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Background: Cats in Iran are definitive hosts for several zoonotic intestinal helminths, such as Toxocara cati, Dipylidium caninum, Toxascaris leonina, Physaloptera praeputialis and Diplopylidium nolleri. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal helminth infection in free‐roaming cats in southeast Iran, a region with a high free‐roaming cat population. Methods: From January 2018 to December 2021, 153 cadavers of free‐roaming cats from Southeast Iran were necropsied for intestinal helminth infections. The carcasses were dissected, and the digestive systems were removed. The esophagus, stomach, small intestine, caecum and colon were tightly ligated. All adult helminths were collected, preserved and identified. Results: The prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth infections was 80.39% (123/153). Of the cats from Kerman, 73% (73/100) were infected with at least one helminth, including D. caninum 70% (70/100), T. leonina 8% (8/100) and P. praeputialis 17% (17/100). Concurrent infection with two helminth species was found in 16% (16/100) and of three species infections was found in 3% (3/100) of the cats. Of the cats from Zabol, 94.33% (50/53) were infected with at least one of the helminths, including D. caninum 69.81% (37/53), T. leonina 11.32% (6/53), P. praeputialis 37.73% (20/53) and T. cati 5.66% (3/53). Concurrent infection with two helminth species was found in 28.3% (15/53), and three species were found in 1.88% (1/53) of the cats. Helminth infections were more prevalent in older cats. There was no association between sex and infection rate. Conclusion: Based on the very high prevalence of zoonotic intestinal helminth infections in free‐roaming cats in southeast Iran, the potential public health risk emphasizes the need for intersectoral collaboration, particularly the provision of health and hygiene education to high‐risk populations, such as pre‐school and school‐age children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Echinococcus granulosus is a worldwide zoonotic cestode that lives mainly in the intestine of dog as definitive host. Its larval stage infects intermediate hosts and forms hydatid cysts mainly in the liver and lungs tissues and less other organs such as brain, eye and bone. In the experimental models, inoculation of protoscoleces into the peritoneum, thoracic cavity, subcutaneous and cerebrum produces hydatid cysts. Experimental echinococcosis in the animal models provides a good opportunity for study of the parasite-host relationship, different transmission ways of infection in the intermediate hosts and effect of new drugs. Methods: The present study was conducted in the Veterinary School, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran in 2018. In this study, cerebral hydatidosis was investigated in 6 female Wistar rats weighing (200±20 gr). For this purpose, protoscoleces were collected from hydatid cysts of infected sheep liver. Overall, 300 protoscolices were injected directly in the lateral ventricle by an insulin syringe through the implanted cannula. Results: After 4 months of inoculation, multiple thin-walled, transparent hydatid cysts were observed in the rat skull. All cysts were infertile. The cysts were localized prominently on the cerebral cortex and lesser in the parenchyma and ventricles. The cyst walls consisted of three layers consist of the outer layer (fibrous capsule), two parasitic layers and the endocyst layer (germinal layer). The cyst was surrounded by the inflammatory cells consist of lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first experimental cerebral hydatidosis arisen from larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus in the animal model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cross-sectional survey was carried out on goats slaughtered at the Kerman abattoir from September 2010 to September 2011 to determine the prevalence of cystic hydatidosis. Postmortem examination, hydatid cyst characterization were conducted. Out of the total of 2,002 animals examined (889 females and 1,113 males), 74 (3.69%) were found harboring one or more hydatid cyst. The result obtained from postmortem examination indicated that a total of 91 visceral organs were found harboring one or more hydatid cysts. The involvement of lung, liver, and muscles was found to be 43.95%, 42.85%, and 13.18% respectively. From the total of 575 cysts counted, 214 (37.21%), 186 (32.34%), 63 (10.95%), and 112 (19.47%) were small, medium, large, and calcified cysts, respectively, and 120 (20.86%) and 343 (59.65%) were fertile and sterile cysts, respectively. Out of the 120 fertile cysts subjected for viability test, 116 (96.66%) were viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcocystosis caused by different Sarcocystis species and is a zoonotic protozoan infection with worldwide distribution in man and many animal species. In the present study, three techniques - direct inspection, impression smears and digestion method - were used for the diagnosis of Sarcocystis infection in 112 slaughtered sheep in a Kerman abattoir from November 2010 to May 2011. A total of 450 slaughtered sheep were selected randomly during three seasons, and their oesophagus and diaphragm were inspected using naked eye examination. In the second stage, 112 carcasses out of the 450 which had no apparent infection were selected randomly and their meat investigated using two techniques: impression smear with staining and pepsin digestion. The percentage of macroscopic cysts found in the oesophagus and diaphragm muscle was 6% and 2.88%, respectively, and microscopically, infection was found in 100% of the organs. There was no significant difference between different ages or between males and females. Although all of the sheep were found to be infected with Sarcocystis, majority of the cysts were demonstrated microscopically. This suggests that meat should be cooked sufficiently, since a macroscopic inspection may not provide true results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was carried out from September 2010 to September 2011 at Kerman Municipal abattoir to assess the status of hydatidosis in cattle. Out of the total 1,000 cattle examined visually and manually (palpation and incision), 86 (8.6%) were found harboring hydatid cysts. A significantly higher infection was detected in older cattle ( P < 0.05) than younger ones. Of the total of 86 infected, 13 (15.11%) had hydatid cysts only in the lung, 33 (38.37%) in the liver, 2 (2.32%) in the muscles, while the rest 38 (44.18%) had multiple organ infections. Of the 125 viscera harboring hydatid cysts, the highest (56.8%) was the liver followed by the lungs (40.8%) and the muscles (2.4%). From the total of 721 hydatid cysts counted, 205 (28.43%), 222 (30.79%), 45 (6.24%), and 249 (34.53%) were found to be small, medium, large, and calcified cysts, respectively. The distribution of characterized cysts in different organs based on their size was found to be statistically significant ( P < 0.05). In addition, out of the total 721 cysts collected, 5.40% were fertile, 60.05% sterile, and 34.53% calcified or purulent cysts. The rate of cyst calcification was higher in the liver than in the lung. There was a significant difference in the fertility of the cyst from different organs ( P < 0.05); fertility rate was higher among the cysts of the liver. Hydatid cyst viability rate of 61.53% was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]