EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES IN TRYPANOSOMATIDS: HOST CELL COMMUNICATION

Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania are parasitic protozoan causing Chagas disease, African Trypanosomiasis and Leishmaniases worldwide. During the parasite-host interaction, those organisms release extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are crucial for the immunomodulatory events triggered by the parasites. EVs are involved in cell-cell communication and can act as important pro-inflammatory mediators.

Leishmania infantum  INFECTION IN A DOG IMPORTED FROM MOROCCO

A mixed breed dog rescued from Morocco was presented at a Quebec veterinary practice for facial lesions. Genomic DNA extraction from blood samples and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to confirm L. infantum parasitemia.  Key clinical message: Diagnosis of tropical diseases in Canada will likely become more common in the near future.

UNRAVELING THE PROTEOMICS SIGNATURE OF EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES RELEASED BY DRUG-RESISTANT Leishmania infantum PARASITES

 Knowing that the composition of extracellular vesicles (EVs) can vary according to the state of their parental cell, we hypothesized that EVs released by drug-resistant Leishmania infantum parasites could contain unique and differently enriched proteins depending on the drug-resistance mechanisms involved in the survival of their parental cell line. 

OF DRUGS AND TRYPANOSOMATIDS: NEW TOOLS AND KNOWLEDGE TO REDUCE BOTTLENECKS IN DRUG DISCOVERY

Leishmaniasis (Leishmania species), sleeping sickness (Trypanosoma brucei), and Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi) are devastating and globally spread diseases caused by trypanosomatid parasites. At present, drugs for treating trypanosomatid diseases are far from ideal due to host toxicity, elevated cost, limited access, and increasing rates of drug resistance.

MRPA-INDEPENDENT MECHANISMS OF ANTIMONY RESISTANCE IN Leishmania infantum

​

Control of both human and canine leishmaniasis is based on a very short list of chemotherapeutic agents, headed by antimonial derivatives (Sb). The utility of these molecules is severely threatened by high rates of drug resistance. The ABC transporter MRPA is one of the few key Sb resistance proteins described to date, whose role in detoxification has been thoroughly studied in Leishmania parasites.

EFFECTS OF RECYCLED MANURE SOLIDS BEDDING ON THE SPREAD OF GASTROINTESTINAL PARASITES IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF DAIRIES AND MILK

The aim of this work was to isolate common bovine digestive tract parasites in recycled manure bedding (RMS), as well as to determine the ability of current RMS preparation procedures to eliminate these pathogens.

Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis

Leishmania of the Viannia subgenus, including Leishmania Viannia guyanensis, is the agent responsible for cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (CL and MCL) in the Americas from the USA to Argentina. 48 000 new cases of Cl and MCL are reported yearly.

REPURPOSED MOLECULES: A NEW HOPE IN TACKLING NEGLECTED INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Neglected infectious diseases (NIDs) are a group of chronic, debilitating, and poverty-promoting diseases, which include parasitic, bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR THE CONTROL OF LEISHMANIASES: NANOSCALE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS

Leishmania numerous forms (cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral) are currently treated with a sparse arsenal of drugs, specifically antimonials, amphotericin B, miltefosine, and paromomycin, for which drug resistance and clinical failure are rampant. Medicine is presently trending towards nanotechnology to aid in the successful delivery of drugs. 

Leishmania AND ITS EXOSOMAL PATHWAY: A NOVEL DIRECTION FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

Protozoan parasites still affect over 100 million organisms on our planet, including both humans and animals. While various drugs have been developed in efforts to control or cure several pathogens responsible for various disease types such as malaria, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis, effective vaccines have yet to be developed against these parasites of critical medical and veterinary importance.

A REVIEW OF THE CURRENT EVIDENCE OF FRUIT PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS AS POTENTIAL ANTIMICROBIALS AGAINTS PATHOGENIC BACTERIA

Fruits are among the main natural sources of phenolic compounds (PC). This review discusses by first time the available literature regarding the inhibitory effects of fruit PC on pathogenic bacteria, including not only their direct effects on bacterial growth and survival, but also their effects on virulence factors and antibiotic resistance, as well as the possible mechanism underlying these inhibitory properties.

COS-SEQ: A HIGH-THROUGHPUT GAIN-OF-FUNCTION SCREEN FOR DRUG RESISTACE STUDIES IN Leishmania

In order to improve knowledge about the mode of action of current drugs against Leishmania and those in development, and the mechanisms pertaining to their resistance, we recently described a sensitive and high-throughput method termed Cos-Seq. Here we provide a detailed protocol.

HIGH-THROUGHPUT IDENTIFICATION AND QUANTIFICATION OF Haemonchus contortus IN FECAL SAMPLES

The goal of this study was to facilitate and accelerate the identification and quantification of Haemonchus contortus in fecal samples through the use of fluorescein-isothiocyanate peanut-agglutininstaining in order to allow automated detection using a 96-well microplate reader. 

HIGH-THROUGHPUT COS-SEQ SCREEN WITH INTRACELLULAR Leishmania infantum FOR THE DISCOVERY OF NOVEL DRUG-RESISTANCE MECHANISMS

Increasing drug resistance towards first line antimony-derived compounds has forced the use of novel therapies in endemic leishmaniasis (amphotericin B and miltefosine). In order to discover stage-dependent resistance genes, we have adapted the Cos-Seq approach through the introduction of macrophage infections in the pipeline.

OMICS AND THEIS IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHEMOTHERAPY AGAINST LEISHMANIA

Omics-based studies represent a major step forward in the analysis of modes of action and resistance mechanisms of drugs in Leishmania parasites, the causative agents of the leishmaniases. These are two key considerations when developing or repurposing drugs for chemotherapy against these neglected tropical diseases. 

DIFFERENT MUTATIONS IN A P-type ATPase TRANSPORTER IN LEISHMANIA PARASITES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CROSS-RESISTANCE TO TWO LEADING DRUGS BY DISTINCT MECHANISMS

Liposomal amphotericin B (AmB) followed by a short administration of miltefosine (MF) is a drug combination effective for treating visceral leishmaniasis in endemic regions of India. Resistance to MF can be due to point mutations in the miltefosine transporter (MT). Here we show that mutations in MT are also observed in Leishmania AmB-resistant mutants.