing bug. The statement said the bug could now be found in 12 states, including Indiana. Triatoma sanguisuga is best known for transmitting a parasitic disease known as Chagas, which can initially cause flu-like symptoms, but if left untreated can become chronic and even fatal. The kissing bug is native to Central and South America, where the CDC estimates roughly 8 million people are infected. The presence of a new vector-borne illness is always cause for alarm, but do Hoosiers need to be seriously concerned about the risks caused by kissing bugs? Catherine Hill, professor of entomology and vector biology, said not at this time. "Unless you're traveling to an area where Chagas is endemic, your risk of contracting the disease is very low. Currently, the CDC reports only one species that has the potential to transmit this disease in Indiana," Hill said. There have been no reports of locally acquired Chagas in Indiana, Hill continued. The behavior of the kissing bug and standard of housing construction in Indiana and around the United States already lower the risk of transmission compared with areas in Central and South America. "Kissing bugs are often associated with substandard housing. They're also typically most active at night. Often, they are found in sheltered spaces, like wood or rock piles, and can be common in some rural environments," Hill said. Many people believe Chagas, like Lyme disease, is transmitted through the insect's bite. This, however, is not the case. Kissing bugs pick up the disease from blood-feeding on an infected human, mammal, bird or other vertebrate, but Chagas is transmitted through the insect's feces, not its bite. "If you have an infected bug feeding on you it is likely to defecate during the feeding process," Hill said. "The feces can contain the parasite and if this is rubbed into the wound or introduced to the mucosal membrane then infection is possible." Entomologists throughout the state are still trying to determine the kissing bug's presence in Indiana. One challenge, according to Tim Gibb, professor of entomology, is that the kissing bug strongly resembles other home invading insect species, like the boxelder bug, which is common in Indiana but poses no public health risk. Often times when people report seeing a "kissing bug" it is only something that resembles it. Hill said the best way to lessen panic about Chagas and the presence of the kissing bug is for the public to educate itself through resources provided by the CDC and land-grant universities like Purdue. "Before capturing it and sending it someplace, you should educate yourself on what kissing bugs look like. Ask yourself if it really looks like a kissing bug," Hill said. If a person is fairly confident in their identification, Hill said, they should not touch the bug or squash it. Instead capture it in a bag or container and send it to an entomologist for identification. At Purdue, suspected bugs should be sent to the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab. If traveling to a country where Chagas is common, Hill advises the following precautions: Repellant won't work well, but staying in accommodations that are well-constructed is key, and arming yourself with information about where the bug is most prevalent can help you avoid those areas. If experiencing symptoms of Chagas after returning from a country where the disease is common, Hill advises seeking immediate medical treatment and getting tested. This will help prevent local transmission of Chagas. "There are two scenarios where I see the risk posed by Chagas increasing," she said. "That would be if we detect another species of kissing bug in the state that's a known vector of Chagas or if we detected local or domestic transmission." It's important, however, that the recent news about kissing bugs not distract from other vector-borne illnesses that currently pose a much more substantial risk than Chagas, like West Nile virus, Lyme disease and others. "We really don't want to take our eye off some of the higher-risk arthropods and diseases right now," Hill warned. "We're going into West Nile season and, in fact, West Nile has already been detected in several pools of mosquitoes around the state. As we move into late summer the risk of transmission to humans will only increase."  |
| Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic Market: Technological Advancement & Growth Analys - News By ReportsGO Posted: 29 Aug 2019 10:10 PM PDT  Global Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic Market Report provides a complete decision-making overview including definition, product specifications, market gains, key geographic regions and imminent Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic peers for 2019-2024. The Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic market report covers valuable insights of this industry with reference to essential parameters. In essence, the research report expounds on delivering an intensive summary of the industry spectrum, focusing on market share, growth prospects, products and application segmentation. The report also encompasses a thorough idea of the primary vendors as well as the regions with the highest revenue share. In essence, the Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic market report aims to deliver a brief summary of the industry considering the current and future scenarios. Request a sample Report of Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic Market at: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/2145184?utm_source=reportsgo&utm_medium=VS
How the report offers insights for new entrants & stakeholders planning investments in the industry:
Drivers & Obstacles of the Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic market: How does the report explicate on the same?
