Diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women using automated chemiluminescence and quantitative real time PCR

Objective: To identify serodiagnosis and quantification of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection among pregnant women in Salmas, northwest of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 276 blood samples were collected from pregnant women referred to the health care centers in Salmas city. The demographic variables were also recorded. Titers of anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies (Ab) were determined using the chemiluminescence immunoassay. Quantitative real-time PCR targeting the T. gondii repeated element gene was also performed on the blood sample. Results: Out of all, 19.92% (55/276) and 2.17% (6/276) patients were seropositive for anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM Ab, respectively. Moreover, the presence of T. gondii DNA was observed in 12.31% (34/276) blood samples. A significant relationship was observed between the IgG Ab seropositivity and contact with the cat as a risk factor (P=0.022). Conclusions: The seroprevalence rate of T. gondii infection in pregnant women is relatively low. Consequently, the seronegative pregnant women are at risk, and a considerable rate of positive blood samples for the presence of parasite's DNA should not be ignored. Besides, quantitative real-time PCR could be considered as an accurate method for diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis especially when the precise results are of the most importance in pregnancy. Limiting contact with cats is also suggested for pregnant women.

case report of acute gastroenteritis due to leech bite

Leeches are a group of round worm that belonged in Hirudina order. They live in freshwater, soil and wetlands. Some leeches are predators and feeding of worms, insect's larvae and snails, whereas some of the other is bloodthirsty and feeding invertebrates and vertebrates. Although leeches can have important therapeutic but sometimes cause serious problems in humans and animals. In the present report, a 22 year old woman living in Tabriz admitted to infectious diseases ward of Sina hospital, with diarrhea, nausea and gastroenteritis symptoms. After clinical and parasitological experiments, leeches were confirmed in the patient's gastrointestinal secretions

Plasmodium vivax dhfr Mutations among Isolates from Malarious Areas of Iran

The use of sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine (SP) for treatment of vivax malaria is uncommon in most malarious areas, but Plasmodium vivax isolates are exposed to SP because of mixed infections with other Plasmodium species. As P. vivax is the most prevalent species of human malaria parasites in Iran, monitoring of resistance of the parasite against the drug is necessary. In the present study, 50 blood samples of symptomatic patients were collected from 4 separated geographical regions of south-east Iran. Point mutations at residues 57, 58, 61, and 117 were detected by the PCR-RFLP method. Polymorphism at positions 58R, 117N, and 117T of P. vivax dihydrofolate reductase (Pvdhfr) gene has been found in 12%, 34%, and 2% of isolates, respectively. Mutation at residues F57 and T61 was not detected. Five distinct haplotypes of the Pvdhfr gene were demonstrated. The 2 most prevalent haplotypes were F57S58T61S117 (62%) and F57S58T61N117 (24%). Haplotypes with 3 and 4 point mutations were not found. The present study suggested that P. vivax in Iran is under the pressure of SP and the sensitivity level of the parasite to SP is diminishing and this fact must be considered in development of malaria control programs.

Genetic structure of Plasmodium vivax population assessed by sequence analysis of the merozoite surface protein 3 beta gene

The endemicity and transmission intensity levels of malaria are related to genetic diversity of the parasites. Merozoite surface protein 3beta [MSP3beta] is an important marker for assessing the polymorphic nature of Plasmodium vivax while it is also a vaccine candidate against the parasite. In this study we investigated the genetic structure of P. vivax population by sequence analysis of a polymorphic region of the P. vivax MSP3beta gene in isolates from Iran. Blood samples were collected from 100 patients with clinical symptoms. DNA was extracted and the target gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction [PCR]. The sequences of 17 samples were used for sequence analysis using nucleotide Blast search and ClustalW multiple alignment. Phylogenetic tree was derived to describe the geographical branching and relationships. A large number of nucleotide insertions and deletions were observed in the sequences of polymorphic region of PvMSP3beta gene that were not specific in each biotype. Single nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] was found extensively in the sequences. The phylogenetic analysis did not show any significant geographical branching. The lack of any geographical branching and extensive polymorphism in MSP3beta gene of P. vivax isolates suggests that more investigations are needed to find a more suitable gene in order to develop a vaccine