Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia.
Parasit Vectors. 2018 Jan 25;11(1):59. doi: 10.1186/s13071-018-2621-2.
We present evidence that the dog hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum) is underutilised in the study of host-parasite interactions, particularly as a proxy for the human-hookworm relationship. The inability to passage hookworms through all life stages in vitro means that adult stage hookworms have to be harvested from the gut of their definitive hosts for ex vivo research. This makes study of the human-hookworm interface difficult for technical and ethical reasons. The historical association of humans, dogs and hookworms presents a unique triad of positive evolutionary pressure to drive the A. caninum-canine interaction to reflect that of the human-hookworm relationship. Here we discuss A. caninum as a proxy for human hookworm infection and situate this hookworm model within the current research agenda, including the various 'omics' applications and the search for next generation biologics to treat a plethora of human diseases. Historically, the dog hookworm has been well described on a physiological and biochemical level, with an increasing understanding of its role as a human zoonosis. With its similarity to human hookworm, the recent publications of hookworm genomes and other omics databases, as well as the ready availability of these parasites for ex vivo culture, the dog hookworm presents itself as a valuable tool for discovery and translational research.
我们提供的证据表明，犬钩虫（Ancylostoma caninum）在宿主-寄生虫相互作用的研究中未得到充分利用，特别是作为人类与钩虫关系的替代物。无法在体外通过所有生命阶段传递钩虫意味着必须从其终宿主的肠道中收获成体钩虫，以便进行离体研究。由于技术和伦理原因，研究人类与钩虫的界面变得困难。由于人类、狗和钩虫之间的历史关联，对 A. caninum-犬类相互作用产生了独特的正进化压力，使其反映出人类与钩虫的关系。在这里，我们将 A. caninum 作为人类钩虫感染的替代物进行讨论，并将这种钩虫模型置于当前的研究议程中，包括各种“组学”应用和寻找下一代生物制剂来治疗大量人类疾病。从历史上看，犬钩虫在生理和生化水平上得到了很好的描述，并且对其作为人类人畜共患病的作用的理解也在不断加深。由于与人类钩虫相似，最近发表的钩虫基因组和其他组学数据库，以及这些寄生虫用于离体培养的便利性，犬钩虫本身就是一个用于发现和转化研究的有价值的工具。
