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OBJECTIVES@#The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis and other intestinal parasites in patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs in northern Iran and to investigate related risk factors. @*METHODS@#This cross-sectional study was conducted among 494 patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs, including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (n=188) and those treated with prolonged corticosteroid administration (n=306). All fresh fecal samples were examined using the direct wet-mount, formalin ethyl acetate concentration, and agar plate culture techniques. @*RESULTS@#In total, 16.8% of patients were positive for at least 1 intestinal parasite; the helminthic and protozoan infection rates were 5.1% and 12.3%, respectively. The infection rate was significantly higher in corticosteroid-treated individuals (19.6%) than cancer patients (12.2%) (p<0.05). The prevalence rate of S. stercoralis among patients receiving chemotherapy and those treated with corticosteroids were 4.3% and 5.2%, respectively. The prevalence rate of S. stercoralis infection was significantly higher in older patients (p<0.05). @*CONCLUSIONS@#Strongyloidiasis is one of the most common parasites among patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs in northern Iran. Early diagnosis and proper treatment of these patients are necessary to minimize the complications of severe strongyloidiasis.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES@#The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis and other intestinal parasites in patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs in northern Iran and to investigate related risk factors. @*METHODS@#This cross-sectional study was conducted among 494 patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs, including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (n=188) and those treated with prolonged corticosteroid administration (n=306). All fresh fecal samples were examined using the direct wet-mount, formalin ethyl acetate concentration, and agar plate culture techniques. @*RESULTS@#In total, 16.8% of patients were positive for at least 1 intestinal parasite; the helminthic and protozoan infection rates were 5.1% and 12.3%, respectively. The infection rate was significantly higher in corticosteroid-treated individuals (19.6%) than cancer patients (12.2%) (p<0.05). The prevalence rate of S. stercoralis among patients receiving chemotherapy and those treated with corticosteroids were 4.3% and 5.2%, respectively. The prevalence rate of S. stercoralis infection was significantly higher in older patients (p<0.05). @*CONCLUSIONS@#Strongyloidiasis is one of the most common parasites among patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs in northern Iran. Early diagnosis and proper treatment of these patients are necessary to minimize the complications of severe strongyloidiasis.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the prevalence and genotype of Enterobius (E.) vermicularis from adhesive tape samples in the cities of Shiraz and Khorramabad, Iran. Methods: A total of 1 000 adhesive tape samples from kindergartens in Shiraz (500 samples) and Khorramabad (500 samples) were collected and tested using a microscope to find E. vermicularis egg/s. A questionnaire was filled out for each sample. In order to characterize the genotype of E. vermicularis, the PCR-sequencing method of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene was used. Genomic DNA was extracted from the positive scotch tape samples of E. vermicularis. The cox1 gene was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. The sequence data were aligned using the BioEdit software and compared with the published sequences in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood method. Results: The parasitological method showed that 15 out of the 500 samples from Shiraz (3.00%) and 12 out of the 500 samples from Khorramabad (2.40%) were infected with E. vermicularis eggs. BLAST analysis indicated that the sequenced isolates belonged to E. vermicularis genotype B while three different haplotypes were also identified. Conclusions: This is the first study on genotyping E. vermicularis in the cities of Shiraz and Khorramabad. Considering the public health importance of the disease, further studies are necessary to characterize the genotype of E. vermicularis in human populations from other regions of Iran.
