Background:Intestinal parasitic infections, particularly in the rural areas, are one of the most important indices of the hygiene status and sanitation level of the society. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of the intestinal parasitic infections among rural inhabitant of Hamadan City, Iran, 2012. Patients and Methods: A total of 228 fecal samples were collected from 50 families in seven villages that were directly and indirectly involved in raising livestock and other domestic animals in spring of 2012. The demographic data were collected by interview and included age, sex, educational level, place of keeping animals, direct or indirect contact with animals, and occupation. Fecal samples were concentrated using formol-ether sedimentation technique and examined by iodine-stained wet mount method. Indistinguishable samples were assessed by trichrome staining method. Results: Among 228 samples, 80 (35.1%) were diagnosed with parasitic infection, which separately included 43 cases of Entamoeba coli (18.9%), 32 Blastocystis hominis (14%), 16 Endolimax nana (7%), nine Iodamoeba butschlii (3.9%), five Giardia lamblia (2.2%), two Taenia species (0.9%), two Hymenolepis nana (0.9%), one Chilomastix mesnili (0.4%), one Trichuris trichiura (0.4%), and one Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (0.4%). No significant difference in infection rate was observed with regard to indirect or direct contact with livestock. Coinfection of E. coli and B. hominis, E. coli and I. butschlii, and E. nana and G. lamblia were statistically significant. Interestingly, no Ascaris lumbricoides ovum was seen in this population. Conclusions: According to the results of the present study, the prevalence of some infections with intestinal parasites is high in the Hamadan City. Considering that most of the parasites are nonpathogenic, pathogenic ones have been reduced generally in comparison to the previous reports. Nevertheless, the existence of Taenia species and H. nana could not be ignored.

Human echinococcosis is an infectious disease caused by tapeworms belonging to the species Echinococcus. This parasite has a worldwide distribution and is considered a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization. Due to the diversity of Echinococcus spp. hosts, as well as variation in geographical, climatic, and socio-ethnic conditions, the question of the strains or genotypes of Echinococcus spp. that are involved in human infections is important. The aim of this study was to provide a summary of the available data on genotypes of Echinococcus obtained from the Iranian population. Four international databases (PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science) and 4 Persian databases (Magiran, Scientific Information Database, Iran Medex, and IranDoc) were searched for cross-sectional studies that reported the genotypes of Echinococcus spp. in human echinococcosis cases using molecular methods in Iran through July 2018. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the selected studies. A total of 559 cases of human cystic echinococcosis were reported in the 21 included articles. The majority of cases belonged to genotype G1 (89.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 80.1 to 95.8), genotype G6 (8.2%; 95% CI, 2.8 to 15.9), and genotype G3 (2.3%; 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.9). Since genotype G1 of Echinococcus appears to be the most prevalent genotype affecting humans in Iran, disease control initiatives aimed at sheep intermediate hosts may be the most beneficial. In addition, educational programs and serological screening in individuals may help reduce the national impact of the disease.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of the important skin diseases with diverse clinical manifestations. With an incidence of 0.7-1.3 million cases annually, this disease is often reported from six countries, including Iran. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the antileishmanial effect of the three plant hydroalcoholic extracts including fleawort (Plantago psyllium L.), savory (Satureja hortensis L.) and tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) on Leishmania major promastigotes. The hydroalcoholic extract from each plant was extracted and its anti-leishmanial effect was evaluated in different concentrations (100-1000 lg/ml) and at various hours (24, 48 and 72 h). Savory herb inhibitory concentration 50 % (IC 50 ) at 24, 48 and 72 h was 790.81, 398.11 and 298.42 lg/ml, respectively. In addition, tarragon herb IC 50 at 24, 48 and 72 h was 962.03, 688.36 and 585.51 lg/ml, respectively. Moreover, the fleawort extract was showed the lowest effect, considering that its effect at the concentration of 1000 lg/ml was 48 % after 72 h (P [ 0.05). Furthermore, the statistical analysis showed a significant difference for interaction between concentration and time regarding the tarragon and savory extracts with a P value of lower than 0.05. According to the results, the anti-leishmanial effect of the tarragon and savory extracts may make it possible to use them in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis as a complementary or alternative therapy; however, further studies are necessary and should be evaluated in cell culture and in vivo conditions to confirm it.

