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.
Background: Ectoparasitic infections are very important in poor countries. On the other hand, comprehensive information on the epidemiology of these parasites, especially in the North of Iran, remains scarce. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess soil contamination with mites, geohelminths, and bugs in residential areas of Sari city, north of Iran. Methods: A total of 90 soil samples from 3 areas were collected via multistage, cluster, and random sampling in order to examine their contamination with mites, geohelminths, and bugs during summer, 2014. The results were analyzed using the SPSS 16 software. Results: Of the 90 soil samples that were studied in different environmental areas of Sari, 30 (33.3%) were observed to be contaminated with mites, 10 (11.1%) had bugs, and 21 (23.3%) contained geohelminths. Mites were the most commonly seen parasite among the 3 studied region. Conclusions: Based on the literature, North of Iran accounts for a high rate of allergic disorders. The current results showed high contamination rate of soil with ectoparasites in Sari. Thus, these organisms could be potential causes of allergic disorders and further studies on the subject is needed.
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