Journal highlights
- Journal made by "PARASITOLOGISTS for PARASITOLOGISTS"
- IN-HOUSE production with careful revision & proof-reading
- Increase of APC from January 1, 2025
- Current ISI Impact Factor: IF 2025 = 2.0
- Current volume: 73: 2026
- Special Issue: Three Decades of Latent Toxoplasmosis
- Published since 1954 – freely available!
International journal that covers all branches of animal parasitology, including morphology, taxonomy, biology, biochemistry, physiology, immunology and molecular biology of parasites, host-parasite relationships and parasite evolution.
Special Issue: Three Decades of Latent Toxoplasmosis
Flegr J., Ullmann J., Španiel F., Toman J., Hůla M., Šebánková B., Petrusová J., Novotný P., Včelák J., Kaňková Š. 2026: Does latent Toxoplasma infection mimic the immune profile of schizophrenia? Sex-specific cytokine and brain-marker alterations suggest partial overlap. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 73: 006
Webster J.P. 2025: Who makes the decisions? Uncovering the evolutionary implications and clinical applications of Toxoplasma gondii’s Fatal Feline Attraction. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 016
Ullmann J., Flegr J., Nouzová K., Včelák J., Kaňková Š. 2025: Chronic inflammation in pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis and explanation of discordant results of serological tests for toxoplasmosis. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 021.
Catchpole A., Zabriskie B.N., Embley B., Kharazi H., Clarke R., Templeton G., Hunt C., Gale S.D., Hedges D.W. 2025: Association between type-2 diabetes and Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 024.
Tautanova A., Kiyan V., Dusmagambetov M., Almysheva T.A., Dusmagambetova A. 2026: Three decades of research on molecular genetic characteristics of Echinococcus spp.: a bibliometric study. Folia Parasitol. 73: 001.
Torrey E.F. 2024: The linking of toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia. Folia Parasitol. 71: 016.
Flegr J. 2025: Thirty years of studying latent toxoplasmosis: behavioural, physiological, and health insights: description of a struggle. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 005.
Postolache T.T. 2025: Toxoplasma gondii and suicidal behaviour: discovery, cross-diagnostic confirmation and pathway exploration. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 025.
Vyas A. 2024: Nuts and bolts of the behavioural manipulation by Toxoplasma gondii. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 71: 017.
Postolache T.T., Duncan E., Yen P., Potocki E., Barnhart M., Federline A., Massa N., Dagdag A., Joseph J., Wadhawan A., Capan C., Forton C., Lowry C.A., Ortmeyer H.K., Brenner L.A. 2025: Toxoplasma gondii, suicidal behavior and suicide risk factors in US Veterans enrolled in mental health treatment. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 002.
Latifi A., Flegr J., Kaňková Š. 2025: Re-assessing host manipulation in Toxoplasma: the underexplored role of sexual transmission – evidence, mechanisms, implications. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 015.
Folia Parasitologica - Most viewed articles
Results 31 to 60 of 3110:
Identificaton of novel Cystoisospora suis enolase 2 interaction proteins in IPEC-J2 cells using Co-IP/LC-MS
Hung-Chuan Chiu, Yuhao Ao, Yaoxue Tang
Folia Parasitologica 73:009 (2026) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2026.009 
Enolase 2 (ENO2) is a crucial an important glycolytic enzyme involved in glycolysis and is also recognised as a multifunctional protein. However, its interacting proteins in intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-J2 cells) remain unclear. This study investigates the interacting proteins of Cystoisospora suis (Biester et Murray, 1934) ENO2 (CsENO2) in IPEC-J2 cells. According to our previous research, CsENO2 is highly expressed in sporulated oocysts. Co-immunoprecipitation/liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (Co-IP/LC-MS) was conducted using the pcDNA3.1-Flag vector carrying the enolase 2 gene, which was transfected into IPEC-J2...
