Teaching of Veterinary Parasitology to University students in Trinidad, West Indies: are our local wildlife species neglected? / Ensino de parasitologia veterinária para estudantes universitários em Trinidad, Índias Ocidentais: nossas espécies selvagens locais são negligenciadas?

Parasites of veterinary importance have been heavily focused on domesticated livestock that was introduced into the neo-tropics. The text used in the teaching parasitology to veterinary students in Trinidad has only investigated the parasites of domesticated species. In the reviewed veterinary parasitology text no mention was made on the parasites that affect wild neo-tropical animals. Information on wild neo-tropical animals had to be sourced from texts on the management of wild life animals in the Neotropics. The texts that were reviewed in this document spanned from the mid-1950s to 2020. The information presented in this review reveals the exhaustive work done on the parasites of domesticated species but also revealed little information on neo-tropical animals with the potential for domestication. In conclusion, this review reveals the gap of information that is missing from parasitology texts used in the teaching of veterinary students. In the future these parasitology texts can be revised to include chapters on the parasites of neo-tropical animals with the potential for domestication. At present students that graduate from the veterinary parasitology course has little information on the parasites of animals which are present in their 'backyards'.

Parasitas de importância veterinária têm se concentrado fortemente em animais domésticos que foram introduzidos na região neotrópica. O texto usado no ensino de parasitologia para estudantes de veterinária em Trinidad investigou apenas os parasitas de espécies domesticadas. No texto de parasitologia veterinária revisado, nenhuma menção foi feita sobre os parasitas que afetam os animais selvagens neotropicais. As informações sobre animais selvagens neotropicais tiveram que ser obtidas a partir de textos sobre o manejo de animais selvagens nos Neotrópicos. Os textos revisados neste documento vão de meados da década de 1950 até 2020. As informações apresentadas nesta revisão revelam o trabalho exaustivo realizado sobre os parasitas de espécies domesticadas, mas também revelaram poucas informações sobre animais neotropicais com potencial para domesticação. Em conclusão, esta revisão revela a lacuna de informação que existe nos textos de parasitologia utilizados no ensino de estudantes de veterinária. No futuro, esses textos de parasitologia podem ser revisados para incluir capítulos sobre os parasitas de animais neotropicais com potencial para domesticação. Atualmente, os alunos que se formam no curso de parasitologia veterinária têm poucas informações sobre os parasitas de animais que estão presentes em seus "quintais".

History of the E.I. Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology and Tropical Medicine: research on malaria and leishmaniasis / História do Instituto E.I. Martsinovsky de Parasitologia Médica e Medicina Tropical: pesquisa sobre malária e leishmaniose

Abstract This review presents the 100-year history of the Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology and Tropical Medicine in Moscow, Russia, starting with its foundation and early activities, and also describes the impact of its leading scientists, some of whom became internationally known. The institute headed a network of nine tropical institutes in the various Soviet republics from the 1920s to 1990. The extensive body of literature on the history and research accomplishments of this institute has mainly been published in Russian; our goal here is to introduce these achievements and this expertise to the international scientific and medical community, focusing on malaria and leishmaniasis and the development of measures to control and monitor these diseases in the USSR.

Resumo O artigo analisa a história centenária do Instituto Martsinovsky de Parasitologia Médica e Medicina Tropical em Moscou, Rússia, desde sua fundação e primeiras atividades, e descreve a influência de seus principais cientistas, alguns dos quais viriam a conquistar renome internacional. O instituto liderou uma rede de nove institutos tropicais em diversas repúblicas soviéticas entre as décadas de 1920 e 1990. A vasta literatura sobre o trabalho de história e pesquisa desse instituto foi publicada sobretudo em russo; nosso objetivo aqui é apresentar esse trabalho e conhecimento à comunidade médica e científica internacional, concentrando-se na malária e na leishmaniose e no avanço de medidas de controle e monitoramento dessas doenças na URSS.

