Prevalence and risk factors of intestinal protozoan infections in children (2-15 yr old) from Lorestan Province, western Iran.

Intestinal parasitic infections are considered as one of the main socioeconomic and health problems around the world, mostly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasites in 366 children (2- 15 yr old) admitted to health centers of Lorestan Province, Iran. Microscopic examination was performed on 366 stools using the direct smear and formol-ether techniques as well as trichrome and modified Zeihl-Neelsen staining methods. The results showed that 48 children (13.1%) were infected with at least one or more intestinal parasites, of whom 4 (7.1%) had more than one type of parasite. The most prevalent parasites were Giardia lamblia (5.5%), Blastocystis hominis (3.1%), and Entamoeba coli (1.6%), respectively. The study showed that some risk factors such as gender, living in rural areas and consuming unwashed vegetables and fruits (p<0.001) were significantly related to intestinal protozoan infections. These results can be a catalyst for health providers to pay special attention to intestinal protozoan parasites among children in Lorestan Province, Iran. Moreover, intervention curriculums and teaching of children and environmental hygiene must be taken into consideration to prevent and control intestinal protozoan infections in this area.

Anti-Trichomonas vaginalis activities and apoptotic effects of some Iranian medicinal plants.

richomonas (T.) vaginalis a protozoan parasite that causes trichomoniasis is one of the most widespread sexually transmitted diseases. Aim of the present study is to evaluate the in vitro antitrichomonal properties of plant extracts of Quercus (Q.) infectoria, Pistacia (P.) khinjuk, and Satureja (S.) khouzestanica that are ethno-medicinally used in Iran against T. vaginalis trophozoites. In this study, the in vitro anti-T. vaginalis activities of the Q. infectoria, P. khinjuk, and S. khouzestanica extracts against T. vaginalis clinical isolates were assessed by Trypan Blue exclusion assay. The effect of the extracts on induced apoptosis in T. vaginalis trophozoites was evaluated using the fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) Annexin V staining kit. The Q. infectoria methanolic extract was significantly (P<0.001) more effective than the other tested extracts. It demonstrated lower IC50 values for trophozoite of T. vaginalis. Q. infectoria methanolic extract exhibited significantly (P<0.001) a higher rate of apoptosis on T. vaginalis trophozoite than other tested extracts and control group. Results of the study revealed that Q. infectoria extract can be considered as a suitable choice for medical studies to treat trichomoniasis. However, additional clinical studies are necessary to evaluate accurate biological effects of this plant on volunteer human subjects.

Molecular detection and genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in different tissues of sheep and goat in Eastern Iran.

This study was designed to detect parasitic DNA in tissues from sheep and goats raised and slaughtered in the southeastern Iran as well as to genetically characterize infecting strains of T. gondii. A total of 240 tissue samples consisting of heart, brain, and diaphragm were obtained from sheep (n=40) and goats (n=40) slaughtered in abattoirs from three provinces located in southeastern Iran including Kerman, Razavi Khorasan, and South Khorasan Provinces between February to October 2015. Nested PCR amplified the B1 and GRA6 genes. To determine the genetic characterization of positive samples, all genotyped positive samples were examined by PCR-RFLP. Sequencing analysis was performed to evaluate the prevalence of type strains (I, II and III). A total of 68(56.66%) tissue samples of sheep and 53(44.16%) from goats were found to be positive for T. gondii B1 gene, that included 11(27.5%) diaphragm, 21(52.5%) heart, and 36(90%) brain of sheep; and 20(50%) diaphragm, 11(22%) heart and 22(55%) brain of goats. Moreover, 22(18.3%) tissue samples of sheep and 20(16.6%) tissue samples of goats were found positive with GRA6 gene for T. gondii. There are three genotypes and mix genotype using mseI enzyme among all positive samples. The results demonstrated the presence of T. gondii DNA in tissues of sheep and goats from southeast of Iran. Control of Toxoplasma infection animal products are important in consumer protection.

Genetic characterization of human-derived hydatid cysts of Echinococcus granulosus in Lorestan Province, Western Iran.

The aim of the present investigation was genotyping of hydatid cysts of cystic echinococcosis (CE) patients residing in Lorestan province by sequencing and analyzing of the partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1). A total of 26 hydatid cysts (6 hydatid cysts) from 6 patients suffering from hepatic CE and 20 formalin-fixed paraffinembedded (FFPE) tissue samples from 20 human patients with histologically confirmed CE. DNA was extracted, and genotyping was performed by sequencing and analyzing mitochondrial cox1 gene. All the samples were analyzed using mitochondrial cox1 primers. In sequencing analysis, the alignment of the determined sequence with those of knows genotypes of E. granulosus demonstrated that the isolates belonged to genotype G1 (sheep strain). Representative nucleotide sequence obtained in this study was deposited in the GenBank database under the accession number LC068913.1. The phylogenetic analysis showed two clusters. One of the clusters includes G3 genotype (HM5630221) and the other cluster represents all strains related to G1 and G3 genotypes which contain genotype defined in this study as well. The obtained findings demonstrated that G1 genotype is predominant strain of human CE in Lorestan province, Iran, which indicating the sheep-doge cycle in this area. Further studies with more sample size should be conducted to be sure of the sheep strain G1 which is predominant strain in this province.

Seroprevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection among healthy blood donors in south-east of Iran.

This prospective cross-sectional study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence of IgM and IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies and the associated risk factors among healthy blood donors in Kerman province, south-eastern Iran. Structured questionnaires (before the donors gave blood) were used to obtain information on risk factors for infection. Totally, 500 serum samples from healthy blood donors of Kerman Blood Transfusion Organization (KBTO) at Kerman, Iran, were screened for IgG and IgM anti-T. gondii antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Roche Elecsys Toxo IgM assay. Real-time PCR was used to detect DNA of T. gondii in the IgM-positive samples. Seroprevalence of IgG and IgM anti-T. gondii antibodies was 28.8% and 3.2%, respectively. In the multiple logistic regression, it could be observed that living in rural regions, having B blood type, being in contact with cats, consuming raw vegetables and raw milk/egg and doing agricultural activities were independent risk factors for Toxoplasma seropositivity. T. gondii DNA was also found in one (9.0%) of IgM-positive samples. In this study, it was found that T. gondii infection was present among healthy blood donors in south-east of Iran. Therefore, it is suggested to design screening programmes for preventing transfusion-transmitted toxoplasmosis.

Presence of qacEΔ1 and cepA genes and susceptibility to a hospital biocide in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae in Iran.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the susceptibility of Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates to antibiotics and to a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) disinfectant as the concentrations used clinically and to determine the presence of the qacEΔ1 and cepA genes for the first time in Iran. In total, 85 K. pneumoniae isolates were randomly collected from hospitalized patients at the general hospitals in Lorestan, Iran. Antibiotic and antiseptic susceptibility testing was performed according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommendations. K. pneumonia isolates were screened by PCR amplification of qacEΔ1 and cepA genes using specific primers and sequence analysis of the amplified regions were also performed. From 85 isolates of K. pneumoniae, 34 (40%) isolates were multidrug resistance (MDR). The evaluation of the susceptibility to the QAC disinfectant revealed that 51 (60%) isolates had reduced susceptibility to QAC disinfectant. The qacEΔ1 gene was detected in 26 isolates (30.6%). While cepA gene was found in 19 isolates (22.3%) of K. pneumonia. Seventy-three percent (19/26) qacEΔ1-positive isolates were detected in the biocide-resistant isolates. Whereas, 63.1% (12/19) cepA-positive isolates were found in the biocide-resistant isolates. Out of qacEΔ1 and cepA-positive isolates, 65.4% (17/26) and 42.1% (8/19) were among MDR isolates, respectively. No significant association of biocide resistance with the presence of qacEΔ1 and cepA genes was observed (P>0.05). The results of present study shows that there was a close link between qacEΔ1 gene and antibiotic resistance, but no significant association of biocide resistance with the presence of qacEΔ1 and cepA genes was observed in K. pneumoniae in Iran.