Abundance-occupancy relationships drive core-satellite structure in helminth metacommunities of a Neotropical cichlid
Vianey Rodríguez-Alvarado, Jesús Montoya-Mendoza, Juan Manuel Caspeta-Mandujano, Ivonne López-del-Monte, Guillermo Salgado-Maldonado
Folia Parasitologica 73:010 (2026) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2026.010
Understanding how parasite communities are structured across spatial scales is a central challenge in parasite ecology. A widespread macroecological pattern is the positive relationship between local abundance and regional occurrence (abundance-occupancy relationship), yet its role in shaping parasite assemblages remains incompletely understood. In this study, we analysed helminth communities of 247 specimens of the Neotropical cichlid Vieja fenestrata (Günther) (with a size range of 38-194 mm) across 13 localities in two river basins in Mexico, integrating local (component community) and regional (metacommunity) scales. We evaluated (i) the...
Some aspects of the taxonomy and biology of adult spirurine nematodes parasitic in fishes: a review
František Moravec
Folia Parasitologica 54[4] 239-257 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.033
About 300 species belonging to four superfamilies (Gnathostomatoidea, Habronematoidea, Physalopteroidea and Thelazioidea) of the nematode suborder Spirurina are known as the adult parasites of freshwater, brackish-water and marine fishes. They are placed in four families, of which the Gnathostomatidae, including Echinocephalus with a few species and the monotypic Metaleptus, are parasites of elasmobranchs, whereas Ancyracanthus contains one species in teleosts; the Physalopteridae is represented in fish by four genera, Bulbocephalus, Heliconema, Paraleptus and Proleptus, each with several species in...
Unified terminology for cestode microtriches: a proposal from the International Workshops on Cestode Systematics in 2002-2008
Lenta Chervy
Folia Parasitologica 56[3] 199-230 (2009) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2009.025
Terminology for microtriches, the surface features both unique to and ubiquitous among cestodes, is standardised based on discussions that occurred at the International Workshops on Cestode Systematics in Storrs, Connecticut, USA in 2002, in České Budějovice, Czech Republic in 2005 and in Smolenice, Slovakia in 2008. The following terms were endorsed for the components of individual microtriches: The distal, electron-dense portion is the cap, the proximal more electron-lucent region is the base. These two elements are separated from one another by the baseplate. The base is composed of, among other elements, microfilaments. The cap is composed of cap...
Manipulation of host behaviour by Toxoplasma gondii: what is the minimum a proposed proximate mechanism should explain?
Ajai Vyas, Robert Sapolsky
Folia Parasitologica 57[2] 88-94 (2010) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2010.011
The behavioural manipulation hypothesis posits that parasites can change the behaviour of hosts to increase the reproductive fitness of the parasite. The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii fits this description well. Sexual reproduction occurs in the cat intestine, from which highly stable oocysts are excreted in faeces. Grazing animals, including rodents, can then ingest these oocysts. The parasite has evolved the capacity to abolish the innate fear that rodents have of the odours of cats, and to convert that fear into an attraction. This presumably increases the likelihood of the rodent being predated, thereby completing the parasite's life...
The influence of RhD phenotype on toxoplasmosis- and age-associated changes in personality profile of blood donors
Jaroslav Flegr, Martina Novotná, Anna Fialová, Petra Kolbeková, Zdeňka Gašová
Folia Parasitologica 57[2] 143-150 (2010) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2010.018
Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite infecting 20-60% of humans in various countries, influences the behaviour of infected animal and human hosts. Infected human subjects have changes in several of Cattell's and Cloninger's personality factors. Recently, three independent studies have shown that Rh-positive subjects are protected against the T. gondii-induced changes of reaction times and increased risk of traffic accidents. Here we searched for evidence of similar effects of RhD phenotype on toxoplasmosis- or aging-associated changes in the personality profile of about 302 blood donors. We found that Rh-positive and Rh-negative subjects responded...
