Bionomics and phylo-molecular analysis of Leishmania species isolated from human lesions using ITS1 genes in north-east of Iran

Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by Leishmania species. The identification of parasite species and the type of disease is beneficial for treatment and preventive modalities. Leishmania tropica and L. major have been reported as the main etiological agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Iran. The incidence of zoonotic CL has increased and different in distinct loci of Iran. Hence, we perused the Leishmania species and its genetic traits in the North East of Iran. The investigation was conducted on 200 positive smears prepared from patients’ lesions suffering from CL referred to the health care centers of northeastern provinces in Iran from 2013 to 2019. The obtained positive microscopy samples were divided to score the ranges from + 1 to + 6, of them 40 smears exhibited low-parasitemia. Leishmania species analyzed using PCR–RFLP, genetic diversity indices evaluation, phylogenetic analysis, and sequencing comparison with other species in the GeneBank based on ITS1 gene. The isolated L. major strains were similar to other Iranian isolates in this region. Pairwise fixation index (FST) index was statistically significant in different L. major populations and showed the genetic differences in pairwise population of different geographical locations of Iran. The current study confirmed an old pattern endemicity of zoonotic CL in North-east of Iran. Therefore, in order to assess the hybrid formation, more epidemiological, ecological, and gene polymorphism studies are needed to understand the pathogenic role of Leishmania species in Iran.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Distribution and molecular analysis of Blastocystis subtypes from gastrointestinal symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in Iran

Introduction: Blastocystis is a common intestinal parasite of human and animal hosts. The parasite has 17 subtypes, and among those at least nine subtypes (ST1-ST9) are found in human hosts. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of different subtypes of Blastocystis spp. among the patients referred to Velayat hospital of Qazvin province, Iran. Methods: Overall, 864 stool samples were examined by using formalin-ethyl acetate concentration method and Trichrome staining. All specimens were cultured in clotted fetal bovine medium. Later, DNA extraction and PCR amplification of 18S ribosomal RNA gene region was conducted and phylogenetic tree constructed. Results: The results revealed 7.9% (68/864) of the study population were infected with Blastocystis. Intestinal symptoms were observed in 61% (36/59) of individuals positive for Blastocystis, with abdominal pain in 58% (21/36) of cases which was more frequent than other intestinal signs. No significant relationship was observed among the study variables. By molecular and phylogenetic analysis, three subtypes ST1 (45%), ST2 (30%) and ST3 (23%) of parasite were identified. Conclusion: This study showed ST1 subtype was the predominant subtype among the positive specimens, meanwhile the highest haplotype and nucleotide diversity were clarified in ST3 subtype

Biliary of Fascioliasis in Kermanshah Province, Western Iran

No Abstrac

Comment on Islam et al. Helminth Parasites among Rodents in the Middle East Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. <i>Animals</i> 2020, <i>10</i>, 2342

I read with great interest the article by Islam et al. entitled “Helminth parasites among rodents in the Middle East countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis” published in Animals in December 2020 [...

Toxoplasma gondii and human immunodeficiency virus co-infection in western Iran: A cross sectional study

Objective: To determine Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) as a cause of morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients by ELISA method and to investigate toxoplasmosis-associated risk factors. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted with 385 patients with HIV/AIDS referred to the behavior disease consultation center in Kermanshah, Iran between May 2012 and June 2013. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies were measured by using the ELISA method. Also, the relationship between the infection and age, gender, education, occupation, antiretroviral status, CD4+ cell counts and some other factors of the patients were assessed. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among the HIV-positive patients, 40.8% (157/358) and 2.6% (10/358) patients were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. The mean CD4+ count in the patients with HIV was 327 cells/μL. A significant correlation was observed between the toxoplasmosis infections with the age group (P<0.05). Nevertheless, no statistically significant difference was found between gender, living area, educational level, occupational, marital status, antiretroviral status, prophylaxis, CD4+ cell count and toxoplasmosis. Conclusions: This study revealed that the patients with HIV infection were at the high risk of developing toxoplasmosis disease especially those patients who do not receive antiretroviral therapy and prophylaxis. The development and use of the effectiveness-based guidelines for controlling and the prevention reactivation of the latent T. gondii infection is required

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Qasr-e Shirin, a border area in the west of Iran

Aim: The prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is growing in Iran, and new sources of the disease have been found in the country. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology of CL in Qasr-e Shirin County, Kermanshah Province, West of Iran. Qasr-e Shirin is located near the Iran-Iraq border, and several million pilgrims pass through this area to Iraq every year. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out for active case detection from April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015. All individuals with suspicious lesions were identified through house-to-house visits in the aforementioned area. A questionnaire was filled out for everyone with clinical suspicion of CL. A diagnosis was made based on parasitological examination of the lesion exudate. The annual incidence and prevalence of CL were estimated. Results: In total, 5277 individuals were randomly screened for the presence of active lesions or scars suspected of CL. The overall prevalence of CL in the County was 4.8% (60 cases had active lesions and 194 cases had scars). All age groups were affected, but the highest incidence of CL was seen in the age group 20-29 years (1.9%). The incidence and prevalence were higher in women than men (5.5% vs. 4%). Most cases (45.6%) had a single lesion or scar and 44 (17.4%) patients had five or more lesions or scars. Conclusion: The incidence of CL in Qasr-e Shirin County is high. There is a need for further studies on reservoirs and vectors of leishmaniasis in this area. The results of such studies help to perform more efficient and timely spraying against phlebotomine sandfly or detect and decrease the animal reservoir population