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Aim: This study is aimed to diagnose and analyze strongyloidiasis in a population of an endemic area of Iran using nested-PCR, coupled with parasitological methods
Background: Screening of strongyloidiasis infected people using reliable diagnostic techniques are essential to decrease the mortality and morbidity associated with this infection. Molecular methods have been proved to be highly sensitive and specific for detection of Strongyloides stercoralis in stool samples
Methods: A total of 155 fresh single stool samples were randomly collected from residents of north and northwest of Khouzestan Province, Iran. All samples were examined by parasitological methods including formalin-ether concentration and nutrient agar plate culture, and molecular method of nested-PCR. Infections with S. stercoralis were analyzed according to demographic criteria
Results: Based on the results of nested-PCR method 15 cases [9.7%] were strongyloidiasis positive. Nested-PCR was more sensitive than parasitological techniques on single stool sampling. Elderly was the most important population index for higher infectivity with S. stercoralis
Conclusion: In endemic areas of S. stercoralis, old age should be considered as one of the most important risk factors of infection, especially among the immunosuppressed individuals
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Aim: The aim of the present study was to simultaneously investigate parasitic contamination of treated wastewater and downstream vegetable farms that are irrigated with treated sewage, during a year
Background: [Oo] Cysts and eggs of parasites are resistant to most of routine wastewater treatment process. Irrigation of vegetables farms with either treated wastewater or illegally use of raw wastewaters enhances the risk of contamination with enteric pathogens
Methods: The treated wastewater samples were taken after chlorination from a wastewater treatment plant located at the south of Tehran. In addition, 60 vegetable samples [5 samples from each farm] were collected from the selected downstream farms that routinely used treated wastewater for irrigation of crops. Parasitological tests were performed using Ziehl-Neelsen, conventional lugol's iodine staining and direct microscopical examination
Results: Parasites including free living larvae, eggs of Toxoascaris leonina, egg of Toxocara sp. Trichuris sp, Trichostrongylus sp and amoeboid trophozoite were seen in 5/12 [41.7%] of vegetable samples gathered during a year. There was no statistically significant correlation between the season and parasitic contamination of the vegetables [P= 1]. Furthermore, parasitic contamination was observed in 7/12 [53.8%] of treated wastewater samples. The correlation between season and parasitic contamination of treated wastewater was evaluated that the results showed a higher contamination of treated wastewater in spring and autumn [P<0.05].Fisher's exact test also showed that there was no significant correlation between parasitic contaminations of vegetable samples and treated wastewater according to seasonal change
Conclusion: The results showed parasites in both treated wastewater plant and downstream crops farms that suggests the public health importance of the quality of water resources that routinely used for irrigation of vegetable farms
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The present study was performed to analyze molecularly the phylogenetic positions of human-infecting Trichostrongylus species in Mazandaran Province, Iran, which is an endemic area for trichostrongyliasis. DNA from 7 Trichostrongylus infected stool samples were extracted by using in-house (IH) method. PCR amplification of ITS2-rDNA region was performed, and products were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequence data was performed using MEGA 5.0 software. Six out of 7 isolates had high similarity with Trichostrongylus colubriformis, while the other one showed high homology with Trichostrongylus axei registered in GenBank reference sequences. Intra-specific variations within isolates of T. colubriformis and T. axei amounted to 0–1.8% and 0–0.6%, respectively. Trichostrongylus species obtained in the present study were in a cluster with the relevant reference sequences from previous studies. BLAST analysis indicated that there was 100% homology among all 6 ITS2 sequences of T. colubriformis in the present study and most previously registered sequences of T. colubriformis from human, sheep, and goat isolates from Iran and also human isolates from Laos, Thailand, and France. The ITS2 sequence of T. axei exhibited 99.4% homology with the human isolate of T. axei from Thailand, sheep isolates from New Zealand and Iran, and cattle isolate from USA.
Subject(s)
Animals , Cattle , Humans , Base Sequence , Databases, Nucleic Acid , DNA , France , Goats , Iran , Laos , Methods , New Zealand , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Sheep , Thailand , TrichostrongylusABSTRACT
Lymphatic filariasis [LF], a nematode disease transmitted by arthropod vectors, is repeatedly reported in immigrant population. This disease is not endemic in Iran; however, different species of mosquitoes, capable of transmission of parasite mi-crofilaria, are distributed in the country. Hereby, incidental detection of an imported case of LF due to Wuchereria bancrofti in an Indian worker in Iran is reported. Identification of the case was performed based on morphological and morphomet-rical characteristics of microfilaria and PCR sequencing