Phylogenetic relationships of some spirurine nematodes (Nematoda: Chromadorea: Rhabditida: Spirurina) parasitic in fishes inferred from SSU rRNA gene sequences
Eva Černotíková, Aleš Horák, František Moravec
Folia Parasitologica 58[2] 135-148 (2011) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2011.013
Small subunit rRNA sequences were obtained from 38 representatives mainly of the nematode orders Spirurida (Camallanidae, Cystidicolidae, Daniconematidae, Philometridae, Physalopteridae, Rhabdochonidae, Skrjabillanidae) and, in part, Ascaridida (Anisakidae, Cucullanidae, Quimperiidae). The examined nematodes are predominantly parasites of fishes. Their analyses provided well-supported trees allowing the study of phylogenetic relationships among some spirurine nematodes. The present results support the placement of Cucullanidae at the base of the suborder Spirurina and, based on the position of the genus Philonema (subfamily Philoneminae) forming...
Revision of Khawia spp. (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea), parasites of cyprinid fish, including a key to their identification and molecular phylogeny
Tomáš Scholz, Jan Brabec, Ivica Kráľová-Hromadová, Mikuláš Oros, Eva Bazsalovicsová, Alexey Ermolenko, Vladimíra Hanzelová
Folia Parasitologica 58[3] 197-223 (2011)
Monozoic cestodes of the genus Khawia Hsü, 1935 (Caryophyllidea: Lytocestidae), parasites of cyprinid fish in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, are revised on the basis of taxonomic evaluation of extensive materials, including recently collected specimens of most species. This evaluation has made it possible to critically assess the validity of all 17 nominal species of the genus and to provide redescriptions of the following seven species considered to be valid: Khawia sinensis Hsü, 1935 (type species); K. armeniaca (Cholodkovsky, 1915); K. baltica Szidat, 1941; K. japonensis (Yamaguti, 1934); K. parva...
Description of Rhabdochona (Globochona) rasborae sp. n. (Nematoda: Rhabdochonidae) from the freshwater cyprinid fish Rasbora paviana Tirant in southern Thailand
František Moravec, Kanda Kamchoo
Folia Parasitologica 59[3] 209-215 (2012)
A new nematode species, Rhabdochona (Globochona) rasborae sp. n. (Rhabdochonidae), is described from the intestine of the freshwater cyprinid fish (sidestripe rasbora) Rasbora paviana Tirant in the Bangbaimai Subdistrict, Muang District, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It differs from other representatives of the subgenus Globochona Moravec, 1972 which possess eggs provided with lateral swellings in having a spinose formation at the tail tip of both sexes and in some other morphological features, such as the body length of gravid female (8.6-23.7 mm), presence of two-three swellings on the egg, eight anterior...
Infective pentastomid larvae from Pygocentrus nattereri Kner (Pisces, Characidae) from the Miranda River, Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, with notes on their taxonomy and epidemiology
Suely C. Giesen, Ricardo M. Takemoto, Frikkie Calitz, Maria de los Angeles Perez Lizama, Kerstin Junker
Folia Parasitologica 60[5] 457-468 (2013) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2013.049
Abstract: During parasitological surveys of freshwater fish from the Miranda River, Brazil, 199 Pygocentrus nattereri kner (Characidae) were caught. Two pentastomid families, Subtriquetridae Fain, 1961, represented by its single genus Subtriquetra Sambon, 1922, and Sebekidae Sambon, 1922, represented by three genera, were present. Free-living larvae of Subtriquetra subtriquetra (Diesing, 1835) were collected from the swim bladder. Encysted larvae of Alofia Giglioli, 1922 were found in the abdominal cavity, chambers of the heart, musculature, on the surface of the gonads and swim bladder. Some Alofia larvae were moving...
Cryptosporidium testudinis sp. n., Cryptosporidium ducismarci Traversa, 2010 and Cryptosporidium tortoise genotype III (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) in tortoises
Jana Ježková, Michaela Horčičková, Lenka Hlásková, Bohumil Sak, Dana Květoňová, Jan Novák, Lada Hofmannová, John McEvoy, Martin Kváč
Folia Parasitologica 63:035 (2016) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2016.035
Understanding of the diversity of species of Cryptosporidium Tyzzer, 1910 in tortoises remains incomplete due to the limited number of studies on these hosts. The aim of the present study was to characterise the genetic diversity and biology of cryptosporidia in tortoises of the family Testudinidae Batsch. Faecal samples were individually collected immediately after defecation and were screened for presence of cryptosporidia by microscopy using aniline-carbol-methyl violet staining, and by PCR amplification and sequence analysis targeting the small subunit rRNA (SSU), Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein (COWP) and actin genes. Out of...
Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in goats from the south-west region of Poland and the detection of T. gondii DNA in goat milk
Jacek Sroka, Paweł Kusyk, Ewa Bilska-Zając, Jacek Karamon, Jacek Dutkiewicz, Angelina Wójcik-Fatla, Violetta Zając, Krzysztof Stojecki, Mirosław Różycki, Tomasz Cencek
Folia Parasitologica 64:023 (2017) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2017.023
Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) is an obligatory intracellular protozoan parasite prevalent in animals and humans worldwide having medical and veterinary importance on account of causing abortion or congenital disease in intermediate hosts, including man. Since T. gondii has already been identified in the milk of goats, Capra aegagrus hircus (Linnaeus), the possibility of acquiring infection by ingesting unpasteurised goat milk should be taken into consideration. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the presence of T. gondii DNA in goat milk. First, 73 goats (females) from 36 farms located in Poland...
Synopsis of the species of Myxobolus (Cnidaria, Myxozoa, Myxosporea) described between 2014 and 2020
Jorge C. Eiras, Cristina F. Cruz, Aurélia Saraiva, Edson A. Adriano
Folia Parasitologica 68:012 (2021) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2021.012
A synopsis of the species of Myxobolus Bütschli, 1882 (Cnidaria, Myxosporea, Myxobolidae) described from 2014 up till now is presented. It includes 122 nominal species described all over the world. For each of the species, the most relevant morphological and morphometric data, as well as data are provided related to the location in the host, type host and type locality. The GenBank accession numbers are provided whenever possible, and the spores were redrawn based on the original descriptions. The bibliography includes all the papers containing the species descriptions.
Association between infection with Toxoplasma gondii and psychiatric disorders
Alia Maisarah, Suharni Mohamad, Maruzairi Husain, Sarimah Abdullah, Rahmah Noordin
Folia Parasitologica 69:008 (2022) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2022.008
Toxoplasmosis is one of the world's most prevalent zoonoses. The causative agent, Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) is a facultative heteroxenic, polyxenic apicomplexan protist. There are several potential pathways of transmission within and between host species. Most infections with T. gondii result from close contact with pets/cats, ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat of infected animals, and oocysts from food or water contaminated by feline faeces. Recently, epidemiological studies have shown that T. gondii infection plays a prominent role in the pathogenesis of several psychiatric disorders. This report...
Parasitic manipulation or side effects? The effects of past Toxoplasma gondii and Borrelia spp. infections on human personality and cognitive performance are not mediated by impaired health
Jaroslav Flegr, Jana Ullmann, Jan Toman
Folia Parasitologica 70:020 (2023) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2023.020
Bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. and even more the protist Toxoplasma gondii Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908, are known to affect the behaviour and mental health of their animal and human hosts. Both pathogens infect a significant fraction of human population, both are neurotropic and survive in the host's body for a long time. While latent infections were thought to be clinically asymptomatic, recent studies suggest otherwise, revealing adverse effects on human health. It was hypothesised that the specific behavioural effects of these pathogens may be side effects of general health impairments in infected individuals. This hypothesis was...
Special Issue: Nuts and bolts of the behavioural manipulation by Toxoplasma gondii
Ajai Vyas
Folia Parasitologica 71:017 (2024) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2024.017
In this review, I take the first-person perspective of a neuroscientist interested in Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908). I reflect on the value of behavioural manipulation as a perturbation tool to understand the organisation of behaviour within the brain. Toxoplasma gondii infection reduces the aversion of rats to the olfactory cues of cat presence. This change in behaviour is one of the often-discussed exemplars of host-parasite coevolution, culminating in the manipulation of the host behaviour for the benefit of the parasite. Such coevolution also means that we can use host-parasite systems as tools to derive fundamental...
