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This study aimed to assess the efficacy of methanolic extract of Prosopis farcta (P. farcta) against protoscolices. In this study, the liver of sheep infected with hydatid cyst was collected from Birjand abattoir and after isolation of hydatid cyst protoscolices, to assess the protoscolicidal effect of P. farcta, concentrations of 250, 500, 1000 mg/ml Lit a liter of plant extract with a suspension of protoscolices and their mortality was calculated in 5 to 30 min. The metabolites in the P. farcta extract were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The average of the mortality protoscoleces was 100% after 5 min of incubation with the concentration of 1000 mg/ml of P. farcta extract. The mean of the mortality of protoscoleces after 10 min of incubation with the concentration of 500 mg/ml of P. farcta extract was 100%. That is, P. farcta extract requires a longer length of time to display potent protoscolicidal effects. The results of this investigation revealed that P. farcta extract could have a significant scolicidal activity on hydatid cyst protoscoleces. However, further research that must be accomplished particularly in human and animal subjects is required to reach this conclusion.

Cryptosporidium parvum is an important coccidian parasite infecting many mammals, including human. This parasite can manifest as chronic severe diarrhea in immunocompromised individuals, especially those with AIDS. The present study reports the recombinant production of recombinant (r)P2 and rP23 antigens of C. parvum as antigens for detecting human cryptosporidiosis using indirect ELISA tests.The coding sequences of rP2 and rP23 proteins were codon-optimized, commercially synthesized and sub-cloned in the pET28a expression vector. The expressed proteins were purified by Ni-NTA column chromatography and confirmed by Western blotting. The efficacy of rP2/rP23 proteins for serodiagnosis was evaluated by positive (n = 20) and negative (n = 20) human sera, confirmed by the Ziehl-Neelsen staining as the gold standard test.In ELISA test, the sera from C. parvum-infected patients reacted strongly to rP2/rP23. The sensitivity and specificity related to the diagnostic potential of rP2/rP23 in the ELISA assay were 100%.Our results showed that combination of rP23 and rP2 antigens in ELISA significantly increases the performance of C. parvum serodiagnosis in human cryptosporidiosis.

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan of the Apicomplexa phylum with widespread distribution in animals and humans. Toxoplasma gondii is also an important cause of infectious diseases in women of reproductive age. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody and its associated risk factors among women of reproductive age referring to Birjand Comprehensive Health Center, East of Iran. Methods: A total of 300 serum samples were collected from women who were referred to Birjand Comprehensive Health Center to be screened for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Analytical and descriptive statistics were carried out using SPSS software version 20. Descriptive statistics were reported as a percentage and mean (SD). The chi-squared test was applied to assess the univariate association between independent variables and outcome. The significance level in the test was considered P < 0.05. Results: The results showed that 8.3% of the subjects with an average age of 27 years were IgG-positive. Contact with cats had a significant effect on positivity for IgG and disease frequency (P < 0.05). On the other hand, age and the place of residence (urban or rural) had no significant effect on disease frequency (P > 0.05). Urban or rural location in all age ranges had no significant effect on IgG positivity (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Considering the high percentage of T. gondii among negative people in the target population, it is necessary to inform women of the reproductive age about the importance of testing and health issues related to T. gondii.

Background: Toxocariasis is a common zoonotic helminthic disease with worldwide distribution. Seroepidemiological data related to human toxocariasis and its risk factors are limited in the east of Iran. Objectives: The current study evaluated the seroprevalence of toxocariasis and associated risk factors in clinically healthy individuals aged 18 years or older in eastern Iran. Methods: We took 450 samples from clinically healthy individuals referred to medical laboratories for health screening between March and May 2022 in Birjand, Iran. The seroprevalence of IgG antibody against Toxocara was performed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit (IBL, Germany). Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between toxocariasis and potential risk factors by SPSS 21.0 software. A probability P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The sample included 210 (56.6%) men, and 240 women (53.3%) who were aged 18 to 81 years (mean 35 ± 13 years). The Toxocara ELISA was positive in 36 (8%) individuals. The statistical analysis showed that washing hands before eating (odds ratio (OR) = 0.1, 95% CI: 0.05 - 0.3, P < 0.0001), contact with cats and dogs (OR = 0.1, 95% CI: 0.05 - 0.3, P < 0.00001), and raw meat consumption (OR = 4.8, 95% CI: 2.2 - 11.4), P < 0.0004) were risk factors associated with Toxocara infection. Conclusions: The relatively low seroprevalence of Toxocara infection in our study can be caused by environmental and socio-cultural conditions and moderate to high hygiene standards in Birjand. It is suggested that more extensive studies be conducted with larger sample sizes in at-risk groups in this area.