Breve reseña de vida y contribución del médico parasitólogo peruano César Gabriel Náquira Velarde / Brief review about the life and contribution of the peruvian parasitologist Cesar Gabriel Naquira Velarde

RESUMEN Las instituciones científicas y sus logros se construyen a partir de las personas y sus historias. En este caso, el Dr. César Náquira Velarde es una personalidad destacada en la salud pública del Perú, a la que contribuyó hasta días antes de su partida a los 85 años de edad. El Dr. Náquira participó activamente en la fundación del Instituto de Medicina Tropical Daniel A. Carrión de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos desde donde −a través de la investigación y docencia− ha formado médicos y especialistas en el campo de la parasitología y medicina tropical. Sin embargo, su mayor contribución y aporte fue en el estudio de la enfermedad de Chagas. También se desempeñó como funcionario público y decisor, pues fue jefe del Instituto Nacional de Salud y permanente asesor técnico del Ministerio de Salud del Perú, en los temas de su especialidad. Destacamos su rol como maestro para muchas generaciones de médicos y su autoridad como experto en el campo de la parasitología médica.

ABSTRACT Scientific institutions and their achievements are built on people and their stories. In this case, Dr. César Náquira Velarde constitutes a prominent figure in Peru's public health, to which he contributed until days before his departure at 85 years of age. Dr. Náquira actively participated in the founding of the Daniel A. Carrión Institute of Tropical Medicine of the National University of San Marcos from where - through re search and teaching - he has trained doctors and specialists in the field of parasitology and tropical medici ne. However, his greatest contribution was in the study of Chagas disease. He also served as a public official and decision maker, as he was head of the National Institute of Health of Peru and permanent technical advisor of the Ministry of Health of Peru, in the areas of his specialty. We highlight his role as a teacher for many generations of doctors and his authority as an expert in the field of medical parasitology.

A historical review of the techniques of recovery of parasites for their detection in human stools

Abstract Since the early 20th century, the detection of intestinal parasites has improved with the development of several techniques for parasitic structures recovery and identification, which differ in sensitivity, specificity, practicality, cost, and infrastructure demand. This study aims to review, in chronological order, the stool examination techniques and discuss their advantages, limitations, and perspectives, and to provide professionals and specialists in this field with data that lays a foundation for critical analysis on the use of such procedures. The concentration procedures that constitute the main techniques applied in routine research and in parasitological kits are a) spontaneous sedimentation; b) centrifugation-sedimentation with formalin-ethyl acetate; and c) flotation with zinc sulfate solution. While selecting a technique, one should consider the purpose of its application and the technical-operational, biological, and physicochemical factors inherent in the procedures used in stool processing, which may restrict its use. These intrinsic limitations may have undergone procedural changes driven by scientific and technological development and by development of alternative methods, which now contribute to the improvement of diagnostic accuracy.

In Memoriam: Professor Seung-Yull Cho (1943–2019)

No abstract available.

Professor Seung-Yull Cho (1943–2019)

No abstract available.

Ángel Florencio Duque Pérez, microbiólogo colombino / Ángel Florencio Duque Pérez, a Colombinan microbiologist

Muchos han sido los médicos cubanos que se han dedicado al estudio de la microbiología médica, entre ellos algunos muy conocidos como el matancero Juan Guiteras Gener. Con este trabajo los autores pretendieron resaltar la figura del microbiólogo colombino Ángel Florencio Duque Pérez, primer microbiólogo matancero formado por la revolución y con una esmerada labor. Fallecido hace varios años, este excelente profesional es poco conocido y prácticamente ha quedado en el olvido. Para todos aquellos que lo conocieron y para los que no tuvieron ese enorme placer se les hace llegar esta síntesis biográfica (AU).

There have been many Cuban doctors who have devoted themselves to the study of Medical Microbiology, including well-known ones as the Matanzasan Juan Guiteras Gener. With this work the authors pretended to highlight the figure of the Colombinan microbiologist Florencio Angel Duque Pérez, the first microbiologist trained after the Revolution, with an important work. Deceased several years ago, this excellent professional is scarcely known and has been virtually forgotten. This biography is intended to all those who knew him and to all those who did not have that great pleasure (AU).