Potentially zoonotic parasite arrives to continental France: Clinostomum complanatum (Trematoda: Digenea) infection in perch (Perca fluviatilis) from the Doubs River (Jura)
Eloïse C. Rochat, Pierre Marle, Françoise Pozet, Isabel Blasco-Costa
Folia Parasitologica 72:003 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.003
Clinostomum complanatum (Rudolphi, 1814) is known as a food-borne zoonotic parasite using freshwater fish as intermediate host, although in its native distribution area in Europe, the Danube and Po basins and the northeast of Italy, no cases have been reported. This study reports a new geographic location outside the native distribution range of this parasite. We detected high infection levels of C. complanatum in wild perch (Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus) from the Doubs River in continental France. Clinostomum complanatum reached a prevalence of 97% and mean intensity of 5.8 cysts per fish in 33 fish examined, with most fish...
Timing matters: exploring emergence patterns of two species of trematode furcocercariae from their snail hosts
Petra Kundid, Camila Pantoja, Miroslava Soldánová
Folia Parasitologica 72:008 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.008
Cercariae are motile infectious larval stages of digenetic trematodes that emerge from their molluscan first intermediate host to seek the next host in their life cycle. A crucial transmission strategy of trematodes involves releasing the maximum number of cercariae at times that coincide with the presence and activity of the next hosts, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful infection and continuation of the parasite's life cycle. We investigated the cercarial emergence of two furcocercous (with forked tail) trematodes Tylodelphys clavata (von Nordmann, 1832) and unidentified species of Sanguinicola Plehn, 1905 from naturally...
Confocal fluorescent study of the fish blood flukes: the serotonergic elements and ultrastructure of the nervous system of adult Sanguinicola plehnae (Digenea: Sanguinicolidae)
Larisa G. Poddubnaya, Nadezhda B. Terenina, Natalia D. Kreshсhenko
Folia Parasitologica 72:009 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.009
The first data on the neurochemical and ultrastructural organisation of the nervous system of the fish blood fluke, suckerless adult Sanguinicola plehnae Warren et Bullard in Warren, Poddubnaya, Zhokhov, Reyda, Choudhury et Bullard, 2023 (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) from the circulatory system of pike, Esox lucius Linnaeus are presented. Based on 5-HT-IP staining, the simple, uniformly developed orthogonal pattern of S. plehnae nervous system is revealed. The ventral and dorsal nerve cords originate from the brain lobes, but the lateral nerve cords originate from anterior nerves at the level of the large serotonergic neurons. In addition,...
Fecundity of the zoonotic nematode Anisakis pegreffii cultivated in vitro
Harriet Nketiah Birikorang, Samantha Moratal Martínez, Jerko Hrabar, Ivona Mladineo
Folia Parasitologica 72:013 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.013
The zoonotic marine nematodes of the genus Anisakis Dujardin, 1845 are the causative agents of anisakiasis, a parasitosis that has been increasingly reported in Europe over the past decade due to the more frequent consumption of lightly processed or raw seafood. While the life cycle in the marine environment is relatively well-known, an in vitro life cycle has recently been established with the goal to serve as a model for a better understanding of the functional biology of the nematode and consequent devising of strategies for its detection and inactivation. However, the reproductive capacity of the nematode has not been investigated...
Characterisation of eggs and larvae of Lamellodiscus erythrini (Monogenea: Diplectanidae) using light and scanning electron microscopy
Judith Revault, Marie-Line Escande, Valentin Logeux, Yves Desdevises, Élodie Magnanou
Folia Parasitologica 72:014 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.014
While the identification of adult monogeneans primarily relies on morphological criteria, the morphology of a number of monogenean larvae (oncomiracidia) is to this day scarcely described. Yet, oncomiracidium plays a crucial role in the life cycle of the parasite, being responsible for the detection and localisation of its host, as well as for its attachment to this host. Few studies investigated the external morphological structures related to these functions, especially in Monopisthocotylea. The present study focuses on the early life stages (egg and oncomiracidium) of Lamellodiscus erythrini Euzet et Oliver, 1967, which are accurately described...
