Endoparasites of Jungle Cats (Felis chaus) and Their Pathologic Lesions

Background: The jungle cats (Felis chaus) are native to Asia, and found in Iran. Although north of Iran has a wide distribution of jungle cats, there is not any data about prevalence of parasitic infections in the population of these cats. Methods: From 2012 to 2015, seven specimens of the wild jungle cat (Felis chaus) from north of Iran, Mazandaran Province, northern Iran were collected and examined for their endoparasites and pathological lesions which were caused by the parasites. Results: Parasitological evaluations showed several species of endoparasites in the small intestine of cats including nematode (Toxocara cati), trematode (Alaria alata), and cestode (Mesocestoides lineatus). All of the examined jungle cats were infected to parasitic infections. From the total number of 7 jungle cats T. cati was found in 6 cats, A. alata in 1 cat, and M. lineatus was recovered from 3 cats. Histopathological samples displayed necrosis, vacuolar degeneration, atrophy, destruction of tissue, hyperemia, and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the intestine tissue. Conclusion: This study for the first reported T. cati, A. alata, and M. lineatus and their pathologic effects in the small intestine of jungle cat

In vitro and in vivo evaluations of Pelargonium roseum essential oil activity against Trichomonas gallinae

Objective: Pelargonium roseum Willd.(Geraniaceae) is widely grown as an ornamental plant due to its strong pleasant rose-like odor. The present study evaluates the antitrichomonal effect of P. roseum essential oil (EO) against Trichomonas gallinae both in vitro and in vivo and compares it to that of metronidazole (MTZ) as a standard antitrichomonal drug. Materials and Methods: In vitro assays were accomplished in multi-well plates containing MTZ and EO at final concentrations of 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 μg/mL. In vivo assay was carried out on 40 experimentally infected pigeons receiving MTZ and EO at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg. Results: The 24-hr MIC of MTZ was 10 µg/mL, while for EO it was 20 µg/mL. Treatment with MTZ 50 mg/kg after 4 days led to full recovery of infected pigeons however EO 50 mg/kg resulted in the same outcome after 5 days. No mortality or clinical side effects were seen in treated birds. Conclusion: The present study introduced P. roseum EO as a potent natural antitrichomonal agent effective against T. gallinae. Bioactive components of P. roseum can be used as potential therapeutic compounds in development of novel antitrichomonal drugs

Antileashmanial activity of Artemisia sieberi essential oil against Leishmania infantum in vitro

Background and aims: VL (Viseral Leishmaniosis) the second- most dreaded parasitic disease after malaria is currently endemic in 88 countries. Artemisia sieberi is native medicinal plants in Iran and their effects are scientifically proven to be effective on leishmaniasis. The aim of this study was to investigate antileishmanial effects of A.sieberi essential oil on Leishmania infantum in vitro. This is the first application of A. sieberi for treatment of L.infantum. Methods: Promastigotes of L. infantum were treated by A. sieberi in 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 μg/ml concentration. MTT test ([3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide] was done in 48h after treatment to determine the effect on promastigote viability. The data were analyzed by SPSS, and using one-way ANOVA and Mann Whitney tests. Results: Fewer than 15 μg /ml concentrations of A. sieberi essential oil were no appreciable effect on the parasite. A dose of 15, 20 μg/ml showed growth inhibitory on L. infantum in 24h/48h compared to control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The A. sieberi essential oil had antileishmanial effects against L.infantum in vitro. Therefore, they might be a reliable source for preparation of new drugs. More in vivo investigations are required to clarify details of effects of A.sieberi on leishmania spp and analysis of its natural components

Status of soluble ST2 levels in serum of HTLV-1 infected individuals

ST2 is a member of IL-1 receptor family expressed on Th2 cells and regulates Th2 responces. The gene of ST2 encodes soluble ST2 (sST2) and the transmembrane ST2 (ST2L) isoforms through alternative mRNA splicing. The discovery of IL33/ ST2 signaling pathway, has drawn a great scientific attention to this system. sST2 has been shown to be an indacating factor in various infl ammatory conditions. This study aims to evaluate serum sST2 levels in HTLV-1 infected patients. This study included 49 HTLV-1 seropositive cases of which 14 were sympthomatic. Controls consisted of 30 healthy volunteers. sST2 level was measured using a quantitative ELISA assay and the results of the study groups were compared. Corroborating the previous reports, sST2 was lower in females (P = 0.003). The sST2 levels was slightly increased in HTLV-1 patients, though such increase was not statistically significant (P = 0.91), in addition sST2 level did not correlate significantly to the disease duration (P = 0.78). Despite some other chronic viral infection, HTLV-1 seems not to induce high serum sST2. However owing to relatively high normal variation of sST2 levels and rather small sample size, we stongly recommend further reseach with preferably larger sample size to evalute sST2 in HTLV-1 infected patients

Dietary Supplementation with Eugenol Nanoemulsion Alleviates the Negative Effects of Experimental Coccidiosis on Broiler Chicken&rsquo;s Health and Growth Performance

