This Week in Parasitism

The TWiP DVD solve the case of the Child Who Passed Worms, and discuss a non-human primate model for severe malarial anemia.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

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• PWB social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Primate model of severe malarial anemia (Sci Rep)
• Ascaris skirt (and more!)
• Hero: Harold W. Brown
• Letters read on TWiP 179

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From Uganda, eastern up in mountains, rainy season. 6 yo girl brought in by mother on Monday, reporting several days of feeling poorly, headache, fever, muscle aches. Negative malaria smear on Monday. Wednesday returns, feeling worse, fever higher, headache worse. Lungs clear, belly (pain on left side) has large spleen. Living in good conditions, well dressed, dirt floor house, concrete walls. Toilet is hole in back. Same dietary habits, high in carbs. No mosquito netting. Water from stream. No siblings. HIV negative.

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Music by Ronald Jenkees

The Knights of the TWiP solve the case of the Man Who Lost Weight, and discuss a Plasmodium protein kinase that is a malarial drug target.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

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• PWB social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Protein kinase as malaria drug target (Science)
• Hero: Myron Schultz
• Letters read on TWiP 178

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Eastern border of Uganda with Kenya, in mountains. Drinking water from nearby stream. Two young boys come to clinic, without parents. Sent in by grandmother because 1 yo brother has been passing worms. Long, white, flat. Shown photos in PD7, pinkish worm, 8 inches long, round. He points to those, what he has been seeing in brother's stool. 1 year old seems small, protuberant abdomen; brother small for stated age, bit of protuberant belly. Diet: high carbohydrate, flour deep fried; yams; cabbage; some rice; soybeans; pumpkin; bananas.

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Music by Ronald Jenkees

The TWiPsters solve the case of the Rashy Schoolteacher, and reveal a drug from rotifers that live on the snail intermediate host which paralyzes schistosome cercariae and prevents infection of mice.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dand Daniel Griffin

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• Progress towards global eradication of dracunculiasis (MMWR)
• Rotifer compound that paralyzes schistosome cercariae (PLoS Biol)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiP 177

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49 yo man sent to Daniel for ID consultation. Reports in August visited Hawaii with family, then flies to CA. Family event there. Take him to Pakistani restaurant. One day later has gastrointestinal issues, nausea, diarrhea. Goes to urgent care, send stool for O&P. Look at stool, shows chilomastix mesnili. No medicines, will be ok. Over this period of 1 week he loses 15 pounds. Gains 5 back. End of October feels fine, no bloating or diarrhea. No symptoms but goes to gastroenterologist. Stool test returns with D. fragilis; and chilomastix mesnili. Now sees Daniel. Not on any meds. No allergies, no toxic habits, athletic. No illness in family. Normal exam. He ate salads in Hawaii.

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Music by Ronald Jenkees

The TWiPpers of the bite fantastic solve the case of the Indian Man Who Hiked, and discuss the effects of schistosome soluble egg antigen on infection of lymphocytes with HIV-1.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

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• Effect of schistosome soluble egg antigen on HIV-1 infection (PLoS P)
• Hero: Lawson Soulsby
• Letters read on TWiP 176

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Recent case, woman in late 20s, schoolteacher. Outer boroughs of NYC. Wakes up on Saturday, completely rash-y, head to toe. Goes to urgent care center, say is allergic, give anti histamines and steroids. Persists after a few days, goes to allergist. Only allergen positive, dust mites. Few days later goes to GP, still itchy and rash-y. He does more thorough exam, notices she has small red lesions on fingers and between fingers. Several children in classes she is teaching has similar malady. Given therapeutic, rash goes away. Otherwise healthy, HIV negative. Partner not around at the time this develops.

