Toxoplasma seroepidemiology in women who intend to marry in Jahrom, Islamic Republic of Iran

Infection with Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy can lead to severe fetal sequelae. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine T. gondii seropositivity among a sample of young women in Jahrom, Islamic Republic of Iran. Four hundred and three young women with a mean age of 20.3 years who presented for pre-marriage laboratory testing were entered in the study. T. gondii antibodies [IgG and IgM] were measured using ELISA. Of the 403 women, 15% were seropositive for T. gondii antibodies [13% for IgG and 2% for IgM].Seropositivity for T. gondii IgG differed according to age groups but there was no significant difference [P = 0.83]. IgM seropositivity showed the highest rate among women aged < 20 years. Many young women in Jahrom Province are susceptible to primary toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, therefore, appropriate educational programmes to improve knowledge in this population should be implemented to prevent toxoplasmosis-related congenital malformations

[ prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among 7-5 year old children in Jahrom, Iran, during 2006-7]

One of the main reasons of the occurrence of intestinal parasitic infections in communities is the asymptomatic infections in some people. Although there are some reports for parasitic infections from specialized laboratories, there is no confirmed data for these infections among children in Jahrom. It is due to low standards of the methods and also low accuracy in epidemiological studies. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 410 children aged 7-15 years old in Jahrom. clustering and accidental sampling were employed. Three samples of faces for each child were examined for parasites using formalin - ether concentration method. The results showed a prevalence of 13.6% of intestinal parasitic infections among children in Jahrom; among which, 9.3% were pathogen parasites. The highest prevalence was reported for Giardia lamblia [8.1%]. There was an association between the rate of infection and mothers, education, family income and the family size. The lowest infection was found among the children whose mothers had jobs. Although this study indicated low prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among children in Jahrom, the prevalence of some of them is still high and important. This is a good reason for paying more attention on individual and environmental health

[ investigation on the prevalence of intestinal parastitic infections in food handlers in Arak [Iran] during 2002-03]

Considering the main role of digestive system in human health, programs against alimentary infectious diseases is essential. Intestinal parasitic infections are important among infectious diseases in Iran. Since contaminated food is important in transmitting infections to human, we decided to study the intestinal parasitic infections in food handlers in Arak. Food handlers in Arak were categorized into five groups [Sandwich sellers, restaurants, ice-cream sellers, confectionaries and bakeries] in five different geographic areas in Arak. Stool samples were collected from 460 people [three times for each person] and examined for parasitic agents using Formaline-Ether Concentration Method. Using statistical methods, analysis was done to find the role of different variables such as age, education and so on in intestinal parasitic infections. The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was 43.7% in food handlers in Arak. Entamoeba coli and Blastocytis hominis were the most prevalent agants. Within pathogen parasites, Giardia lamblia was the most common [6.3]. No significant differences were seen between education and infection [P.value=0.261]. The high prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in food handlers in Arak indicates the necessity of more consideration on health programs

Role of B-Cells in the Development of Immunity to Cryptosporidium Infection

Studies have shown that symptomatic improvement of cryptosporidiosis in immunocompromised patients is possible following treatment with" hyperimmune" colostrum containing anti-sporozoite antibodies from cattle immunized with Cryptosporidium parvum antigens. The contribution to immunity of antibodies developed during Cryptosporidium infection is unclear, however. Previously, we showed that SCID [severe combined immunodeficiency] mice acquired immunity to C. muris infection if injected with immunocompetent splenocytes. To investigate the role of the splenic donor B-cells in this immunity, groups of CB-17 SCID mice received BALB/c splenocytes, or splenocytes depleted of B-cells by immunomagnetic separation before infection. Both groups recovered from infection at similar times and displayed little difference in patterns of oocyst excretion. Subsequently, B-cells and serum anti-parasite antibodies were found only in mice reconstituted with unfractionated spleen cells. These results suggested that B-cells may not normally be required in immunity against Cryptosporidium