81 research outputs found
Prolonged Fever, Hepatosplenomegaly, and Pancytopenia in a 46-Year-Old Woman
Liran Levy and colleagues discuss the differential diagnosis, investigation, and management of a 46-year-old woman with fever, weakness, night sweats, and weight loss
Simultaneous detection of Mycobacterium bovis and M. tuberculosis in an apparentlyimmunocompetent patient
Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains the main cause
of human tuberculosis (TB), with an unknown proportion
of cases caused by M. bovis. Here we describe
a case of pulmonary TB caused by mixed infection as
studied from sequential sputum sampling and isolation
of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis using a reverse
dot blot (RDB) assay
Epidemiological and clinical features of cutaneous leishmaniases in Jenin District,Palestine, including characterisation of the causative agents in clinical samples
During 2002–2009, 466 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) were reported from Jenin
District, Palestine, affecting both genders. The average annual incidence was 23 cases per
100 000 inhabitants, increasing with age in children. Most cases presented a single lesion,
generally on the face. Diagnosis and species identification was done by applying internal
transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) RFLP analysis to 47 isolates, of which 44 (93.6%) were Leishmania
tropica and 3 (6.4%) were L. major. RFLP analysis was also performed on 256 skin tissue scrapings
spotted onto filter papers, showing that 138 (53.9%) were positive, of which 50.7% were
infected with L. tropica, 17.4% with L. major and 2.9% with L. donovani s.l., and 29.0% could
not be identified. This is the first report from Palestine on human CL caused by L. infantum.
Nine of the strains of L. tropica were subjected to multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, six
of which belonged to the zymodeme MON-137 and three to a new zymodeme (MON-307).
This separation was corroborated by excreted factor serotyping. This observation modifies
the classical epidemiological view of CL in Palestine. Jenin District is an active focus of CL
caused by L. tropica, where Phlebotomus sergenti, the putative vector, is abundant. These
data suggest that CL is a zoonotic infection, but an animal reservoir has not been found.This research was supported by the
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) as part of a
German–Israeli–Palestinian co-operation project on the
Emergence of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Middle East:
an investigation of Leishmania tropica in the Palestinian
Authority and Israel
Genetic characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the West Bank, Palestinian Territories
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared human tuberculosis (TB) a global health emergency and launched the “Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis” which aims to save a million lives by 2015. Global control of TB is increasingly dependent on rapid and accurate genetic typing of species of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex including M. tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to identify and genetically characterize the MTB isolates circulating in the West Bank, Palestinian Territories. Genotyping of the MTB isolates from patients with pulmonary TB was carried out using two molecular genetic techniques, spoligotyping and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number of tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) supported by analysis of the MTB specific deletion 1 (TbD1). FINDINGS: A total of 17 MTB patterns were obtained from the 31 clinical isolates analyzed by spoligotyping; corresponding to 2 orphans and 15 shared-types (SITs). Fourteen SITs matched a preexisting shared-type in the SITVIT2 database, whereas a single shared-type SIT3348 was newly created. The most common spoligotyping profile was SIT53 (T1 variant), identified in 35.5 % of the TB cases studied. Genetic characterization of 22 clinical isolates via the 15 loci MIRU-VNTR typing distinguished 19 patterns. The 15-loci MIT144 and MIT145 were newly created within this study. Both methods determined the present of M. bovis strains among the isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Significant diversity among the MTB isolates circulating in the West Bank was identified with SIT53-T1 genotype being the most frequent strain. Our results are used as reference database of the strains circulating in our region and may facilitate the implementation of an efficient TB control program
First-Time Detection of Mycobacterium bovis in Livestock Tissues and Milk in the West Bank, Palestinian Territories
Background: Bovine tuberculosis, bTB, is classified by the WHO as one of the seven neglected zoonontic diseases that cause
animal health problems and has high potential to infect humans. In the West Bank, bTB was not studied among animals and
the prevalence of human tuberculosis caused by M. bovis is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the
prevalence of bTB among cattle and goats and identify the molecular characteristics of bTB in our area.
Methodology/principal findings: A total of 208 tissue samples, representing 104 animals, and 150 raw milk samples,
obtained from cows and goats were examined for the presence of mycobacteria. The tissue samples were collected during
routine meat inspection from the Jericho abattoir. DNA was extracted from all samples, milk and tissue biopsies (n = 358),
and screened for presence of TB DNA by amplifying a 123-bp segment of the insertion sequence IS6110. Eight out of 254
animals (3.1%) were found to be TB positive based on the IS6110-PCR. Identification of M. bovis among the positive TB
samples was carried out via real time PCR followed by high resolution melt curve analysis, targeting the A/G transition along
the oxyR gene. Spoligotyping analysis revealed a new genotype of M. bovis that was revealed from one tissue sample.
