A wide diversity of zoonotic intestinal parasites in domestic and stray dogs in rural areas of Kermanshah province, Iran.

Dogs can act as reservoirs, carriers, and transmitters of several zoonotic intestinal parasites that can cause serious health problems for humans. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs in Kermanshah Province, west of Iran. Faecal samples were collected from domestic and stray dogs from 30 rural areas of Kermanshah province from August 2014 to April 2015 and were analyzed by formalin-ether sedimentation, sucrose otation technique and the modied Ziehl-Neelsen method. Out of 301 dogs examined, 230 (76.4%) were infected with at least one parasite. The incidence on the different types of intestinal parasitic species recovered from domestic and stray dogs are as follows: Toxocara leonina (20.8% and 27.6%), T. canis (7.5% and 9.4%), Taenia spp. (9.2% and 9.4%), hookworm spp. (18.3% and 33.7%), Capillaria spp. (0.8 and 1.7%), Dicrocoelium dendriticum (0.8% and 3.3%), Fasciola spp. (0.8% and 2.2%), Acanthocephal spp. (3.3% and 5.5%), Trichuris vulpis (0.8% and 1.7%), Dipylidium caninum (4.2% and 3.3%), Physaloptera spp. (6.7% and 6.6%), Cryptosporidium spp.(21.7% and 25.4%), Eimeria spp. (35.0% and 34.3%), Giardia spp. (6.7% and 12.7%), Cystoisospora spp. (7.5% and 5.5%), Blastocystis spp. (18.3% and 20.4%) and Sarcocystis spp. (6.7% and 7.2%), respectively. Signicant difference in infection rates was observed between domestic and stray dogs (P>0.05). Hookworm and Eimeria spp. were the most common intestinal helminth and protozoa detected with 83 (27.6%) out of 301 and 104 (34.6%), out of 301, respectively. There was no significant difference in prevalence and distribution of intestinal parasites between male and female dogs (P>0.05). The wide range of zoonotic parasites indicated that people residing in rural areas in Kermanshah province are at risk of exposure to these pathogens. In this respect, appropriate implementation of control programs by public health authorities and veterinarians should be taken into account.

Analysis of the cox1 gene in Echinococcus granulosus from sheep in northeast Iran using PCR high-resolution melting (qPCR-HRM) curve analysis.

Echinococcus granulosus, the etiologic agent of echinococcosis, is one of the most important zoonotic helminthes worldwide. Knowledge of E. granulosus species and genotypes has important implications for epidemiology, control, and prevention of diseases as well as future vaccine and drug designs. There are many molecular methods developed to define genotypes of E. granulosus, among them high resolution melting (HRM) analysis, as a new approach, is a single step and closed tube method. It is appropriate for fast screening of large number of isolates. This technique is an accurate, user friendly, cost-effective, fast and simple method, which does not need post-PCR processes. Between March and lst august 2016, of 726 sheep examined in abattoirs in Razavi Khorasan province, Northeast Iran, 109 harboured cystic echincoccosis lesions (liver samples= 65 and lung samples= 44) which were collected for analysis. Total genomic DNA was extracted from each sample and amplified for the presence of polymorphism in the mitochondrial cox1 gene of Echinococcus granulosus using a high resolution melting curve (HRM) method. A total of 109 hydatid cyst samples analyzed by PCR high-resolution melting (qPCR-HRM) curve of the cox1 gene, all isolates were identified as G1 genotype (sheep strain). G1 is the predominant genotype in sheep in northeast of Iran. The high incidence of the G1 genotype (known to be the predominant E. granulosus genotype infecting humans globally) in sheep has considerable implications for hydatid disease control programs in this area.

PCR-RFLP diagnosis and characterization of Leishmania species causing human cutaneous leishmaniasis and evaluation of treatment times with glucantime in these patients.

Antimony compounds are first line treatments for cutaneous leishmaniasis. The prognosis of the disease varies depending on the type of medicine and species. We aimed to determine the species responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis in patients referred to Skin Diseases and Leishmaniasis Research Center in Isfahan and Bam Health Center (Kerman) in order to follow and assess the complete healing of the lesions. A total of 40 skin lesions samples were collected from patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) form January 2014 to 2015. Dermal scrapings were analyzed by examination of Giemsa-stained smears. Parasites were cultured and isolated in NNN and RPMI 1640 medium and DNA was extracted. We used PCR-RFLP assays of ITS1 genes for direct identification of Leishmania species. Treatment process was assessed after a treatment period with glucantime and healing of the studied cases was followed up. All the samples from Isfahan and Bam regions were L. major and L. tropica species respectively. In patients infected with L. major and L. tropica treated with glucantime, the shortest healing period was 40 days in 5(25%) and 60 days in 3(15.8%) patients, respectively and the longest healing period was 100 days in 1 (5%) and 160 days in 1 (5.3%) patient, respectively. The mean complete healing periods in patients with L. tropica and L. major were 100 and 58 days, respectively (P<0.001). Average recovery period for people with dry cutaneous leishmaniasis is longer than average recovery period for people with wet cutaeous leishmaniasis.