Morphology of Cysticercus bovis and associated tissue reaction in the bovine heart

Bovine hearts naturally infected with Cysticercus bovis were collected from cattle slaughtered in Assiut abattoir. The morphology of cysticerci was studied in series of histological sections, which were stained with hematoxylin-eosin. The bladder wall has external hair-like processes in contact with the host tissue, which have an absorptive function. This wall represents a proliferative area giving rise to a wavy spiral canal; at its end the invaginated scolex and suckers are located. The tissue reaction was more marked at the site facing the opening of the spiral canal on the surface of the bladder. The reaction of the heart to C bovis was inflammatory in nature, leading to the formation of a wide inflammatory rim with infiltrating cellular elements. The cardiac muscles revealed granulomatous lesions with a large area of inflammatory reactions in which the cardiac muscle was destroyed. Cysticercosis must be taken into consideration in differential diagnosis of inflammatory cardiac diseases

Identification and characterization of sarcocystis fusiformis antigen before and after heat treatment

Zoonotic sarcocysts are transmitted to human by eating undercooked meat. Cooking is effective for inactivating Sarcocystis in meat. S. fusiformis cysts were processed for heat treatment at 55, 60, 65 and 70°C. The cystozoites antigen was prepared before and after heat treatment. Both antigens were separated by Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [SDS-PAGE]. Following separation, the proteins were either stained with Coomassie blue stain or electrophoretically transferred from polyacrylamide gel to immobilon-p transfer membrane for Western blot [WB] technique. The blotted proteins were analyzed against anti Sarcocystis hyperimmune serum. By SDS-PAGE protein bands ranging from 10 kD to 220 kD are detected in the separated pre-heated antigen. By WB several bands are immunogenic 20-27 kD, 43 kD, 90 kD, 160 kD, and 215 kD. By SDS-PAGE after heat treatment, the pattern of detected protein bands became slightly faint at 65°C, while at 70°C most bands disappeared. These bands were previously reported to be immunogenic bands of micronemes, dense granules and pellicle. These organelles are responsible for adhesion and invasion of host cells. This work explains the role of heat on the antigenicity and infectivity of Sarcocystis

Evaluation of some serological tests in diagnosis of toxoplasmosis among complicated pregnancy

Toxoplasmosis is one of the common public health problems. The congenital infection is the most serious form of the disease. This work was conducted on 100 serum samples of pregnant women with previous complicated obstetric history suggesting Toxoplasma infection. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG and, IgM antibodies were evaluated using four commercial serological tests: Latex agglutination, IHAT, ELISA and Immuno-Comb test. The results of the study proved that Latex test gave the highest percentage of seropositivity [58.3%], followed by IgG ELISA [55.8%] and Immuno-comb [55%], while IHAT gave a positive result of [50%]. IgM seropositivity was [44.1%] by ELISA and [46.6%] by Immuno-comb. The correlation between all tests was significant

Studies on the biology and pathogenicity of free living amoebae in Sohag

Naegleria and Acanthamoeba are facultative parasites that cause mild to severe meningoencephalitis. In this study, samples were randomly collected from different water and soil sources in Sohag City and cultured on non-nutrient agar medium previously seeded with Escherichia coli. The morphological characters of the isolated amoebae were studied using different stains. The pathogenicity of the isolated amoebae was studied through inoculation into albino rats and rabbits. Rat inoculation with Naegleria trophozoites resulted in a severe histopathological effect on brain tissue, while Acanthamoeba failed to induce infection. Acanthamoeba keratitis could be established in the cornea of rabbits

Intestinal parasitic infection among food handlers in Assiut University Hospital

This work aimed to study the prevalence of parasitic infections among food handlers in Assiut University Hospital with special reference to the diagnosis of some protozoan sporozoa. Macroscopic examination of stool samples revealed 42.9% loose and 57.1% formed stool and 80.3% of food handlers had intestinal parasites. Also, a combination of Microsporidia and Cryptosporidia were found in 25% of stool samples. There were also non- pathogenic parasites rates in loose stool observed with Microsporidia, Blastocystis hominis and Giardia lamblia