MEmE

FRAM Centre, Postboks 6606 Langnes, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway

 

VEI 100 10, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway

Domaine de Pixerecourt, Malzéville, Grand-Est, France

Islamabad, Pakistan

Dept of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production. Via Delpino 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy

Via Duca degli Abruzzi 8, Sassari, Sardegna, Italy

Deptartment of Animal Science, Upper Gallilee Regional Council, Kiryat Shmona, מחוז הצפון, Israel

Jericho, West Bank, Palestinian Territory

Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland

Emil-Wolff-Straße 34, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwaldi 30, Tartu, Estonia

Ülikooli 18, Tartu, Estonia

Rua Rio Ave 1600, Carnide, Área Metropolitana de Lisboa, Portugal

Avenida da República 2780, Oeiras e São Julião da Barra, Paço de Arcos e Caxias, Área Metropolitana de Lisboa, Portugal

Artillerivej 5, Copenhagen, Region Hovedstaden, Denmark

Ullevålsveien 68, Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Uppsala, Uppsala län, Sweden

Aleja Partyzantów 57, Puławy, województwo lubelskie, Poland

Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, De Bilt, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Südufer 10, Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Viale Regina Elena, Rome, Lazio, Italy

OHEJP Meme project logo

The Project #MEME

Start: 1 January 2020
Duration: 3.0 Years
Domain: Emerging Threats
Keywords: Echinococcus spp., cystic and alveolar echinococcosis, helminth parasites, molecular epidemiology, zoonotic helminths
Contact: Adriano Casulli (ISS)

MEmE: Multi-centre study on Echinococcus multilocularis and Echinococcus granulosus s.l. in Europe: development and harmonisation of diagnostic methods in the food chain

MEmE is an international multicentre collaborative project that aims to fill research gaps highlighted by international agencies for the detection and control and epidemiology of zoonotic parasites Echinococcus multilocularis (Em) and Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (Eg sl), causing alveolar echinococcosis (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE), respectively.

Project Outputs and Outcomes

MEmE achievements were:

  • The production of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the sampling of different matrices from naturally or experimentally infected definitive and intermediate animal hosts.
  • The validation of the parasitological (SSCT) and molecular diagnostic (multiplex- and MC-RT-PCRs) procedures to detect Em and Eg in different matrices along the food chain.
  • The development, validation and comparison of new molecular tools (comparison of DNA extraction and PCRs assays, novel probe-based qPCRs, PCR-RFLPs and multiplex PCR assays and NGS approach).
  • Multicentre studies for the production of data relevant for epidemiological assessments: contamination of fresh vegetables for human consumption by Em/Eg; prevalence of Em/Eg in dog faeces.
  • Quantitative assessment on the impact of human CE in Europe by means of systematic review approach.
  • Molecular and clinical epidemiology studies in selected geographical areas.
  • Dissemination of project results at different levels (general public, scientific community, experts, health authorities and media).

MEmE impacted on animal health, public health and food safety sectors. Beneficiaries of scientific outputs of MEmE are EU reference labs, international organizations and all decision makers. We provided a set of molecular tools, epidemiological risk assessments and quantitative epidemiological models for the detection, surveillance and control of these parasitic infectious diseases in Europe and beyond.

We are happy to share one of the main achievements of MEmE project, a quantitative research that aims to decrease the limit of uncertainty on the impact of human cystic echinococcosis in Europe that has been published by The Lancet Infectious Diseases:

Unveiling the incidences and trends of the neglected zoonosis cystic echinococcosis in Europe: a systematic review from the MEmE project.

