Seroepidemiology of human hydatid cyst in Jahrom

Introduction:The most common determinant for hydatidosis in human population is the confirmed cases per year or those undergoing surgery, but these are only a few cases of infection. Hydatidosis is one of the important health problems in Iran; therefore, seroepidemiological studies of hydatidosis can be an essential step to promote the social health and prevent this disease by determination of positive cases.Material and Methods:In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 1096 sera were randomly collected from the patients referred to a clinical laboratory in Jahrom from 2006 to 2007. They were tested by ELISA for IgG against Ecchinococcus granulosus. During sampling, demographical features of these patients were recorded and the results were analyzed in SPSS.Results:Anti-Ecchinococcus granulosus IgG was detected in 69 (6.3%) out of 1096 sera including 45 (65.2%) males and24 (34.8%) females. In 46-60 year old cases, the prevalence rate was higher than the others (21 cases, 5.7%). The rates of seropositivity in rural and urban areas were 7.54% and 5.24%, respectively. There was no significant difference between seropositivity of hydatid cyst and variables such as gender, age groups and the area of living (P0.05).Conclusion:The results showed that the seroprevalence of hydatidosis was 6.3% in Jahrom. There was a higher seropositivity in rural areas as compared to urban areas but there was no significant difference between seropositivity of hydatid cyst and area of living

Data describing the association between rs266729 polymorphism inadiponectin promoter gene and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

This article investigates whether there is an association between the rs266729 polymorphism in adiponectin promoter gene with metabolic parameters and disease status in 300 type 2 diabetes patients and 300 healthy adults from Jahrom city, Iran. The variants (G/C) were tested by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method (RFLP) and metabolic parameters (glucose, cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol) were measured using biochemical methods. However, no differences were detected between the haplotypes investigated, and the data obtained from our lab shown association of the ADIPOQ promoter polymorphism neither with biochemical parameters, nor with disease status

Frequency of Entamoeba Complex in Individuals Referred to the Medical Laboratories in Jahrom City, South of Iran

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba dispar, and Entamoeba moshkovskii, using microscopic and molecular methods in Jahrom city (Fars Province), south of Iran. Stool samples were collected from 360 outpatients referred to the medical laboratories in Jahrom city. Standard parasitological methods, including direct wet mount examination, formalin–ether sedimentation technique, and trichrome staining techniques, were used for detection of Entamoeba complex. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify the genus/species of Entamoeba. Entamoeba complex cysts were detected in 2.5% (9/360) of samples by microscopic methods, while 11 isolates were considered positive for the Entamoeba complex by nested PCR. Among them, 2 (18.18%) out of 11 samples were E. histolytica, 5 (45.45%) were E. dispar, and 4 (36.36%) were E. moshkovskii. Molecular positivity was more prevalent among females (4.16%), people living in rural areas (3.44%), and people over 60 years old (13.33%). Considering the clinical manifestations, the Entamoeba complex infection in patients with fever (7.69%), severe diarrhea (5.10%), and nausea (5%) was high. This study reported the presence of E. histolytica, E. dispar, and E. moshkovskii in Jahrom city. Therefore, we suggest more public health interventions in Jahrom city

Toxoplasma infection in sheep from south of Iran monitored by serological and molecular methods; risk assessment to meat consumers

Aim: Toxoplasma gondii has a clinical and veterinary importance as it is known to cause congenital disease and abortion both in humans and livestock. Since the contaminated lamb is one of the sources of human infection, this study was performed to determine the prevalence of T. gondii in sheep in south of Iran. Materials and Methods: Sera and tissue samples (diaphragm and heart) were collected from 370 sheep from slaughterhouse of Jahrom. The samples were taken from both sexes and from 6 to 60 months age. Specific immunoglobulin G antibodies to T. gondii were examined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and B1 gene nested-polymerase chain reaction detection was done to survey the tissue samples. Results: The total prevalence of Toxoplasma infection among sheep was found to be 35.94% and 34.32% based on serological and molecular method, respectively. According to serologic and molecular findings, the females were more positive than males for Toxoplasma; maximum frequency of positive samples was observed in 24-36 months and the positive samples had been collected more in spring than in summer, but no statistical correlation was observed between prevalence rate and the age and sex of animals or season of sampling. Conclusion: T. gondii is widely distributed in sheep in Jahrom with a rate comparable with other parts of Iran and the world. It suggested a widespread exposure of sheep in this region to T. gondii. Thus, consumption of undercooked or raw meat presents the transmission risk of the parasite and this might be considered as an important public health problem, mainly for high-risk groups such as the pregnant and the immunodeficient

Evaluation of Immunogenicity of Cocktail DNA Vaccine Containing Plasmids Encoding Complete GRA5, SAG1, and ROP2 Antigens of Toxoplasma gondii in BALB/C Mice

Background: Severe and fatal complications of toxoplasmosis urge development of effective vaccines against the disease. The current study was performed to evalu­ate cocktail DNA vaccine containing plasmids encoding GRA5, SAG1, and ROP2 genes of Toxoplasma gondii in BALB/c mice in Tarbiat Modares University in 2012. Methods: The plasmids containing complete GRA5, SAG1, and ROP2 genes were mass extracted and then the recombinant plasmids were administered via intramuscu­lar injections according to immunized mice three times with three-week intervals. Then splenocytes were cultured, and proliferation as well as cytokine as­says were carried out. The other mice in each group were inoculated by the parasite and mortality of the mice was evaluated on a daily basis. Results: The results of cytokine assay for INF-γ were higher in the mice that re­ceived the cocktail DNA containing recombinant plasmids. Evaluation of prolifera­tion of splenocytes using the MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazo­lium bromide) assay indicated induction of cellular response. Measurement of total IgG and the isotypes of IgG1 and IgG2a showed that the cocktail DNA stimulated IgG and IgG2a production in comparison with the control groups (P<0.05). Furthermore, the survival rate of mice in the groups that received the cocktail DNA was significantly higher than that in the control groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: Administration of the cocktail DNA vaccine led to production of higher levels of IFN-γ, confirmed by secretion of IgG2a, and the immune response was shifted toward Th1. Thus, the cocktail DNA containing the recombinant plas­mids can be an appropriate candidate for immunization against toxoplasmosis

