Fasciola worm and egg-derived antigens:Exploring their diagnostic potential for urogenital schistosomiasis in resource-limited endemic regions

Objective:To evaluate the immunodiagnostic potential of crude Fasciola gigantica-worm(FWA)and egg antigen(FEA)in detecting anti-Schistosoma(S.)haematobium antibodies in sera and urine samples.Methods:This is a cross-sectional diagnostic study.Employing an indirect ELISA,antibodies against these antigens were assessed in samples from infected and non-infected individuals in both schistosomiasis endemic(NE)and non-endemic(NNE)areas,using microscopy as the diagnostic standard.Results:FWA-sera exhibited excellent diagnostic accuracy with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.957,a sensitivity of 93.75%,and a specificity of 85.42%for discriminating between infected and non-infected individuals in non-endemic areas.FWA-urine also demonstrated robust performance,achieving AUC>0.95,sensitivity>97.0%,and specificity>85.0%in both NE and NNE categories.Notably,S.haematobium-specific antibody levels against FWA were significantly elevated in infected individuals in both endemic and non-endemic areas.FEA-sera exhibited outstanding diagnostic performance with sensitivity exceeding 90%and an AUC of 0.968 in non-endemic samples but not in FEA-urine.Conclusions:FWA-based ELISAs,applicable to both sera and urine,emerge as promising tools for S.haematobium diagnosis in resource-limited settings,offering advantages of high sensitivity and specificity with shared antigens with Fasciola.The superior diagnostic metrics of urine samples suggest their potential as a non-invasive biological sample for diagnostic purposes.

Poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid)-based artesunate nanoparticles:formulation,antimalarial and toxicity assessments

Objective： The aim of this study was to formulate polymer-based artesunate nanoparticles for malaria treatment. Methods： Artesunate was loaded with poly（D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid） （PLGA） by solvent evaporation from an oil-in-water single emulsion. Nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calo- rimetry analyses. In vivo antimalarial studies at 4 mg/kg were performed on Swiss male albino mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Hematological and hepatic toxicity assays were performed. In vitro cytotoxicity of free and en- capsulated artesunate （Art-PLGA） to cell line RAW 264.7 was determined at concentrations of 7.8-1000 pg/ml. Re- sults： The particle size of the formulated drug was （329.3±21.7） nm and the entrapment efficiency was （38.4±10.1）%. Art-PLGA nanoparticles showed higher parasite suppression （62.6%） compared to free artesunate （58.2%, P〈0.05）. Platelet counts were significantly higher in controls （305 000.00±148 492.40） than in mice treated with free artesunate （139 500.00±20 506.10） or Art-PLGA （163 500.00±3535.53） （P〈0.05）. There was no sign of hepatic toxicity following use of the tested drugs. The half maximal inhibitory concentration （IC50） of Art-PLGA （468.0 pg/ml） was significantly higher （P〈0.05） than that of free artesunate （7.3 pg/ml） in the in vitro cytotoxicity assay. Conclusions： A simple treatment of PLGA-entrapped artesunate nanoparticles with dual advantages of low toxicity and better antiplasmodial efficacy has been developed.

Uropathogens and diagnostic potential of pH and specific gravity in a rural community of Nigeria

Objective:To assess the association between urine pH and specific gravity(SG)and occurrence of urinary tract pathogens involved in urinary tract infection(UTI)in school pupils.Methods:Laboratory culture techniques and biochemical tests were carried out to identify the UTI-associated bacteria in school pupils’urine of United Nursery and Primary School,Ilara-Remo,in Ikenne Local Government area,Ogun State,Nigeria.Urine dip-stick tests were carried out on the samples to take pH and SG measurements.Results:The prevalence of urinary tract pathogens in the study population was 82.4%.This prevalence was not gender and age dependent(P>0.05).Escherichia coli(E.coli)(37.0%)and Klebsiella(0.9%)were the highest and least prevalent uropathogens.There was significant increase in proportion of subjects diagnosed with E.coli(37.5%),Staphylococcus aureus(32.0%),Klebsiella(57.1%)in pH 9,pH 6 and pH 8,respectively(P<0.05).However,an increase in proportion of individuals diagnosed with Proteus occurred in pH 6 and 9(31.3%each);these proportions were not significant compared with results in other pH categories(P>0.05).There were significant increase in proportion of subjects diagnosed with E.coli(50.0%),Proteus(56.3%),Staphylococcus aureus(44.0%),Klebsiella(71.4%)in SG 1.010,1.015,1.015 and 1.010,respectively(P<0.05).Conclusion:Therefore,the urine pH 9 and SG 1.010-1.015 are the best diagnostic indicators of UTI-associated uropathogens in school children.