Background: Simultaneous isoenzyme and molecular characterization of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato have not been investigated in Iran. The present study aims to investigate the isoenzyme pattern of the larval stage of Echinococcus spp. genotypes based on their host types in Iran.Methods and Results: A total of 32 samples, including 8 human and 24 animal hydatid cyst isolates, were collected from May 2018 to December 2020. The protoscolices were removed from the cyst, and their genotypes were determined by the molecular method followed by isoenzyme electrophoresis. The activities of five enzymatic systems including glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), malic enzyme (ME), nucleoside hydrolyse 1 (NH1) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICD) were evaluated. Sequence analysis of the samples showed the specimens as E. granulosus sensu stricto (G1) 24 (75%), and E. canadensis (G6) 8 (25%) genotypes. The isoenzyme pattern of ICD of both the strains produced a six-band pattern, with different Relative Factors (RF). The G6PD produces two bands with different relative migration in both genotypes. The MDH and NH1 systems revealed two-band pattern in the E. granulosus sensu stricto strain, while it produced only one band in the ME enzyme. Furthermore, in the E. canadensis strain the MDH and NH1 enzymes showed one band and the ME enzyme represented a two-band pattern.Conclusion: The finding of the present study revealed that the entirely different isoenzyme patterns in the systems of NH1, G6PD, MDH and ME may be used for differentiation of E. granulosus sensu stricto and E. canadensis strains.

The presence of symptomless malaria infection in endemic areas and misdiagnosis can lead to failure in malaria eradication strategies. The present study was performed to assessment the prevalence of asymptomatic carriers in the Saravan and Suran district, an endemic area of malaria infection in Sistan and Baluchistan Province (2019–2020) using microscopic methods, ELISA, RDT test, multiplex nested-PCR and LAMP. The samples (n = 525) were collected from asymptomatic person of Saravan and Suran district to assessment malaria infection by using microscopic, ELISA, RDT test, multiplex nested-PCR and LAMP techniques. The microscopic and RDT tests were negative for malaria infection. Based on the ELISA test, 2 and 26 out of 525 samples was positive for P. falciparum and P.vivax antigens, respectively. The multiplex nested-PCR and LAMP techniques could detect only 2 and 3 cases of P. vivax, respectively. To improve the sensitivity, specificity and high reliability of malaria removal, especially in endemic areas, all sensitive tools such as microscopy, RDT, LAMP and nested PCR should be used.

Objective Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major (L. major) is an endemic disease in Iran. The current reference drugs, including Glucantime, possess high toxicity in addition to some side-effects. Therefore, there is a growing interest in exploring biomedical plants. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the anti-leishmanial activity and cytotoxicity of hydroalcoholic extracts from Prosopis farcta (P. farcta) over promastigote and amastigote forms. Methods This study was performed at the Iran Birjand University of Medical Sciences, during the year 2019. In this study, the hydroalcoholic extracts of the stems, leaves (LE) and fruits (FE) of P. farcta were obtained. The anti-leishmanial activity was assessed against leptomonad promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of L. major. The cytotoxicity of these extracts was determined in murine macrophages. Results The FE and LE of P. farcta demonstrated a significant leishmanicidal effect against L. major promastigotes with an IC50 of 0.9 mg/mL and 1.1 mg/mL, respectively. The FE showed the most anti-leishmanial activity and presented with the highest index of selectivity (SI=14.6) as an anti-leishmanial product. Infected macrophages treated using the FE showed a reduction in parasite burden by 97.3%. Conclusion The results of the present study demonstrated the leishmanicidal activity of P. farcta on both promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes. There is a need for performing comprehensive studies on relevant animal models and to access the effects of active components of P. farcta extract on the growth of L. major.

Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a medically important disease that is caused by the metacestodes of Echinococcus granulosus. Human hydatid is considered an endemic disease in specific regions of Iran. The goal of the present study was to determine the genetic diversity of E. granulosus from the paraffin-embedded human tissue samples which were collected from the endemic regions of Iran. Fifty-five formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded hydatid cysts (FFPE) of humans, which had been removed surgically, were obtained from the South Khorasan and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces. These regions are related to the East and Southeast regions of Iran, respectively. The cox1 and nad1 genes from mitochondria were amplified from the extracted DNA and sequenced. The sequences were edited using the BioEdit software. Furthermore, phylogenetic and genetic diversity analyses were performed. Sequencing of the cox1 and nad1 genes from the 44 CE samples was done successfully. Genetic analysis revealed that 38 (86.3%) and 6 (13.6%) of the isolates were G1- and G6-genotypes, respectively. In general, eight and six haplotypes were identified by cox1 and nad1 genes analysis, respectively. For G1 strains, the haplotype diversity index was higher for the cox1 gene (0.6 ± 0.07) in comparison with the nad1 gene (0.4 ± 0.09). The findings of the present study showed that the sheep strain (G1) and the less important camel strain (G6) play the main roles in the transmission cycle of CE in the East and Southeast regions of Iran. Therefore, these results could be useful for managing the hydatid disease control programs in the studied and other similar areas.

Allergic reaction of leech bite is frequently reported due to complication of leech therapy and also unwanted leech infestation. The study pointed out hazards of leech bites and proposed preventative measures such as using gloves and boots while labors work on the farm

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL),a protozoan disease caused by Leishmania infantum is a major public health problem and cause of death among infants aged under 1 year and the elderly in endemic foci of Iran. The aim of this study is to determine the status of L.infantum infection in stray dogs from Meshkin-Shahr, a typical endemic area of VL in Iran.Sixty-eight randomly trapped stray dogs in Meshkin-Shahr area were tested for L. infantum infection using the direct agglutination test (DAT) from June to October 2016. The confirmation of seropositive samples was performed by Microscopic slides of spleen, culture and then PCR. The molecular methods performed by ITS1-PCR, RFLP-PCR and kDNA-PCR. The allof kDNA -PCR products were sequenced.Out of 68 examined stray dogs, 17 (25.0%) were positive for L. infantum by DAT (1:320 titers or higher). Parasite test showed that all of seropositive samples have amastigote forms in their spleens but only 3 out of them could be cultured. The kDNA-PCR confirmed all of seropositive samples but ITS1-PCR and RFLP-PCR only confirmed 3 out of 17 (17.6%) seropositive samples. The sequenced products showed 94% homology with L. infantum.The results showed a high prevalence of L. infantum infection in dogs in an endemic area of CVL and it provided key information for designing control programs against canine and human leishmaniasis.

Malaria is one of the most serious health problems in many countries, including Iran. Accurate diagnosis is important regardless of the elimination status of a country. A cross-sectional study was performed on 105 people who were suspected to be positive for malaria infection in Sistan and Baluchistan, Iran. Blood smears (thin and thick films) were stained with 10% Giemsa. DNA was extracted from the prepared thin and thick films for molecular methods. Multiplex/nested polymerase chain reaction (mn-PCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and light microscopy (LM) were compared with nested PCR (nPCR) as a gold standard. Of 105 subjects, 52 (49.5%), 58 (55.2%), 58 (55.2%), and 63 (60%) were positive for malaria by LM, nPCR, mn-PCR, and LAMP, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and kappa were 92.1%, 100%, and 0.9 for LAMP and 100%, 100%, and 1 for mn-PCR, respectively. Eight cases of coinfection (Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum) that were not detected by LM method were diagnosed by mn-PCR and LAMP. In the present study, the high sensitivity and specificity of LAMP and mn-PCR indicate that these two tests are good alternatives to nPCR for malaria diagnosis