Phytotherapy can be an alternative for the control of gastrointestinal parasites in human and animals. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is a medicinal plant which grown as a spice crop all over the world. The seeds of this plant have been used to treat parasitic disease, indigestion, diabetes, rheumatism and pain in the joints. This study was carried out to compare the efficacy of Niclosamid and alcoholic seed extract of C. sativum on Hymenolepis nana infection, in vivo and vitro. For in vivo study, Balb/c mice were used, to compare the efficacy of 50 mg/kg body weight (B.W) of Niclosamid with different doses of alcoholic extracts of C. sativum (250, 500, and 750 mg/kg B.W). It was found that the efficacy of Niclosamid had reached 100 % after 11 days post treatment, while the efficacy of 500 and 750 mg/kg B.W of C. sativum reached to 100 % after 15 days after treatment. For in vitro study, special nutrient broth media was used. It was found that the addition of 1000 mg/ml of Niclosamid had paralyzed and killed worms within 5 min, while C. sativum killed them within 30 min. Our results showed that extract of C. sativum has good effect against H. nana and could be use in traditional medicine for treatment of parasitic disease.

Context:Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic parasitic skin disease in many parts of Iran including Khorasan province. Both clinical forms of the disease, anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) and zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) are present in this province. However, leishmaniasis molecular map is determined in four cities of Khorasan, but several foci still are remained unknown.Aim:The aim was to identify the species of Leishmania causing CL in Khaf, a District in Khorasan-e-Razavi province.Materials and Methods:Slide smears obtained from skin lesions of 120 patients suspected to leishmaniasis. Direct microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) performed using specific kinetoplast DNA primers. Data were analyzed with the use of SPSS.Results:Among 120 persons with skin ulcers suspected to CL, the results of direct smear of 54 (45%) samples were positive. PCR band were observed in 66 (55%) of examined samples in which 46 bands identified for Leishmania tropica and 20 for Leishmania major.Conclusion:Both ACL and ZCL are present in Khaf. L. tropica is the dominant causative species for ACL. Further study is recommended to discover probable reservoir and vector for L. major in Khaf.

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Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and genotype of Cryptosporidium spp. in different groups of immunocompromised patients admitted to the referral hospitals in center of Iran during 2015–2016. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 346 immunocompromised patients (HIV+/AIDS, Lymphoma, Leukemia and organ transplants) in referred hospitals from central parts of Iran including Isfahan, Markazi, Yazd and Chaharmahale Bakhtiari provinces. Stool samples were analyzed for Cryptosporidium species, modified Ziehl–Neelsen staining techniques followed by the semi-nested PCR and DNA sequencing methods. Results: The total rate of Cryptosporidium spp. was 3.46% (12/346) in the patients, however, the prevalence of the parasite, was 4.6% (4/87) in HIV+/AIDS patients, 3.6% (6/168) in patients with blood malignancy and 2.1% (2/91) in organ transplant recipients. The SSU rRNA gene of Cryptosporidium spp. in all microscopic-positive samples was effectively amplified by the semi-nested PCR and DNA sequences, exposed the existence of two Cryptosporidium species, including C. hominis 91.6% (11/12) and C. parvum 8.3% (1/12). Conclusion: The predominance of C. hominis in the present study may be certifies the importance of anthroponotic transmission of cryptosporidiosis in center of Iran.

Background: Human toxocariasis is caused by Toxocara canis and cati, which are the main ascarids of dogs and cats, respectively. Most infected humans are asymptomatic and our understanding of human disease burden is limited by lack of epidemiological studies and insufficient clinical awareness. Objectives: There is no precise report on the seroprevalence of toxocariasis in Ilam children. Therefore, this study found an opportunity to investigate this subject. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 300 sera of children aged between 2 to 15 years old were collected during March 2016 to February 2017 in urban and rural areas. Demographic variables were filled for each person in accordance with risk factors along with sampling. Some hematological parameters were measured. The sera were examined for anti Toxocara canis and cati antibodies, according to the ELISA kit protocol. Results: Among a total of 300 serum samples, 35 (11.7%) were positive for anti-Toxocara IgG. The infection rates were 5.3% and 6.3% in female and male, respectively. There was no significant relationship between gender and Toxocara infection rates (P = 0.59). A total of 26 (17.3%) of the 150 rural children, and nine (6.0%) of the 150 urban children were positive. There was a significant relationship between place of living with ELISA tests results (P = 0.004). Hematologic parameters showed a significant increase in the numbers of peripheral eosinophil in the sample of patients whose sera were positive (P = 0.037). Conclusions: High prevalence of toxocariasis among Ilam children in the west of Iran can be considered as a public health problem. The evaluating infection control programs in dog and cats are necessary for controlling the disease in this region.