New Insights Into the Prevalence and Phylogenetic Diversity of Cysticercus Ovis Isolates in Sheep from Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.

INTRODUCTION: Although ovine cysticercosis is not a zoonotic problem, it results in substantial economic losses due to the condemnation of infected tissues or entire carcasses. This study aimed to record preliminary data on the prevalence, and phylogenetic diversity of Cysticercus ovis isolates from slaughtered sheep in the province of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From January to September 2020, 6, 411 slaughtered sheep were examined for C. ovis by routine meat inspection. The amplification and sequence analysis of the COX1 gene for up to 35 specimens of C. ovis was performed using conventional PCR. RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate was 1.3%, and the prevalence was significantly higher in older sheep (>1 year) than younger ones (<1 year) (P< 0.05). The cardiac muscle showed a higher tendency to carry C. ovis infection compared to other examined muscles. Sequence analysis of the COX1 gene revealed six haplotypes, and the level of pairwise nucleotide diversity between individual haplotypes was 1-2%. Five out of six of the Taenia ovis haplotypes recovered could have been recorded for the first time globally. Phylogenetic interpretation indicated that all the T. ovis haplotypes clustered in a single clade, and it also indicated an extremely close similarity to Iranian and New Zealand isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Globally, this report adds new data on C. ovis genetic diversity, which provide an extremely useful molecular background with regard to future preventive as well as control strategies.

Prevalence of haemoprotozoan and gastrointestinal parasites of sheep imported from Syria into Sulaymaniyah province of Iraq.

Parasitic haemoprotozoan and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases are a big issue in animal husbandry and one of the most significant causes for livestock economic losses in underdeveloped countries. This study aimed to record preliminary information on the prevalence of haemoprotozoan and gastrointestinal parasites of Awassi breed of sheep imported from Syria into Sulaymaniyah province, Iraq. Faecal and blood samples were randomly collected from a total of 714 sheep of both sexes from June to September 2019. Giemsa staining technique, direct faecal smear, saturated salt flotation method, and simple sedimentation technique, were applied to diagnose the parasitic stages in the coprological and blood specimens. The overall prevalence rate was 75.63%. Single and mixed infection rates of parasites were 55.46%, and 20.16%, respectively. GI parasites and haemoprotozoan infection rates were 78.15%, and 20.16%, respectively. Of all parasites, the most prevalent was Eimeria spp. (68%), followed by Babesia spp. (20.15%), Balantidium coli (5.90%), Fasciola hepatica (2.50%), and strongyles (1.7%). The prevalence rates for GI parasites and haemoprotozoa varied considerably in regard to sex categories. It is recommended that strict quarantine procedures, adequate parasitological monitoring, and therapeutic approaches should be implemented to animals transported from bordering countries to minimize the incidence of parasite infection.

Novel isolate of Cysticercus tenuicollis-Kalar isolate has been revealed in Kalar, Iraq.

INTRODUCTION: Although Cysticercus tenuicollis is one of the most economic and veterinary important parasite in Iraq, scanty molecular characterization exists for this helminth. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and molecular description of C. tenuicollis isolates from sheep in Kalar district of Iraq. METHODOLOGY: A total of 2,906 slaughtered sheep were examined post-mortem. Up to 20 samples of C. tenuicollis was extracted and amplified using mitochondrial COX1 gene. RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate was 6.88%, and female sheep recorded higher rate of infection (24.35%) than male (6.16%) with significant difference (p<0.05). The molecular results showed 14 haplotypes for COX1 gene and the pairwise nucleotide variation among them was ranged from 0.2 to 2.6%. Twelve out of fourteen haplotypes of C. tenuicollis involving one to three base mutations were discovered in Kalar, Iraq for the first time and this could be a unique mutation internationally and did not registered previously. Eleven newly recorded haplotypes involved only one single mutation and the remaining one involved three mutations. Phylogenetic interpretation showed that Cysticercus tenuicollis-Kalar isolate were clustered in one clade, and closely related to isolates discovered in Nigeria, China, Turkey, Poland, and Iran. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided a new record data on prevalence and discovered novel strains of C. tenuicollis in the study area for the first time named Cysticercus tenuicollis-Kalar isolate. Novel haplotypes might consider endemic genetic characterization of this metacestode. The present data may be useful to provide a good molecular background for future preventive and control programs.

Generation of High Dose Inhalable Effervescent Dispersions against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms.

PURPOSE: Novel particle engineering approach was used in this study to generate high dose inhalable effervescent particles with synergistic effects against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. METHODS: Spray dried co-amorphous salt of ciprofloxacin (CFX) and tartaric acid (TA) was prepared and coated with external layer of sodium bicarbonate and silica coated silver nanobeads. Design of experiments (DOE) was used to optimize physicochemical properties of particles for enhanced lung deposition. RESULTS: Generated particles were co-amorphous CFX/TA showing that CFX lost its zwitterionic form and exhibiting distinct properties to CFX/HCl as assessed by FTIR and thermal analysis. Particles exhibited mass mean aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of 3.3 µm, emitted dose of 78% and fine particle dose of 85%. Particles were further evaluated via antimicrobial assessment of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC). MIC and MBEC results showed that the hybrid particles were around 3-5 times more effective when compared to CFX signifying that synergistic effect was achieved. Diffusing wave spectroscopy results showed that the silver containing particles had a disruptive effect on rheological properties as opposed to silver free particles. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these results showed the potential to use particle engineering to generate particles that are highly disruptive of bacterial biofilms.

Molecular Study of Cysticercus Tenuicollis from Slaughtered Sheep in Sulaymaniyah Province, Iraq.

INTRODUCTION: Cysticercosis caused by the larval stage of Taenia hydatigena is economically the most important endemic parasitic disease in Iraq. Few data are available relating to the genetic divergence of this helminth. This study aimed to molecularly characterise Cysticercus tenuicollis isolates from sheep in Sulaymaniyah province, Iraq. MATERIAL AND METHODS: DNA extraction and amplification of specimens of C. tenuicollis from 46 sheep were conducted by PCR for the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. The 19 amplicons were subjected to purification and partial sequencing. RESULTS: Five 12S rRNA nucleotide sequence haplotypes were found. The pairwise nucleotide difference between haplotypes of 12S rRNA gene ranged from 0.2% to 0.7%. Four out of the five haplotypes of C. tenuicollis contained one to two base mutations and were discovered in Iraq for the first time, and this may be a unique mutation globally which has not been recorded previously. Three newly recorded haplotypes contained only one single mutation, and the other one contained two mutations. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all isolated strains were closely related to Iranian sheep isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Four new strains of T. hydatigena were discovered for the first time in the study area.