Acanthamoeba as free-living parasites are scattered ubiquitously, throughout the world. This study was aimed to evaluate the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. genotypes in the recreational water sources in Gorgan County, the capital of Golestan Province using both morphological and molecular approaches. Thirty water samples were collected from different recreational waters in Gorgan, the capital of Golestan Province, northern Iran during 2015–2016. Samples were filtered and followed by culture in non-nutrient agar. Acanthamoeba were identified both by morphological and molecular analysis. The pathogenical potential of positive cloned samples were also determined using tolerance test. Twenty-six percent of recreational water were identified as Acanthamoeba spp. based on the morphological analysis and from these positive samples, five samples were successfully sequenced after molecular studies. Phylogenetic analysis showed the clustering of four samples in T4 genotype group and only one sample as T15 genotype. Thermotolerance test revealed that all cloned samples were highly positive. Since the attractiveness of recreational places for people is increasing, the potential risk of this water should be monitored routinely in each region. More studies are needed to better evaluate the risk of this ubiquitous parasite for the human.

Molecular analysis of antifolate resistance-associated genes—dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) and dihydropteroate synthetase (dhps) of Plasmodium vivax is important in predicting the emergence of drug resistance to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP). The present study aimed to determine the polymorphism of dhfr and dhps genes in P. vivax field isolates. Samples from 80 microscopically diagnosed vivax malaria cases were collected from endemic areas of malaria in Hormozgan Province of Iran, from June 2010 to November 2015. The two sets of codons at position 33, 57, 58, 117, 173 of dhfr and 382, 383, and 553 of dhps genes were analysed by direct sequencing of PCR products. The majority of the isolates (70%) harboured a wild-type allele for P. vivax dhfr (Pvdhfr) and P. vivax dhps (Pvdhps). Mutations were detected in three codons of Pvdhfr (P33L, S58R and S117N) and single codon in Pvdhps (A383G). Novel mutations that have not been identified previously at codon 459 (D459A) of Pvdhps were also observed. The high prevalence of point mutation as well as the rising triple mutation of Pvdhfr and Pvdhps genotypes necessitate change in programmes and guidelines to eliminate P. vivax in future.

Knowledge of the vectors of dirofilariasis in the world beside the treatment of infected dog is crucial to establish mosquito vector-based control programs. The current systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on published studies, documenting the prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis infected/infective mosquitoes from field surveys and laboratory experiments under controlled conditions. Articles up through 2019 from Scopus, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar were screened systematically. The overall prevalence of D. immitis infected/infective mosquitoes was estimated using a random effect model. Meta-regression was used to identify factors related to high dirofilariasis prevalence in the vectors. In these studies, the detection method was not identified as a heterogeneity and the overall prevalence in both subgroups had overlap (7.9-34.9 and 1.5-48.5). The overall prevalence of infective stage was 2.6 (95% CI: 0.97-4.77 per 1,000) and 84.7 per 1000 (95% CI: 20.5-183.8 per 1,000) for the field survey/laboratory experiment, respectively. The higher overall prevalence of D. immitis infected/infective mosquitoes were reported across studies in which take place in Eastern Mediterranean Region office (EMRO), longitude: 80 to 110, latitude: 20 to 40, annual rainfall: 250 to 1000, sea level: 26 to 100 and

