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This book comprehensively reviews current and novel treatment strategies against human parasites, including protozoans and helminths, using natural products. The initial chapters summarize the conventional treatment strategies and natural-product based therapeutics against these parasites. It discusses biochemical tools and techniques for the discovery of natural product based drugs against human parasites. The book also covers the ingenious and innovative mechanisms to achieve drug resistance by the protozoan parasites and strategies to overcome the resistance. It entails mechanistic insight into the modulation of host immune responses to delay or inhibit parasite clearance and explores host-pathogen interactions that mediate immunity against subsequent parasite challenge. In turn, the volume helps in understanding the immunobiology of the parasites and tools to identify candidate vaccine antigens and novel delivery systems against the protozoan parasites. Lastly, it explores the role of advanced methods, including nanotechnology, marine bioprospecting, and microorganisms-derived biochemicals against the protozoan parasites.This book is useful for students and researchers of pharmacology, parasitology, zoology and other allied fields.​

This volume covers the most important parasitic protists that are known to infect humans. The pathogens discussed cause diseases like toxoplasmosis, malaria, cryptosporidiosis, leishmaniasis, amoebiasis, trichomoniasis, and giardiasis. Readers from microbiology will appreciate the special focus on protist cell biology. As demonstrated in several of the chapters, these parasites are characterized by peculiar structures and organelles that cannot be found in mammalian cells – even though both are eukaryotic. The book employs light and electron microscopy to display the changing morphology in various stages of parasitic development. In turn, the results are supplemented by transcriptome and proteome profiles that help to describe how these changes take place on a molecular level. Both researchers and clinicians from tropical medicine will find essential and practically applicable background information on these increasingly important pathogens.

Drug resistance is a fundamental factor in treatment failure in diseases like leishmaniasis, although additional factors also play a role in this phenomenon. This volume is the second edition of a well-received book that provides a comprehensive update on the pathology of the disease, as well as on the concept of parasitic drug resistance, its molecular basis, consequences and possible treatments. A valuable resource for scientists both from academia and industry involved in biomedical research and drug design, the book provides the knowledge needed to understand leishmaniasis and to contibute to combatting this disease worldwide.

This book introduces the reader to the fascinating world of parasites that cause human disease. It is written in a first-person style relating anecdotes and personal encounters of parasites by the author. It tells stories about exotic parasites diseases, interesting factoids about the life history of unusual parasites species, and strange ways in which humans can become infected. However this is also a serious topic, as there is increasing movement of populations and goods occurring in a globalized world, resulting in previously exotic parasites being brought into new regions of the world. This book about parasite infections will be of interest to business travelers and tourists alike, and the book discusses simple common sense ways to avoid them.

This textbook will provide a systematic comprehension of the various medically important human parasites; their distribution, habitat, morphology and life cycle, pathogenesis and clinical features, laboratory diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control. The main emphasis is on the protozoan and helminthic diseases, also medical entomology covering vectors relevant to these diseases.The book aims to promote an easy yet comprehensive way of learning parasitology. It attempts to break down the complexity of medical parasitology into parts that are easy to understand yet integrating the essential information of parasitic infections. The integration of knowledge of parasites will be achieved through student friendly illustrations, inclusion of a collection of recent case reports, examples of test questions and scenarios, and the images of human parasites. Essentially, it provides a “one-stop learning package” for medical parasitology.

This book primarily summarizes the imaging characteristics and theory of parasitic disease, offering a clinical guide and practical approach to understanding, preventing and diagnosing parasitic disease. Through imaging diagnosis and cross-research of imaging with autopsy and pathology, it highlights the chief characteristics and evolution of imaging, which provides primary scientific data for the understanding and research of parasitic disease. Divided into 9 chapters, this volume is fully illustrated with DR, CT and MRI images of different kinds of parasitic diseases, providing a valuable resource for radiologists in this field.

The Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry first introduced the concept of “Interface Oral Health Science”, designed to establish and maintain healthy oral cavities, which are home to a number of mixed systems. Included in those systems are: (1) host tissues such as teeth, mucosa, muscle and bone, (2) parasites and microorganisms cohabiting the surfaces of the oral cavity and (3) biomaterials that are used for the rehabilitation of oral functions. In addition, (4) these systems are subject to severe and complex mechanical forces. Therefore, it is critical to promote dental studies that integrate a wide range of interdisciplinary research as medicine, agriculture, material science, engineering, and pharmacology. With this incentive, international symposiums for interface oral health science have been held several times in the past. The concept has since refined and expanded, the result being the “Biosis-Abiosis Intelligent Interface,” and projects aiming at the creation of highly functional and autonomic intelligent interfaces are ongoing. This book brings together a number of studies on incentives and projects by leading authors. Topics include biosis-abiosis interface of dental implants, biomaterials in interface science, biomedical engineering interface and cell manipulation and tissue regeneration. Readers not only from the field of dentistry but also many related areas will find this book a valuable resource.