The present study investigated the protective efficacy of dietary supplementation with clove essential oil (CEO), its main constituent eugenol (EUG), and their nanoformulated emulsions (Nano-CEO and Nano-EUG) against experimental coccidiosis in broiler chickens. To this aim, various parameters (oocyst number per gram of excreta (OPG), daily weight gain (DWG), daily feed intake (DFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), serum concentrations of total proteins (TP), albumin (ALB), globulins (GLB), triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (CHO) and glucose (GLU), serum activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione s-transferase (GST), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)] were compared among groups receiving CEO supplemented feed (CEO), Nano-CEO supplemented feed (Nano-CEO), EUG supplemented feed (EUG), Nano-EUG supplemented feed (Nano-EUG), diclazuril supplemented feed (standard treatment, ST), or basal diet [diseased control (d-CON) and healthy control (h-CON)), from days 1&ndash;42. Chickens of all groups, except h-CON, were challenged with mixed Eimeria spp. at 14 days of age. Coccidiosis development in d-CON was associated with impaired productivity (lower DWG and higher DFI and FCR relative to h-CON; p &lt; 0.05) and altered serum biochemistry (decreased TP, ALB, and GLB concentrations and SOD, GST, and GPx activities relative to h-CON; p &lt; 0.05). ST effectively controlled coccidiosis infection by significantly decreasing OPG values compared with d-CON (p &lt; 0.05) and maintaining zootechnical and serum biochemical parameters at levels close to (DWG, FCR; p &lt; 0.05) or not different from (DFI, TP, ALB, GLB, SOD, GST, and GPx) those of h-CON. Among the phytogenic supplemented (PS) groups, all showed decreased OPG values compared with d-CON (p &lt; 0.05), with the lowest value being measured in Nano-EUG. All PS groups showed better values of DFI and FCR than d-CON (p &lt; 0.05), but only in Nano-EUG were these parameters, along with DWG, not different from those of ST. Furthermore, Nano-EUG was the only PS group having all serum biochemical values not different (or even slightly improved) relative to ST and h-CON. In conclusion, the tested PS diets, especially Nano-EUG, can limit the deleterious effects of coccidiosis in broiler chickens, due to anticoccidial activity and possibly their reported antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, thereby representing a potential green alternative to synthetic anticoccidials

Extreme human annoyance caused by Ctenocephalides felis felis (cat flea)

The authors report a case of human dermal complications by Ctenocephalides felis felis (cat flea) in a 28 years old woman who dwell in rural area in Mazandaran province, Iran. Furthermore, in the current report clinical manifestations, etiology and different aspects of infestation were discussed elaborately. And the importance of controlling fleas was highlighted as well

Genetic Identification of Orientobilharzia turkestanicum from Sheep Isolates in Iran

  Background: Adult worms of Orientobilharzia turkestanicum live in the portal veins, or intestinal veins of cattle, sheep, goat and many other mammals caus-ing orientobilharziasis. Orientobilharziasis causes significant economic losses to livestock industry of Iran. However, there is limited information about genotypes of O. turkestanicum in Iran. Methods:In this study, 30 isolates of O. turkestanicum obtained from sheep were characterized by sequencing mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) gene. The mitochondrial cox1 and nad1 DNA were amplified by poly-merase chain reaction (PCR) and then sequenced and compared with O. turke-stanicum and that of other members of the Schistosomatidae available in Gen- BankTM. Results:Phylogenetic relationships between them were re-constructed using the maximum parsimony method. Phylogenetic analyses done in present study placed O. turkestanicum within the Schistosoma genus, and indicates that O. turkestanicum was phylogenetically closer to the African schistosome group than to the Asian schistosome group. Conclusion:Comparison of nad1 and cox1 sequences of O. turkestanicum ob-tained in this study with corresponding sequences available in GenbankTM re-vealed some sequence variations and provided evidence for presence of mi-crovarients in Iran

Human Dermatitis Caused by Ophionyssus natricis, a Snake Mite

Ophionyssus natricis is a purely blood sucking parasite of snakes and of worldwide distribution. Infected snakes often exhibit lethargy, pruritus, crusting dermatitis,and behavioral changes. Ophionyssus natricis can also attack humans, causing popular vesiculo-bullous eruption of the skin. A 29 years old man working in zoo,Sari, Mazandaran, Iran, presented itchy papullar eruption of the skin. He had noticed small insects fixed on his skin and large numbers of these same insects on a python and its cage in the zoo. Regarding totheir morphological characteristics they were diagnosed as O. natricis (Geravis, 1844), a snake mite. It is the first report of O. natricis from Iran

In vitro evaluation of antileishmanial activity of Boswellia serrata essential oil nanoliposome

Abstract Background Leishmaniasis poses a significant health risk. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Boswellia serrata (B. serrata) essential oil nanoliposomes on Leishmania tropica (L. tropica) in vitro. Methods A mixture of B. serrata essential oil, phosphatidylcholine and Tween 80 were used to prepare B. serrata essential oil nanoliposomes, followed by drying, hydration and size characterisation. The promastigotes of L. tropica were cultured in Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium (RPMI‐1640) containing streptomycin, penicillin and fetal bovine serum. Different concentrations of B. serrata essential and nanoliposomes were tested for their antileishmanial properties by 3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium Bromide tests (MTT). Results Results of Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) for B. serrata nanoliposomes indicate that they are successful at producing nanoliposomes with dimensions of 74.8 nm. At 1 μg/mL dose, B. serrata essence caused 17 ± 1.73% mortality, while B. serrata nanoliposomes induced 26 ± 1.15% mortality. B. serrata essence achieved a mortality of 55 ± 2.88% at 10 μg/mL, whereas B. serrata nanoliposomes demonstrated a mortality of 63.66±0.88% at 10 μg/mL. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between similar concentrations of B. serrata and B. serrata nanoliposomes. The LC50 of B. serrata essential oil is 7.26 μg/mL in the 95% confidence interval (12.13–5.25). The LC90 value of B. serrata essential oil is 129.37 μg/mL in the 95% confidence interval (50.07–852.58). The LC50 value of B. serrata nanoliposome is 4.20 μg/mL in the 95% confidence interval (6.13–3.10). LC90 value for B. serrata nanoliposome is calculated as 91.89 μg/mL in the 95% confidence interval (37.09–583.29). Conclusions In vitro experiments have shown that B. serrata oil and the nanoliposome suppress the proliferation of L. tropica promastigotes, which suggests it may be a promising option for treating leishmaniasis