(Press-News.org) Contact information: David Garner
david.garner@york.ac.uk
44-019-043-22153
University of York
Study reveals the role of sex in spread of deadly disease
Research involving scientists at the University of York has provided important new information about transmission of human leishmaniasis, a group of infectious diseases which kills more than 100,000 people a year.
Professor Deborah Smith of the Centre for Immunology and Infection at York, working with colleagues at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Charles University in Prague, has shown that Leishmania parasites reproduce sexually in the wild.
The research, published in PLOS Genetics, is a significant step forward in understanding how leishmaniasis is spread in endemic regions. Caused by Leishmania parasites, human leishmaniasis is a serious public health problem in more than 90 countries worldwide. There are high fatality rates among children and young people and those with suppressed immune systems. Pharmaceutical treatments are limited and there is no vaccine.
These microscopic organisms infect humans through the bite of a female blood-feeding sand fly carrying infective parasites in its gut. People only become infected, therefore, in geographical regions that are well-suited to support sand fly populations -- those with suitable habitats, humidity and temperature. But the biology of the parasite in the sand fly is also critically important in determining the outcome of infection in man.
The new research uses DNA sequencing to investigate genetic variation at the highest level of resolution in Leishmania parasites isolated from sand flies caught in a defined focus of human leishmaniasis in south-east Turkey. This analysis provides evidence that Leishmania parasites can reproduce sexually in wild-caught sand flies, an event only detected previously under specialised laboratory conditions.. It also establishes, for the first time, quantitative estimates of the relative rates of sexual and asexual reproduction during the parasite life cycle.
Professor Smith said: "This information is critical to our understanding of how Leishmania has become genetically-adapted for successful transmission by sand flies to man and the resulting spread of human disease."
###
The Centre for Immunology and Infection is a joint research centre created by the Hull York Medical School and the University of York's Department of Biology.
Study reveals the role of sex in spread of deadly disease
2014-01-17
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Monitoring inactive hepatitis B patients is cost-effective strategy for Shanghai
2014-01-17
Monitoring inactive hepatitis B patients is cost-effective strategy for Shanghai
A novel study determined that monitoring inactive chronic hepatitis B (HBV) carriers is a cost-effective strategy for China. However, results published in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association ...
NASA satellite imagery shows some punch left in System 94S
2014-01-17
NASA satellite imagery shows some punch left in System 94S
The tropical low pressure area known as System 94S still has some punch in it as the low-level center of circulation continues to track over Western Australia and the Northern Territory. NASA's Aqua satellite ...
BUSM study associates pro-inflammatory molecules with early death in HIV patients
2014-01-17
BUSM study associates pro-inflammatory molecules with early death in HIV patients
(Boston) – A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provides new insight into the impact that pro-inflammatory molecules have on ...
Streamflow alteration impacts fish diversity in local rivers
2014-01-17
Streamflow alteration impacts fish diversity in local rivers
A new USGS study quantifies change in fish diversity in response to streamflow alteration in the Tennessee River basin.
The USGS study highlights the importance of the timing, magnitude, ...
Fetal exposure to nicotine increases long-term risk of obesity
2014-01-17
Fetal exposure to nicotine increases long-term risk of obesity
Many women are encouraged to quit smoking when they become pregnant using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) whether as gum, transdermal patches, nasal spray or lozenges. But new research ...
Kids teased in PE class exercise less a year later
2014-01-17
Kids teased in PE class exercise less a year later
A new study found that children who were bullied during P.E. class or other physical activities were less likely to participate in physical activity one year later.
Overweight or obese children who experienced ...
Study finds troubling relationship between drinking and PTSD symptoms in college students
2014-01-17
Study finds troubling relationship between drinking and PTSD symptoms in college students
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The estimated 9 percent of college students who have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are likely to drink more alcohol than peers without ...
Survival rates of kids suffering cardiac arrest improve with new training approach
2014-01-17
Survival rates of kids suffering cardiac arrest improve with new training approach
STANFORD, Calif. — Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford have found a new way to boost the survival ...
Natural 3D counterpart to graphene discovered
2014-01-17
Natural 3D counterpart to graphene discovered
Researchers at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source find new form of quantum matter
The discovery of what is essentially a 3D version of graphene – the 2D sheets of carbon through which electrons race at ...
Urban night shift police more likely to suffer long-term job injuries, study finds
2014-01-17
Urban night shift police more likely to suffer long-term job injuries, study finds
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Police officers working the night shift are significantly more likely to suffer long-term on-the-job injuries than officers on day and afternoon shifts, according ...