Prediction of malaria cases in the southeastern Iran using climatic variables: An 18-year SARIMA time series analysis

Objective: To predict future trends in the incidence of malaria cases in the southeast of Iran as the most important area of malaria using Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model, and to check the effect of meteorological variables on the disease incidence. Methods: SARIMA method was applied to fit a model on malaria incidence from April 2001 to March 2018 in Sistan and Baluchistan province in southeastern Iran. Climatic variables such as temperature, rainfall, rainy days, humidity, sunny hours and wind speed were also included in the multivariable model as covariates. Then, the best fitted model was adopted to predict the number of malaria cases for the next 12 months. Results: The best-fitted univariate model for the prediction of malaria in the southeast of Iran was SARIMA (1,0,0)(1,1,1)12 [Akaike Information Criterion (AIC)=307.4, validation root mean square error (RMSE)=0.43]. The occurrence of malaria in a given month was mostly related to the number of cases occurring in the previous 1 (p=1) and 12 (P=1) months. The inverse number of rainy days with 8-month lag ( =0.329 2) and temperature with 3-month lag ( =-0.002 6) were the best predictors that could improve the predictive performance of the univariate model. Finally, SARIMA (1,0,0)(1,1,1)12 including mean temperature with a 3-month lag (validation RMSE=0.414) was selected as the final multivariable model. Conclusions: The number of malaria cases in a given month can be predicted by the number of cases in the prior 1 and 12 months. The number of rainy days with an 8-month lag and temperature with a 3-month lag can improve the predictive power of the model.

Morphometric discrimination between females of two isomorphic sand fly species, Phlebotomus caucasicus and Phlebotomus mongolensis (Diptera: Phlebotominae) in endemic and non-endemic foci of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran

Objective: To delineate reliable morphological characteristics for identifying and separating female Phlebotomus caucasicus and Phlebotomus mongolensis which exist sympatrically in the main foci of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran. Methods: Sand flies were collected using sticky trap papers from active colonies of rodent burrows installed from 16 catching sites. Morphometric measurements were analyzed of 87 Phlebotomus caucasicus and 156 Phlebotomus mongolensis. Univariate and multivariate analysis were carried out to determine significant morphometric variables for discrimination of the two species. Finally, seven morphological characteristics of 65 female Phlebotomus caucasicus and 124 female Phlebotomus mongolensis were described. Results: Univariate and multivariate analyses of 10 morphometric variables via Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that five morphometric variables had an accuracy of 100% for discriminating female Phlebotomus caucasicus and Phlebotomus mongolensis. Moreover, PCA revealed that the five morphometric variables with the highest loadings separated these two species. Morphological studies on antennal flagellum (and its associated structures) and mouth-parts of female specimens demonstrated significant differences in several structures. Conclusions: The results show that morphological and morphometrical features can be used to discriminate two female isomorphic species, Phlebotomus caucasicus and Phlebotomus mongolensis accurately.

Visceral leishmaniasis among children in an endemic area of northwestern Iran between 2016 and 2017: An epidemiological study

Objective: To clarify the epidemiological aspects of visceral leishmaniasis in Kaleybar and Khoda-Afarin districts, north-west of Iran. Methods: A total of 1 420 human (children under 12 years) samples, 101 domestic dogs samples (Canis familiaris), and 577 female sand fly samples were collected. Sera of human and dogs were tested using the direct agglutination test, and sand flies were identified at species level using the microscopic method. Furthermore, a structured questionnaire was applied to evaluate the correlation between the potential risk factors and the related clinical signs/ symptoms with the human and dogs' seropositivity. Results: Totally, 2.18% of human samples were positive at titers≥: 800; among them, 13 cases (41.94%) were above 1:3 200, and clinical symptoms were observed in all of them except for an 11-year old girl. Anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies were found at titers ≥1: 320 in 9.90% of dogs' samples, half of them had at least one sign of canine visceral leishmaniasis. Moreover, 10 Phlebotomus species were identified in the study areas, and Phlebotomus (Larroussius) major group was the predominant species. There are significant correlations between the presence of anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies and the fever (P<0.001), anemia (P=0.001) and weight loss (P=0.016) in children. On the other hand, significant correlations were revealed between the Leishmania infection and the shelter (P=0.039), cutaneous lesion (P=0.005), lymphadenopathy (P=0.001) and weight loss (P<0.001) in the infected dogs. Conclusions: Visceral Leishmania infection is prevalent in rural areas of Kaleybar and Khoda- Afar districts located in East-Azerbaijan province, therefore active detection and treatment of visceral leishmaniasis cases should not be neglected.

Repellency effect of flumethrin pour-on formulation against vectors of Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever

Background: Ticks are able to transmit important diseases to humans, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Q fever, Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever, summer Russian encephalitis, and relapsing fever.

Aims: To determine the repellency effect of 1% flumethrin pour-on formulation against hard ticks.

Methods: The concentration of flumethrin pour-on formulation was 1 mg/10 kg body weight and was administered on the dorsal midline from the head to the base of the tail. The livestock included cows, goats, oxen and sheep in 2 villages in Ardabil Province, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Results: We studied 200 livestock comprising 5 age groups [< 2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8 and >8 years]. The main hard ticks identified were Hyalomma species [62.5%] and Rhipicephalus bursa [37.5%]. In the treatment village, the maximum number of ticks per animal was 11.6 in oxen, 9.5 in sheep, 8.9 in goats and 8.6 in cattle. The repellency effect of flumethrin remained for 2 months.

Conclusions: Flumethrin provided 2 months protection against hard ticks. Therefore, it could be used in the livestock industry. Control of ticks is important for prevention of disease transmission

Development of new recombinant DgK antigen for diagnosis of dirofilaria immitis infections in dogs using ELISA technique and its comparison to molecular methods

Background: Dirofilaria immitis is a cosmopolitan zoonotic, vector-borne parasite of carnivorous animals causing dirofilariasis in human beings. Common commercial serodiagnostic tests for canine dirofilariasis usually lead to different results in their sensitivity and specificity. The present study reports development of recombinant DgK [rDgK] antigen of D. immitis for accurate immunodiagnosis of D. Immitis-infected dogs using indirect ELISA test

Methods: The rDgK coding sequence was successfully sequenced, codon optimized and cloned in pET-24a[+] expression vector and then expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant DgK was affinity purified using Ni[+2] - charged HiTrap chelating column, followed by testing in Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays [ELISA] with dog sera from a dirofilariasis endemic area. The performance of rDgK ELISA was evaluated using 60 sera collected from suspected dogs, while molecular technique was used as a reference test

Results: Sera from positive control D. immitis infection produced a strong IgG antibody response to rDgK both in ELISA and Western blotting tests. The sensitivity and specificity related to diagnostic potential of rDgK for ELISA were 92.5% and 87.5%, respectively. The results of rDgK ELISA showed a high agreement [0.764] with molecular identification

Conclusions: The findings revealed that the developed new rDgK antigen is sensitive and specific for immunodiagnosis of canine dirofilariasis using ELISA test

Serologic Tests of IgG and IgM Antibodies and IgG Avidity for Diagnosis of Ocular Toxoplasmosis

This prospective study was aimed to detect acute and chronic ocular toxoplasmosis by comparison of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG antibody levels and IgG avidity test. One hundred and seventeen patients with ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) who referred to the Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran, Iran were included in this study. Of the patients, 77 cases were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG, and 8 cases were positive for anti-T. gondii IgM. IgG avidity test revealed 11, 4, and 102 cases were low, intermediate, and high, respectively, and 6.8% and 9.4% of cases were positive for IgM and IgG avidity tests, respectively (P=0.632). Agreement (Kappa value) between paired tests IgG-IgM, IgG-IgG avidity, and IgM-IgG avidity was 0.080, 0.099, and 0.721, respectively (P < 0.05). This study showed that conventional serologic tests (IgM and IgG levels) and IgG avidity correlate well each other and can be used to differentiate recent infections from old OT. It seems that reactivated old infections rather than recently acquired infections are majority of Iranian OT patients.

Human visceral leishmaniasis: a serological survey in rural areas of Dashti district of Bushehr province, Southern Iran

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis [VL] or kala-azar is a parasitic disease caused by the species of Leishmania donovani complex. Mediterranean type of the disease is endemic in some parts of Iran and more than 95% of cases were reported in children up to 12 years of age. This study was performed to determine the seroprevalence of VL in the rural areas of the Dashti district from Bushehr province

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a randomized cluster sampling method was used for the collection of blood samples from children up to 12 years old from rural areas of Dashti district. Before sampling; a questionnaire was filled out for each case. All the collected blood samples were examined after the serum separating by Direct Agglutination Test [DAT] for detection of anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies. The cutoff titers of >/=1: 3200 with specific clinical features were supposed to be considered as VL

Results: Altogether, 24 out of 1221 [1.96%] blood samples showed titers between 1:800 and 1:1600 which considered as suspicious cases. None of the suspicious cases had a history of kala-azar. None of 1221 collected blood samples showed anti Leishmania infantum [L. infantum] at titer >/=1:3200

Conclusion: This study confirms the circulation of L. infantum in Dashti district and highlights the sporadic pattern of VL in the studied areas which necessitates the surveillance system to be monitored by health authorities

Seroprevalence survey of viscereal leishmaniasis among children up to 12 years old and domestic dogs in rural areas of Dehloran district, Ilam province of west part of Iran, 2014

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis [VL], caused by Leishmania infantum [L. infantum], is a life-threatening vector-borne parasitic disease is distributed in some parts of the world. The disease is endemic in some parts of Iran. This study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of VL among children and domestic dogs [as a reservoir of the parasite] in Dehloran, west of Iran

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Dehloran County. The blood samples of 872 children up to 12 years old and 52 dogs were collected from 10 villages of Dehloran using randomly-clustered sampling method. Sera were separated from all peripheral blood samples and tested by direct agglutination test [DAT]. Anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies at titers of >/=1:800 and >/=1:80 were considered as Leishmania infantum infection in human and dog, respectively

Results: In general, among 872 human samples, 1.03% of samples had anti-Leishmania antibody with 1:1600 titers and 1.26% had 1:800 titers. In addition, from 52 dog samples, 21.15% of dogs had a titer of >/=1:320 and 25% had 1:80 and 1:160 titers

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the seropositive dogs in the studied areas are considerable and L. infantum may be circulated between human and domestic dog in the studied area. Further study of isolation and molecular identification of Leishmania spp. is recommended

First Paleoparasitological Report on the Animal Feces of Bronze Age Excavated from Shahr-e Sukhteh, Iran

Shahr-e Sukhteh (meaning burnt city in Persian) in Iran is an archeological site dated back to around 3,200-1,800 BC. It is located in Sistan and Baluchistan Province of Iran and known as the junction of Bronze Age trade routes crossing the Iranian plateau. It was appointed as current study area for paleoparasitological investigations. Excavations at this site have revealed various archeological materials since 1967. In the present study, sheep and carnivore coprolites excavated from this site were analyzed by means of rehydration technique using TSP solution for finding helminth eggs. Dicrocoelium dendriticum, Capillaria sp., and Taenia sp. eggs were identified, while some other objects similar to Anoplocephalidae and Toxocara spp. eggs were also retrieved from the samples but their measured parameters did not match those of these species. The present paper illustrates the first paleoparasitological findings of Bronze Age in eastern Iran supporting the economic activities, peopling, and communication as well as the appropriate condition for zoonotic helminthiasis life cycle in Shahr-e Sukhteh archeological site.

In vitro and in vivo susceptibility of Leishmania major to some medicinal plants

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of some medicinal plants and systemic glucantime in a comparative manner against the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis both in vitro and in BALB/c mice. Methods For in vivo testing, inbred mice were challenged with Leishmania major parasites and the resultant ulcers were treated with extract based-ointments applied topically two times per day for a period of 20 days. A group of 56 mice were randomly divided into 7 subgroups. The control group received the ointment void of extracts, whereas the reference group received glucantime only. The efficacy of treatments was evaluated by measuring ulcer diameter, parasite burden and NO production. Results Our results indicated that plant extract based-ointments were effective in reducing ulcer size and parasite burden in spleens, but their effects did not differ significantly from that of glucantime. The plant extracts tested in this study were able to increase NO production that helped parasite suppression. Conclusions Our findings indicate that the tested plant extracts are effective against Leishmania major both during in vitro and in vivo experiments, but further researches are required to recommend a potential plant extract as an alternative drug.

Inter-and intraspecific variations of leishmania strains isolated from patients with cutaneous and visceral leishmaniases in pars province, south of Iran

Background: Cutaneous and visceral leishmaniases are present in Fars Province in the south of Iran. The current study aimed to evaluate the inter- and intragenic diversities of Leishmania species isolated from patients with leishmaniasis in Fars Province, using PCR-based analyses and DNA sequencing of the N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase [nagf] gene

Methods: Clinical samples were taken from the skin lesions of 120 individuals with clinical suspicion of cutaneous leishmaniasis [CL] referred to the major health centers of Shiraz. Along with microscopic examination, a part of each sample was used for in vitro cultivation. DNA was extracted from the cultured parasites and the nagt gene was PCR-amplified. For RFLP analysis, the PCR product of the nagt gene was digested with the Accl restriction enzyme. Moreover, the PCR products of 23 isolates were sequenced and analyzed, using MEGA5

Results: From the 120 patients with clinical suspicion of CL, 110[91.7%] cases were found to be positive by direct microscopy while 77[64.1%] of the cultures were positive. Digestion of the PCR product with the Accl restriction enzyme detected L. major in 57 out of the 77 [74.1%] and Z. tropica, in 20 out of the 77 [25.9%] cases with CL. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the Leishmania isolates into 3 main clades, representing L. major, L. infantum, and L. rop/ca,encompassing 2, 2, and 2 haplotypes, respectively. Within the clades, the L. tropica intraspecies divergence was more pronounced in L. major

Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated that the causative agent of CL in Fars Province was mainly L. major and that there was considerable heterogeneity between the Leishmania species and also within the L. major isolates

[Sero-prevalence study of visceral leishmaniasis using Direct Agglutination Test (DAT) in children up to 12 years old in Delphan City, Lorestan Province: introduce a new focus of VL In Iran]

Background and Objectives: Two clinical forms of leishmaniasis exist in Iran: cutaneous and visceral. According to the sporadic reports of new cases of Visceral Leishmaniasis [VL] in Lorestan province, real status of VL is not clear, so this study aimed to describe the seroprevalence of VL in Delphan city

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive analytic study, blood samples were collected from children /= 1/3200 accompanied with clinical symptoms was considered as VL diseas

Results: 800 collected serum samples, 21[2.62%] showed anti-Leishmania antibodies at titers of 1/800 and 1/1600, whereas 5[0.62%] showed anti-Leishmania antibodies at titers of ?1/3200. But just one of them showed clinical symptoms [anemia and large abdominal] which is under treatment with miltefosine

Conclusion: A new focus of VL with low endemicity is going to be formed in our region, which showed that further studies on vector and reservoirs is necessary in the region and other parts of Lorestan province

Visceral Leishmaniasis in Rural Areas of Alborz Province of Iran and Implication to Health Policy

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or kala-azar mainly affects children in endemic areas. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of VL using direct agglutination test (DAT) in children living in rural districts of Alborz Province located 30 km from Tehran capital city of Iran. Multi-stage cluster random sampling was applied. Blood samples were randomly collected from 1,007 children under 10 years of age in the clusters. A total of 37 (3.7%) of the studied population showed anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies with titers of > or =1:800. There was a significant association between positive sera and various parts of the rural areas of Alborz Province (P or =1:3,200 indicated kala-azar clinical features and treated with anti-leishmaniasis drugs in pediatric hospital. The findings of this study indicated that Leishmania infection is prevalent in rural areas of Alborz Province. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the awareness and alertness among physicians and public health managers, particularly in high-risk rural areas of the province in Iran.

Study on leishmania infection in cats from Ahar, East Azerbaijan province and north west Iran by parasitological, serological and molecular methods

Objective: To study Leishmania infection in cats and its potential role in transmission of the disease to human by parasitological, serological and molecular methods in Ahar District, East Azerbaijan Province. Methods: In this study, 65 cats from different parts of Ahar Province were trapped. The cats were anesthetized with chloroform and blood samples were taken from jugular vein and tested by direct agglutination test. Spleen and liver smear samples were prepared in order to microscopically examine these organs, and also cultured in Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle and Roswell Park Memorial Institute 1 640 media. Finally, spleen tissue DNA was extracted to perform polymerase chain reaction analysis. Results: In direct agglutination test, 4 (6%) cats had a positive titer, while 14 (22%) cats had a titer of 1:80 which was suspected for an infection and 47 (72%) cats were negative. Culture results were negative and in polymerase chain reaction no amplification was observed. Conclusions: We found no case of feline visceral leishmaniasis. It needs more extensive studies by using a larger number of cats to firmly establish leishmaniasis in this area.

