Background:Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) continues to be an increasing public health problem in Iran. The dominant etiologic agents of CL in the Old World are Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica. One of the important endemic foci of CL in Iran is Yazd. Recently, previous studies showed the equal prevalence of L. major and L. tropica as the agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis in this area. This prompted us to identify the genotype of L. major isolates obtained from patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis.Materials and Methods:After completing a clinical/epidemiologic data questionnaire for 218 patients with suspected skin lesions, scraping samples were collected, and each specimen was examined using both direct microscopy and molecular assay of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).Results:Results showed that of the 218 samples, Leishman body was observed in 77 by direct smear and 104 by PCR assay. Molecular assay indicated 50 cases as L. major, 52 cases as L. tropica, and two cases as unknown. Molecular characterization of L. major isolates showed four patterns, named LmA1, LmA2, LmA3, and LmA4.Conclusion:Our study is the first report for molecular characterization of L. major from one of the important central province of Iran that could affect the control strategies in this field.
Background Oils in traditional medicine are important products and used routinely for therapeutic purposes. Rose oil (Rosa damascene Mill), a product of Persian medicine, is advised for the treatment of Infectious diseases related to the female genitourinary tract. In the present study, R. damascena petal oil, aqueous, and hydroalcoholic extracts were evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial and anti-Trichomonas vaginalis effects. Methods Anti-trichomonas activity evaluation of extracts and oil were assayed by the Homocytometery method. Their antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and clinically isolated Group B Streptococcus were assayed by broth microdilution in 96-well plates. Results The MIC of hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts ranged from 25-50 and 25-100 mg/ml, respectively. Rose oil at all administered doses failed to show any antibacterial activity. Conclusion All extracts and oil concentrations showed some degree of growth inhibition activity on T. vaginalis; however, hydroalcoholic extract was more efficient.
Background: Free-living amoebas are very abundant in nature, especially in water and soil. Some species of amoebas cause serious and sometimes fatal infections such a keratitis in people with normal and suppressed immune systems. Based on the prevalence of amoebic keratitis in Iran, it is important to consider the free-living amoeba. Objectives: The current study aimed to determine the presence of Acanthamoeba and Hartmannella spp. in soil samples of Sari, North of Iran. Patients and Methods: A total of 96 soil samples from three areas of Sari were collected to be examined for soil contamination with Acanthamoeba and Hartmannella spp. Soil samples were investigated for the presence of these parasites by Sheather's flotation technique and Gimsa staining method. The identification of Acanthamoeba and Hartmannella spp. at the genus level in this study was based on distinctive features of double walled cysts. Results: Of the 96 studied samples, from different environmental locations in Sari, 38 (39.6%) Acanthamoeba and 5 (5.2%) Hartmannella species were identified. Conclusions:The results of the present study revealed that soil resources of these areas were contaminated with opportunistic amoebas such as Acanthamoeba and Hartmannella spp. and this may lead to severe diseases in high-risk people, such as immunocompromised patients.
Introduction: Thymol has an antiprotozoal effect. Nanoparticulate systems are useful carriers for both small and large drug molecules, which can protect them from some chemical and biological damages as well as target drug delivery to specific organs or receptors. In this work, the nano-liposomal system and solid lipid nanoparticles loaded by thymol were prepared and the effectiveness of them were evaluated on Leishmania major promastigotes. Methods: Several formulations of nano-liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles were prepared, and the amount of thymol loading, in-vitro release profile, particle size, and zeta potential were evaluated. Finally, the best formulations were serially diluted and incubated for 24, 48, and 72 hours on Leishmania major promastigotes, which cultured on Novy–MacNeal–Nicolle medium, and the results were analyzed. Results: The highest loading of thymol in nano-liposomes (92%) was seen in the formulations made with phosphatidylcholine (Called L3), and among the solid lipid nanoparticles, the formulation prepared with glycerol monostearate (S1) had the most entrapment efficiency of thymol (87%). These formulations were selected to evaluate the release rate of thymol. The results showed that S1 has a slower release rate than L3; this may be due to the presence of Glycerol monostearate in solid lipid nanoparticles structure. The best formulations, L3 and S1, were chosen for anti-Leishmaniosis assessment; which showed that all three forms of free thymol, nanoliposomes, and solid lipid nanoparticles inhibited Leishmania major. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of free thymol, nanoliposome, and solid lipid nanoparticles for a 24-hour incubation are 7.8, 62.5, and 125, respectively, which decrease to 7.8, 7.8, and 15.6 for 48 hours and 7.8, 0.49, and 0 for 72 hours of incubation. Conclusion: Thymol has a significant effect on the inhibition of Leishmania major promastigotes and usage of thymol in the form of liposomes or solid lipid nanoparticles can sustain the drug release and have a lower IC50 during the longer incubation time.
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