Morphological description and molecular characterisation of Opegaster mezcal sp. n. (Trematoda: Opecoelidae) from the Mexican Tropical Pacific
Rodrigo I. Santillán-Pérez, Martín García-Varela, Rogelio Aguilar-Aguilar
Folia Parasitologica 72:018 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.018
Opegaster Ozaki, 1928 is one of the most species-rich genera of the trematode family Opecoelidae, commonly found in marine teleost fishes. This study describes a new species of Opegaster of the intertidal fish species Labrisomus xanti Gill (Labrisomidae) (type host) and Tomicodon zebra (Jordan et Gilbert) (Gobiesocidae) from the coast of Oaxaca, Mexican Pacific. Opegaster mezcal sp. n. is characterised by the absence of papillae on the ventral sucker and the size and shape of the testes. Sequences of the D1-D3 domains from large subunit from nuclear DNA (28S) were generated for the new species and for another opecoelid...
Marginal cytokine modulation by Schistosoma mansoni soluble egg antigen in SARS-CoV-2-infected K18-hACE2 mice
Yi Mu, Kexin Yan, Donald P. McManus, Wilson Nguyen, Daniel J. Rawle, Jason A. Roberts, Malcolm K. Jones, Pengfei Cai
Folia Parasitologica 72:019 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.019
Herein, we explore the potential influence of Schistosoma mansoni Sambon, 1907 soluble egg antigen (SmSEA) on the immunopathology of COVID-19 in K18-hACE2 mice infected with an Omicron BA.5 isolate of SARS-CoV-2. SmSEA treatment was delivered in a single dose by intraperitoneal injection, shortly after intrapulmonary inoculation of SARS-CoV-2. RNA-seq identified 36 differentially expressed genes in the spleens of virus-infected mice treated with SmSEA vs. PBS on day 5 post infection. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis of these genes suggested marginal modulation of cytokine responses, with upregulation of the IL-10 and IL-4 signatures and downregulation...
Some nematodes from fishes of the Lacantún River in the Lacandon rain forest of Chiapas State, southern Mexico, including Cucullanus potamarii sp. n. (Cucullanidae) from the endemic catfish Potamarius usumacintae (Ariidae)
František Moravec, Guillermo Salgado-Maldonado, David González-Solís
Folia Parasitologica 72:020 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.020
During November of 2007, parasitic nematodes were collected from 161 specimens of 32 freshwater fish species in the Lacantún River of the Lacandon rain forest of Chiapas, southern Mexico. Recent detailed morphological and taxonomic studies of this material revealed the presence of 17 nematode species (12 adult and 5 larval) of nine families, including Cucullanus potamarii sp. n. from the intestine of the ariid catfish Potamarius usumacintae Betancur-R et Willink, which is endemic to the Usumacinta River basin to which the Lacantún River belongs. This new species is mainly characterised by deirids and the excretory pore located far posterior...
Special Issue: Chronic inflammation in pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis and explanation of discordant results of serological tests for toxoplasmosis
Jana Ullmann, Jaroslav Flegr, Kamila Nouzová, Josef Včelák, Šárka Kaňková
Folia Parasitologica 72:021 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.021
Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908), an intracellular parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, infects a third of the human population. Latent toxoplasmosis has been linked to altered immune responses, including elevated proinflammatory cytokines. In early pregnancy, the immune system adapts to balance inflammation and foetal tolerance. This study assessed whether pregnant women in the first trimester infected with Toxoplasma gondii have different cytokine levels than uninfected women. This study also examined whether women with discordant test results for toxoplasmosis represent a distinct group or a mixed group composed...
Prevalence of Ixodes ricinus and possible hybrids of I. ricinus and I. inopinatus on the edible dormouse in a Central European woodland
Karolína Šimurdová, Ludek Zurek, Ondřej Daněk, Pavlína Paclíková, Eva Nosková, David Modrý, Igor Magál, Peter Adamík
Folia Parasitologica 72:022 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.022
Ixodes inopinatus Estrada-Peña, Nava et Petney, 2014 was described in 2014 from the Iberian Peninsula and later reported from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Germany, Austria and Romania. However, recent studies raised serious doubts about the presence of I. inopinatus in Central Europe and reported hybridisation between the Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) and I. inopinatus. In this study, we selected a locally common rodent host, the edible dormouse Glis glis (Linnaeus) (Rodentia: Gliridae), to study the prevalence of these two tick species and their hybrids in a Central European woodland. The TROSPA nuclear...