This book gathers contributions by 16 international authors on the phenomenon “bats,” shedding some light on their morphology, the feeding behaviors (insects, fruits, blood) of different groups, their potential and confirmed transmissions of agents of diseases, their endo- and ectoparasites, as well as countless myths surrounding their lifestyle (e.g. vampirism, chupacabras, batman etc.).Bats have been known in different cultures for several thousand centuries, however their nocturnal activities have made them mysterious and led to many legends and myths, while proven facts remained scarce. Even today, our knowledge of bats remains limited compared to other groups in the animal kingdom. Also, their famous ability to avoid collisions with obstacles during their nightly flights with the help of a sophisticated and unique system using ultrasound waves (which are transmitted and received) is as poorly studied as birds finding their way from continent to continent. In recent times, where globalization transports millions of people and goods from one end of the earth to the other, there are increased risks posed by agents of diseases, as a result of which bats have received increasing attention as potential vectors. These suppositions are based on their proven transmission of viruses such as rabies.In dedicated chapters, the book addresses the following topics:• The world of bats• The astonishing morphology of bats• Bats as potential reservoir hosts for vector-borne diseases• Bat endoparasites• Macroparasites – ectoparasites• Glimpses into how bats fly• Blood-licking bats• Vampirism in medicine and culture• Chupacabras and “goat milkers”• Myths on candiruAs such, this book provides a broad range of information for all non-experts interested in biological topics, but also for people working in this field, as well as physicians and veterinarians who are confronted with clinical cases, and for teachers and students interested in expanding their knowledge of biology and of past and present cultures.

Digenetic trematodes constitute a major helminth group that parasitize humans and animals, and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The diseases caused by trematodes have been neglected for years, especially as compared with other parasitic diseases. However, the geographical limits and the populations at risk are currently expanding and changing in relation to factors such as growing international markets, improved transportation systems, and demographic changes. This has led to a growing international interest in trematode infections, although factors such as the difficulties entailed in the diagnosis, the complexity of human and agricultural practices, the lack of assessments of the economic costs or the limited number of effective drugs are preventing the development of control measures of these diseases in humans and livestock. In-depth studies are needed to clarify the current epidemiology of these helminth infections and to identify new and specific targets for both effective diagnosis and treatments. The main goal of this book is to present the major trematodes and their corresponding diseases in the framework of modern parasitology, considering matters such as the application of novel techniques and analysis of data in the context of host-parasite interactions and to show applications of new techniques and concepts for the studies on digenetic trematodes. This is an ideal book for parasitologists, microbiologists, zoologists, immunologists, professional of public health workers, clinicians and graduate and post-graduate students.

This new volume on Cryptosporidium and Cryptosporidiosis discusses all relevant aspects of the biology, molecular biology, host-parasite interaction, epidemiology as well as diagnosis and treatment of these widespread parasites. It represents a useful guide for physicians, microbiologists, veterinarians and water professionals seeking advanced knowledge and guidance about these important parasitic pathogens. A section on practical lab procedures discusses step-by-step guidelines for sample preparation and lab procedures. The new book may further serve as a reference work for graduate students in medical and veterinary microbiology.​

This book contains a collection of critical reviews on the expression of biologically functional proteins in Leishmania and Trypanosoma, which was written by renowned researchers on this field. Species belonging to these trypanosomatids'genera are etiological agents of leishmaniasis, Chagas'disease and sleeping sickness that are extremely debilitating human infection diseases, which remain a major health problem especially in countries from Latin America, Africa and Middle East. Substantiating the problem, the currently accepted drugs for these diseases are quiet unsatisfying due to their low efficacy and high toxicity. In order to solve these real problems, several research groups around the world have become involved in the study and identification of novel potential targets in the trypanosomatid cell. Since proteins are key macromolecules involved in crucial metabolic processes of all living cells, studies have focused on the expression of specific proteins produced by Leishmania and Trypanosoma by means of different biochemical, molecular and proteomic approaches in order to explore them as targets for understanding the parasite life cycle and developing new strategies against trypanosomiasis. With these proposals in mind, the book “Proteins and Proteomics of Leishmania and Trypanosoma” encompasses (i) an integrated view about the biochemistry of parasites belonging to the Leishmania and Trypanosoma genera; (ii) an updated review on the expression of biologically relevant proteins by human pathogenic trypanosomatids and their possible role in the interaction with host cells/molecules as well as a target for development of both alternative chemotherapies and vaccine; and (iii) several pictures, diagrams and tables that can be used to illustrate both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching as well as scientific lectures, being a useful resource for students andresearchers.

