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Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) due to helminths is a rare cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). Helminthiases often progresses insidiously, making diagnosis difficult. This was the case of a 72-year-old man, who presented with renal failure, itching and diarrhoea. Urinalysis revealed leukocyturia, microhaematuria and mild proteinuria. A full blood count revealed leucocytosis with eosinophilia. A stool parasitological examination revealed fertilised eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides. Tubulointerstitial nephropathy secondary to A. lumbricoides infection was suspected. A percutaneous renal biopsy was not performed since the patient refused the anti-platelet therapy discontinuation. Mebendazole, albendazole and prednisone therapy was administered. After worm eradiation and discharge, recovery from the parasitosis, absence of pruritus and eosinophilia, and progressive improvement of renal function were observed, strongly suggesting a causal relationship between Ascaris infection and AIN. Parasite infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained renal failure because early diagnosis and treatment are necessary to avoid irreversible complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The host response to helminth infections is characterized by systemic and tissue-related immune responses that play a crucial role in pathological diseases. Recently, experimental studies have highlighted the role of regulatory T (Tregs) and B (Bregs) cells with secreted cytokines as important markers in anti-schistosomiasis immunity. We investigated the serical levels of five cytokines (TNFα, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-35) in pre- and post-treatment samples from chronic Schistosoma infected patients to identify potential serological markers during follow-up therapy. Interestingly, we highlighted an increased serum level of IL-35 in the pre-therapy samples (median 439 pg/mL for Schistosoma haematobium and 100.5 pg/mL for Schistsoma mansoni infected patients) compared to a control group (median 62 pg/mL and 58 pg/mL, respectively, p ≤ 0.05), and a significantly lower concentration in post-therapy samples (181 pg/mL for S. haematobium and 49.5 pg/mL for S. mansoni infected patients, p ≤ 0.05). The present study suggests the possible role of IL-35 as a novel serological biomarker in the evaluation of Schistosoma therapy follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The I S. haematobium cox1 i data from all samples matched the common H1 haplotypes found across mainland Africa.[7] The I cox1 i data from the bladder biopsy identified both I S. bovis i and I S. haematobium i mitochondrial DNA. Keywords: ITS2; cox1; Schistosoma hybrid; phylogenetic analysis EN ITS2 cox1 Schistosoma hybrid phylogenetic analysis 1 3 3 11/09/22 20221001 NES 221001 Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease affecting up to 90% of people living in Africa.[1] The emergence of natural inter I Schistosoma i species hybrids clearly highlights potential risks of mixing between human and animal infections, enhancing transmission and the spread of new strains.[2] In particular, I Schistosoma haematobium i and I Schistosoma bovis i are closely related, are known to hybridize and also share snail intermediate hosts of the genus I Bulinus i .[3] The I S. haematobium-bovis i hybrid diagnosis in patients plays an important role in explaining unusual morbidities and disease outcomes together with the potential risk of introduction into non-endemic areas I . i [2],[4] Herein, to identify the potential presence of I S. haematobium-bovis i hybrids, we molecularly characterized typical and atypical eggs, presumed to be I S. haematobium i , collected from young African migrants. [Extracted from the article]