Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa, Coccidia order, being an obligate intracellular protozoan that affects humans and diverse vertebrate hosts. In this book, the authors discuss its prevalence in humans and animals, genetic structure and role in disease distribution. Topics include the congenital transmission of toxoplasma gondii in ovine; the role of chickens in the transmission of toxoplasmosis to humans; updates on the serological and molecular diagnosis of toxoplasmosis; epidemiology and control of toxoplasmosis in dogs, cats, bovine, and in public health.

Parasitic Nematodes are amongst the most successful parasites on Earth. This fully-updated second edition constitutes a comprehensive volume that continues to discuss the molecular biology, biochemistry and immunology of nematode parasites of humans, domestic animals and plants. There is a strong focus on new advances including chapters on horizontal gene transfer, genetics of susceptibility in humans, nematode protein structures, role of bacterial symbionts, host immune system modulation, modulation of allergic and autoimmune diseases by parasitic nematodes and the use of these organisms or their products as therapeutics. This book will be of significant importance to advanced students and researchers in human and veterinary parasitology, plant nematology and pathogen immunology in general.

To date, parasite diseases still affect millions of people world-wide, mainly in developing countries. The recent sequencing of parasite genomes opened a new era in parasitology research since the acquisition of new genomic data, providing a useful tool to analyse and compare gene structure, location and characteristics from different species to study evolution and gene function. This book is a collection of the recent findings of international experts in modern parasitology, computational biology, evolutionary biology, and genetics. It includes specific data on the current knowledge and understanding of genome organisation, dynamic and function for Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma spp., Leishmania spp., Trichomonas vaginalis, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica and Microsporidium, which represent the main causes of parasitic infections in humans. This book will be an essential reference for all parasitologists and scientists, as well as researchers, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in computational biology, evolutionary biology, and genetics.

Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. Many molecular tools have been developed over the past decades to determine genotypes and subgenotypes of parasites. This book describes the use of DNA technology in epidemiological investigations for parasitic research. During recent years, a striking number of studies also provided new insight into the cellular interactions and molecular mechanisms of malaria parasites during liver infection. This book summarises novel findings on the malaria liver stage biology. Furthermore, organ transplants have become more frequent world-wide. Unfortunately, parasitic infections can be transmissible by transplantation. The authors of this book describe the most useful methodology, as well as its application for the precise diagnosis of the parasite in the laboratory. The transmission mechanisms and the main factors of risk of each one of the parasites involved is discussed as well. Other chapters in this book examine the toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular protozoan parasite which infects potentially any warm-blooded animal, and the giardia duodenalis trophozoites, which have a remarkable ability to attach to the surface of epithelial cells of infected hosts. The various approaches that have been used to identify, isolate and characterise novel genes from the parasite genome of Babesia gibsoni are examined as well.

Apart from malaria, schistosomiasis is the most prevalent parasitic infection in the world. It affects more than 200 million people in 76 tropical and subtropical countries, causing great suffering and resulting in thousands of deaths. Written by world authorities, this book examines many aspects of the biology, pathology, and control of the schistosoma parasite. Ranging in topic from infection in Pharaonic Egypt, through DNA relationships and biological systems, to advances in development of vaccines against the parasite, this book is a comprehensive text written for researchers and medical professionals alike.

This textbook, which is the first volume in the series Microbial Zoonoses, provides a comprehensive overview of the diagnosis, treatment and control of zoonotic parasitic diseases. The book is divided into two sections; the first section discusses the classification of parasitic zoonoses and includes general information on the diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology, prevention, and control of parasitic zoonoses. It also describes the biological features of these organisms, host-parasite interactions, and the disease spectrum, as well as the importance of public health control measures, such as surveillance, and prophylactic measures in controlling these diseases.The second section explores the important zoonotic diseases caused by ectoparasites, protozoan and helminths parasites. It also reviews the life cycle, pathogenesis, pathology, immunology and clinical manifestations, modern diagnostic methods, treatment regimen, prevention, control, and epidemiology of these parasites.Cutting across the disciplines, this book serves as a guide to postgraduate students, faculty members, public health experts, and medical administrators who are interested in the management of these parasitic zoonotic infections.

Widely recognized as a problem in the tropics, the parasitic load carried in cold northern climates is vastly under-appreciated. Focusing on parasites indigenous to cooler climates, this book provides a comprehensive overview of parasites in these areas and the diseases they cause. Written by experts in their respective fields, with chapters covering Scandinavia and the Baltic States, Canada, Alaska, Iceland, and Russia, the book presents a concise single reference of diagnostic methods and preventative information for epidemiologists, clinicians, and parasitologists and a unique resource for researchers, advanced undergraduates, and postgraduates.