The regional spectrum of the business and its effect on the Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic market:
Ask for Discount on Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic Market Report at: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/2145184?utm_source=reportsgo&utm_medium=VS Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic market Breakdown: An outline:
For More Details On this Report: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-parasitic-diseases-therapeutic-market-growth-status-and-outlook-2019-2024 Some of the Major Highlights of TOC covers: Executive Summary
Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis
Development and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic
Key Figures of Major Manufacturers
Related Reports: Some of the Major Highlights of TOC covers: Executive Summary
Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis
Development and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Parasitic Diseases Therapeutic
Key Figures of Major Manufacturers
Related Reports: 1. Global Autoimmune Hepatitis Treatment Market Growth (Status and Outlook) 2019-2024 This report includes the assessment of Autoimmune Hepatitis Treatment market size for value and volume. Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to estimate and validate the Autoimmune Hepatitis Treatment market, to estimate the size of various other dependent submarkets in the overall market. Read More: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-autoimmune-hepatitis-treatment-market-growth-status-and-outlook-2019-2024 2. Global Insomnia Treatment Drugs Market Growth (Status and Outlook) 2019-2024 Read More Reports On: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/At-79-CAGR-Sleep-Apnea-Devices-Market-Size-is-estimated-to-account-for-US-83053-Mn-by-2025-2019-08-26 Contact Us:  |
| Drug could prevent the spread of malaria after ‘breakthrough’ research - iNews Posted: 29 Aug 2019 11:00 AM PDT Scientists in Scotland have developed a new drug that could prevent the spread of malaria after "breakthrough" research. The medicine, delivered by an international team led by the University of Glasgow, could also be used to treat people suffering with the deadly parasitic disease. Malaria – a mosquito-borne infection – affects more than 200 million people and kills nearly 500,000 every year, most of whom are children. It is caused by a parasite that infects humans through the bite of a mosquito, which then grows in the liver and red blood cells. The research team said the new drug works by stopping the activity of a protein involved in keeping the parasite alive. The new drug can kill the parasite at all three stages of its life cycle – when it is in the liver and red blood cells, as well as preventing sexual development of the parasite. By blocking this, the medicine could effectively kill off the malaria organism, which prevents it spreading, and also holds the possibility of treating the disease. 'Exciting findings'Lead author Andrew Tobin, professor of molecular pharmacology at the University of Glasgow, said: "We are tremendously excited about these new findings and hope they pave the way for the first step in the eradication of malaria. "Our work has shown that by killing the parasites at the various stages of parasite development, we have not only discovered a potential cure for malaria but also a way of stopping the spread of malaria from person to mosquito, which can then infect other people."
Experts say the world is at a key cross-roads in malaria control and eradication. There is rising drug resistance in South East Asia and efforts to reduce malaria incidence globally have stalled. There is therefore is an urgent need, just like with antibiotic resistance, to find new drugs with new modes of action. Jake Baum, professor of cell biology and infectious diseases at Imperial College London, said: "This is where the current study fits in, looking at an exciting class of drugs that indeed works in a new way. So far, in this discovery paper, the authors show the drug has robust activity, targeting the malaria parasite at several stages in its lifecycle. "It is still very early in development and there's a long way to go before these drugs would even be put into testing in humans, but we need a full pipeline for the long road if we are to achieve global eradication." The findings are published in the journal Science.  |
| Pathogens in food – why foodborne parasites are relevant too - New Food Posted: 16 Aug 2019 12:00 AM PDT In the summer of 2018 2,299 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in the US were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with at least 160 people hospitalised. Professor Lucy Robertson, Chair of a COST Action on foodborne parasites, along with Working Group leaders from the Action, explains why foodborne parasites are important – and why they remain the neglected pathogens, despite their significant impact.  