Molecular Characterization and Phylogeny of Taenia hydatigena and Echinococcus granulosus from Iranian Sheep and Cattle Based on COX1 Gene

Hydatid cyst, the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus, and Cysticercus tenuicollis, the larval stage of Taenia hydatigena, are prevalent in domestic, livestock, and wild ruminants. The main goal of this research was to identify the isolates of E. granulosus and C. tenuicollis by partial sequencing with PCR amplification of the cytochrome C oxidase 1 (COX1) gene. During a routine veterinary inspection at a Chabahar city slaughterhouse, two samples of hydatid cysts from sheep's liver and cattle's lung and two samples of C. tenuicollis from sheep's liver were collected. After DNA extraction, the fragment of the COX1 gene was amplified by the PCR method. Sample sequences were modified and synchronized by Chromas and CLC genomic workbench 11 software. Sequence analysis was carried out by BLAST algorithms and GenBank databases. Phylogenetic trees were performed using MEGA 7 software and the neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood method for T. hydatigena and E. granulousus. The result indicated that the main genotype of parasites and the amplified fragment size were G1 and approximately 455 bp, respectively. The analysis of phylogenetic trees based on nucleic acid for four samples showed that there was a common ancestor. However, the shift in nucleotides in the two isolates in E. granulosus and the two isolates of T. hydatigena were non-synonymous type and synonymous type, respectively. The present study showed that the dominant genotype in all isolates was G1 and this report was similar to other studies in Iran and the world. Also, the partial COX1 gene sequence was matched with T. hydatigena

Risk factors and prevalence of toxocariasis in pregnant women and diabetic patients compared to healthy adults in Ilam province, Western Iran

Toxocara is one of the common intestinal nematodes in dogs and cats and is the agent of tissue migratory larvae in humans. Customarily, the prevalence of human toxocariasis hovers around 15.8 % in Iran. Furthermore, other research outcomes demonstrated a tendency for an outbreak of toxocariasis in Iran. Therefore, we carried out a cross-sectional study and assessed the seroprevalence of toxocariasis humans in Ilam Province, western of Iran. A total of 539 serum samples were collected between September 2017 and March 2018 from patients referred to the Health Centers of Ilam province, Iran. Serum samples were investigated for the presence of Toxocara using IgG antibodies, ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) kit. Risk factors such as contact with cats and dogs, living in rural areas were investigated among the study population. Out of 539 total samples collected, 97 cases (17.99 %) were positive for anti-toxocara IgG antibodies. These antibodies were recovered from serum samples of otherwise healthy adults (15.54 %, 49/296), pregnant women (21.16 %, 40/189) and diabetic patients (14.81 %, 8/54). This study showed significant relationship between toxocariasis and contact with animal pets in all studied groups (P value ≤ 0.05) and a significant relationship between toxocariasis and living in rural areas among pregnant women (P value ≤ 0.05)

Environmental soil contamination by Toxocara species eggs in public places of Ilam, Iran

Introduction. The purpose of the study is to assess environmental contamination by Toxocara species eggs in public places in the city of Ilam, Ilam Province, southwest Iran Materials and method. Between September 2018 and March 2019, 130 soil samples were collected from public places of 5 district municipalities of Ilam, southwest Iran. Soil samples were examined by microscopy following flotation method by sodium nitrate. Results. Soil analysis showed that 5.88% of the soils stored, 52.54% from gardens, 29.42% from rubbish, and 11.72% from green spaces were contaminated with Toxocara spp. eggs. In total, 13.08 % of soil samples (17/130) were positive for Toxocara eggs (P>0.05). Conclusions. The findings revealed that care should be taken when using soil from gardens, green spaces and rubbish, and also should be seriously considered because of the potential issues of toxocariasis and also the risk to the public

Immobilization of Clostridium perfringens type D in calcium alginate beads: toxin production mimics free cell culture