A reducing trend of fasciolosis in slaughtered animals based on abattoir data in South of Iran

Aim: Fascioliasis is a zoonosis infection caused by the liver trematodes (Fasciola spp.) which have been considered to be an important disease in livestock. After several large outbreaks, fascioliasis remains one of the serious health concerns of Iran. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence and possible trends of fascioliasis in slaughtered animals in South of Iran based on abattoir data during a period of 5 years. Materials and Methods: The daily records for cattle, sheep, and goats slaughtered in the abattoir were extracted from the archived documents of the recent 5 years (2011-2015) and used as the source of data. The collected data were statistically analyzed for finding any probable correlation between the various factors associated with fasciolosis. Results: Our results showed that 3.44% of all slaughtered animals during 2011-2015 were infected with Fasciola spp. The mean prevalence of fasciolosis for cattle, sheep, and goat was 11.15%, 5.22%, and 2.15%, respectively. In addition, the highest infection rate was in winter (4.02%), and the lowest were entered in summer (2.86%). Conclusion: Our findings showed a reducing trend during the 5 years. Improving the animal husbandry and increasing the awareness through fasciolosis may be a logical explanation for this trend. Since there have been suggested numerous factors associated with the epidemiology of fasciolosis, further studies seem essential for better clarifying the various aspects of fasciolosis in areas

Healing effects of autologous platelet gel and growth factors on cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds in addition to antimony; a self-controlled clinical trial with randomized lesion assignment

Abstract Objective Autologous platelet gel (APG) is used in most surgeries to treat a variety of tissue defects because of its healing factors composition. This randomized parallel clinical trial was conducted to investigate the healing effects of APG on cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) wounds. Eighteen male patients with CL wounds were recruited and followed for two months. The patients had more than one cutaneous wound, one of which was examined as the control and the other one as the intervention wound. APG was applied to the intervention wounds once a week, up to eight times. The primary endpoint was wound healing which defined as complete epithelialization and tissue granulation. Other clinical evaluation criteria were assessment of the wound size, and histopathology analyses. Results Of 18 patients, 15 patients completed the trial (83.3%, mean age 28 years). The use of APG on the wounds was associated with complete and faster healing in 66% of the wounds and partial healing in 34% of the wounds. During the study, none of the control wounds were completely healed. The wound area in the intervention cases showed a statistically significant decrease throughout the study (P < 0.01) compared with controls. Following treatment of CL lesions with APG, the inflammatory process in the epidermis and dermis were decreased significantly (P < 0.01) compared with controls. Conclusion Our preliminary results confirm the clinical healing improvement described in the literature for APG-GF treatment of chronic non-leishmania wounds via immunomodulation. Trial registration: IRCT, IRCT20190212042694N1. Registered 20 February 2019, https://en.irct.ir/trial/3752

Occult Hepatitis B Demonstrated by Anti-HBc and HBV DNA in HIV-Positive Patients

Background: In patients who are hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA-positive, but HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) -negative, the infection is referred to as occult hepatitis B infection (OBI). Occult HBV infection is harmful when other liver diseases are present, and can aggravate liver damage in in patients with chronic liver diseases. In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection the suppression of viral replication by the immune system might be inactivated, and classical HBV infection in OBI patients may occur. Health care professionals should be aware of OBI in HIV patients. The routine test for HBV infection in Iran is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the HBV surface antigen (ELISA HBsAg); therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of OBI in Iranian HIV patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012 on sera from all the known and accessible HIV patients in Jahrom and Fassa, two cities in southern Iran. All samples were tested for the HBsAg, HBV core antibody (HBcAb). All the results were analyzed using SPSS. Results: Of the 91 patients, seven (7.7%) were HBsAg-positive and forty-five (49.5%) were HBcAb-positive. In patients with negative HBsAg (84 patients), 39 (46.4%) were HBcAb positive and 53 (63%) were positive for HBV DNA. Conclusion: The prevalence of HBV infection is relatively high in HIV patients, and more accurate tests than those presently in use should be used for diagnosis

Toxoplasma gondii Type I, predominant genotype isolated from sheep in South of Iran

Aim: This study was performed to determine the genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in sheep using nested-polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in Southern Iran. Materials and Methods: The tissue samples of diaphragm and heart from 125 sheep were collected from the main slaughterhouses of Jahrom district in South of Fars province, Iran, between Aprils and June 2013. The DNA were extracted and analyzed by nested-PCR using specific primers for SAG2 and GRA6 loci. RFLP was used to classify strains into one of the three major lineages of T. gondii. Results: T. gondii Type I was predominant in this area. The data obtained from both loci demonstrated that the frequency of each genotype was 72% Type I, 2.4% Type III, 7.2% mixed Type I and II, 16.8% mixed Type I and III, 0.8% mixed Type II and III, and 0.8% mixed Type I, II and III. Conclusion: Although the previously published data indicated that Type II is the predominant T. gondii genotype in sheep in the other parts of the world, this study showed that genotype I is the dominant genotype of T. gondii in the southern Iran; however, other genotypes were detected. High diversity of T. gondii genotypes including mix genotypes in lambs is of importance for the public health. These studies depict a new mapping of T. gondii genotypes pattern which could be very helpful in toxoplasmosis control and prevention