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Transcriptomic insights into the early host-pathogen interaction of cat intestine with Toxoplasma gondii (2018)
Journal Article
Wang, M., Zhang, F., Elsheikha, H. M., Zhang, N., He, J., Luo, J., & Zhu, X. (2018). Transcriptomic insights into the early host-pathogen interaction of cat intestine with Toxoplasma gondii. Parasites and Vectors, 11(1), Article 592. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-3179-8

Background: Although sexual reproduction of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii exclusively occurs in the cat intestine, knowledge about the alteration of gene expression in the intestine of cats infected with T. gondii is still limited. Here, we investig... Read More about Transcriptomic insights into the early host-pathogen interaction of cat intestine with Toxoplasma gondii.

The pervasive effects of recombinant Fasciola gigantica Ras-related protein Rab10 on the functions of goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells (2018)
Journal Article
Tian, A., Lu, M., Zhang, F., Calderón-Mantilla, G., Petsalaki, E., Tian, X., …Zhu, X. (2018). The pervasive effects of recombinant Fasciola gigantica Ras-related protein Rab10 on the functions of goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Parasites and Vectors, 11, Article 579. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-3148-2

Background: Fasciola gigantica-induced immunomodulation is a major hurdle faced by the host for controlling infection. Here, we elucidated the role of F. gigantica Ras-related protein Rab10 (FgRab10) in the modulation of key functions of peripheral b... Read More about The pervasive effects of recombinant Fasciola gigantica Ras-related protein Rab10 on the functions of goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Survey-based pilot study into the chosen therapy and prophylaxis used by UK primary care veterinary surgeons against canine angiostrongylosis (2018)
Journal Article
Shuttleworth, A., Dunning, M., Wright, I., & Elsheikha, H. M. (2018). Survey-based pilot study into the chosen therapy and prophylaxis used by UK primary care veterinary surgeons against canine angiostrongylosis. Veterinary parasitology (Amsterdam), 14, 144-149. doi:10.1016/j.vprsr.2018.10.010

Canine Angiostrongylosis (CA), a gastropod-borne parasitic infection caused by the metastrongyloid nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum, is an important cause of significant morbidity to domestic dogs across the UK as well as in other European countries.... Read More about Survey-based pilot study into the chosen therapy and prophylaxis used by UK primary care veterinary surgeons against canine angiostrongylosis.

Acute Toxoplasma gondii infection in cats induced tissue-specific transcriptional response dominated by immune signatures (2018)
Journal Article
Cong, W., Dottorini, T., Khan, F., Emes, R. D., Zhang, F., Zhou, C., …Zhu, X. (2018). Acute Toxoplasma gondii infection in cats induced tissue-specific transcriptional response dominated by immune signatures. Frontiers in Immunology, 9, Article 2403. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.02403

RNA-sequencing was used to detect transcriptional changes in six tissues of cats, seven days after T. gondii infection. A total of 737 genes were differentially expressed (DEGs), of which 410 were up-regulated and 327 were down-regulated. The liver e... Read More about Acute Toxoplasma gondii infection in cats induced tissue-specific transcriptional response dominated by immune signatures.

Metallome of cerebrovascular endothelial cells infected with Toxoplasma gondii using ?-XRF imaging and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (2018)
Journal Article
Al-sandaqchi, A. T., Brignell, C., Collingwood, J. F., Geraki, K., Mirkes, E. M., Kong, K., …Elsheikha, H. M. (2018). Metallome of cerebrovascular endothelial cells infected with Toxoplasma gondii using μ-XRF imaging and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Metallomics, 1401-1414. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8MT00136G

In this study, we measured the levels of elements in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) infected with T. gondii. ECs were infected with tachyzoites of the RH strain, and at 6, 24, and 48 hours post infection (hpi), the intracellular co... Read More about Metallome of cerebrovascular endothelial cells infected with Toxoplasma gondii using ?-XRF imaging and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Parasites and pets: a veterinary nursing guide (2018)
Book
Elsheikha, H., Wright, I. G., & McGarry, J. W. (2018). H. M. Elsheikha (Ed.). Parasites and pets: a veterinary nursing guide. CAB International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781786394040.0000

This book, primarily focussing on parasitic diseases of cats and dogs, is designed specifically for veterinary nurses and students and adopts an enquiry based approach essential for consolidating knowledge and a deep practical understanding of this i... Read More about Parasites and pets: a veterinary nursing guide.

