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Naser Nazari,1 Saeedeh Shojaee,2 Mehdi Mohebali,2 Aref Teimouri,2,3 Keyghobad Ghadiri,4 Saber Raeghi,5 Mohammad Reza Shiee,2,3 Yousef Azarakhsh,6 Arezoo Bozorgomid4 1Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran; 2Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Students Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Infectious Diseases Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran; 5Department of Laboratory Sciences, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran; 6Department of Biology, Razi University, Kermanshah, IranCorrespondence: Arezoo BozorgomidInfectious Diseases Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, IranTel +98 918 872 8269Email arezoobozorgomid@yahoo.comPurpose: Rodents live in proximity to humans and domestic animals. These creatures can serve as reservoir hosts for many zoonotic parasites; therefore, they increase the risk of human infections. The aim of this study was to investigate Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in rodents caught in Meshgin-Shahr District, Iran.Patients and methods: In a cross-sectional study, brain samples were collected from 70 rodents caught in Meshgin-Shahr District during March and December 2015. The specimens were examined for exposure to T. gondii and N. caninum with molecular methods.Results: Seventy rodents were caught, including 50 Meriones persicus, 11 Mus musculus and 9 Cricetulus migratorius. Thirty rodents were female and 40 were males. Using PCR (B1 gene), T. gondii was detected in 7.1% (5/70) of the rodents while N. caninum was not detected. The prevalence of Toxoplasma infection was higher in female rodents (4.28%) compared to male rodents (2.86%), but the difference was not significant.Conclusion: The results showed a low risk of T. gondii and N. caninum among rodents. Finally, further research is needed to understand the role of these rodent species in the transmission of the above protozoan pathogens to humans and livestock in this area.Keywords: rodents, Neospora, Toxoplasma, prevalence, PCR, Iran

Aref Teimouri,1,2 Mohammad Hossein Modarressi,3 Saeedeh Shojaee,1 Mehdi Mohebali,1,4 Mostafa Rezaian,1 Hossein Keshavarz1,41Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Students Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranCorrespondence: Hossein KeshavarzDepartment of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 1417613191, Pour Sina Street, Ghods Avenue, Enghelab Avenue, Tehran, IranTel +98 218 895 1392Fax +98 218 895 1392Email hkeshavarz@tums.ac.irBackground: The aim of the present study was to develop a simple, portable, and rapid assay for serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis based on recombinant Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) SAG1 (rSAG1) and GRA7 (rGRA7) proteins.Methods: The rSAG1 and rGRA7 proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and purified in a single step by immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography. The immunoreactivity of the recombinant antigens was tested in an in-house IgG and IgM Dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Dot-ELISA) for potential use in serodiagnosis of T. gondii infection.Results: Results from the comparison of in-house rSAG1-Dot-ELISA with ELISA for the detection of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM include sensitivity of 83.7% and 81.2%, specificity of 90.2% and 89.3%, positive predictive values of 85.9% and 68.4%, and negative predictive values of 88.6% and 94.3%, respectively. Sensitivity of 66.2%, specificity of 81.2%, positive predictive values of 71.6%, and negative predictive values of 77.1% were concluded from in-house IgG rGRA7-Dot-ELISA. The sensitivity and specificity of IgM rGRA7-Dot-ELISA included 87.5% and 83.9%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of in-house Dot-ELISA for a combination of rSAG1 and rGRA7 included 87.5% and 91.1% for IgG and IgM, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of a combination of rSAG1 and rGRA7 for the detection of IgM in suspected sera to acute toxoplasmosis were higher than those for the detection of IgG in sera with chronic infections (90.6% and 92% instead of 86.2% and 91.6%, respectively).Conclusion: The highlighted parameters of combined recombinant proteins were more significant than those of single recombinant proteins in in-house Dot-ELISA. These data suggest that the in-house Dot-ELISA based on rSAG1 and rGRA7 combination is a promising diagnostic tool with a similar sensitivity to the native antigens of T. gondii, which can be used for the serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis in fields as well as less equipped laboratories.Keywords: Toxoplasma gondii RH strain, in-house Dot-ELISA, rSAG1, rGRA7, soluble tachyzoite antigen (STAg), recombinant proteins

Sara Ayazian Mavi,1 Mohammad Hossein Modarressi,2 Mehdi Mohebali,1,3 Saeedeh Shojaee,1 Hojjat Zeraati,4 Aref Teimouri,1,5 Hossein Keshavarz1,31Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 5Students Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranBackground: Toxoplasmosis, a protozoan parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, has been a serious human and veterinary medicine problem with global distribution. In the current study, we assessed immunogenicity and protective efficiency of a novel dual-promoter DNA vaccine, harboring SAG1 and GRA7 genes, from RH strain of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) with or without CpG-ODN as adjuvant in a murine model.Methods: BALB/c mice were immunized intramuscularly with pVitro-SAG1-GRA7 alone and pVitro-SAG1-GRA7 with CpG-ODN three times at three-week intervals. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess total IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) cytokines in mice sera. Four weeks post final vaccination, MTT assay and lethal challenge-infection with 1×103 tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain were carried out to assess stimulation index (SI) and mice survival time, respectively.Results: The IgG levels in mice immunized with multicomponent vaccines, including pVitro-SAG1–GRA7 alone and pVitro-SAG1–GRA7 with CpG-ODN, were significantly higher than those in control mice or single-gene DNA-vaccinated ones (P

A Mohammadpour,1 H Keshavarz,1 M Mohebali,1 M Salimi,1 A Teimouri,1,2 S Shojaee1 1Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Students Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Background: Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite distributed worldwide. Although the infection is benign in immunocompetent individuals, it is life threatening and complicated in immunocompromised patients and fetuses of pregnant women who received their first exposure to T. gondii during the pregnancy. Prolactin (PRL) is a hormone that is secreted by the pituitary gland, and it is confirmed that it plays a role in the immune system. The present study was carried out to assess the possible relation between serum PRL levels and Toxoplasma infection frequency in human. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 343 serum samples (240 from women and 103 from men) were collected from individuals who were referred for PRL checking in laboratories of Karaj, Iran. Blood samples were collected, and sera were separated and analyzed for the detection of anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody by ELISA method. The levels of PRL were measured by Roche Elecsys 2010 analyzer, electrochemiluminescence technology. Results: Of 343 sera, 110 samples (32%) consisting of samples from 42 men and 68 women had anti-T. gondii IgG antibody. The prevalence of T. gondii infection in women with high PRL levels was lower than that in the comparison group with normal levels of PRL and the relationship between these two parameters was statistically significant (P=0.016). In women with hyperprolactinemia, by increasing of PRL levels, the prevalence of T. gondii infection was reduced. Conclusion: The results of the current study confirmed the previous studies based on immunoregulatory role of PRL and indicated that high levels of PRL could be related to Toxoplasma seronegativity in women. Keywords: Toxoplasma gondii, IgG antibody, prolactin, ECL technology, hypoprolactinemia, cytokines, hyperprolactinemia, dopamine