Emergence of a new focus of visceral leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum in Golestan Province, north-eastern of Iran

Over the last decade, a few cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) have been reported in some districts of the province of Golestan, in north-eastern Iran. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of Leishmania infantum infection among humans and domestic dogs by using direct agglutination test (DAT) and PCR assays in the eastern zone of the province. Between 2011 and 2012, blood samples were randomly collected from 450 humans and 50 domestic dogs, in the eastern zone of Golestan Province including 7 villages from Marave-tappeh district where new cases of human VL had been recorded there. Each of these samples was tested for anti-Leishmania antibodies, in DAT, and for L. infantum kinetoplast DNA on whole blood, in PCR-based assays. A total of 450 human samples, 6 (1.33 %) were found seropositive and 13 (2.8 %) was found PCR-positive. Of the 50 dog samples, 16 (32 %) were found seropositive and 15 (30 %) were PCR-positive. All PCR-positive dogs were found seropositive except one as well as 6 (46.2 %) PCR-positive humans were also found seropositive. Moreover, the species of L. infantum was detected in all PCR-positive samples. The high prevalence of VL in the study areas offer it has emerged as an endemic focus in the province. Further investigations on the vectors, reservoirs and human population are recommended. © 2013 Indian Society for Parasitology

Genotyping and phylogenic study of Acanthamoeba isolates from human keratitis and swimming pool water samples in Iran

Objective: Acanthamoeba keratitis cause severe corneal infection and lead to poor vision and blindness. This disease is caused by a unicellular amphizoic protozoon called Acanthamoeba spp. that present in different environments. This study aimed to represent the existence and genotyping of Acanthamoeba spp. in patients with keratitis and swimming pool water (SPW) in Tehran Province, Central Iran. Methods: In this descriptive study, 56 clinical samples were collected from patients with keratitis and 30 water samples were collected from different swimming pools in Tehran Province. All samples were examined based on the morphological and molecular techniques. The genotypes were determined by sequencing the partial of 18S rRNA gene. Results: Of 56 clinical (corneal) and 30 environmental (SPW) samples, 30.3 and 40.0 were positive for Acanthamoeba spp., respectively. According to sequencing analysis, 94.1 of amoebic keratitis isolates were belonged to T4 genotype and only one (5.8) isolate was belonged to T11 genotype. All genotypes were detected from SPW samples were identified as T4 genotype. Conclusion: According to our results, use of contact lens and swimming in pool poses the major risk factor for amoebic keratitis in the studied area (Tehran). Moreover, T4 genotype was the predominant genotype of human keratitis and swimming pool samples there. Consequently, essential and practical measures are urgently needed to prevent subjects against this ocular seriously disease. © 202

Seroepidemiology of toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women and risk factors of the disease in Golestan Province, Iran

Background and purpose: Toxoplasmosis is a common zoonotic disease that is of particular importance in women before and during pregnancy. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in pregnant women and its risk factors in Golestan province, north of Iran. Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 440 blood samples of pregnant women before delivery (2014-2015). Blood serum samples were isolated to determine IgG and IgM anti-Toxoplasma antibodies and examined by ELISA test. Data analysis was done in SPSS V20 using Chi-square test. Results: Among the samples, 155 (35.2) were IgG and 25 (5.7) were IgM positive and 9 (2) cases were positive for both antibodies. A significant correlation was observed between T. gondii infections with abortion and ethnicity (P0.05). Conclusion: In this study serological test showed that about 57 of pregnant women had no anti-Toxoplasma antibodies in Golestan province. This means that these people are more prone to acute infection with Toxoplasma. Therefore, there is a need to raise awareness, especially in at-risk groups. © 2017, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved