A conventional PCR for differentiating common taeniid species of dogs based on in silico microsatellite analysis

Canine taeniids are among the major tapeworms with remarkable medical and economic significance. Reliable diagnosis and differentiation of dog taeniids using simple and sensitive tools are of paramount importance for establishing an efficient surveillance system. Microsatellites as abundant unique tandem repeats of short DNA motifs are useful genetic markers for molecular epidemiological studies. The purpose of the present study was to find a primer pair for rapid differentiation of major tapeworms of dogs, Taenia hydatigena, T. multiceps, T. ovis and Echinococcus granulosus, by screening existing nucleotide data. All the mitochondrial genome records as well as non-coding ITS1 sequences of Taeniidae species were downloaded from Nucleotide database from NCBI. For prediction and analysis of potential loci of STR/SSR in ITS1 as well as mitochondrial regions, we used ChloroMitoSSRDB 2.0 and GMATo v1.2. software. Different tapeworm species were categorized according to different motif sequences and type and size of each microsatellite locus. Three primer sets were designed and tested for differentiating taeniid species and evaluated in a conventional PCR system. Four taeniid species were successfully differentiated using a primer pair in a simple conventional PCR system. We predicted 2-19 and 1-4 microsatellite loci in ITS1 and mitochondrial genome, respectively. In ITS1, 41 Di and 21 Tri motifs were found in the taeniids while the majority of the motifs in the mitochondrial genome were Tetra (89) and Tri (70). It is documented that the number and diversity of microsatellite loci is higher in nuclear ITS1 region than mostly coding mitochondrial genome

Simultaneous Determination of Preservatives in Dairy Products by HPLC and Chemometric Analysis

Cheese and yogurt are two kinds of nutritious dairy products that are used worldwide. The major preservatives in dairy products are sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and natamycin. The maximum permitted levels for these additives in cheese and yogurt are established according to Iranian national standards. In this study, we developed a method to detect these preservatives in dairy products by reversed phase chromatography with UV detection in 220 nm, simultaneously. This method was performed on C18 column with ammonium acetate buffer (pH=5) and acetonitrile (73 : 27 v/v) as mobile phase. The method was carried out on 195 samples in 5 kinds of commercial cheeses and yogurts. The results demonstrated insufficient separation where limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) ranged from 0.326 to 0.520 mg/kg and 0.989 to 1.575 mg/kg in benzoate and sorbate, respectively. The correlation coefficient of each calibration curve was mostly higher than 0.997. All samples contained sodium benzoate in various ranges. Natamycin and sorbate were detected in a remarkable amount of samples, while, according to Iranian national standard, only sorbate is permitted to be added in processed cheeses as a preservative. In order to control the quality of dairy products, determination of preservatives is necessary

Comparison of Interferon-Gamma (IFNG) +874 T/A single nucleotide polymorphism in hepatitis C virus infected patients and non-infected controls in Mashhad, Iran

This study was financially supported by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran (Grant No. 900513).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato GENOTYPES IN DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK AND HUMANS IN GOLESTAN PROVINCE, IRAN

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a globally parasitic zoonosis caused by larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus. This study investigated E. granulosus genotypes isolated from livestock and humans in the Golestan province, northern Iran, southeast of the Caspian sea, using partial sequencing data of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1) mitochondrial genes. Seventy E. granulosus isolates were collected from animals in slaughterhouses: 18 isolates from sheep, 40 from cattle, nine from camels, two from buffaloes and one from a goat, along with four human isolates (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues) from CE patients of provincial hospitals. All isolates were successfully analysed by PCR amplification and sequencing. The sequence analysis found four E. granulosus genotypes among the 74 CE isolates: G1 (78.3%), G2 (2.7%), G3 (15%) and G6 (4%). The G1-G3 complex genotype was found in all of the sheep, goat, cattle and buffalo isolates. Among the nine camel isolates, the frequency of G1-G3 and G6 genotypes were 66.7% and 33.3%, respectively. All four human CE isolates belonged to E. granulosus sensu stricto. This study reports the first occurrence of the G2 genotype in cattle from Iran and confirms the previously reported G3 genotype in camels in the same country