Significance: Detection of M. bovis in tissue and milk of livestock suggests that apparently healthy cattle and goats are a
potential source of infection of bTB and may pose a risk to public health. Hence, appropriate measures including meat
inspection at abattoirs in the region are required together with promotion of a health campaign emphasizing the
importance of drinking pasteurized milk. In addition, further studies are essential at the farm level to determine the exact
prevalence of bTB in goats and cattle herds in the West Bank and Israel.Financial support was provided by the Dutch government; project M27-072NVHU 2009 02 ‘Vector-Borne Pathogens in Israel and the Palestinian Authority.’ The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
Incidence of Echinococcus granulosus in Domestic Dogs in Palestine as Revealed by Copro-PCR
Hydatidosis or echinococcosisis considered a neglected zoonotic disease despite its high
burden in the livestock industry and the high risk of infection by humans in endemic areas.
In a cross-sectional study we estimated the copro-Incidence and also genotyped Echinococcus
granulosus isolates from domestic dogs using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Medical archives in nine major hospitals in Palestine were reviewed to determine incidence
of E. granulosus infection detected in humans during surgery. Faecal samples were collected
from 93 domestic dogs in three districts with the highest number of human cases: Al-
Khalil (Hebron), Tubas and Jenin. Genomic DNA was extracted from dog faecal samples
and amplified by PCR targeting the repeat DNA sequence (EgG1 Hae III) followed by
sequencing of five positive samples. Genotyping was determined by sequencing and
BLAST searching of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit (CO1). The incidence of
E. granulosus infection detected in humans at surgery was 1.2 per 100,000 in the West
Bank and 1.0 per 100,000 in Gaza Strip. Seventeen of 93 domestic dogs (18%) were positive,
based upon comparison with the Echinococcus DNA control. The five sequenced samples
were confirmed to be E. granulosus. Successfully genotyped sample belonged to E.
granulosus sensu stricto (formerly G1-G3 complex, sheep strain). For domestic dogs, age
group (13-24 months) and sex were identified as two risk factors for contracting E. granulosus.
The study identified the high incidence of E. granulosus sensu stricto in dogs in
Palestine.
AuthorWe thank the Arab American University in
Jenin-Palestine for the fund received under grant
number 2013-104, cycle 2. Also, the study received
support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, The Hague, The Netherlands and NVHU
under grant reference number 2014.52146. The
funders had no role in study design, data collection
and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of
the manuscript
Synthesis of carboxyimidamide-substituted benzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazoles and their analogs, and evaluation of biological activity against Leishmania donovani
A facile synthesis route to carboxyimidamide-substituted benzoxadiazoles and related derivatives was developed. A total of 25 derivatives were synthesized. They were evaluated for antileishmanial activity by inhibition of Leishmania donovani axenic amastigote growth using a fluorescent viability microplate assay. The most promising derivative (14) demonstrated an antileishmanial EC50 of 4.0 mu M, and it also showed activity in infected macrophages (EC50 5.92 mu M) without signs of cytotoxicity.Peer reviewe
Metagenomic profiling of ticks: Identification of novel rickettsial genomes and detection of tick-borne canine parvovirus
Background: Across the world, ticks act as vectors of human and animal pathogens. Ticks rely on bacterial endosymbionts, which often share close and complex evolutionary links with tick-borne pathogens. As the prevalence, diversity and virulence potential of tick-borne agents remain poorly understood, there is a pressing need for microbial surveillance of ticks as potential disease vectors. Methodology/Principal Findings: We developed a two-stage protocol that includes 16S-amplicon screening of pooled samples of hard ticks collected from dogs, sheep and camels in Palestine, followed by shotgun metagenomics on individual ticks to detect and characterise tick-borne pathogens and endosymbionts. Two ticks isolated from sheep yielded an abundance of reads from the genus Rickettsia, which were assembled into draft genomes. One of the resulting genomes was highly similar to Rickettsia massiliae strain MTU5. Analysis of signature genes showed that the other represents the first genome sequence of the potential pathogen Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae. Ticks from a dog and a sheep yielded draft genome sequences of Coxiella strains. A sheep tick yielded sequences from the sheep pathogen Anaplasma ovis, while Hyalomma ticks from camels yielded sequences belonging to Francisella-like endosymbionts. From the metagenome of a dog tick from Jericho, we generated a genome sequence of a canine parvovirus. Significance: Here, we have shown how a cost-effective two-stage protocol can be used to detect and characterise tick-borne pathogens and endosymbionts. In recovering genome sequences from an unexpected pathogen (canine parvovirus) and a previously unsequenced pathogen (Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae), we demonstrate the open-ended nature of metagenomics. We also provide evidence that ticks can carry canine parvovirus, raising the possibility that ticks might contribute to the spread of this troublesome virus
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