La helmintología según la filosofía de la ciencia de Imre Lakatos / Helminthology according to the philosophy of science of Imre Lakatos

RESUMEN A pesar de que en distintas ramas de la biología se ha utilizado la filosofía de la ciencia de Lakatos, no se ha hecho esto con la helmintología. Aquí utilizamos su metodología de programas de investigación científica (PIC) para reconstruir la historia de la disciplina en cuestión. Sostenemos que el primer PIC de la biología lo inauguró Aristóteles, y en su cinturón protector hay un pequeño grupo de hipótesis auxiliares que se refieren a los helmintos. Ese programa se mantuvo vigente hasta el siglo XVII, época en la que surgen dos PIC rivales en helmintología: el internalista y el externalista. A partir de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, el PIC internalista fue abandonado, mientras que el externalista amplió considerablemente su cinturón protector durante el siglo XX. El abandono del PIC internalista se debió a los experimentos cruciales de Küchenmeister, que permitieron la consolidación del PIC externalista.

ABSTRACT Lakatos’s philosophy of science has been used for different branches of biology, however this has not been true for helminthology. Therefore, this article examines the possibility of using his methodology of scientific research programmes (SRP) for reconstructing the history of the discipline of helminthology. It is upheld that the first SRP in biology was inaugurated by Aristotle, and its protective belt included a small group of auxiliary hypotheses referring to helminths. This programme continued up until the 17th century, when two rival programmes in helminthology arose: the internalist and the externalist. After the second half of the 19th century the internalist SRP was abandoned, while the externalist considerably broadened its protective belt during the 20th century. The internalist programme was abandoned due to the crucial experiments of Küchenmeister, which permitted the consolidation of the externalist SRP.

The dynamics of Brazilian protozoology over the past century

Brazilian scientists have been contributing to the protozoology field for more than 100 years with important discoveries of new species such asTrypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. In this work, we used a Brazilian thesis database (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) covering the period from 1987-2011 to identify researchers who contributed substantially to protozoology. We selected 248 advisors by filtering to obtain researchers who supervised at least 10 theses. Based on a computational analysis of the thesis databases, we found students who were supervised by these scientists. A computational procedure was developed to determine the advisors’ scientific ancestors using the Lattes Platform. These analyses provided a list of 1,997 researchers who were inspected through Lattes CV examination and allowed the identification of the pioneers of Brazilian protozoology. Moreover, we investigated the areas in which researchers who earned PhDs in protozoology are now working. We found that 68.4% of them are still in protozoology, while 16.7% have migrated to other fields. We observed that support for protozoology by national or international agencies is clearly correlated with the increase of scientists in the field. Finally, we described the academic genealogy of Brazilian protozoology by formalising the “forest” of Brazilian scientists involved in the study of protozoa and their vectors over the past century.

Paleoparasitology: the origin of human parasites / Paleoparasitologia: a origem dos parasitas humanos

Parasitism is composed by three subsystems: the parasite, the host, and the environment. There are no organisms that cannot be parasitized. The relationship between a parasite and its host species most of the time do not result in damage or disease to the host. However, in a parasitic disease the presence of a given parasite is always necessary, at least in a given moment of the infection. Some parasite species that infect humans were inherited from pre-hominids, and were shared with other phylogenetically close host species, but other parasite species were acquired from the environment as humans evolved. Human migration spread inherited parasites throughout the globe. To recover and trace the origin and evolution of infectious diseases, paleoparasitology was created. Paleoparasitology is the study of parasites in ancient material, which provided new information on the evolution, paleoepidemiology, ecology and phylogenetics of infectious diseases.