Prevalence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in pets and their owners in Shandong province, Eastern China (2018)
Journal Article
Cong, W., Elsheikha, H. M., Zhou, N., Peng, P., Qin, S., Meng, Q., & Qian, A. (2018). Prevalence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in pets and their owners in Shandong province, Eastern China. BMC Infectious Diseases, 18(1), Article 430. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-018-3307-2

Background: Pet ownership in China has been steadily increasing over recent years. However, the risk of pet-associated zoonotic infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii remains poorly defined. Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, we... Read More about Prevalence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in pets and their owners in Shandong province, Eastern China.

Functional characterization of dense granule proteins in Toxoplasma gondii RH strain using CRISPR-Cas9 system (2018)
Journal Article
Bai, M., Wang, J., Elsheikha, H. M., Liang, Q., Chen, K., Nie, L., & Zhu, X. (2018). Functional characterization of dense granule proteins in Toxoplasma gondii RH strain using CRISPR-Cas9 system. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 8, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2018.00300

Infection with the apicomplexan protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is an ongoing public health problem. The parasite's ability to invade and replicate within the host cell is dependent on many effectors, such as dense granule proteins (GRAs) releas... Read More about Functional characterization of dense granule proteins in Toxoplasma gondii RH strain using CRISPR-Cas9 system.

Immunization with plasmid DNA expressing Heat Shock Protein 40 confers prophylactic protection against chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection in Kunming mice (2018)
Journal Article
Li, Z., Lu, J., Zhang, N., Elsheikha, H. M., Hou, J., Guo, H., & Zhu, X. (2018). Immunization with plasmid DNA expressing Heat Shock Protein 40 confers prophylactic protection against chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection in Kunming mice. Parasite, 25, Article 37. https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2018040

Toxoplasma gondii causes one of the most common protozoal diseases of humans and animals worldwide. With the aim of designing an effective vaccine against T. gondii infection, we examined the immunogenicity of a DNA vaccine expressing heat shock prot... Read More about Immunization with plasmid DNA expressing Heat Shock Protein 40 confers prophylactic protection against chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection in Kunming mice.

Optical sectioning in multi-foci Raman hyperspectral imaging (2018)
Journal Article
Liao, Z., Sinjab, F., Elsheikha, H. M., & Notingher, I. (2018). Optical sectioning in multi-foci Raman hyperspectral imaging. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 49(10), 1660-1667. https://doi.org/10.1002/jrs.5450

In this study, we compared the depth-discrimination and speed performance of multi-foci Raman hyperspectral imaging with the reference standard of a single laser point confocal Raman mapping. A liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) was empl... Read More about Optical sectioning in multi-foci Raman hyperspectral imaging.

Immunization with a DNA vaccine cocktail encoding TgPF, TgROP16, TgROP18, TgMIC6, and TgCDPK3 genes protects mice against chronic toxoplasmosis (2018)
Journal Article
Zhang, N., Gao, Q., Wang, M., Elsheikha, H. M., Wang, B., Wang, J., …Zhu, X. (in press). Immunization with a DNA vaccine cocktail encoding TgPF, TgROP16, TgROP18, TgMIC6, and TgCDPK3 genes protects mice against chronic toxoplasmosis. Frontiers in Immunology, 9, https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.01505

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii; and a major source of infection in humans is via ingestion of T. gondii tissue cysts. Ultimately, the goal of anti-toxoplasmosis vaccines is to elicit a sust... Read More about Immunization with a DNA vaccine cocktail encoding TgPF, TgROP16, TgROP18, TgMIC6, and TgCDPK3 genes protects mice against chronic toxoplasmosis.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals Toxoplasma gondii strain-specific differences in host cell response to dense granule protein GRA15 (2018)
Journal Article
Liu, Q., Gao, W., Elsheikha, H. M., He, J., Li, F., Yang, W., & Zhu, X. (2018). Transcriptomic analysis reveals Toxoplasma gondii strain-specific differences in host cell response to dense granule protein GRA15. Parasitology Research, 117(9), 2785–2793. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-018-5966-8

Growth and replication of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii within host cell entail the production of several effector proteins, which the parasite exploits for counteracting the host’s immune response. Despite considerable research to define... Read More about Transcriptomic analysis reveals Toxoplasma gondii strain-specific differences in host cell response to dense granule protein GRA15.

Toxocariasis: a silent threat with a progressive public health impact (2018)
Journal Article
Chen, J., Liu, Q., Liu, G., Zheng, W., Hong, S., Sugiyama, H., …Elsheikha, H. M. (in press). Toxocariasis: a silent threat with a progressive public health impact. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 7(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-018-0437-0

Background: Toxocariasis is a neglected parasitic zoonosis that afflicts millions of the pediatric and adolescent populations worldwide, especially in impoverished communities. This disease is caused by infection with the larvae of Toxocara canis and... Read More about Toxocariasis: a silent threat with a progressive public health impact.