Special Issue: Association between type-2 diabetes and Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Ashley Catchpole, Brinley N. Zabriskie, Bradley Embley, Hannah Kharazi, Rachelle Clarke, Grace Templeton, Christopher Hunt, Shawn D. Gale, Dawson W. Hedges
Folia Parasitologica 72:024 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.024
A metabolic disease resulting in elevated blood glucose levels, type-2 diabetes affects approximately 462 million people globally. Although its prevalence appears to be increasing, type-2 diabetes has been associated with various potentially preventable risk factors, including infectious diseases. The protozoal infection with Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) has been associated with type-2 diabetes in two previous meta-analyses. Since the publication of the last meta-analysis supporting an association between type-2 diabetes and T. gondii, several new primary studies have investigated this association. In this meta-analysis,...
Massive, disseminated and lethal cysticercosis caused by Taenia crassiceps (Cestoda) in captive western grey bamboo lemur (Hapalemur occidentalis Rumpler) in Zoo in the Czech Republic
Jana Ježková, Veronika Zikmundová, Pavla Příhodová, František Kostka, Bohumil Sak, Martin Kváč
Folia Parasitologica 72:026 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.026
Taenia crassiceps (Zeder, 1800), a zoonotic cestode with a wide geographical distribution, utilises canids as definitive hosts and small rodents as intermediate hosts. However, accidental infections in non-human primates, particularly in captive lemurs, have been increasingly documented. In this case report, we describe the first documented case of cysticercosis caused by the larval stage of T. crassiceps (metacestode; also known as Cysticercus longicollis Rudolphi, 1819) in a captive western grey bamboo lemur (Hapalemur occidentalis Rumpler). The affected female lemur showed progressive abdominal distension over a period...
Intraspecific variation in the caudal papillae of Raphidascaris mundeswariensis (Nematoda: Raphidascarididae) from gobiiform fishes in eastern India
Bhairab Kumar Patra, Anindo Choudhury, Jit Marick, Roshmi Biswas, Anirban Ash
Folia Parasitologica 72:027 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.027
The morphological variation of the nematode Raphidascaris mundeswariensis Patra, Choudhury, Thorn et Ash, 2021 in four fish hosts, Apocryptes bato (Hamilton), Glossogobius giuris (Hamilton), Taenioides cirratus (Blyth) and Eleotris lutea (Day), from the Mundeswari River of West Bengal, India, was studied. Partial sequences of the 28S rRNA and COI gene were generated to verify the conspecificity of these isolates while evaluating host-related variation in these samples. Little to no genetic variation was found among isolates from the different hosts and all were identified as R. mundeswariensis....
A new species of Pseudoacanthocephalus (Acanthocephala: Pseudoacanthocephalidae) from Sado Island, Japan, with a report of its accidental occurrence in a marine elasmobranch
Yuki Kita, Masato Nitta, Harue Abe, Shigen Kaburagi, Takeshi Fujita, Kenji Toyota, Yusuke Kondo, Hiroshi Kajihara
Folia Parasitologica 72:028 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.028
Three species of amphibian-parasitic acanthocephalans belonging to the genus Pseudoacanthocephalus Petrochenko, 1958 have been recorded in Japan. However, only a limited number of localities have been surveyed, and the distribution of these congeners across other regions of Japan remains unclear. In this study, acanthocephalans of the genus Pseudoacanthocephalus were recovered from both definitive (Rana ornativentris Werner - type host, and Zhangixalus arboreus [Okada et Kawano]) and accidental hosts (Scyliorhinus torazame [Tanaka]) from Sado Island, Japan. Morphological analyses indicate that those specimens represent...