Trichomonads are flagellated protozoa that have occasionally been detected in the human respiratory tract, although detection rates have often been underestimated. We applied a nested PCR assay targeting the 18S rRNA gene of trichomonads to induced sputum from asthma patients to determine the prevalence of Trichomonas. Induced sputum was collected from 41 adults with asthma and analyzed through nested PCR using broad-range trichomonad primers and DNA sequencing for species identification. Nested PCR detected trichomonad DNA in 10 of the 41 (24.4%) samples. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed Trichomonas tenax in 8 cases and Tetratrichomonas sp. in 2 cases. These findings indicate that trichomonads can be present in the lower airways of patients with asthma, warranting further investigation into their clinical relevance.
The gut microbiome plays an essential role in host immune responses, including allergic reactions. However, commensal gut microbiota is extremely sensitive to antibiotics and excessive usage can cause microbial dysbiosis. Herein, we investigated how changes in the gut microbiome induced by ampicillin affected the production of IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies in mice subsequently exposed to Anisakis pegreffii antigens. Ampicillin treatment caused a notable change in the gut microbiome as shown by changes in both alpha and beta diversity indexes. In a 1-dimensional immunoblot using Anisakis-specific anti-mouse IgG1, a 56-kDa band corresponding to an unnamed Anisakis protein was detected using mass spectrometry analysis only in ampicillin-treated mice. In the Anisakis-specific anti-mouse IgG2a-probed immunoblot, a 70-kDa band corresponding to heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) was only detected in ampicillin-treated and Anisakis-immunized mice. A 2-dimensional immunoblot against Anisakis extract with immunized mouse sera demonstrated altered spot patterns in both groups. Our results showed that ampicillin treatment altered the gut microbiome composition in mice, changing the immunization response to antigens from A. pegreffii. This research could serve as a basis for developing vaccines or allergy immunotherapies against parasitic infections.
Cockroaches can cause allergic sensitization in humans via contact with their feces or frass. Antibiotics can affect concentration of major allergen and total bacteria production in German cockroaches (Blattella germanica). This study examined the ability of antibiotic-treated German cockroaches to induce allergic airway inflammation and the effect of antibiotics on their lipopolysaccharide and Bla g1, 2, and 5 expression levels. Specifically, we measured the ability of German cockroach extract (with or without prior antibiotic exposure) to induce allergic inflammation in human bronchial epithelial cells and a mouse model of asthma. Bacterial 16S rRNA and lipopolysaccharide levels were lower in ampicillin-treated cockroaches than in the control group. The Bla g1, Bla g2, and Bla g5 expression in ampicillin-treated cockroaches decreased at both the protein and RNA levels. In human bronchial epithelial cell lines BEAS-2B exposed to the ampicillin-treated extract, expression levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 were lower than that in the control group. The total cell count and eosinophil count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was also lower in mice exposed to the ampicillin-treated extract than in those exposed to normal cockroach extract. Mouse lung histopathology showed reduced immune cell infiltration and mucus production in the ampicillin group. Our results showed that ampicillin treatment reduced the symbiont bacterial population and major allergen levels in German cockroaches, leading to reduced airway inflammation in mice. These results can facilitate the preparation of protein extracts for immunotherapy or diagnostics applications.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Asthma research in mice: An overview of current models and their methodological variability Yan-Jiao Chen, Cai-Tao Chen, Gabriel Shimizu Bassi, Yong-Qing Yang International Reviews of Immunology.2025; 44(3): 127. CrossRef
Invasive indoor pests under the microbiological lens: bacterial and viral diversity from local to global scales in bed bugs and cockroaches Jose E Pietri, Maureen Laroche Current Opinion in Insect Science.2025; 69: 101344. CrossRef