The neglected zoonosis cystic echinococcosis affects mainly pastoral and rural communities in both low-income and upper-middle-income countries. In Europe, it should be regarded as an orphan and rare disease. Although human cystic echinococcosis is a notifiable parasitic infectious disease in most European countries, in practice it is largely under-reported by national health systems. To fill this gap, we extracted data on the number, incidence, and trend of human cases in Europe through a systematic review approach, using both the scientific and grey literature and accounting for the period of publication from 1997 to 2021. The highest number of possible human cases at the national level was calculated from various data sources to generate a descriptive model of human cystic echinococcosis in Europe. We identified 64 745 human cystic echinococcosis cases from 40 European countries. The mean annual incidence from 1997 to 2020 throughout Europe was 0·64 cases per 100 000 people and in EU member states was 0·50 cases per 100 000 people. Based on incidence rates and trends detected in this study, the current epicentre of cystic echinococcosis in Europe is in the south eastern European countries, whereas historical endemic European Mediterranean countries have recorded a decrease in the number of cases over the time.

Project Assets

Saarma, U., Skirnisson, K., Björnsdottir, T., Laurimäe, T., & Kinkar, L. (2023). Cystic echinococcosis in Iceland: A brief history and genetic analysis of a 46-year-old Echinococcus isolate collected prior to the eradication of this zoonotic disease. Parasitology. 150(7), 638-643. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182023000355

Laurimäe, T., Kinkar, L., Moks, E., Bagrade, G., & Saarma, U. (2023). Exploring the genetic diversity of genotypes G8 and G10 of the Echinococcus canadensis cluster in Europe based on complete mitochondrial genomes (13 550–13 552 bp). Parasitology. 150(7), 631-637. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182023000331

Casulli, A., Antinori, S., Bartoloni, A., D’Amelio, S., Gabrielli, A. F., Gazzoli, G., Rinaldi, L., Bruschi, F., & IN-NTD network (2023). Neglected Tropical Diseases in Italy: introducing IN-NTD, the Italian network for NTDs. Parasitology. 1–7. Advance online publication. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182023000422

Casulli, A., Abela-Ridder, B., Petrone, D., Fabiani, M., Bobić, B., Carmena, D., Šoba, B., Zerem, E., Gargaté, M. J., Kuzmanovska, G., Calomfirescu, C., Rainova, I., Sotiraki, S., Lungu, V., Dezsényi, B., Herrador, Z., Karamon, J., Maksimov, P., Oksanen, A., Millon, L., Sviben, M., Shkjezi, R., Gjoni, V., Akshija, I., Saarma, U., Torgerson, P., Šnábel, V., Antolová, D., Muhovic, D., Besim, H., Chereau, F., Belhassen G. M., Chappuis, F., Gloor, S., Stoeckle, M., Müllhaupt, B., Manno, V., Santoro, A., Santolamazza, F. (2022). Unveiling the incidences and trends of the neglected zoonosis cystic echinococcosis in Europe: a systematic review from the MEmE project. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 23(3), e95–e107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00638-7

Tamarozzi, F., Kibona, T., de Glanville, W.A., Mappi. T., Adonikamu, E., Salewi, A., Misso, K., Maro, V., Casulli, A., Santoro, A., Santolamazza, F., Mmbaga, B. T. & Cleaveland, S. (2022). Cystic echinococcosis in northern Tanzania: a pilot study in Maasai livestock-keeping communities. Parasites & Vectors. 15(1), 396. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-022-05518-x 

Casulli, A., Massolo, A., Saarma, U., Umhang, G., Santolamazza, F., Santoro, A. (2022). Species and genotypes belonging to Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato complex causing human cystic echinococcosis in Europe (2000–2021): a systematic review. Parasites Vectors. 15109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-022-05197-8

Korhonen, P.K., Kinkar, L., Young, N.D. et al. (2022). Chromosome-scale Echinococcus granulosus (genotype G1) genome reveals the Eg95 gene family and conservation of the EG95-vaccine molecule. Communications Biology. 5199. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03125-1

Issa, A.R., Arif, S.H., Mohammed, A.A., Santolamazza, F., Santoro, A., Mero, W.M.S., Casulli, A. (2022). Insights into Human Cystic Echinococcosis in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq: Characteristics and Molecular Identification of Cysts. Pathogens. 11(4), 408. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11040408