Global prevalence of Neospora caninum in rodents: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract Background Neosporosis has been considered a cause of abortion in dairy and beef cattle worldwide. Rodents are reservoir hosts for several infectious diseases. It is necessary to determine the prevalence of Neospora caninum in rodents to improve the current understanding of the transmission dynamics of Neospora as well as its life cycle and risk of transmission to livestock. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to estimate the pooled global prevalence of N. caninum in different rodent species. Methods Published studies on the prevalence of N. caninum in different rodent species were searched in the MEDLINE/PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar and the reference lists of the retrieved articles until July 30, 2022. The eligible studies were selected using inclusion and exclusion criteria. The extracted data were verified and analysed using the random‐effect meta‐analysis. Result For this meta‐analysis, a total of 4372 rodents from 26 eligible studies were included. The global prevalence of N. caninum in rodents was estimated at 5% (95% CI 2%–9%), with the highest prevalence in Asia (12%; 95% CI 6%–24%) and lowest prevalence in America (3%; 95% CI 1%–14%) and Europe (3%; 95% CI 1%–6%). N. caninum was more prevalent in females (4%; 95% CI 2%–9%) than in males (3%; 95% CI 1%–11%). The most common diagnostic test was polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (21 studies). The pooled prevalence of N. caninum in rodents based on the diagnostic method was as follows: immunohistochemistry: 11% (95% CI 6%–20%), NAT: 5% (95% CI 4%–7%), IFAT: 5% (95% CI 2%–13%) and PCR: 3% (95% CI 1%–9%). Conclusion The results of this study showed a relatively low but widespread prevalence of N. caninum infection in rodents

Phylogenetic analysis of avian schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti (Schistosomatidae, Digenea) from naturally infected hosts in northern Iran

Abstract Background Trichobilharzia regenti (T. regenti) is an avian schistosomatid fluke species that causes human cercarial dermatitis (HCD) in areas of aquaculture in northern Iran. Understanding the phylogenetic relationships and genetic diversity of this thread‐like fluke will deepen our thoughtful of avian schistosomiasis epidemiology and lead to more effective HCD control in the region. Objectives To determine the life cycle of nasal Trichobilharzia in aquatic birds as well as aquatic snails and also identify the haplotype diversity of the isolates in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Methods In the present study, adult or egg of Trichobilharzia isolated from aquatic birds as well as schistosomes cercariae isolated from aquatic snails in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran, belonged to the authors' previous research, were examined. Molecular studies and phylogenetic analysis were carried out on these schistosomes samples. Results The phylogenetic analysis of the ITS1 and COX1 genes in isolated schistosomes revealed that all samples belong to the T. regenti clade. Remarkably, based on phylogenetic results, these schistosomes samples from Anas platyrhynchos domesticus, A. platyrhynchos, Spatula clypeata and Lymnaea stagnalis grouped together with previously sequenced samples from Iran (Trichobilharzia cf. regenti). Unlike the phylogenetic tree and haplotype network of COX1 gene, ITS1 did not show distinct clusters. Conclusion This study completed the puzzle of the disease in Mazandaran Province by isolating and genotyping furkocercariae from L. stagnalis that was consistent with the isolated new genotype from ducks. For the first time in Iran, this confirmed the potential role of L. stagnalis snails in the transmission of the disease

Distribution and molecular analysis of Blastocystis subtypes from gastrointestinal symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in Iran

Introduction: Blastocystis is a common intestinal parasite of human and animal hosts. The parasite has 17 subtypes, and among those at least nine subtypes (ST1-ST9) are found in human hosts. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of different subtypes of Blastocystis spp. among the patients referred to Velayat hospital of Qazvin province, Iran. Methods: Overall, 864 stool samples were examined by using formalin-ethyl acetate concentration method and Trichrome staining. All specimens were cultured in clotted fetal bovine medium. Later, DNA extraction and PCR amplification of 18S ribosomal RNA gene region was conducted and phylogenetic tree constructed. Results: The results revealed 7.9% (68/864) of the study population were infected with Blastocystis. Intestinal symptoms were observed in 61% (36/59) of individuals positive for Blastocystis, with abdominal pain in 58% (21/36) of cases which was more frequent than other intestinal signs. No significant relationship was observed among the study variables. By molecular and phylogenetic analysis, three subtypes ST1 (45%), ST2 (30%) and ST3 (23%) of parasite were identified. Conclusion: This study showed ST1 subtype was the predominant subtype among the positive specimens, meanwhile the highest haplotype and nucleotide diversity were clarified in ST3 subtype. Keywords: Blastocystis, subtype, Phylogenetic analysis, Iran

Distribution and molecular analysis of Blastocystis subtypes from gastrointestinal symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in Iran

Introduction: Blastocystis is a common intestinal parasite of human and animal hosts. The parasite has 17 subtypes, and among those at least nine subtypes (ST1-ST9) are found in human hosts. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of different subtypes of Blastocystis spp. among the patients referred to Velayat hospital of Qazvin province, Iran. Methods: Overall, 864 stool samples were examined by using formalin-ethyl acetate concentration method and Trichrome staining. All specimens were cultured in clotted fetal bovine medium. Later, DNA extraction and PCR amplification of 18S ribosomal RNA gene region was conducted and phylogenetic tree constructed. Results: The results revealed 7.9% (68/864) of the study population were infected with Blastocystis. Intestinal symptoms were observed in 61% (36/59) of individuals positive for Blastocystis, with abdominal pain in 58% (21/36) of cases which was more frequent than other intestinal signs. No significant relationship was observed among the study variables. By molecular and phylogenetic analysis, three subtypes ST1 (45%), ST2 (30%) and ST3 (23%) of parasite were identified. Conclusion: This study showed ST1 subtype was the predominant subtype among the positive specimens, meanwhile the highest haplotype and nucleotide diversity were clarified in ST3 subtype