Parasitic disease

Press Release: EMA gives positive opinion to Fexinidazole Winthrop as first oral treatment of acute form of sleeping sickness (rhodesiense) found in East and Southern Africa

Retrieved on: 
Friday, December 15, 2023

Sanofi, DNDi and the HAT-r-ACC consortium announce the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive scientific opinion of Fexinidazole Winthrop as first oral treatment of acute form of sleeping sickness (rhodesiense).

Key Points: 
  • Sanofi, DNDi and the HAT-r-ACC consortium announce the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive scientific opinion of Fexinidazole Winthrop as first oral treatment of acute form of sleeping sickness (rhodesiense).
  • rhodesiense sleeping sickness, an acute and lethal form of this parasitic disease found in Eastern and Southern Africa.
  • Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), is usually fatal without treatment.
  • Both forms of sleeping sickness are transmitted by the bite of infected tsetse flies, which are found in 36 African countries.

Finding a live brain worm is rare. 4 ways to protect yourself from more common parasites

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 29, 2023

News reports this morning describe how shocked doctors removed a live worm from a woman’s brain in a Canberra hospital last year.

Key Points: 
  • News reports this morning describe how shocked doctors removed a live worm from a woman’s brain in a Canberra hospital last year.
  • In the case study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, doctors describe removing the live 8cm-long nematode (roundworm) from the brain of the 64-year-old woman who was immunosuppressed.
  • The woman may have come into contact with worm eggs via snake faeces while foraging for Warrigal greens to eat.

Common parasites and how they get in

    • Giardia (Giardia duodenalis) is also very common and can contaminate food, water and surfaces.
    • This water-borne parasite is associated with poor sanitation and causes stomach symptoms like diarrhoea, cramps, bloating, nausea and fatigue.
    • Fortunately, these very common parasites do not infect the brain.
    • The parasites can remain in the body for years as tiny tissue cysts.
    • Read more:
      One in three people are infected with _Toxoplasma_ parasite – and the clue could be in our eyes

Then there are tapeworms and amoebas

    • Tapeworms can infect different parts of the body including the brain.
    • It is more likely in locations where pigs have contact with human faeces via sewerage or waterways.
    • Brain tissue can provide a home for larvae because it is soft and easy to get to via blood vessels.

Yikes! 4 ways to avoid parasitic infection

    • And we know being infected by a snake parasite is very rare – finding one alive in someone’s brain is even rarer.
    • To minimise your risk of infection you can: 1. avoid uncooked or raw pork.
    • Avoid pork if you are travelling in places with poor sanitation 2. avoid jumping or diving into warm fresh bodies of water, especially if they are known to carry Naegleria fowleri.

Disease in the dirt: how mange-causing mites decimated a Tasmanian wombat population

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Many of these unique, iconic creatures are under threat.

Key Points: 
  • Many of these unique, iconic creatures are under threat.
  • Invasive pathogens – parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungi – often attract less attention, but they too can pose a significant threat to native animals.

What is sarcoptic mange, and where did it come from?

    • These mites are happy to infest many mammals, including humans (in which case the disease is called scabies).
    • Research suggests the spread of the mites around the world is associated with European colonialism, although where they originally evolved is uncertain.

How does sarcoptic mange spread among solitary wombats?

    • In some animals, the mange-causing mites move directly from one animal to another when the animals come into direct contact.
    • However, wombats are relatively solitary.
    • Research shows mites can survive in the cool, humid soil of the burrow for between five and 16 days.

The ratio of wombats to burrows may be the key

    • At higher densities, individual animals come into contact more often so the pathogen is more likely to spread.
    • In our research, we found individual wombats continued to be infected and diseased even when population density declined.
    • Our research suggests the number of burrows per wombat likely influences how often they can encounter mites in the environment.

How big a problem is sarcoptic mange?

    • Our study is the third formally documented decline in a bare-nosed wombat population from a sarcoptic mange outbreak.
    • Does this mean bare-nosed wombat populations are threatened everywhere by this invasive pathogen – or even worse, at risk of going extinct?
    • Another finding of our study was a potential indicator of the risk of population decline from sarcoptic mange.

What can be done?

    • Across southeast Australia a significant number of wildlife carers, rehabilitators, and rescue organisations make important contributions to the welfare of bare-nosed wombats.
    • Indeed, the last decade has seen significant advances through collaboration, research and engagement that are benefiting wombats.
    • The Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Management Authority makes important decisions about granting permits for management of mange in wombats.

Bill Lerner and Wife Marcella De Martin's Billy4Kids Organization Celebrates Its Third Year of Partnership with Liberty Children's Home in Belize

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 20, 2023

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - June 19, 2023) - Billy Lerner, his wife Marcella De Martin, and the Billy4Kids foundation mark their third year of supporting the Liberty Children's Home in Belize.

Key Points: 
  • New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - June 19, 2023) - Billy Lerner, his wife Marcella De Martin, and the Billy4Kids foundation mark their third year of supporting the Liberty Children's Home in Belize.
  • Non-profit organization Billy4Kids continues to support the Liberty Children's Home through the supply of hundreds of canvas shoes over the past three years.
  • Beginning in February 2019, the Billy4Kids foundation has repeatedly donated shoes to the Ladyville region of Belize.
  • To date, Marcella De Martin and the Billy4Kids foundation have donated hundreds of shoes to the Liberty Children's Home, aiding in the prevention of soil borne parasitic diseases.