Hepatic metabolomics investigation in acute and chronic murine toxoplasmosis (2018)
Journal Article
Chen, X., Elsheikha, H. M., Hu, R., Hu, G., Guo, S., Zhou, C., & Zhu, X. (2018). Hepatic metabolomics investigation in acute and chronic murine toxoplasmosis. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 8, doi:10.3389/fcimb.2018.00189

Toxoplasma gondii poses a great threat to human health, with no approved vaccine available for the treatment of T. gondii infection. T. gondii infections are not limited to the brain, and may also affect other organs especially the liver. Identificat... Read More about Hepatic metabolomics investigation in acute and chronic murine toxoplasmosis.

A novel recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay for the rapid isothermal detection of Neospora caninum in aborted bovine fetuses (2018)
Journal Article
Tian, A., Elsheikha, H. M., Zhou, D., Wu, Y., Chen, M., Wang, M., …Zhu, X. (2018). A novel recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay for the rapid isothermal detection of Neospora caninum in aborted bovine fetuses. Veterinary Parasitology, 258, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2018.06.004

The development of a method to rapidly diagnose Neospora caninum infection is highly desirable. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), combined with lateral flow (LF) strips, is a novel approach to rapidly amplify and visualize DNA. We have deve... Read More about A novel recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay for the rapid isothermal detection of Neospora caninum in aborted bovine fetuses.

Live-attenuated Pru: Δcdpk2 strain of Toxoplasma gondii protects against acute, chronic and congenital toxoplasmosis (2018)
Journal Article
Wang, J., Li, T., Elsheikha, H. M., Chen, K., Cong, W., Yang, W., …Zhu, X. (2018). Live-attenuated Pru: Δcdpk2 strain of Toxoplasma gondii protects against acute, chronic and congenital toxoplasmosis. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 218(5), 768–777. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiy211

Background: The threat of Toxoplasma gondii infection in immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women necessitates the development of a safe and effective vaccine. Here, we examined the immune protection conferred by live-attenuated strain of T.... Read More about Live-attenuated Pru: Δcdpk2 strain of Toxoplasma gondii protects against acute, chronic and congenital toxoplasmosis.

Holographic optical trapping Raman micro-spectroscopy for interacting live cells (2018)
Working Paper
Sinjab, F., Elsheikha, H. M., Awuah, D., Gibson, G., Padgett, M., Ghaemmaghami, A. M., & Notingher, I. Holographic optical trapping Raman micro-spectroscopy for interacting live cells

We present a combined holographic optical tweezers and confocal Raman spectroscopy instrument which allows fast, flexible, and interactive manipulation with molecular measurement of interacting live cell systems. Multiple laser foci created using a s... Read More about Holographic optical trapping Raman micro-spectroscopy for interacting live cells.

A recombinant Fasciola gigantica 14-3-3 epsilon protein (rFg14-3-3e) modulates various functions of goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells (2018)
Journal Article
Tian, A., Lu, M., Calderón-Mantilla, G., Petsalaki, E., Dottorini, T., Tian, X., …Zhu, X. (2018). A recombinant Fasciola gigantica 14-3-3 epsilon protein (rFg14-3-3e) modulates various functions of goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Parasites and Vectors, 11(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-2745-4

Background The molecular structure of Fasciola gigantica 14-3-3 protein has been characterized. However, the involvement of this protein in parasite pathogenesis remains elusive and its effect on the functions of innate immune cells is unknown. We... Read More about A recombinant Fasciola gigantica 14-3-3 epsilon protein (rFg14-3-3e) modulates various functions of goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Identification of two novel host proteins interacting with Toxoplasma gondii 14-3-3 protein by yeast two-hybrid system (2018)
Journal Article
Li, F., Liu, Q., Elsheikha, H. M., Yang, W., Hou, J., & Zhu, X. (in press). Identification of two novel host proteins interacting with Toxoplasma gondii 14-3-3 protein by yeast two-hybrid system. Parasitology Research, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-018-5812-z

Toxoplasma gondii deploys many effector proteins in order to hijack and manipulate host cell signaling pathways, allowing parasite colonization, subversion of immune responses, and disease progression. T. gondii effector protein 14-3-3 (Tg14-3-3) pro... Read More about Identification of two novel host proteins interacting with Toxoplasma gondii 14-3-3 protein by yeast two-hybrid system.