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Music by Ronald Jenkees

The TWiP'ers solve the case of the Sudanese Boy With Fever, and reveal antibodies against that slow invasion of red blood cells potentiate other malaria-blocking antibodies.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

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• Antibodies that slow malaria invasion (Cell)
• Hero: Sir Leonard Rogers (pdf)
• Letters read on TWiP 175

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70 yo man born in India, came to US 1985. Has not gone back for 2-3 years. Admitted with acute onset of fever, cough, not eating well. Was fine until a week ago, had lost consciousness, fever 102F. Negative cultures for urine and blood. Some kidney stones, type II diabetes, elevated cholesterol, no surgeries. No family medical issues. Started on vancomycin on zosyn. Works in post office, lives with house in private home. No toxic habits. Has history of hiking trip 1-2 months prior, in Rhode Island, in June. No pets, animals. Exam unimpressive. Labs: crit 25, hemoglobin 9. Platelets 39. Bilirubin 5.3. Liver enzymes slightly elevated. Chest CT clear, blood smear: anisocytosis, microcytosis, polychromasia, 4.3% reticulocytes. Daniel orders one test, 90 minutes later starts treatment. HIV negative.

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Music by Ronald Jenkees

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

The TWiPloid organisms solve the case of the Doctor with Chronic Epigastric Pain, and reveal how levels of linoleic acid in the intestine enable the sexual cycle of Toxoplasma gondii in cats.

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• Determinant of T. gondii sexual cycle(bioRxiv)
• A Year's Worth of TWiP by Kevin Carney
• Hero: William Trager
• Letters read on TWiP 174

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12 yo male living in refugee camp after fleeing Sudan. Presents to doctor with history of fever for many months, every other day; chronic abdominal pain. Tried antimalarials, no effect. Broad spectrum antibiotics, no effect. Exam: fast heart, clear lung, enlarged liver, enlarged palpable spleen. Camp has limited resources, no more diagnostic tests. Tried intravenous amphotericin. Child improves.

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Music by Ronald Jenkees

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

The podcastellani hosts solve the case of the Sailor With Dysentery, and reveal the first virus discovered in Plasmodium species.

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• Matryoshka RNA virus of Plasmodium (bioRxiv)
• Hero: Rose Gana Fomban Leke
• Letters read on TWiP 173

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Successful individual in NY area with 9 months of epigastric pain. Did upper endoscopy, saw in stomach several small mobile white serpiginous moving objects. 2.8 mm. Seem to be trying to burrow into gastric mucosa. One grabbed and sent to lab. History: curious habit of curing his own protein sources.

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Music by Ronald Jenkees

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

The metacyclic TWiPomastigotes solve the case of the Child With a Painless Leg Lesion, and reveal how to kill mosquitoes with a genetically modified fungus.

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• Transgenic Metarhizium kills mosquitoes (Science)
• Hero: Veena Tandon
• Letters read on TWiP 172

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Retired US Navy physician, lives aboard his sailboat, just finished doing remote medical volunteer work in C. America. In DR when has sudden onset of dull prog worsening epigastric lower abdominal pain. Over next 12 hr intensifies, near tears, went to local medical center. Admitted, given IV, probiotics. Febrile, elevated WBC 20,000, platelets low, white counts left shift. Initially some constipation, then diarrhea with some blood. Discharged without diagnosis; still fever and chills; rash rose colored spots on torso. Daniel gets involved; 3 day course of azithromycin, symptoms continue; then metronidazole, feels better, fever, pain, symptoms resolve. Wife is ok. Three men working on his boat, one had bloody diarrhea before the patient did. Keeps a bowl of nuts around.

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Music by Ronald Jenkees

The Leishmaniacs solve the case of the Child With Band Keratopathy, and reveal a eukaryotic parasite with functional mitochondria but without mitochondrial genomes.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

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• Elmer Pfefferkorn, 87
• Eukaryotic parasite without mitochondrial genomes (Sci Adv)
• Hero: Charles Wardell Stiles
• Letters read on TWiP 171

By boat to remote village, young boy (

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Music by Ronald Jenkees

The TWiPlicates solve the case of the Child With Retinal Granuloma, and discuss an association of the complement protein collectin-11 with the pathophysiology of Chagas disease.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Daniel Griffin

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• Chagas disease pathophysiology and collectin-11 (PLoS NTD)
• Hero: Theobald Smith
• Image credit: Toxocara canis by Ben Liffner
• Letters read on TWiP 170

3 yo girl, same context: mobile clinic in Bocas del Toro archipelago. Small village on remote island. Initially had red eye, rubbing a lot, mother noticed she seemed to have vision loss. On exam ophthalmologist did fundoscopic exam, sees band keratopathy, calcium on the cornea, and outer retinal punctate lesions.

Send your case diagnosis, questions and comments to [email protected]

Music by Ronald Jenkees