The increased incidence of cyclosporiasis in the US last year was not a one-off event. In 2017 there were 1,065 laboratory-confirmed cases in the US, with 384 being reported in 2016, and 546 reported in 2015. In 2014 there were 304 cases, while 2013 was another big year, with 631. Although the infection sources are often not identified, many cases have been associated with fresh produce, including imported coriander, pre-packaged vegetable trays, mixed salads from a well-known fast-food chain, basil, and various other fresh produce. This particular foodborne parasite (FBP) seems to return to US consumers on an annual basis; but why does this happen and how can we prevent it happening again? Other foodborne parasites making a splash during 2018 In addition to cyclosporiasis bothering US-based consumers in 2018, other foodborne parasitic diseases affected consumer health last year. In Santa Maria, Brazil, an outbreak of toxoplasmosis occurred. Over 800 cases had been registered by October 2018, including 114 in pregnant women and three foetal deaths. Another parasite, Trichinella, caused several disease outbreaks in Argentina that same year; one in Pehuajó resulted in over 160 infections, one in Canals in Córdoba Province resulted in over 230 cases, and in Bahía Blanca over 100 infections were reported in September. Most outbreaks were due to consumption of sausages or salami. Symptoms included fever, severe muscle pain, headache, ocular symptoms, diarrhoea and vomiting. Meanwhile, in spring 2018 the Japanese health ministry issued a warning about the parasite Anisakis in raw fish after several reports of infection in various areas of Japan, with acute epigastric pain being the main symptom. On a smaller scale, in Norway, sharing home-pressed apple juice with work colleagues in the autumn resulted in those colleagues reporting in sick one week later with violent diarrhoea due to infection with Cryptosporidium parvum. This snapshot illustrates the diversity of both symptoms and food vehicles associated with parasites. It also leads us once again to question why parasites are the neglected group among foodborne pathogens, and what their relative importance is. Some of these issues have previously been raised1 and problems specific to FBP that have been highlighted include their complexity, diagnosis and transmission attribution difficulties, and the lack of standard detection methods. We address some of these below, using examples of different parasites that also illustrate the importance and impact of these foodborne pathogens. Foodborne parasites: they're complicatedOne problem with parasites is, perhaps, their enormous diversity. Some are protozoa: minute, single-celled organisms that, like bacteria, can only be seen with a microscope; others (such as Trichinella) are worms, but are also microscopic; while some (like Anisakis) are over 1cm long. Some are even bigger: tapeworms (cestodes) can be several metres in length (see Figure 1), although their transmission stages (the part consumed with food to pass on the infection) are generally smaller. Most important, however, is the fact that FBP lifecycles vary tremendously. Some FBP transfer relatively simply from infected host to infected host by transmission stages excreted in faeces contaminating food. Others, however, may go through one or more intermediate hosts, and the infectious stage may end up in the flesh of a fish or animal, which is later ingested. Thus, to understand how food may contain an infective parasite stage requires knowledge about complex lifecycles. Excellent lifecycle illustrations are available (see, for example, www.cdc.gov/dpdx/az.html) – but it is questionable how often these are consulted by those in the food industry.  Figure 1: Single tapeworm (Taenia saginata) from a patient in Belgium in July 2018 (Photo credit, Idzi Potters, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. Confusingly, some parasites may have several possible routes of transmission to humans; different food types may be associated with transmission of different life stages of the same parasite, and the resulting symptoms may also differ. This is the case for some protozoan parasites, but is particularly important, although much neglected, for some tapeworms. For example, the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, may infect humans when undercooked pork from an infected pig is consumed; cysticerci (tapeworm larvae) in the pork may result in a tapeworm developing in the intestine of the person. Although this worm may be several metres long and cause abdominal symptoms, the infection is considered relatively mild. However, Taenia solium eggs excreted in the faeces of an infected person may contaminate fresh produce, and if these are consumed then the cysticerci may develop in the unfortunate end consumer. Cysticerci in the central nervous system can cause serious symptoms and the infection may even be fatal. Indeed, Taenia solium is considered to be the most significant FBP globally, causing around 28,000 deaths.2,3 As illustrated, being vegetarian will not prevent infection by FBP parasites. Another example is Toxoplasma gondii. Calculations of disability adjusted life years (DALYs – a metric including both mortality and morbidity), showed that this foodborne pathogen has a high disease burden in the Netherlands,4 and elsewhere.5,6 As with other FBP, this burden is due to chronic, long-term sequelae. Transmission of Toxoplasma to humans can occur during various parasite stages, via such mediums as undercooked meat, fresh produce, or milk (see Figure 2).  