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Pathogens
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Parasitic Diseases in the Contemporary World
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Parasitic Diseases in the Contemporary World

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 4046

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Korzeniewski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine, Military Institute of Medicine—National Research Institute, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: epidemiology; parasitology; microbiology; tropical medicine; travel medicine
Prof. Dr. Danuta Izabela Kosik-Bogacka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Medical Parasitology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wielkopolskich 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: parasitology; microbiology; molecular biology; environmental medicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parasitic diseases, a group of medical conditions that are caused by a variety of pathogens including protozoa, helminths and ectoparasites, represent an increasing challenge in the modern world. International travel from developed to developing countries, on the one hand, and large-scale economic migration from developing to developed countries, on the other, have made the world a global village. This transfer of people has become associated with the rapid spread of pathogens that have not, until recently, been considered in epidemiological surveillance in many countries. Migration from Sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in a sharp increase in the prevalence of schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis in Italy, while migration from Central and South America has contributed to a rise in the prevalence of leishmaniases in Spain. Many European countries have seen a rise in the number of malaria cases imported by international travelers from Africa. In addition, global warming promotes the spread of vector-borne infections to countries with moderate climates. Due to this growing number of cosmopolitan and neglected tropical diseases, such as intestinal parasitic infections (caused by protozoa, nematodes, cestodes, trematodes), there is now a much higher epidemiological risk present in many European countries. This Special Issue therefore welcomes the submission of original studies or the results of meta-analyses that provide an overview of the latest advances in the field and enable experiences to be shared between researchers.

I would like to invite colleagues investigating any of the protozoan or helminthic infections, their epidemiology, immunology, detection via light microscopy or molecular methods, the clinical picture of parasitic diseases, and their treatment and prevention to submit manuscripts to this Special Issue in the form of original research and review articles.

Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Korzeniewski
Prof. Dr. Danuta Izabela Kosik-Bogacka
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • protozoa
  • helminths
  • neglected tropical diseases
  • epidemiology
  • diagnostics
  • treatment
  • prevention

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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16 pages, 3907 KiB  
Article
Repurposing COVID-19 Compounds (via MMV COVID Box): Almitrine and Bortezomib Induce Programmed Cell Death in Trypanosoma cruzi
by Carlos J. Bethencourt-Estrella, Atteneri López-Arencibia, Jacob Lorenzo-Morales and José E. Piñero
Pathogens 2025, 14(2), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14020127 - 1 Feb 2025
Viewed by 251
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, affects millions globally, with limited treatment options available. Current therapies, such as benznidazole and nifurtimox, present challenges, including their toxicity, side effects, and inefficacy in the chronic phase. This study explores the potential of [...] Read more.
Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, affects millions globally, with limited treatment options available. Current therapies, such as benznidazole and nifurtimox, present challenges, including their toxicity, side effects, and inefficacy in the chronic phase. This study explores the potential of drug repurposing as a strategy to identify new treatments for T. cruzi, focusing on compounds from the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) COVID Box. An initial screening of 160 compounds identified eight with trypanocidal activity, with almitrine and bortezomib showing the highest efficacy. Both compounds demonstrated significant activity against the epimastigote and amastigote stages of the parasite and showed no cytotoxicity in murine macrophage cells. Key features of programmed cell death (PCD), such as chromatin condensation, mitochondrial membrane potential disruption, and reactive oxygen species accumulation, were observed in T. cruzi treated with these compounds. The potential to induce controlled cell death of these two compounds in T. cruzi suggests they are promising candidates for further research. This study reinforces drug repurposing as a viable approach to discovering novel treatments for neglected tropical diseases like Chagas disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in the Contemporary World)
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13 pages, 999 KiB  
Article
Intestinal Parasites and Hematological Parameters in Children Living in Ambatoboeny District, Madagascar
by Wanesa Richert, Daria Kołodziej, Danuta Zarudzka, Daniel Kasprowicz, Dariusz Świetlik and Krzysztof Korzeniewski
Pathogens 2024, 13(11), 930; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13110930 - 25 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1312
Abstract
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. The country’s extreme weather conditions, poor sanitation, and weak economy facilitate the spread of parasitic diseases. Infections with intestinal parasites are particularly dangerous for children because they can cause malnutrition and anemia, which, [...] Read more.
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. The country’s extreme weather conditions, poor sanitation, and weak economy facilitate the spread of parasitic diseases. Infections with intestinal parasites are particularly dangerous for children because they can cause malnutrition and anemia, which, in turn, have a negative effect on children’s cognitive functions and physical development. The aim of the present study was to analyze the prevalence of intestinal parasites and to assess hematological parameters in a group of children living in northern Madagascar. The screening was conducted in May 2024 in the Clinique Medicale Beyzym in Manerinerina, the Ambatoboeny district. It involved a sample of 208 children aged 0–17 years. Single stool samples were collected from all study participants. The samples were fixed in SAF fixative and then transported from Africa to Europe for further diagnostics at the Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine, the Military Institute of Medicine–the National Research Institute in Poland. First, the samples were analyzed by light microscopy methods using three different diagnostic techniques (direct smear, decantation with distilled water, and the Fülleborn method). Next, they were tested by molecular biology methods (real-time PCR). Blood samples for the assessment of hematological parameters were collected at the healthcare center in Madagascar. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in the study sample was 61.5%. Helminths were found in 15.2% of the investigated children, and Giardia intestinalis (20.5%) was found to be the most prevalent parasite in the study population. Most infections were caused by potentially pathogenic stramenopila Blastocystis spp. (32.0%). Mean Hb, HCT, MCV, MCH, and MCHC levels in the study participants were below normal values. However, no correlation was found between the presence of a parasitic infection and low hematological parameters, which are a clinical sign of anemia. High rates of infections with intestinal parasites in children living in northern Madagascar support the necessity to introduce long-term preventive measures, which would limit the spread of parasitic diseases in the Malagasy population. Low hematological parameters in non-infected children may be indicative of persistent malnutrition or infection with other parasites, e.g., malaria or schistosomiasis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in the Contemporary World)
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Other

