Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic helminthiasis caused by different species of the genus Echinococcus, and is a major economic and public health concern worldwide. Synthetic anthelmintics are most commonly used to control CE, however, prolonged use of these drugs may result in many adverse effects. This study aims to discuss the in vitro/in vivo scolicidal efficacy of different medicinal plants and their components used against Echinococcus granulosus. Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PubMed and Scopus were used to retrieve the published literature from 2000-2020. A total of 62 published articles met the eligibility criteria and were reviewed. A total of 52 plant species belonging to 22 families have been reported to be evaluated as scolicidal agents against E. granulosus worldwide. Most extensively used medicinal plants against E. granulosus belong to the family Lamiaceae (25.0%) followed by Apiaceae (11.3%). Among various plant parts, leaves (36.0%) were most commonly used. Essential oils of Zataria multiflora and Ferula asafetida at a concentration of 0.02, and 0.06 mg/ml showed 100% in vitro scolicidal activity after 10 min post application, respectively. Z. multiflora also depicted high in vivo efficacy by decreasing weight and size while also causing extensive damage to the germinal layer of the cysts. Plant-based compounds like berberine, thymol, and thymoquinone have shown high efficacy against E. granulosus. These plant species and compounds could be potentially used for the development of an effective drug against E. granulosus, if further investigated for in vivo efficacy, toxicity, and mechanism of drug action in future research.

Background:Haemonchus contortus is an important pathogenic nematode parasite and major economic constraint of small ruminants in tropics and subtropics regions. This review is an attempt to systematically address the; (a) efficacy of different plants against H. contortus by in vitro and in vivo proof; (b) toxicology, mechanism of action, and active phyto-compounds involve in anti-haemonchiasis activity; (c) and comparative analysis of plant species evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Online databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect) were searched and published research articles (1980–2020) were gathered and reviewed. Results: A total of 187 plant species were reported belonging to 59 families and 145 genera with Asteraceae and Fabaceae being frequently used. Out of the total plant species, 171 species were found to be evaluated in vitro and only 40 species in vivo. Twenty-four species were commonly evaluated for in vitro and in vivo anti-haemonchiasis activity. Among the reported assays, egg hatching test (EHT) and fecal egg count reduction (FECR) were the most widely used assays in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Moreover, sheep were the frequently used experimental model in vivo. After comparative analysis, Lachesiodendron viridiflorum, Corymbia citriodora, Calotropis procera, and Artemisia herba-alba were found highly effective both in vitro and in vivo. L. viridiflorum inhibited enzymatic activities and metabolic processes of the parasite and was found to be safe without toxic effects. C. citriodora was moderately toxic in vivo, however, the plant extract produced promising nematicidal effects by causing muscular disorganization and changes in the mitochondrial profile. Additionally, C. procera and A. herba-alba despite of their high anti-haemonchiasis activity were found to be highly toxic at the tested concentrations. C. procera caused perforation and tegumental disorganization along with adult worm paralysis. Nineteen compounds were reported, among which anethole and carvone completely inhibited egg hatching in vitro and significantly reduced fecal egg count, decreased male length, and reproductive capacity of female in vivo. Conclusion: This review summarized different medicinal plants owing to nematicidal activities against H. contortus eggs, larvae, and adult worms. Plants like L. viridiflorum, C. citriodora, C. procera, and A. herba-alba, while compounds anethole and carvone having promising nematicidal activities and could be an alternative source for developing novel drugs after further investigation.

Background Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is one of the principal causes of economic loss to the livestock industry because of its morbidity and mortality of food-producing animals and condemnation of important visceral organs. Pakistan being an agricultural country having an extensive livestock sector, is mostly practiced by poor people, which has a fundamental role in the economy. The present study was aimed to conduct a cross-sectional survey and PCR based confirmation of Echinococcus granulosus in sheep, goats, cows, and buffaloes from southern regions (three districts: Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and Karak) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. During the study, a total of 2833 animals were examined randomly including; sheep (n = 529), goats (n = 428), cows (n = 1693), and buffaloes (n = 183). Hydatid cysts were collected and examined for the presence of protoscoleces using microscopy. Detection of DNA was performed by using PCR and two mitochondrial genetic markers namely; NAD-1 and COX-1 were amplified. Results The overall prevalence of CE was found to be (9%) among the examined animals. The hydatid cyst infection was highly prevalent in buffaloes (12%), followed by sheep (10%), cows (9%), and goats (5.1%). Cystic echinococcosis was more prevalent (10%; 96/992) in district Lakki Marwat followed by district Bannu (9%; 112/1246) and Karak (7%; 39/595). Female animals were more likely to be infected with CE (11.6%) than male animals (5.3%) (p = 0.001). Similarly, the infection was higher in the older group of animals as compared to younger (p = 0.001). Mostly (52.2%; n = 129) of hydatid cysts were found in the liver, while (64.4%; n = 159) cysts of the infected animals were infertile. PCR based identification confirmed the presence of E. granulosus sensu stricto (s.s) in the study area. Conclusion Cystic echinococcosis was found to be highly prevalent in southern regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and could be a potential threat to human health. Moreover, molecular sequencing and phylogenetic analyses should be carried out in future to identify the prevailing genotype (s) of E. granulosus s.s.

Background In tropical and subtropical countries, tick infestation causes major public health problems and considerable financial losses to the livestock industry. This study was aimed to assess the species composition of richness and analyze the phylogeny of Rhipicephalus microplus in the District Bannu of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methods Collected ticks were identified morphologically and DNA extracted from R. microplus was amplified and subjected to sequencing. Results A total of 3,600 animals were examined among them 1,494 animals were found to be infested with ticks, including 669 cows, 476 buffaloes, 163 goats, and 186 sheep (p = 0.001). Tick infestation was significantly high (43.58%) in animals of age group (<1 year) (p-value = 0.027). Female animals were more (44.05%) infested with ticks than males (34.43%) (p = 0.001). The intensity of infestation was significantly higher in summer (77.49%) (p = 0.001). A total of 5,557 ticks were collected comprising three genera and six species. R. microplus was predominantly prevalent (n = 1,474; 26.52%), followed by Rhipicephalus annulatus (n = 1,215; 21.86%), Hyalomma anatolicum (n = 1,139; 20.49%), Hyalomma marginatum (n = 1,086; 19.54%), and Rhipicephalus turanicus (n = 761; 13.69%), while the least common was Haemaphysalis aciculifer (n = 80; 1.43%) (p = 0.001). Morphologically identified R. microplus species were also analyzed genetically by using two genetic markers 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) genes. The phylogenetic study revealed that R. microplus is genetically diversified and clustered in clade B with R. microplus species from China, India, and Pakistan. Conclusion Ticks infestation was significantly correlated with various factors including age, sex, season, and animal type. R. microplus genetically resembled species reported from India and China. However, major knowledge gaps concerning various species of ticks exist and many areas are still unexplored in Pakistan. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the epidemiological and molecular aspects of various tick species in other regions of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Background: Understanding the genetic diversity of Plasmodium species through polymorphic studies can assist in designing more effective control strategies of malaria like new drug formulation and development of a vaccine. Pakistan is moderate endemic for Plasmodium falciparum, but little is known about the genetic diversity of this parasite. This study aimed to investigate the molecular diversity of P. falciparum based on msp-1 and msp-2 genes in the malaria-endemic regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.Methods: A total of 199/723 blood samples, tested positive by microscopy for falciparum malaria, were collected from four districts (Dera Ismail Khan, Karak, Mardan, and Peshawar) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Nested PCR amplification technique was employed to target block 2 of msp-1 and the central domain of msp-2 genes, including their respective allelic families K1, MAD20, RO33, FC27, and 3D7/IC, and to detect the extent of genetic diversity of P. falciparum clinical isolates.Results: Among the 199 microscopy-positive P. falciparum samples, a total of 192 were confirmed using PCR. Ninety-seven amplicons were observed for msp-1 and 95 for msp-2. A total of 33 genotypes, 17 for msp-1 (eight K1, six MAD20, and three RO33) and 16 for msp-2 (nine FC27 and seven 3D7/IC), were identified. The specific allelic frequency of the K1 family was higher (44.3%) than that of MAD20 (33.0%) and RO33 (23.0%) for msp-1, while the FC27 allelic family was dominant (60.0%) compared with 3D7/IC (40.0%) for msp-2. No polyclonal infection was observed in msp-1 and msp-2. The expected heterozygosity was 0.98 and 0.97 for msp-1 and msp-2, respectively.Conclusion: It was concluded that the P. falciparum populations are highly polymorphic, and diverse allelic variants of msp-1 and msp-2 are present in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Genus of Ziziphus (family Rhamnaceae), approximately 170 species of prodigious economic and ecological importance. Studies on the genetic diversity within Pakistani Ziziphus species are limited, and to date, no single report on the application of DNA barcoding attempt for identification of Ziziphus species is available in the literature. Therefore, the current study was designed to biogeographic distribution, to assess diversity based on phenotypic traits, SSRs markers, and relationships among Ziziphus nummularia (Burm.f.) Wight & Arn. genotypes. For the first time we use ArcGIS modeling, and their cartographic function for the identification of diversity in climatic variables such as temperature, mean diurnal, humidity, precipitation, and precipitation seasonality and the using of these techniques to determine the important variable which is responsible for the recent distribution of the Ziziphus species. A total of 11 phenotypic traits were noted and have significant phenotypic variation among the traits. The study has used 40 simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers for gaining insights into the genetic diversity within 180 genotypes of Z. nummularia. Successful amplification was achieved with 27 SSRs and was applied for understanding the population structure and relationships among the genotypes. A total of 120 alleles were amplified from Z. nummularia genotypes collected from three districts of the Malakand division, alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 6, averaging 4.4286. whereas polymorphism information content (PIC) from 0.332 to 0.794 in locus JSSR-490 and JSSR-97, within mean value was 0.671 per locus, expected heterozygosity (He), was 0.575, observed heterozygosity (Ho), 0.6618 and average gene diversity 0.494. Flow estimates (6.415) indicated frequent gene flow within Z. nummularia genotypes. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed high genetic variability (80%). The genetic relationship inferred from the neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogeny separate genotypes into three clusters and Bayesian model-based STRUCTURE analyses and PCoA analysis resolved all genotypes and indicted that the KP, populations, Swat and Buner, represent excesses of two different migration routes, with one designated from Swat and Dir (L). The overall results indicated the prevalence of genetic variability and relationships among Z. nummularia across geographical boundaries has retained unique alleles and this may facilitate the development of agronomically desirable and genetically improved Ziziphus cultivars and collections that can help achieve efficient conservation.