Background and Objectives: Cell-immobilization is used to maintain microbial culture to produce metabolites in repeat-ed-batch or continuous fermentations, thereby reducing the time and resources spent on delivering mass production of microbe. The technique also enables shortening of the detoxification phase and the amount of formaldehyde required due to low incidence of viable bacteria in the extract. Materials and Methods: A solution of sodium alginate containing Clostridium perfringens cells was dropped into stirring CaCl solution via a sterile syringe needle. Optimizations resulted in reasonably uniform beads containing C. perfringens. 2 Beads were externally stabilized by poly L-lysine, followed by immersion in a solution of Na-alginate to coat them with a new layer of alginate forming an alginate-PLL-alginate cortex. Results: This study proved successful in immobilizing C. perfringens cells inside uniform alginate microspheres. Cell load-ing and cell propagation inside the beads were measured. The cell loaded beads were cultivable in liquid media producing 550 minimum lethal doses per milliliter (MLD/ml) in a 72 h. Conclusion: The research paved the way for further investigations to optimize and establish an efficient bacterial encapsulation method. Thus, it seems possible to produce toxins from beads engulfing C. perfringens on larger scales via repeat-ed-batch or continuous fermentation processes. © 2022 The Authors. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Epidemiology, Associated Factors and Treatment Methods of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Based on Previous Data from 2013 to 2018 in Ilam, Western Iran

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology, clinical presentation and types of treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in the province of Ilam (Western Iran) in 5 years (from May 2013 to January 2018). This cross-sectional study involved patients diagnosed with CL who were referred to Mehran City Health center. Methods: All patients were diagnosed by clinical and parasitological (Giemsa staining of lesion to observe the parasite) methods. Moreover, a structured questionnaire on demographic data including age, sex, occupation, number and site of the lesions, treatment regimen was administered to each case. Results: In total, 2001 positive CL cases were observed in this study. The highest prevalence of CL was reported in the autumn season and mainly among male subjects residing in urban communities. The prevalence of CL varied with the age group: higher in the age group of 1�10 years than other groups. Besides, hands and faces were the most affected regions of the body. Most of the cases (47.35) were managed by topical treatment (glucantime) and cryotherapy followed by systemic treatment (pentavalent antimony) 26.85. Conclusions: The prevalence of disease varied with age, increasing the prevalence rate in children due to their habitats, the highest prevalence in autumn due to climatic conditions. These findings help to better discuss the prevention and treatment of infections. © 2020, Witold Stefa�ski Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences

Therapeutic Strategies for COVID-19 Patients: An Update

The novel coronavirus SARS-coV-2, which emerged in Wuhan in November 2019, has increasingly spread, causing a global pandemic that infected more than 444 million people, resulting in severe social and economic ramifications, and claimed more than 6,010,000 lives by March 5, 2022. The pandemic attracted global attention with consequential multiple economic, social, and clinical studies. Among causes of poor clinical outcomes of the disease are therapeutic challenges, leading to spirals of studies in search of better therapeutic alternatives. Despite the worsening circumstances of the pandemic, no drug has yet shown remarkable efficacy in the clinical management of COVID-19 patients in large-scale trials. Many potential therapeutic strategies, including the use of nucleotide analogs, chloroquine phosphate, arbidol, protease inhibitors (lopinavir/ritonavir), plasma, monoclonal antibodies, plastic antibodies based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), nanomaterials, vaccine, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have emerged with various degrees of successes. Remdesivir and dexamethasone have now been licensed based on the results of randomized controlled trials. Baricitinib, the Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor, is also an attractive candidate due to its properties as a potent anti-inflammatory agent and its hypothesized offtarget antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2. Besides, human plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients is theoretically expected to be safe and effective for both therapy and post-exposure prophylaxis. In light of the literature, the correlation between the reduction of C5aR1/C5aR2 and the IL6-IL6R axis, using the available anti-IL6R mAb would be crucial. Moreover, MSCs are a potential therapeutic choice for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. The coronavirus spike (S) protein that mediates the process of the infection via binding of host cells to the virus receptor is an essential focus for vaccine development. Importantly, with the number of patients increasing daily, there is an urgent need for effective therapeutic intervention. In this review, we expatiated on several strategies deployed for the treatment of COVID-19 infection

Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis caused by Neoscytalidium dimidiatum: A case report: Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis due to Neoscytalidium dimidiatum