Purpose Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii; despite being asymptomatic in the majority of healthy individuals, it can cause significant complications and mortalities in patients with immune deficiency. Methods A case-control study was performed on 320 subjects, 160 with hemodialysis and 160 healthy control subjects in Zahedan, southeast of Iran. In both groups, diabetes was evaluated using diagnostic tests such as FBS and A1C, and subjects that suffer from diabetes excluded from this study. Two blood samples were collected from each participant for conducting the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and molecular diagnostic tests. Molecular diagnostic tests including Nested-PCR, Real-Time PCR, and LAMP were performed on RE gene. Results Among 160 blood samples in patients group, T. gondii antibody was confirmed in 75 (46.8%) samples by ELISA test. Also, 51 (31.87%) and 54 (33.75%) of samples having an infection confirmed by Nested-PCR and LAMP methods, respectively. Also, among 160 healthy samples, 39 (24.3%) were serologically positive for T. gondii. However, only 7 (4.3%) samples were reported to be positive by LAMP method in the control group, 4 of whom were Toxoplasma IgG antibodies positive by the same test. Conclusions The results of the present study indicate that molecular tests (LAMP and Nested-PCR) on the RE gene sequence have more efficient than serologic methods for detecting active and reactive types of toxoplasmosis in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a common parasitic disease, which leads to serious disease symptoms in immunocompromised hosts and infants. Recent epidemiologic surveys showed that microbial agents may be associated with some cases of multiple sclerosis (MS). Objectives: This case-control study aimed to examine the role of Toxoplasma gondii in MS by evaluating sero-frequency of anti-T. gondii IgG (ATXAb) antibody between patients with MS and ordinary people in Shiraz Province, south of Iran during 2016 - 2018. Methods: Serum samples obtained from MS patients (n = 130), and a group of age and gender-matched controls (n = 130) with the same socioeconomic status with the patients’ group were collected to evaluate the prevalence of T. gondii IgG antibodies (ATXAb). Moreover, the presence of the ATXAb antibody of the patients and controls was determined by the ELISA test. SPSS 20 software was used to perform the statistical analysis (SPSS, inc., Chicago, USA). Results: Out of 130 (35.4%) cases with MS and 130 (13.8%) controls, 46 and 18 subjects were seropositive for ATXAb, respectively. Based on the chi-square test, a significant difference was observed in terms of the positivity rates of ATXAb between the MS patient group and the control group (P = 0.001). The mean ± standard deviation ATXAb levels in controls and MS patients were found to be 61 ± 34 and 114 ± 47 IU/mL, respectively. Also, there were statistically significant differences between the levels of these two groups (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Given the relationship between toxoplasmosis and MS, it is possible that the prevalence of MS decreases by increasing hygiene and preventing toxoplasmosis.

Background and objective Microsporidia are obligate intracellular pathogens. The parasite can infect a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts among all over the world. The current study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal microsporidiosis by staining and molecular methods in South Khorasan province of Iran. Materials and methods From December 2019 to December 2020, 720 stool samples were stained by specific Weber Modified Trichrome (Chromotrope 2R) to detect Microsporidia spores. The DNA extraction was done by Kit and To amplify the SSU rRNA gene of Microsporidia Spp, the nested PCR was used with genus specific primers. Finally data analyzing were performed by chi square (X2) test, using SPSS software. Results From 720 stool samples, 25 (3.47%) samples were microscopically positive for intestinal Microsporidia infection. Out of 25 positive samples of Microsporidia in microscopic method, 22 samples were positive in PCR method. In this study, most of the molecularly approved patients were referred to the hospital (68.00%) and were in the age range of 30 to 50 years (40.80%). 92.00% of patients also had gastrointestinal symptoms and were infected in the summer (40.00%), (p Conclusions This study was the first evaluation of the prevalence of Microsporidia in South Khorasan province. Microsporidia infection is prevalent in the public population of eastern Iran. Statistical analysis of the results showed that factors such as education, age, gastrointestinal symptoms and season can be risk factors associated with parasitic infections.

Objective Food transmitted parasitic disease can be considered as one of the most common diseases in different societies and transmitted via water, soil and food. The goal of this cross-sectional descriptive-analytic research was to determine the prevalence and type of parasitic contaminated vegetables in Birjand city in 2017. Methods 196 samples were obtained from 12 kind of vegetables including leek, radish, cress, mint, basil, dill, coriander, parsley, scallion, spinach and lettuce from 20 green groceries in all parts of the city. After the washing steps, each of the samples was centrifuged, sedimented and stained. The samples were examined for the presence of metazoan and protozoan parasitic contaminations. Cysts of Giardia lamblia were partly purified via the sucrose density gradient technique. After freeze-thaw cycles, genomic DNA became extracted the usage of QIAamp Stool Mini package. The results of the study were reported as descriptive statistics (mean and percentage) and analyzed by X2 tests at a significant level of p ≤ 0.05. Results The total contamination of vegetables in the city of Birjand was reported to be 78.5%. The most elevated rate of contamination was related to Entamoeba coli parasite (46%), followed by Giardia lamblia (18.3%). The highest rate of contamination was detected in fenugreek, basil and celery vegetables, which 100% of the samples contained at least one kind of parasite. In this study, pathogens and non-pathogens were found in 52.1% and 47.9% of the samples, respectively. Conclusion Results shows that the rate of parasitic contamination in this study was relatively high, which can led to prevalence of parasitic diseases in humans.

