Different manifestation of Echinococcus granulosus immunogenic antigens in the liver and lungs of intermediate host.

Hydatidosis is one of the most important zoonotic diseases with a worldwide distribution and it seems that the survival of Echinococcus granulosus in nature for many years, is due to having different mechanisms to escape from the host immune systems. One of these efficient mechanisms is the production of various antigens and proteins by the larva of the parasite and the main purpose of this study is evaluation of manifestation of various antigens in different parts of intermediate host. The hepatic and pulmonary hydatid cysts were gathered from sheep and the antigens of different parts of the cysts (laminated layer, protoscolices and cyst fluid) were separated and analyzed by SDS-PAGE and then transferred to nitrocellulose paper and finally, Western blot analysis was evaluated the immunogenicity of proteins. The antigens of laminated layer, protoscolices and hydatid cyst fluid, in different tissues of the liver and lungs, manifest various proteins and also these antigens are immunogenically different. Also, it is found more immunogenic proteins in the laminated layer than the other parts of the cysts. The various proteins are generated by Echinococcus granulosus larva depending on the type of tissues attacked by the parasite. Increasing the chance of survival may be the main cause of manifestation various antigens in different parts of cysts and host tissues. These antigenic variations might have made diagnostic serologic test unreliable.

Occurrence of Acanthamoeba Genotypes in Wastewater Samples in Tehran, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Acanthamoeba spp. is potentially pathogenic free-living amoeba that can exist in various water sources. The presence of this amoeba in water sources could be a health hazard as Acanthamoeba could lead to severe diseases such as Acanthamoeba keratitis and encephalitis. This study aimed to determine the genotypes of isolated Acanthamoeba spp. in raw wastewater samples in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: Overall, 90 raw wastewater samples were collected from water treatment facilities in west and south of Tehran, Iran during 2014-2016. Water samples were filtered and cultured on non-nutrient agar (NNA) medium enriched with Escherichia coli. Morphological and molecular analyses were done on positive strains. The pathogenic ability of the isolated strains was determined using physical assays. RESULTS: Totally, 6 out of 90 (6.7%) samples were positive for Acanthamoeba, according to morphological characteristics of double-walled cysts. Genotyping and sequencing of the positive strains showed Acanthamoeba belonging to T4 (83%) and T11 (17%) genotypes. In vitro pathogenicity tests were revealed that five isolates were classified as non-pathogenic strains and one strain belonging to T4 genotype was classified as the highly pathogenic amoebae. CONCLUSION: The current research reflected a low contamination of wastewater sources to Acanthamoeba. More studies regarding the contamination of wastewaters before and after treatment are required in different places of the country.