Clinical features and laboratory findings of visceral leishmaniasis in children referred to children medical center hospital, Tehran, Iran during 2004-2011

Visceral leishmaniasis [VL] is one of the most important parasitic diseases endemic in northwestern and southern areas of Iran. The aim of the present study was to review the records of children hospitalized with VL in order to characterize the clinical features of children as well as laboratory finding in Children Medical Center Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The medical records of all children with a final diagnosis of VL were reviewed from 2004 to 2011. Demographic, clinical information, laboratory finding and treatment were considered. A total number of 34 children with confirmed VL through 2004-2011 were included in the study. The most prevalent sign and symptoms were fever [97.1%], pallor and weakness [97.1%], appetite loss [61.8%], splenomegaly [97.1%] and hepatomegaly [88.2%]. The most frequent laboratory abnormalities were hematological including anemia [97.1%], thrombocytopenia [91.2%] and leukopenia [67.6%]. Direct agglutination test [DAT] was performed in 23 cases and all of them showed anti-Leishmania antibodies with titers of >/= 1: 3200. In addition, 90% of patients had positive rK39 results. Identification of Ieishmania in the aspirates of the bone marrow was found in 83.3% of patients. Regional surveillance system in order to monitoring of leishmaniasis trends as well as detection of new emerging foci is recommended

Genotyping of echinococcus gtanulosus isolates from human clinical samples based on sequencing of mitochondrial genes in Iran, Tehran

The present study was aimed to investigate molecular diversity of Echinococcus gmnulosus isolates collected from human clinical samples using two mitochondrial genes cox1 and nod1 in Iran. Forty seven human hydatid cysts were collected through surgery from two hospitals in Tehran during 2010-2012. To determine the fertility of protoscoleces, the cyst fluids were subjected to morphological microscopic examinations. Protoscoleces were removed from each cyst and their total genomic DNAs were extracted. PCR was performed to amplify fragments of 450 and 400 base pair [bp] for cox1 and nod1 genes, respectively. Genotype diversity and sequence variation of the strains were studied by bioinformatics software and in comparison with those mtDNA sequences already dposited in GenBank. Sixteen, [53.3%], 13 [43.3%], and 1 [3.3%] samples were related to lung, liver, and spleen, respectively. The remained 17 unfertile samples were excluded from the study. From the 29 isolates, 86.7% [n=26] and 10% [n=3] were related to G1, and G3 genotypes, respectively. The sole isolate with G6 genotype was obtained from lung sample. Analysis of concatenated sequences of cox1+nad1 indicated the presence of 11 haplotypes among our strains that were related to genotypes G1 [n=9], G3 [n=1] and G6 [n=1]. In consistent to other reports from Iran, genotypes G1, G3, and G6 were observed in our human isolates. The rate of G3 genotype was however higher than other studies implying that human can be considered as a new appropriate host for G3 genotype. Further studies with more sample size from different geographic areas of Iran are needed for E. granulosus mapping

Development and assessment of loop-mediated isothermal amplification [LAMP] assay for the diagnosis of human visceral leishmaniasis in Iran

Parasitological methods for the diagnosis of Visceral leishmaniasis [VL] require invasive procedures, so serological and molecular approaches have been developed but are not generally applicable in the field. We evaluated a loop mediated isothermal amplification [LAMP] assay using blood from VL patients and compared it to nested PCR. Forty-seven subjects with clinical features [fever, hepatosplenomegaly and anemia] were confirmed positive for VL by the direct agglutination test [DAT] at titers >3200. Forty DAT negative individuals from non-endemic areas with no clinical signs or symptoms of VL served as controls. A LAMP assay was performed using a set of six primers targeting leishmania infantum kinetoplast DNA [kDNA] minicircle gene under isothermal [64 degree C] conditions. For nested PCR we used primers targeting the kDNA minicircle gene. The LAMP assay provided a detection limit of 1 parasite in 1 ml of j peripheral blood and detected L. infantum DNA in 44 of 47 DAT-confirmed VL cases, with diagnostic sensitivity of 93.6% [95% CI]. No L. infantum DNA was amplified in controls, indicating a specificity of 100%. The nested PCR yielded sensitivity of 96% [95% CI] and a specificity of 100% [95% CI]. The LAMP assay gave results similar to those of nested PCR but in a shorter time. The LAMP method is simple; requires no sophisticated equipment; has a short reaction time; and results, indicated by turbidity of the reaction mixture, are observable with the naked eye