Liberty Children's Home in Belize Receives Support from Marcella De Martin, Billy Lerner's Wife, for Billy 4 Kids Organization

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 31, 2023

They are, in turn, left more vulnerable to an array of infections, with hookworm, a soil-transmitted parasitic disease particularly prevalent.

Key Points: 
  • They are, in turn, left more vulnerable to an array of infections, with hookworm, a soil-transmitted parasitic disease particularly prevalent.
  • Marcella De Martin, the wife of Billy Lerner, is determined to help stop this health crisis.
  • Along with her business partner, Alexson Roy and the Billy4Kids foundation, Marcella De Martin has supplied 200 pairs of canvas runners to the Liberty Children's Home in Ladyville Belize.
  • As the newly appointed ambassador of Billy4Kids, Marcella De Martin is determined to stop the repetitive cycle of poverty faced by the children of Belize.

Boehringer Ingelheim Introduces NexGard® COMBO (esafoxolaner, eprinomectin, and praziquantel topical solution): The First-and-Only Feline Broad-Spectrum Parasite Protection that Treats Tapeworms

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 24, 2023

It is the first-and-only feline broad-spectrum protection against fleas, ticks, roundworms, hookworms, heartworm disease and tapeworms.

Key Points: 
  • It is the first-and-only feline broad-spectrum protection against fleas, ticks, roundworms, hookworms, heartworm disease and tapeworms.
  • NexGard® COMBO is a one-and-done, monthly topical solution, specially formulated for feline patients, that helps make compliance easy.
  • To further enable compliance, veterinarians can prescribe 3-dose and 6-dose presentations to best support the needs of their feline patients.
  • Together, NexGard® COMBO brings monthly one-and-done, broad-spectrum protection against internal and external parasites — that includes tapeworms — to cats for the first time.

A Total of Approximately 400 Million Yen Investment in Eisai, Ehime University, DNDi and Others for New Drug and Vaccine Development for Neglected Tropical Diseases

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 30, 2023

The GHIT Fund will invest approximately 300 million yen (US$2.2 million1) in a project by Eisai Co., Ltd. (Eisai) and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) for regulatory approval and to prepare for patient access to drugs for eumycetoma.

Key Points: 
  • The GHIT Fund will invest approximately 300 million yen (US$2.2 million1) in a project by Eisai Co., Ltd. (Eisai) and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) for regulatory approval and to prepare for patient access to drugs for eumycetoma.
  • Mycetoma, an NTD, is a progressive disease that destroys subcutaneous and deep tissues infected by bacterial or fungal invasion through a wound.
  • We hope this treatment will be quickly approved and reach patients as soon as possible, during GHIT's third five-year plan."
  • The GHIT Fund invests and manages an R&D portfolio of development partnerships aimed at neglected diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases that afflict the world's vulnerable and underserved populations.

ZIVO Reports that USDA Claims Regulatory Jurisdiction for New Coccidiosis Treatment

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 10, 2022

The global poultry industry spends more than $1.5 billion annually on coccidiosis control, primarily using decades-old compounds that face growing anticoccidial drug resistance.

Key Points: 
  • The global poultry industry spends more than $1.5 billion annually on coccidiosis control, primarily using decades-old compounds that face growing anticoccidial drug resistance.
  • Coccidiosis is a common disease for chickens, especially among young chicks, and can be fatal or result in compromised digestion.
  • Im delighted with todays announcement that demonstrates ZIVOs commitment to advancing our product candidate toward commercialization and provides regulatory clarity.
  • With regulatory jurisdiction now confirmed, we will advance discussions with the CVB on the final product development plan, regulatory strategy and data requirements for licensure.

Antech introduces veterinary medicine's most advanced parasite screening test

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 17, 2022

Antech's investment in molecular technology, including 10 testing locations across North America, supports affordable next-day results, making advanced molecular parasite screening practical for routine wellness exams.

Key Points: 
  • Antech's investment in molecular technology, including 10 testing locations across North America, supports affordable next-day results, making advanced molecular parasite screening practical for routine wellness exams.
  • However, today's parasitic infection challenges have outpaced the capabilities of existing screening tests, the most common being the 100-year-old Ova and Parasite (O&P) diagnostic protocol.
  • KeyScreen GI Parasite PCRoffers several novel capabilities, supporting practice efficiency, rapid, cost-effective detection of more disease and a new, higher standard of care for parasite screening.
  • Today, Antech is driving the future of pet health as part of Mars Veterinary Health, a family-owned enterprise focused on veterinary care.

Hookworms Employ Live Fast/Die Young Strategy in Fur Seal Pup Hosts, Report Morris Animal Foundation-funded Researchers

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 20, 2018

DENVER, Sept. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Hookworms exploit a live fast/die young strategy in their South American fur seal pup hosts, report Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers at the University of Georgia .

Key Points: 
  • DENVER, Sept. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Hookworms exploit a live fast/die young strategy in their South American fur seal pup hosts, report Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers at the University of Georgia .
  • Scientists are concerned that this type of hookworm infection could eventually pose a risk to critically endangered populations of fur seals.
  • The result is high levels of anemia in pups, with more than 20 percent dying of parasitic infections every year.
  • Researchers believe the hookworms' short lifespans have evolved to synchronize with the fur seals' reproductive cycles.