Figure 2: Food transmission pathways for Toxoplasma gondii (Photo credit EFSA, 2018) Foodborne parasites and the slow disease movementOne reason why both consumers and food producers underestimate the likelihood and impact of FBP is due to the often-long period between ingestion of the parasite and onset of symptoms from the resultant infection. This means that pinpointing the meal from where the parasite originated – or, for some parasites, whether it was foodborne at all – is difficult. It is simply hard to make the connection between something that was eaten a while ago and being ill now. Generally, when people blame something they ate for feeling unwell, they point to what they consumed the day before. However, for FBP the period between infection and symptoms can sometimes be several days, but more usually weeks or months, and even years (see Table). Diagnosis may also be delayed, as the symptoms are often diverse and not pathognomonic, or because appropriate diagnostic tests are not requested. For example, opisthorchiasis, which is transmitted to people by ingestion of undercooked freshwater fish, is often asymptomatic, but may cause fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fatigue, and diffuse myalgia. Furthermore, untreated chronic infection may result in the late development, after several years, of cholangiocarcinoma, a malignant cancer of the bile ducts with very poor prognosis. Thus, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are essential. However, several outbreaks of opisthorchiasis in Italy between 2007 and 2011 indicate that many physicians in Europe are not really aware of this disease. This may result in people living undiagnosed and at risk of developing cholangiocarcinoma.1 In essence, we can expect foodborne parasitic diseases to be underdiagnosed, thus skewing our understanding of the prevalence of these pathogens. Our current awareness of the situation is probably only the tip of the iceberg. Foodborne parasites: we often don't look for them in foodIt may seem logical to look for FBP in food to ensure that it is safe for human consumption, and for some parasites (Trichinella, Taenia saginata cysticerci, Anisakis larvae) in some foods this is indeed the case – although the method sensitivity for some parasites can be low. However, for other FBP, methods to detect parasites in food are either lacking entirely or are impractical and expensive. Legislation that demands that food be checked for FBP is lacking for many FBP. For example, although Toxoplasma is a very important FBP, meat is not examined for this parasite.7 Furthermore, even when outbreaks do occur, implicated produce may not be checked – often due to the prolonged period between infection, symptoms and diagnosis meaning that the implicated food has already been consumed or discarded. This complicates proper source attribution, outbreak investigation, and tracking the origins and routes of infection. For example, an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in the UK in 2012 involving hundreds of cases was associated with consumption of pre-cut mixed salad leaves, yet suspect foods were not analysed.8 Several reasons were given for this – the main one being that, from the first outbreak, over three weeks were estimated to have elapsed since exposure and, given the short shelf-life of salad, none of the contaminated product was likely to be available for testing. What have we learned and where are we going?Returning to the 2018 outbreaks of cyclosporiasis in USA, one in a recurring tide, it is clear that we still have considerable progress to make regarding FBP and their control. For some foods, salting, drying, freezing, or heating will reduce parasite infectivity, but data are scarce compared to those available for bacteria, and the means to assess parasite viability it is not always obvious.9 For minimally-processed foods or fresh produce, control options are few. This complicates addressing FBP in HACCP-based food safety control systems. With growing trends for eating minimally-processed food products, animals raised outdoors, and organic farming systems, the likelihood of our food containing FBP will likely increase. Fundamental questions remain about the epidemiology, survival and virulence of FBP. In addition, methods for detecting different parasites in various kinds of food, and removal or inactivation of FBP are not optimised. Answering these questions is fundamental, and initiatives to address them are appearing as knowledge gaps are recognised by relevant agencies. However, until both food suppliers and consumers become aware of FBP, finding answers to these questions will be a prolonged process. References
AcknowledgementsThis article was written as a collaboration within the framework of EURO-FBP, A European Network for Foodborne Parasites, COST Action FA1408. About the authorsLucy J. Robertson (Chair of COST Action FA1408) is a Professor in the Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Adamstuen Campus. Joke WB van der Giessen (Leader of Workgroup 1 of COST Action FA1408) works at the Centre for Infectious Disease Control Netherlands, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands. Christian Klotz (Leader of Workgroup 2 of COST Action FA1408) works at the Unit for Mycotic and parasitic agents and mycobacteria, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany. Peter Paulsen (Deputy Leader of Workgroup 3 of COST Action FA1408) works at the Institute for Meat Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria Chiara Trevisan (Deputy Leader of Workgroup 4 of COST Action FA1408) works at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from "Parasitic Diseases" - Google News. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Comments
Post a Comment