Imported parasitic diseases in China's Mainland:current status and perspectives for better control and prevention

Background:The high prevalence of parasitic diseases leads to millions of deaths and disabilities each year in developing countries.China has also been greatly affected by parasitic infections,including filariasis,leishmaniasis,malaria,schistosomiasis,and soil-transmitted nematodosis.However,the situation in China improved dramatically after comprehensive parasitic disease control efforts were strengthened,leading to the elimination of filariasis in 2006 and to significant control over other diseases.However,imported parasitic disease cases are inevitable,and such cases have increasingly been reported as a result of enhanced globalization and international or regional cooperation.These imported diseases represent a major obstacle to the elimination of several parasitoses,such as malaria.Main text:This paper reviews imported cases of parasitic diseases in China's Mainland,particularly malaria and schistosomiasis,based on data reported separately by the Chinese annual reports and from other published papers.We summarize the new challenges that face parasitic disease control efforts in China's Mainland and perspectives regarding better control.We argue that both the provision of professional education and updated training for medical care personnel and the management and surveillance of people entering China are essential.We recommend that Chinese migrant workers should be considered a priority group for health education and that public awareness of imported diseases should be emphasized.Furthermore,we underscore the importance of investigating the distribution of introduced/potential vectors,parasite susceptibility,and improvements in diagnostic techniques and drug stocks.Conclusions:Imported cases have become the main challenge to the elimination of several parasitoses,such as malaria and schistosomiasis,in China's Mainland.China should act to meet these challenges,which are closely associated with national biological safety.

The role of gene variants in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders as revealed by next generation sequencing studies:a review

The clinical diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders based on phenotype is difficult in heterogeneous conditions with overlapping symptoms.It does not take into account the disease etiology or the highly variable clinical course even amongst patients diagnosed with the same disorder.The advent of next generation sequencing(NGS)has allowed for a system-wide,unbiased approach to identify all gene variants in the genome simultaneously.With the plethora of new genes being identified,genetic rather than phenotype-based classification of Mendelian diseases such as spinocerebellar ataxia(SCA),hereditary spastic paraplegia(HSP)and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease(CMT)has become widely accepted.It has also become clear that gene variants play a role in common and predominantly sporadic neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease(PD)and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS).The observation of pleiotropy has emerged,with mutations in the same gene giving rise to diverse phenotypes,which further increases the complexity of phenotype-genotype correlation.Possible mechanisms of pleiotropy include different downstream effects of different mutations in the same gene,presence of modifier genes,and oligogenic inheritance.Future directions include development of bioinformatics tools and establishment of more extensive public genotype/phenotype databases to better distinguish deleterious gene variants from benign polymorphisms,translation of genetic findings into pathogenic mechanisms through in-vitro and in-vivo studies,and ultimately finding disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative disorders.

Laboratory-acquired infections with Brucella bacteria in China

Brucellosis is an important zoonotic infectious disease and is an important public health problemthat causes serious economic consequences to the livestock industry.Brucella spp.comprise one of the most common pathogens causing laboratory-acquired infections(LAIs)and are becoming an increasingly important biosafety issue.To understand the significance of Brucella LAIs in China,related papers were search based on three Chinese databases(CNKI,Wanfang,and VIP),as well as PubMed.After assessment,37 total cases were evaluated,including 27 students,seven laboratory technicians(one pregnant),two housekeeping staff,and one instructor.The age,sex,incubation period,pathogen detection results,and potential routes of infections were collected and analyzed.All LAIs occurred due to improper operations,inadequate biosafety training,and substandard laboratory safety conditions.Therefore,it is urgent to establish a comprehensive and systematic biosafety prevention/control system in laboratories to protect staff members from accidental exposures and LAIs;further,possible risks and control measures for the management of such infections were proposed.

Parasitology should not be abandoned:data from outpatient parasitological testing in Guangdong,China

Over the past six decades,the Chinese government made parasitoses with a high disease burden,including soiltransmitted nematode infections,malaria,leishmaniasis,filariasis,and schistosomiasis,a public health priority because they were seen to be crucial impediments to the development of rural areas.As a result,these debilitating parasitic diseases that used to be widely prevalent have been well controlled or eliminated.Consequently,less attention has been paid to parasitic infection during the rapid development of the economy,especially in developed areas.However,our investigations conducted in the parasitological laboratory of Sun Yat-sen University(Guangzhou,Guangdong,China)show that emerging parasitic diseases still threaten many people’s health,with 340 of 880 outpatients(38.6%)receiving a diagnosis of parasitic disease,among whom 201(59.1%)had clonorchiasis and 120(35.3%)had taeniasis/cysticercosis.Furthermore,our doctors are not equipped with sufficient parasitology knowledge because this discipline is not able to maintain attraction.Many parasitic infections that result in severe consequences are treatable and preventable,but the phenomena of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis are common and merit attention.