Evaluation of the antifungal activities of various extracts from Pistacia atlantica Desf.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Despite the availability of various treatments for fungal diseases, there are some limitations in the management of these conditions due to multiple treatment-related side-effects. The present study was designed to investigate the antifungal properties of different extracts from Pistacia atlantica Desf. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Different parts of P. atlantica (i.e., dried fruit, fresh fruit and dried leaf) were separately extracted via percolation method with 80% methanol and water. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis was performed to determine the main constituents of leaf and fruit extracts from P. atlantica. In vitro anti-Candida activities of the extracts against Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were studied. For this purpose, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) were determined, using broth microdilution method, according to the modified M27-A3 protocol on yeasts, proposed by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). RESULTS: Based on GC/MS analysis, the main constituents of P. atlantica fruit extracts were ß-myrcene (41.4%), α-pinene (32.48%) and limonene (4.66%), respectively, whereas the major constituents of P. atlantica leaf extracts were trans-caryophyllene (15.18%), α-amorphene (8.1%) and neo-allo-ocimene (6.21%), respectively. As the findings indicated, all the constituents exhibited both fungistatic and fungicidal activities, with MICs ranging from 6.66 to 26.66 mg/mL and MFCs ranging from 13.3 to 37.3 mg/mL, respectively. Among the evaluated extracts, the methanolic fresh fruit extract of P. atlantica was significantly more effective than other extracts (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of the present study, novel antifungal agents need to be developed, and use of P. atlantica should be promoted in the traditional treatment of Candida infections.

Evaluation of antifungal activities of the essential oil and various extracts of Nigella sativa and its main component, thymoquinone against pathogenic dermatophyte strains.

OBJECTIVE: Plant extracts and plant-derived compounds are valuable sources as folk medicine for the treatment and prevention of a wide range of diseases including infectious diseases. In the present study, the antifungal activities of the essential oil and various extracts Nigella sativa and its active principle, thymoquinone against Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis and Microsporum gypseum as pathogenic dermatophyte strains have been evaluated. In addition, the cytotoxic effects of N. sativa against murine macrophage cells were determined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the antifungal activity was studied by disk diffusion method and assessment of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of extracts using broth macrodilution method. In addition, the cytotoxic activity of N. sativa was evaluated by colorimetric assay (MTT). The components of the N. sativa essential oil were also identified by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that the essential oil and various extracts of N. sativa particularly thymoquinone have potent antifungal effects on T. mentagrophytes, M. canis and M. gypseum as pathogenic dermatophyte strains. In the assessment of the cytotoxicity activity, it could be observed that N. sativa had no significant cytotoxicity in the murine macrophages at low concentrations. While, thymoquinone in comparison with essential oil and various extracts of N. sativa showed higher cytotoxicity on murine macrophage cells. In the GC/MS analysis, thymoquinone (42.4%), p-cymene (14.1%), carvacrol (10.3%) and longifolene (6.1%) were found to be the major components of N. sativa essential oil. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest a first step in the search of new antidermatophytic drugs and aid the use of N. sativa seeds in the traditional medicine for dermatophytic infections.

Fatal Case of Plasmodium vivax Malaria in a Splenectomized Patient.

Malaria is a major problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries, with high morbidity and mortality. Splenectomy makes patients more susceptible to serious bacterial and parasitic infections. We report for the first time in Iran a fatal case of Plasmodium vivax malaria, confirmed by microscopic and molecular (Semi-nested multiplex PCR) tests in a patient who had undergone splenectomy due to hemolytic anemia.

Epidemiological aspects of visceral leishmaniasis in baft district, kerman province, southeast of iran.

BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) is an endemic disease in some areas of Iran. A cross- sectional study was conducted for sero-epidemiological survey of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Baft district from Kerman Province, southeast of Iran. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from children up to 12 years old and 10% of adult population from Baft villages with a multi-stage randomized cluster sampling. In addition, blood samples were collected from 30 domestic dogs from the same areas. All the collected blood samples were tested by direct agglutination test (DAT) for the detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies in both human and dog using the cut-off value of ≥1:3200 and ≥1:320, respectively. Parasitological, molecular, and pathological were performed on infected dogs. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to compare sero-prevalence values. RESULTS: From 1476 collected human serum samples, 23 (1.55%) showed anti-Leishmania antibodies at titers of 1:800 and 1:1600 whereas 14 (0.95%) showed anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies at titers of ≥1:3200. No statistically significant difference was found between male (1.18%) and female (0.69%) sero-prevalence (P=0.330). Children of 5-8 years showed the highest sero-prevalence rate (3.22%). Seven out of 30 domestic dogs (23%) showed anti-Leishmania antibodies at titers ≥1:320. Leishmania infantum was identified in five infected dogs by nested - PCR assay. CONCLUSION: It seems that visceral leishmaniasis is being endemic in southern villages of Baft district, southeast of Iran.