Southeast Asia is a region where a myriad of infections are endemic. It is a hotspot region for parasitic diseases. Currently, information on parasitic infections and vectors found in Southeast Asia is sporadic and there has been no attempt to extensively collate and integrate these data. Gaps in our knowledge, which include disease patterns, transmission dynamics and vectors still exist. This book highlights parasitic diseases that are peculiar to Southeast Asia, pinpoints similarities and differences between disease patterns in the respective member countries and provide information on new emerging parasitic diseases in this region. Critically, this book will heighten understanding of parasitic diseases and their vectors in this diverse region and this knowledge will be significant for future regional research efforts in this field.

One Health is an emerging concept that aims to bring together human, animal, and environmental health. Achieving harmonized approaches for disease detection and prevention is difficult because traditional boundaries of medical and veterinary practice must be crossed. In the 19th and early 20th centuries this was not the case—then researchers like Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch and physicians like William Osler and Rudolph Virchow crossed the boundaries between animal and human health. More recently Calvin Schwabe revised the concept of One Medicine. This was critical for the advancement of the field of epidemiology, especially as applied to zoonotic diseases. The future of One Health is at a crossroads with a need to more clearly define its boundaries and demonstrate its benefits. Interestingly the greatest acceptance of One Health is seen in the developing world where it is having significant impacts on control of infectious diseases.

One of the main problems concerning therapeutic tools for the treatment of parasitic diseases, including leishmaniasis, is that some field parasites are naturally resistant to the classical drugs; additionally, current therapies may select parasites prone to be resistant to the applied drugs. These features are (at least partially) responsible for the disappointing persistence of the disease and resultant deaths worldwide. This book provides a comprehensive view of the pathology of the disease itself, and of parasitic drug resistance, its molecular basis, consequences and possible treatments. Scientists both from academic fields and from the industry involved in biomedical research and drug design, will find in this book a valuable and fundamental guide that conveys the knowledge needed to understand and to improve the success in combating this disease worldwide.

Zoonosen sind Krankheiten bzw. Infektionen, die auf natürlichem Weg direkt oder indirekt zwischen Menschen und Tieren übertragen werden können. Mit Zoonoseerregern kontaminierte Lebensmittel stellen eine wichtige Infektionsquelle für den Menschen dar. Beim Zoonosen-Monitoring werden repräsentative Daten über das Auftreten von Zoonoseerregern in Lebensmitteln, Futtermitteln und lebenden Tieren erfasst, ausgewertet und veröffentlicht. Weiterhin dient das Zoonosen-Monitoring der Überwachung von Antibiotikaresistenzen bei Zoonoseerregern und anderen Mikroorganismen.

Traditionally, laboratory identification of parasites has relied upon various phenotypic procedures that detect their morphological, biological, and immunological features. Because these procedures tend to be time-consuming and technically demanding, molecular methods based on nucleic acid amplification technologies have been increasingly utilized

Zoonosen sind Krankheiten bzw. Infektionen, die auf natürlichem Weg direkt oder indirekt zwischen Menschen und Tieren übertragen werden können. Mit Zoonoseerregern kontaminierte Lebensmittel stellen eine wichtige Infektionsquelle für den Menschen dar. Beim Zoonosen-Monitoring werden repräsentative Daten über das Auftreten von Zoonoseerregern in Lebensmitteln, Futtermitteln und lebenden Tieren erfasst, ausgewertet und veröffentlicht. Weiterhin dient das Zoonosen-Monitoring der Überwachung von Antibiotikaresistenzen bei Zoonoseerregern und anderen Mikroorganismen.

Advances in Parasitology includes medical studies on parasites of major influence, such as Plasmodium falciparum and Trypanosomes. The series also contains reviews of more traditional areas, such as zoology, taxonomy, and life history, which shape current thinking and applications. Eclectic volumes are supplemented by thematic volumes on various topics including'Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems in Epidemiology and'The Evolution of Parasitism – a phylogenetic persepective. With an impact factor of 3.9 the series ranks second in the ISI Parasitology subject category.

Human Parasitology emphasizes the medical aspects of the topic, while incorporating functional morphology, physiology, biochemistry, and immunology to enhance appreciation of the diverse implications of parasitism. Bridging the gap between classical clinical parasitology texts and traditional encyclopaedic treatises, Human Parasitology appeals to students interested not only in the medical aspects of Parasitology but also to those who require a solid foundation in the biology of parasites.•Updated and expanded reference section•New chapter on Immunology•Additional SEM and TEM micrographs•Professionally drawn life cycle illustrations•Addition of “Host Immune Response” section for each organism

Parasitology provides all the basic principles of this increasingly studied subject, emphasised by specific, but important examples rather than covering organisms of just one particular group. It is ideally suited to the new modular/semester system now used by most universities and is laid out in the form of `notes'(rather than detailed descriptio