O parasitismo é composto por três subsistemas: o parasito, o hospedeiro e meio ambiente. Não existe organismo que não possa ser parasitado. A relação entre um parasito e suas espécies de hospedeiro não resulta, na maior parte das vezes, em dano ou doença ao hospedeiro. Entretanto, numa doença parasitária, a presença de um determinado parasito é sempre necessária, pelo menos em um determinado momento da infecção. Algumas espécies de parasitos que infectam humanos foram herdados dos pré-hominídeos, e foram compartilhados com outras espécies de hospedeiro filogeneticamente próximas, mas outras espécies foram adquiridas pelo meio ambiente à medida que os humanos se desenvolveram. As migrações humanas espalharam os parasitos adquiridos por todo o mundo. Para recuperar e traçar a origem e evolução das doenças infecciosas foi criada a paleoparasitologia. Paleoparasitologia é o estudo dos parasitos em materiais antigos, que trouxe novas informações na evolução, paleoepidemiologia, ecologia e filogenética das doenças infecciosas.

Paleoparasitological Surveys for Detection of Helminth Eggs in Archaeological Sites of Jeolla-do and Jeju-do

A paleoparasitological survey to detect helminth eggs was performed in archaeological sites of Jeolla-do and Jeju-do, the Republic of Korea. Total 593 soil samples were collected in 12 sites of Jeolla-do and 5 sites of Jeju-do from April to November 2011, and examined by the methods of Pike and coworkers. A total of 4 helminth eggs, 2 eggs each for Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris sp., were found in soil samples from 1 site, in Hyangyang-ri, Jangheung-eup, Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do. The egg-recovery layer was presumed to represent a 19th century farm, which fact suggested the use of human manures. This is the third archaeological discovery of parasite eggs in Jeolla-do. Additionally, no helminth eggs in archaeological sites of Jeju-do is an interesting problem to be solved in the further investigations.

La singular historia del Doctor Gusano -Nicholas Andry de Boisregard- y de sus hijas Parasitología y Ortopedia / The singular story of Doctor Worm -Nicholas Andry de Boisregard- and of his daughters Parasitology and Orthopaedics

Homini verminoso or Dr. Worm were the nicknames that Nicholas Aindry won in life for his consecration to the study of intestinal worms and for his bad temper, which led him to fiercely attack the surgeons. The article reassumes the studies and contributions that gave Andry the title of Father of Parasitology and the candidacy to Father of Orthopaedics, and mentions some other candidates to this honor. Quite a man, he had -besides his biological one- two famous daughters, growing till our days; wrote at least three valuable books; and planted the immortal "tree of Andry", the symbol of Orthopaedics.

Homini verminoso o "Doctor Gusano" fueron los apodos ganados por Nicholas Andry, tanto por su dedicación al estudio de los gusanos intestinales como por su mal carácter, que lo llevó a atacar ferozmente a los cirujanos. Se resumen los estudios y aportes que lo llevaron a merecer el título de "Padre de la Parasitología" y a optar al de "Padre de la Ortopedia", para el cual se han propuesto también otros candidatos. De mente inquieta, conocedor y comentador de los clásicos, incursionó en la farmacología y en la lingüística, preocupado del mal uso del francés que hacían sus contemporáneos. Un hombre cabal, tuvo dos hijas célebres, que siguen creciendo en nuestros días; escribió al menos tres libros valiosos y plantó el "árbol de Andry", símbolo de la Ortopedia.

A medicina no Brasil Imperial: clima, parasitas e patologia tropical / História e saúde / The medicine in Imperial Brazil: climate, parasites and tropical pathology

O livro guia o leitor pelos caminhos do pensamento médico brasileiro no século XIX e as origens da medicina tropical no país. Mais especificamente, fala da gênese da parasitologia helmintológica (estudo de vermes parasitas) e mostra como esse novo saber se legitimou e foi incorporado às práticas de diagnóstico, tratamento e profilaxia de doenças. Analisa as disputas em torno dessa legitimação, onde a helmintologia médica se confrontava com a climatologia - que associava as doenças às peculiaridades do clima e às características naturais do Brasil. Mostra como a helmintologia médica contribuiu para a corrosão da climatologia, embora esse processo tenha sido marcado tanto por rupturas como por continuidades, na medida em que, a princípio, não se tratava de saberes incomensuráveis. Como se lê desde o prefácio, "os inovadores não queriam vencer, mas convencer".