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8 pages, 217 KiB  
Brief Report
Infections with Soil-Transmitted Helminths in BaAka Pygmies Inhabiting the Rain Forests in the Central African Republic
by Wanesa Wilczyńska and Krzysztof Korzeniewski
Pathogens 2024, 13(11), 995; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13110995 - 14 Nov 2024
Viewed by 916
Abstract
Poor sanitation, improper food handling, limited access to safe drinking water sources, and limited access to healthcare services contribute to a high prevalence of infections caused by soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) among the BaAka Pygmies, an indigenous community living in Central Africa. The aim [...] Read more.
Poor sanitation, improper food handling, limited access to safe drinking water sources, and limited access to healthcare services contribute to a high prevalence of infections caused by soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) among the BaAka Pygmies, an indigenous community living in Central Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the rates of STH infections in the BaAka people inhabiting the rain forests of the south-western parts of the Central African Republic (CAR) as well as to examine the validity of biannual deworming with a single dose of albendazole 400 mg in high-risk communities exposed to extreme environmental conditions. The study was conducted in August 2021 and involved a sample of 49 BaAka Pygmies inhabiting the rain forest of the Sangha-Mbaéré Prefecture, CAR. The study consisted of collecting single stool samples from each participant and examining the samples for intestinal parasites by light microscopy methods. The collected samples were fixed in SAF fixative and next transported from Africa to Europe, where they were analyzed by light microscopy using three different diagnostic methods (direct smear in Lugol’s solution, the Fülleborn’s flotation, the Kato–Katz thick smear) at the Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine in Gdynia, Poland. Microscopic examination found that 61.2% of the study group were infected with at least one helminthic species. The parasitological screening found invasions with four different species of nematodes, of which hookworm invasions were the most prevalent. The study results demonstrated that although the WHO-recommended mass deworming, which is provided to the BaAka Pygmies in healthcare centers set up on the premises of catholic missions, can effectively reduce the number of infections with soil-transmitted helminths, the prevalence of STH infections remains high in the region. The study findings suggest that in order to contain the spread of STHs in the local community, it will be necessary to implement additional preventive measures, apart from only conducting mass deworming programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in the Contemporary World)
7 pages, 325 KiB  
Case Report
Acute Kidney Injury and Post-Artesunate Delayed Haemolysis in the Course of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria
by Alicja Kubanek, Małgorzata Sulima, Aleksandra Szydłowska, Katarzyna Sikorska and Marcin Renke
Pathogens 2024, 13(10), 851; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13100851 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1135
Abstract
Malaria is a major international public health problem. The risk of acquiring malaria varies depending on the intensity of transmission and adherence to mosquito precautions and prophylaxis recommendations. Severe malaria can cause significant multiorgan dysfunction, including acute kidney injury (AKI). Intravenous artesunate is [...] Read more.
Malaria is a major international public health problem. The risk of acquiring malaria varies depending on the intensity of transmission and adherence to mosquito precautions and prophylaxis recommendations. Severe malaria can cause significant multiorgan dysfunction, including acute kidney injury (AKI). Intravenous artesunate is the treatment of choice for severe malaria in non-endemic areas. One of the possible events connected with the lifesaving effects of artemisins is post-artesunate haemolysis (PADH), which may be potentially dangerous and under-recognised. We present a case of a seafarer with severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria complicated with AKI and PADH, with a good response to steroid treatment. This case highlights the need for malaria prophylaxis in business travellers, e.g., seafarers to malara-endemic regions, and close supervision of patients with malaria even after the completion of antimalarial treatment due to the possibility of late complications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in the Contemporary World)
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