First Report of Intestinal Myiasis Due To Eristalis tenax in Iran

Eristalis tenax, belonging to order Diptera, family Syrphidae seldomly causes intestinal myiasis. Intestinal myiasis caused by E. tenax larvae is a rare manifestation found in both humans and other vertebrate animals. We report a 22-year-old woman presented with this myiasis. The larva in her stool sample was identified as E. tenax related to its typical morphology and authentic clues. Lack of specific control measures in the domestic water supply system was the most probable cause of this infestation

First report of Ancylostoma tubaeforme in Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor)

Ancylostoma tubaeforme was originally described as a separate species parasitizing the cat. The adults of A. tubaeforme are 7 to 12 mm long. A. tubaeforme can be differentiated from the adults of A. braziliense and A. ceylanicum by the presence of three teeth. Here we describe the first report of A. tubaeforme in a Persian young female leopard, 2–3 years old, with head and trunk length 120 centimeters, length of tail 98 centimeters and body weight 35 kilograms

Evaluation of the Anticestode and Antinematode Effects of the Methanol Extract of Ferula Asafoetida on Experimentally Infected Rats

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Synthetic antiparasitic medications are often associated with drug resistance and adverse side effects. In traditional medicine, Ferula asafoetida has been widely used in the treatment of parasitic infections, and various studies have confirmed the anti-leishmanial, anti-Giardia, and antifungal properties of this medicinal herb. This study aimed to evaluate the antiparasitic effects of the methanol extract of asafoetida. METHODS: This experimental study was conducted on 100 male rats equally divided into 10 groups. To induce infection, animals were fed the eggs of nematode Syphacia obvelata and cestode Hymenolepis nana via gavage. Animals in groups one and two were considered as control subjects for cestode and nematode, respectively and received no medications. The third group was administered with a standard anticestodal dose of praziquantel (25 mg/kg), and the fourth group was administered with a standard antinematodal dose of piperazine (20 mg/kg). Infected animals in experimental groups five, six and seven received treatment with 2.5%, 5% and 10% concentrations of asafoetida methanol extract, respectively. Moreover, induction of nematode infection was performed on the animals of experimental groups 8, 9 and 10, which were administered with 2.5%, 5% and 10% concentrations of asafoetida methanol extract, respectively. Treatment of the animals continued for two weeks. Number of parasite eggs in the fecal samples was determined at the end of the first and second week of treatment. After the intervention, total number of the intestinal parasites was calculated and assessed in the experimental groups. FINDINGS: In the first week of treatment, no statistically significant difference was observed between the number of Syphacia obvelata eggs in rats administered with the methanol extract of asafoetida even at the highest concentration compared to control subjects (166.4±3.11 vs. 235±9.5). Similarly, treatment of nematode infection with the methanol extract of asafoetida could not decrease the number of eggs and parasites by the end of the second week of treatment (P>0.05). However, rats with cestode infection receiving different concentrations of asafoetida extract showed a significant reduction in the number of eggs and parasites compared to control subjects (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, the methanol extract of Ferula asafoetida had no antinematode properties in vitro, while it exhibited anticestode effects on laboratory animals with induced parasitic infectio

In vitro and in vivo activity of Artemisia sieberi against Trichomonas gallinae

Summary In Iranian folk medicine Artemisia sieberi has been used for treatment of parasite infections in human and animals. The present study was designed to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo effects of A. sieberi essential oil (EO) against Trichomonas gallinae. Trichomonas gallinae were recovered by wet mount method from infected native pigeons. The in vitro assays were accomplished in multi-well plates containing metronidazole (MTZ) as a standard antitrichomonal and EO in final concentrations of 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 μg/ml of culture medium containing 10 4 parasites. The in vivo assay was performed on 40 experimentally infected pigeons receiving 25 and 50 mg/kg of MTZ and EO for 7 successive days. Gas chromatographic (GC) analysis was performed to reveal chemical constituents of the EO. At 20 µg/ml, MTZ resulted in no viable trophozoite in culture medium after 24 h incubation period. While the 24 h MIC of EO was 10 µg/ml. Treatment with EO at dose of 50 mg/kg after 4 days led to full recovery of infected pigeons but for MTZ at the same dose 5 days were spent. Major constituents of EO were α-thujone (31.5%) and β-thujone (11.92%). Data of the present study introduced A. sieberi as a natural potent antitrichomonal agent effective against T. gallinae