Effectiveness of physical exercise on the growth of the Psycho- motor skills in children with learning disorder

Introduction: To investigate the Effectiveness of physical exercise on the growth of the gross and fine motor skills in children with learning disorder. Martial and Method: In this study, the people with disabilities in learning were studying in the city of Julfa in the 2014-2015 school year, 30 children were selected and divided into two experimental and control groups were replaced. Results: There was a significant difference in post‒test between the two groups (p<0.05). The experimental group had scored higher. Conclusions: Sensory‒Motor Integration training improved fine motor skills, and the effect of this training was noticeably greater than class programs

The Monetary Burden of Cystic Echinococcosis in Iran

<div><p>Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a globally distributed parasitic infection of humans and livestock. The disease is of significant medical and economic importance in many developing countries, including Iran. However, the socioeconomic impact of the disease, in most endemic countries, is not fully understood. The purpose of the present study was to determine the monetary burden of CE in Iran. Epidemiological data, including prevalence and incidence of CE in humans and animals, were obtained from regional hospitals, the scientific literature, and official government reports. Economic data relating to human and animal disease, including cost of treatment, productivity losses, and livestock production losses were obtained from official national and international datasets. Monte Carlo simulation methods were used to represent uncertainty in input parameters. Mean number of surgical CE cases per year for 2000–2009 was estimated at 1,295. The number of asymptomatic individuals living in the country was estimated at 635,232 (95% Credible Interval, CI 149,466–1,120,998). The overall annual cost of CE in Iran was estimated at US$232.3 million (95$103.1–397.8 million), including both direct and indirect costs. The cost associated with human CE was estimated at US$93.39 million (95$6.1–222.7 million) and the annual cost associated with CE in livestock was estimated at US$132 million (95$61.8–246.5 million). The cost per surgical human case was estimated at US$1,539. CE has a considerable economic impact on Iran, with the cost of the disease approximated at 0.03% of the country's gross domestic product. Establishment of a CE surveillance system and implementation of a control program are necessary to reduce the economic burden of CE on the country. Cost-benefit analysis of different control programs is recommended, incorporating present knowledge of the economic losses due to CE in Iran.</p> </div

Differences in Entamoeba histolytica Cysteine Proteinase 5 Gene Isolated From Bandar Abbas and Tabriz, Iran

Background: Amebiasis with up to 100 000 human deaths each year is the third cause of human deadly parasitic disease. With regard to the fact that cysteine protease 5 is known to be one of the most important pathogenicity factors of the Entamoeba histolytica and also, CP5 gene has been observed only in E. histolytica, hence we discriminated E. histolytica from E. dispar on CP5 gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and characterized CP5 gene variation in E. histolytica isolated from patients in both cold regions and tropical regions of Iran at molecular level. Materials and Methods: In the present study, a total of 2332 stool samples (1550 from Tabriz and 782 from Bandar Abbas) were studied microscopically. DNA extraction and PCR method were performed on the positive specimens, infected with E. histolytica/E. dispar. Finally we characterized CP5 gene in E. histolytica isolates from 10 positive samples in the cold regions (Tabriz) and 10 positive samples in the tropical regions (Bandar Abbas) by sequencing and studied the polymorphism of the gene. Results: Of 1550 subjects studied from Tabriz and 782 from Bandar Abaas, 83/1550 (8.3%) and 65/782 (5.35%) persons were infected with E. histolytica/E. dispar, respectively. The molecular results on 20 E. histolytica PCR positive isolates from both regions revealed that nucleotides substitution and polymorphism on CP5 gene was more in samples from Bandar Abbas than those from Tabriz. Conclusion: Prevalence of amebiasis was high in the tropical region (Bandar Abbas) compared with the cold region (Tabriz). In this study, CP5 gene variation in the pathogenicity and virulence of this parasite in the tropical region was higher than that in the cold region

Human and livestock population and the proportion of GDP lost due to CE in different countries.

¶<p>Cost of animal CE only.</p>§<p>From FAOSTAT, 2010.</p>*<p>Indirect human losses not accounted for.</p