Multi-omics of cockroaches infected with Salmonella Typhimurium identifies molecular signatures of vector colonization Diing DM Agany, Eduardo A. Callegari, Maria D. Paez, Jose E. Pietri BMC Genomics.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Microbiome of laboratory‐reared and environmentally collected cockroaches Sohyeon Yun, Jun Ho Choi, Singeun Oh, Myungjun Kim, Myung‐hee Yi, Dongjun Kang, Yun Soo Jang, In‐Yong Lee, Tai‐Soon Yong, Juan Kim, Heung Chul Kim, Jae Rok Lee, Ju Yeong Kim Entomological Research.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Ticks can transmit pathogenic bacteria, protozoa, and viruses to humans and animals. In this study, we investigated the microbiomes of Haemaphysalis longicornis according to sex and life stages. The Shannon index was significantly higher for nymphs than adult ticks. Principal coordinates analysis showed that the microbiome composition of female adult and male adult ticks were different. Notably, Coxiella-like bacterium (AB001519), known as a tick symbiont, was found in all nymphs and female adult ticks, but only one out of 4 male adult ticks had Coxiella-like bacterium (AB001519). In addition, Rickettsia rickettsii, Coxiella burnetii, and Anaplasma bovis were detected in this study.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Unveiling the Presence of Coxiella-like bacteria in Rhipicephalus microplus Ticks from Punjab, North India: A 16S rRNA metagenomic study Vikas Sharma, Shriya Goel, Kamlesh Bisht, Taruna Kaura, Salony Verma, Abhishek Mewara, Gagandeep Singh Grover, Manisha Biswal Veterinary Microbiology.2026; 312: 110783. CrossRef
Microbiome Composition of Haemaphysalis flava in Korea and Diversity Analysis Based on Region, Developmental Stage, and Sex Min Kyu Sang, Jie eun Park, Dae Kwon Song, Jun Yang Jeong, Chan‐Eui Hong, Hyeonjun Shin, Hyeok Lee, Kyoung Won Lee, Hee Ju Hwang, Hyun woo Kim, Seong Yoon Kim, Wook‐Gyo Lee, So Young Park, Se Won Kang, Jung Han Park, Bharat Bhusan Patnaik, Sung‐Jae Cha, S Entomological Research.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Analysis of tick-borne pathogens using next-generation sequencing in ticks from wild animals in the Republic of Korea Hye-Ryung Byun, Mi-Sun Rieu, Seong-Ryeong Ji, Hyun-Young Nam, Seulgi Seo, Chang-Yong Choi, Ki-Jeong Na, Jong-Taek Kim, Soyeon Cho, Bo-Yeon Hwang, Joon-Seok Chae Journal of Veterinary Science.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Nationwide investigation of eukaryotic pathogens in ticks from cattle and sheep in Kyrgyzstan using metabarcoding Singeun Oh, Nathalie Amvongo-Adjia, Hyun Jung Kim, Jun Ho Choi, Xavier Chavarria, Myung-hee Yi, Arwa Shatta, Bekbolsun Aknazarov, Ju Yeong Kim, Jung-Won Ju, Bekir Oguz PLOS One.2025; 20(8): e0327953. CrossRef
Microbiome of Invasive Tick Species Haemaphysalis longicornis in North Carolina, USA Loganathan Ponnusamy, Nicholas Travanty, D. Watson, Steven Seagle, Ross Boyce, Michael Reiskind Insects.2024; 15(3): 153. CrossRef
Organ-specific bacterial microbiota in the engorged female
Haemaphysalis longicornis
ticks
Sisi Li, Chen Yang, Yufan Zhang, Kaili Chen, Xiaoyu Zhang, Jingze Liu, Yankai Zhang International Journal of Acarology.2024; 50(3): 320. CrossRef
Effect of Silencing subolesin and enolase impairs gene expression, engorgement and reproduction in Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks Md. Samiul Haque, Mohammad Saiful Islam, Myung-Jo You Journal of Veterinary Science.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Microbiome of two adult tick species and their laboratory-reared offspring shows intra- and inter-species differences Joshua Kamani, Jonathan Gonçalves-Oliveira, Jerome Nicolas Janssen, Joby Robleto Quesada, Yaarit Nachum-Biala, Shimon Harrus, Ricardo Gutiérrez Acta Tropica.2024; 257: 107315. CrossRef
Comparative microbiome analysis of Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks at the Korea Combat Training Center in 2022 Minsung Kim, Singeun Oh, Myung‐hee Yi, Myungjun Kim, Sohyeon Yun, Jun Ho Choi, Moonsoo Yoon, Tai‐Soon Yong, Buddle Lee, Kyung Tae Noh, Quehn Park, Chanhee Lee, Ju Yeong Kim Entomological Research.2023; 53(12): 627. CrossRef
Bacterial microbiota analysis demonstrates that ticks can acquire bacteria from habitat and host blood meal Si-Si Li, Xiao-Yu Zhang, Xue-Jiao Zhou, Kai-Li Chen, Abolfazl Masoudi, Jing-Ze Liu, Yan-Kai Zhang Experimental and Applied Acarology.2022; 87(1): 81. CrossRef
Characterization of Haemaphysalis longicornis microbiome collected from different regions of Korean peninsula Min Kyu Sang, Jie eun Park, Dae Kwon Song, Jun Yang Jeong, Hee Ju Hwang, Hyun woo Kim, Tae Yun Kim, So Young Park, Se Won Kang, Bharat Bhusan Patnaik, Sung‐Jae Cha, Yeon Soo Han, Hee Il Lee, Yong Seok Lee Entomological Research.2022; 52(6): 271. CrossRef
The toxicity of the monoterpenes from lemongrass is mitigated by the detoxifying symbiosis of bacteria and fungi in the tick Haemaphysalis longicornis Desmond O. Agwunobi, Min Wang, Zihao Wang, Ruwei Bai, Ruotong Wang, Qiuyu Hu, Zhijun Yu, Jingze Liu Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.2022; 247: 114261. CrossRef
First
Prev