The current study was performed to determine Hirudinea species diversity collected from rice fields of Guilan province from June 2012 to June 2020. This study reports the most recent information on leech species (Annelida, Clitellata) in this region. Morphological characters and DNA barcode analysis were used to identify the collected samples. According to the acquired results, there were two leech families in this zone (Glossiphoniidae and Hirundinidae). Based on morphological criteria 5 species of leech including Hirudo orientalis, Hirudo medicinalis, Hirudo verbana, Helobdella stagnalis and Placobdella costata belonging to 3 genera were identified. For the first time, Hirudo verbana which predominantly bred in leech farms and used as medicinal leech from southeastern Europe and Turkey, was reported in our study. The knowledge on leech fauna in Iran is incomplete. Therefore, more comparative studies based on molecular and morphological techniques should be conducted on different regions. This study was performed to identify the distribution of Hirudinida from Bandar Anzali's wetland of Guilan province, Iran using genetic sequence assessment.

Toxoplasma gondii is zoonotic protozoa that spread throughout the world. The aim of current study was determination of the prevalence of T. gondii infection in patient undergoing chemotherapy for malignancies using ELISA and two different molecular tests including Nested-PCR and LAMP techniques. This study was carried out in Ali Ibn Aboutaleb hospital in Zahedan cities, southeast of Iran. Totally, 154 serum samples from patient were test for detection of IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii by ELISA test. All of the samples were also test by Loop amplification (LAMP) and Nested-PCR with RE gene. Totally, 39.4% of the sample sera from cases were positive for IgG against T. gondii. After using RE-Nested-PCR technique, 29.8% sample sera were positively. After using LAMP technique, 33.1% of the samples were found to be positive. Based on our result, the RE-LAMP technique was more effective than RE-nested-PCR method in the detection of T. gondii DNA.

Acanthamoeba as free-living parasites are scattered ubiquitously, throughout the world. This study was aimed to evaluate the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. genotypes in the recreational water sources in Gorgan County, the capital of Golestan Province using both morphological and molecular approaches. Thirty water samples were collected from different recreational waters in Gorgan, the capital of Golestan Province, northern Iran during 2015–2016. Samples were filtered and followed by culture in non-nutrient agar. Acanthamoeba were identified both by morphological and molecular analysis. The pathogenical potential of positive cloned samples were also determined using tolerance test. Twenty-six percent of recreational water were identified as Acanthamoeba spp. based on the morphological analysis and from these positive samples, five samples were successfully sequenced after molecular studies. Phylogenetic analysis showed the clustering of four samples in T4 genotype group and only one sample as T15 genotype. Thermotolerance test revealed that all cloned samples were highly positive. Since the attractiveness of recreational places for people is increasing, the potential risk of this water should be monitored routinely in each region. More studies are needed to better evaluate the risk of this ubiquitous parasite for the human.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the most common parasitical diseases in many regions of Iran and plays a significant role in the inhibition of socioeconomic growth of this deprived province. The present study aimed to molecular identification of cutaneous leishmaniasis species in patients from Chabahar and Konark district, in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 250 patients suspected of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Samples of the skin lesions and ulcers suspected to CL were collected from patients and diagnosed by parasitological test and molecular methods, respectively. The microscopic test detected 80 out of 250 (32%) suspected patients to CL, while 80 out of 80 (100%) were positive for Leishmania kDNA. Two species L. major and L. tropica were responsible for 9 and 69 cases, respectively. Our results were consistent with the previous reports in Iran, revealing L. tropica as the most causative agent of CL Further investigation are demanded to identify the hosts, reservoirs, disease species and vectors in this part of the world.

Knowledge of the vectors of dirofilariasis in the world beside the treatment of infected dog is crucial to establish mosquito vector-based control programs. The current systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on published studies, documenting the prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis infected/infective mosquitoes from field surveys and laboratory experiments under controlled conditions. Articles up through 2019 from Scopus, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar were screened systematically. The overall prevalence of D. immitis infected/infective mosquitoes was estimated using a random effect model. Meta-regression was used to identify factors related to high dirofilariasis prevalence in the vectors. In these studies, the detection method was not identified as a heterogeneity and the overall prevalence in both subgroups had overlap (7.9-34.9 and 1.5-48.5). The overall prevalence of infective stage was 2.6 (95% CI: 0.97-4.77 per 1,000) and 84.7 per 1000 (95% CI: 20.5-183.8 per 1,000) for the field survey/laboratory experiment, respectively. The higher overall prevalence of D. immitis infected/infective mosquitoes were reported across studies in which take place in Eastern Mediterranean Region office (EMRO), longitude: 80 to 110, latitude: 20 to 40, annual rainfall: 250 to 1000, sea level: 26 to 100 and Anopheles and to a less extent Culex were the main vectors of dirofilariasis.

Dirofilaria immitis is endemic in the southern parts of Iran where there is a favourable environment for the development of Anopheles stephensi. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the susceptibility of A. stephensi as D. immitis vector under laboratory conditions. Anticoagulated dog blood containing 1,500 microfilariae ml–1 was artificially administered to 140 mosquitoes of the test group (T group), while 94 mosquitoes were left as a control (C group). Blood-fed mosquitoes of the T group were dissected for morphological and molecular analyses at pre-set time points to observe the developmental stage of D. immitis. The results showed that the average number of the microfilariae ingested per female in T group was 9.6. At the end of the study, 16 mosquitoes developed infective thirdstage larvae of D. immitis, and 49 mosquitoes survived at end of incubation period, giving an estimated infection rate of 32.6% and the vector efficiency index of 17%. The infection rate and vector efficiency index suggested that A. stephensi could be considered as a potential vector of D. immitis., Нематоды Dirofilaria immitis обычны в южных провинциях Ирана, где складываются походящие условия для развития комаров Anopheles stephensi. Проведено исследование способности A. stephensi служить вектором-переносчиком для нематод D. immitis в лабораторных условиях. Кровь собак с добавлением антикоагулянтов, содержащие 1,500 микрофилярий в 1 мл была использвоана для заражения голодавших самок комаров. Всего 140 комаров было использовано для эксперимента (Т группа) и 94 особи комаров служили контролем (C группа). Комаров из Т группы вскрывали через определенные промежутки времени для морфологического и молекулярного выявления развивающихся стадий D. immitis. Результаты показали, что в среднем каждая самка комара заглатывала 9.6 микрофилярий. В конце эксперимента было установлено, что 49 самок пережили условия данного опыта (32.6%) и у 16 самок комаров развились инвазионные личинки 3-й стадии D. immitis. Таким образом, индекс эффективности переноса составил 17%. Сделан вывод о способности A. stephensi служить вектором для D. immitis.

We report a case of urinary myiasis occurring in a 60-yr-old Iranian male patient with urinary tract problems and a history of travel to Thailand who was referred to Shafagh Medical Laboratory in Tehran (Iran). Larvae excreted in the patient's urine were confirmed by morphological identification key and DNA barcoding to belong to the species Megaselia scalaris Loew, which is known as the scuttle fly. Based on the patient's history, he was infected with M. scalaris in Thailand. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of urinary myiasis caused by M. scalaris in Thailand.

This study was conducted to address the distribution of Acanthamoeba genotypes in therapeutic hot springs in Iran. Sixty water and sediment samples were collected from bicarbonate, sulphur, and sodium chloride thermal springs in the northwest. All hot springs examined are used mainly for health purposes in Iran. Acanthamoeba were identified by both morphology and PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Genotype identification was based on the sequencing of a highly variable and informative region of Diagnostic Fragment 3 (stem 29–1 of 18S rRNA gene) within Acanthamoeba-specific amplimer (ASA.S1). Twenty percent of hot springs were contaminated with thermotolerant Acanthamoeba belonging to the potentially pathogenic T4 and T3 genotypes. A high number (91.7%) of strains showed growth at 37 °C, and eight isolates showed growth at 42 °C. A single isolate (HSNW2) was detected in waters at 70 °C. The presence of thermotolerant Acanthamoeba highlights a risk factor for susceptible individuals, as Acanthamoeba-related keratitis continues to rise in Iran. Periodic surveillance of thermal waters as well as improved filtration and disinfection is recommended to prevent disease related to pathogenic Acanthamoeba. This is the first comprehensive molecular study of Acanthamoeba genotypes in hot springs in Iran and the first to report the occurrence of the T3 genotype (corresponding to Acanthamoeba griffini) in thermal water sources in this country.