Peruzzu, A., Mastrandrea, S., Fancellu, A., Bonelli, P., Muehlethaler, K., Masala, G., Santucciu, C. (2022). Comparison and evaluation of analytic and diagnostic performances of four commercial kits for the detection of antibodies against Echinococcus granulosus and multilocularis in human sera. Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. 86, 101816. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cimid.2022.101816

Khan, H., Casulli, A., Harandi, M.F., Afzal, M.S., Saqib, M.A.N., Ahmed, H. A (2022). Retrospective Cohort Study on Human Cystic Echinococcosis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (Pakistan) Based on 16 Years of Hospital Discharge Records. Pathogens. 11, 194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11020194

Barth, T.F.E, Casulli, A. (2021). Morphological Characteristics of Alveolar and Cystic Echinococcosis Lesions in Human Liver and Bone. Pathogens. 10, 1326. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10101326

Schares, G., Joeres, M., Rachel, F., Tuschy, M., Czirják, GÁ., Maksimov, P., Conraths, FJ., Wachter, B. (2021). Molecular analysis suggests that Namibian cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are definitive hosts of a so far undescribed Besnoitia species. Parasites and Vectors. 14, 201. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04697-3

Casulli, A, (2021). New global targets for NTDs in the WHO roadmap 2021–2030. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 15(5):e0009373. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009373

Bonelli, P., Dei Giudici, S., Peruzzu, A., Mura, L., Santucciu, C., Maestrale, C., Masala, G. (2021). Identification of Echinococcus granulosus Genotypes G1 and G3 by SNPs Genotyping Assays. Pathogens. 10, 125. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10020125

Skrzypek, K., Karamon, J.,  Samorek-Pieróg, M., Dąbrowska, J., Kochanowski, M., Sroka, J., Bilska-Zając, E., Cencek Tomasz. (2020). Comparison of Two DNA Extraction Methods and Two PCRs for Detection of Echinococcus multilocularis in the Stool Samples of Naturally Infected Red Foxes. Animals. 10, 2381. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122381

Santucciu, C., Bonelli, P., Peruzzu, A., Fancellu, A., Marras, V., Carta, A., Mastrandrea, S., Bagella, G., Piseddu, T., Profili, S., Porcu, A., Masala, G. (2020). Cystic Echinococcosis: Clinical, Immunological, and Biomolecular Evaluation of Patients from Sardinia (Italy). Pathogens. 9(11), 907. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9110907

Santolamazza, F., Santoro, A., Possenti, A., Cacciò, S M., Casulli, A. (2020). A validated method to identify Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato at species level. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 85, 104575. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104575

Bonelli , P., Loi, F., Cancedda, MG., Peruzzu, A., Antuofermo, E., Pintore, E., Piseddu, T., Garippa, G., Masalam G. (2020). Bayesian Analysis of Three Methods for Diagnosis of Cystic Echinococcosis in Sheep. Pathogens. 9(10), 796. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9100796

Maksimov, P., Bergmann, H., Wassermann, M., Romig, T., Gottstein, B., Casulli, A., Conraths, FJ. (2020). Species Detection within the Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato Complex by Novel Probe-Based Real-Time PCRs. Pathogens, 9(10), 791. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9100791

M’rad, S., Oudni-M’rad, M., Bastid, V., Bournez, L., Mosbahi, S., Nouri, A., Babba, H., Grenouillet, F., Boué, F., Umhang, G. (2020). Microsatellite Investigations of Multiple Echinococcus granulosus Sensu Stricto Cysts in Single Hosts Reveal Different Patterns of Infection Events between Livestock and Humans. Pathogens, 9(6), pp. 444. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9060444

Casulli, A, (2020), Recognising the substantial burden of neglected pandemics cystic and alveolar echinococcosis, The Lancet, 8 (4):PE470-E471. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30066-8

Project

Project Events

MEmE Kick-off meeting- 5-6th February 2020

One Health EJP Project Kick-off meeting- 13th November 2019, Berlin, Germany

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