Feature article about collaborative research of ParaFishControl and Nutriad International on functional feed additives in the "International Aquafeed" magazine, July edition 2017, pages 14-19.

Published: 28.07.2017

Excretory/secretory products of anisakid nematodes: biological and pathological roles. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 59:42. doi.org/10.1186/s13028-017-0310-3

Parasites from the family Anisakidae are widely distributed in marine fish populations worldwide and mainly nematodes of the three genera Anisakis, Pseudoterranova and Contracaecum have attracted attention due to their pathogenicity in humans. Human consumption of raw or underprocessed seafood containing third stage larvae of anisakid parasites may elicit a gastrointestinal disease (anisakidosis) and allergic responses. Excretory and secretory (ES) compounds produced by the parasites are assumed to be key players in clinical manifestation of the disease in humans, but the molecules are likely to play a general biological role in invertebrates and lower vertebrates as well. ES products have several functions during infection, e.g. penetration of host tissues and evasion of host immune responses, but are at the same time known to elicit immune responses (including antibody production) both in fish and mammals. ES proteins from anisakid nematodes, in particular Anisakis simplex, are currently applied for diagnostic purposes but recent evidence suggests that they also may have a therapeutic potential in immune-related diseases.

Anisakis simplex ©Wikimedia Commons, Anilocra

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Published: 27.07.2017

Feature article about ParaFishControl in the "International Aquafeed" magazine, June edition 2017, pages 14-19.

Characterization of BAFF and APRIL subfamily receptors in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Potential role of the BAFF / APRIL axis in the pathogenesis of proliferative kidney disease. PLoS ONE 12(3): e0174249. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174249

Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) is a parasitic infection of salmonid fish characterized by hyper-secretion of immunoglobulins in response to the presence of the myxozoan parasite, Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae. In this context, we hypothesized that the BAFF/APRIL axis, known to play a major role in B cell differentiation and survival in mammals, could be affected by the parasite and consequently be involved in the apparent shift in normal B cell activity. The results presented in this paper support the premise that the BAFF / APRIL axis plays an important role during PKD, which may open the possibility of new therapeutic treatments against the disease.

Rainbow trout © Kurt Buchmann, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

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