Environmental mycobacteria in areas of high and low tuberculosis prevalence in the Islamic Republic of Iran

This research compared the numbers and types of different Mycobacterium species in soil samples taken from 2 areas of Golestan province, Islamic Republic of Iran, 1 with a high prevalence of tuberculosis and 1 with a low prevalence. From 220 samples, 91 grew positive cultures [41.4%] and 161 different strains were diagnosed. The most common species isolated were Mycobacterium fortuitum, M. flavescens and M. chelonae. The frequencies of environmental Mycobacterium in the low-prevalence area were much higher than in the high-prevalence area, perhaps due to different environmental factors

[Determine serum zinc level of mothers in neural tube defects in Gorgan]

Introduction: Neural tube defects [NTD] comprise a group of congenital malformation that includes spina bifida, anencephaly and encephalocele. Pervious study has shown that the rate of NTDs is 3.12 per 1000 in Gorgan. Some studies have indicated that Zinc deficiency is one of the causative factors of NTDs

Objective: This study carried out to compare the serum Zinc level in maternal affected NTDs with healthy controls

Materials and methods: This case- control study carried out to compare the serum Zinc level in 23 mothers with affected NTDs newborns and 36 healthy controls in Dezyani Hospital in Gorgan during 2003 by spectrophotometery technique

Results: Zinc deficiency was found in 13[36.5%] of the cases and 7[19.4 %] of the controls. The logistic regression analytic showed the relation between the presence of NTDs with Zinc deficiency [OR=5.06, 95%CI: 1.51-16.99] and drug exposure during 1st trimester in mothers [OR=13.12, 95%CI: 1.31-130.97]

Conclusion: Our findings indicated that maternal Zinc deficiency was thought to be one of the important factors in the NTD etiology

Terrestrial Molluscs of Golestan, and Mazandaran provinces, northern Iran

Identification of Land molluscs as possiblevectors of snail-transmitted parasitic diseases. Cross-sectional study. Snails and slugs. Searching molluscs by hands and nakedeyes; garden spade; and sieving litters and sands duringJuly 1999-March 2001. Shells and spirited molluscs weretransferred into the jars enclosing a stripe of tracingpaper lablled with locality, data of collection and name ofcollector by a pencil. Shells and spirited animalsexamined under dissecting microscope. Thity-two snails and 2 slugs were collectedduring mollusc survey. Cochlicella acuta was found tobe new species for Golestan province; and Iran

Field trials of a slow release copper molluscicide in Khuzestan, South-West of Iran

In the field trials of slow-release nollusicide, copper content McCkechnie Chemical Inc. 30 cuso4 5H2o or 7.5 cupellet/sinking material 7 days release life were tested against the common aquatic snails bulinus truncatus, Physa acuta and Lymnaea gedrosiana in stagnant water bodies in Khuzestan province, south-west of Iran. Snail densities before treatment and 7 days after mollucicide application were determined by 10 deep nets per man. The results of the present trials as shown on tables 1, 2, 3 and 4 indicate that the effect of different concentration of copper based slow-relased mollnscicide [7.55 cu] is different for different species of aquatic snails. The maximum concentration to achieve 100 ppm. Mortality rate was 20 ppm for Lymnaea gedrosiana, 100ppm for physaacuta and over 120ppm for Bulinus truncatus. The high susceptibility of lymnaea snails to the chemical is very promising for the control of livestock trematodes infection in this area