Evaluation of a novel herbal immunomodulator drug [IMOD] in treatment of experimental canine visceral leishmaniasis

Toxicity and drug resistance against pentavalent antimonials, medications of choice in treatment of leishmaniasis for more than 5 decades, have become important subjects globally. This study was a randomized, open labeled trial that was designed to determine efficacy and safety of IMOD as a novel herbal immunomodulator drug for treatment of canine visceral leishmaniasis [CVL]. Twenty healthy mongrel dogs were infected with Iranian strain of L. Infantum amastigotes and randomly divided to 5 groups with four animals for each included on: I: negative control [non-infected] II: Glucantime[registered sign] III: Glucantime[registered sign] plus IMOD [immune-chemotherapy] IV: IMOD and V: positive control [non-treated]. Physical examination, hematological, biochemical, serological, parasitological, pathological and imaging evaluations were performed pre-/post- interventions every month for 3 months. Comparing with control groups [IandV], immune-chemotherapy group [Glucantime[registered sign] plus IMOD] showed significantly higher efficacy in resolving the clinical signs and hematobiochemistry factors. Based on our results, using IMOD in combination with meglumine antimoniate [Glucantime[registered sign]] has significantly improved CVL than the latter drug alone. So, it seems this new herbal medicine is useful as adjuvant therapy for canine visceral leishmaniasis

Assessment of the effects of a novel herbal immunomodulator drug [IMOD] on cytokine profiles in experimental canine visceral leishmaniasis: a preliminary survey

Cytokines play a fundamental role in the regulation of immune responses in remission and/or relapsing of leishmaniasis. Therefore, immunotherapy for the treatment of canine visceral leishmaniasis [CVL] has represented a principle approach in control of the infection. The present research aimed to evaluating the immunotherapeutic potential of a novel herbal immunomodulator drug [IMOD] on CVL. Twelve mongrel dogs were intravenously infected with Iranian strain of L. infantum and randomly divided into three groups; 1: negative control [non-infected], 2: immunotherapy with IMOD and 3: positive control [non-treated]. Cell proliferation and Th1-/Th2-type cytokines were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cell [PBMC] by cell proliferation kit I [MTT] and enzyme-linked immunospot [ELISpot] assays, respectively. At the 60 days follow-up assessment, no adverse effects were observed in treated interventional group. Cellular proliferation assay indicated that PBMCs of IMOD group had higher stimulation index [SI] than positive control group [p <0.05]. Enhancement of CD4+ T cells such as IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 were detected in negative control group due to in vitro IMOD stimulation 30 days post-treatment. In accordance to decreasing trends of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in positive control group, the mean number of IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 spot forming cells [SFCs] down regulated for IMOD group during the study. These data indicate that IMOD had immunomodulatory potential but is not sufficient for total parasitic cure due to balance of Th1/Th2 cytokines. This is a preliminary study and we propose to undertake a series of experiments to evaluate the CVL due to in vitro modulatory effects of IMOD

Canine visceral leishmaniasis in Kerman, southeast of Iran: a seroepidemiological, histopathological and molecular study

Canine visceral leishmaniasis [CVL] is a systemic disease with a high mortality rate, caused by a diphasic protozoan parasite, Leishmania infantum/chagasi in the world. The objective of the present study was to determine the presence of CVL in the city and suburbs of Kerman, using a range of serological, histopathological and molecular methods. Blood samples were taken from 80 clinically symptomatic stray dogs All the collected blood samples were tested by direct agglutination test [DAT] to detect the anti-Leishmania antibodies in dogs, using a cut-off value of >/= 1:320. Pathological specimens including spleen, liver and lymph nodes were prepared for paraffin blocks, sectioning, staining and final microscopic examination in the pathology laboratory. PCR amplification of kDNA from 9 samples of DAT positive stray dogs was studied. The anti-Leishmania antibody was detected in 9 dogs [11.25%] of the total 80 studied dogs. No significant difference was found between VL infection and gender. In contrast, there was a significant difference between seropositivity and age [P<0.05]. Pathological samples showed changes including hyperplasia of infected macrophages and inflammatory cells that occupied sinusoids and splenic cords. Among the samples which was characterized by PCR, only one specimen revealed to be mixed infection between L. infantum and L. tropica. The results revealed a high prevalence of L. infantum infection in stray dogs in Kerman. This kind of information is needed for implementation of future control programs