Neoscytalidium dimidiatum is a rare dematiaceous fungus that was first described in 1916 as Dothiorella mangiferae. From the standpoint of epidemiology and therapy, early detection of fungal rhinosinusitis (FRS), the causative agents, and their associated risk factors can improve the therapeutic outcome and decrease the mortality rates among patients. In this study, we report a 34-year-old Iranian female patient with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), who presented to our facility with an 8-year history of chronic fungal sinusitis, drug-resistant asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, post-nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, nasal polyposis, and anemia. The patient was subjected to diagnostic nasal endoscopy and computed tomography (CT) scan of paranasal sinuses, as well as routine, complementary mycological, and molecular methods, which confirmed the diagnosis of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis in patients with ABPA. Neoscytalidium dimidiatum was isolated from the sinus of the patient. Results of in vitro susceptibility tests indicated that the case isolate was susceptible to amphotericin B and itraconazole at concentrations which are commonly achieved in patients receiving recommended dosages for invasive mycoses (0.25 to 0.75 mg/kg of body weight daily for amphotericin B and 100 to 400 mg daily for itraconazole) and resistant in vitro to caspofungin, voriconazole, and posaconazole. The patient was successfully treated with amphotericin B / itraconazole + postoperative oral corticosteroids (OCS). Neoscytalidium dimidiatum infection should be considered as a possible additional factor in the etiology of AFRS, especially in immunocompromised patients

Trichomoniasis in pregnant women in South-East Iran:Diagnosis, frequency and factors affecting

Objective: Trichomonas vaginalis is considered to be the most prevalent cause of non-viral sexuallytransmitted infections globally and is a major healthissue in developing countries. Since this flagellateprotozoan parasite is associated with vaginitis,urethritis, cervicitis, and also pregnancy is one of thefactors affecting trichomoniasis in women. Our aim isto identify the prevalence of trichomoniasis and theassociated risk factors in pregnant women in the agegroup of 17-40 in the city of Zahedan (Southeast of Iran).Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on514 pregnant women who had referred to a midwifery clinicin Zahedan. Direct microscopic examination and Dorsetegg medium culture were used to detect T. vaginalis inpregnant women. The demographic and personal records,along with the associated risk factors were collected usinga questionnaire and then analyzed using the Frequency tocalculate the age average, chi-square test, independentt-test with SPSS software version 20.Results: The results showed that in 514 pregnantwomen, by the direct method, both the direct and culture methods and only culture method, 29(5.64),24(4.67), and 24(4.67) were reported positivesample for T. vaginalis, respectively. According tothis result, there were significant differences betweentrichomoniasis and history of STI (OR=12,6; 95CI=3,9-40,6) and previous abortion (OR = 6.840, CI:2.906-16.100) and vaginal discharge (OR= 2.9; 95CI= 1.2-7.1)and antenatal care (OR=0.2; 95CI= 0.1-0.7) in thestudied infected pregnant women (p<0.05).Conclusion: This study has raised several importantpoints that could contribute to the research on infectiousdiseases of pregnancy were also discussed. This dataproves that trichomoniasis during pregnancy should beconsidered an important health issue. Furthermore,by using parasitological diagnostic tests in pregnantwomen, the complications of trichomoniasis can beprevented for both the mother and the fetus © 2021, Turk Hijyen ve Deneysel Biyoloji Dergisi. All Rights Reserved

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms in patients infected with Leishmania tropica: a case control study

Leishmania, an obligate intracellular parasite is eliminated by a strong Th-1 host response. As Vitamin D metabolism and its receptor activity are important factors in human native immune system against some microorganisms, we hypothesized that VDR gene polymorphisms and concentration of Vitamin D might have effect on incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between VDR gene polymorphism and/or the serum vitamin D level and leishmaniasis in the infected patients in comparison to the healthy individuals. In this case�control study, the BsmI, FokI and Taq1 polymorphisms in the VDR gene and serum levels of vitamin D were studied in Iranian infected with Leishmania tropica (n = 50) and healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR�RFLP) and Electrochemiluminescence methods respectively. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software, Chi square and ANOVA tests. The results of this study showed that despite the relatively higher frequency of BsmI-BB, FokI-FF and TaqI-Tt than Non BsmI-BB, Non FokI-FF and Non TaqI-Tt in the patients compared with the healthy individuals, the differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Based on our findings, the relationship between the VDR polymorphism, the serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and the susceptibility to Leishmania tropica infection, remains unclear requiring further in-depth studies. However, for better interpretation, it is necessary to consider factors such as the size of the sample examined and the other alleles of VDR, including ApaI. © 2019, Indian Society for Parasitology