Emulsifiers are a large category of compounds considered as surface active agents or surfactants. An emulsifier acts by reducing the speed of chemical reactions, and enhancing its stability. Bioemulsifiers are known as surface active biomolecule materials, due to their unique features over chemical surfactants, such as non-toxicity, biodegradability, foaming, biocompatibility, efficiency at low concentrations, high selectivity in different pH, temperatures and salinities. Emulsifiers are found in various natural resources and are synthesized by Bacteria, Fungi and Yeast. Bioemulsifier’s molecular weight is higher than that of biosurfactants. Emulsion’s function is closely related to their chemical structure. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to study the various bioemulsifiers derived from microorganisms used in the drug and food industry. In this manuscript, we studied organisms with biosurfactant producing abilities. These inexpensive substrates could be used in environmental remediation and in the petroleum industry.
Background
Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common comorbidities in HIV-positive patients with CD4+ T lymphocytes below 200 cells/μl. Early diagnosis and treatment of toxoplasmosis reduces the mortality rate in HIV-positive people. The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in HIV-positive patients in northwest Iran using serological and molecular methods.
Methods
This prospective cross-sectional study included 124 HIV-positive outpatients and was conducted from January to May 2016. Anti-T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies were detected from sera samples by chemiluminescence, while buffy coat samples were analyzed by RT-PCR for DNA detection. Patients’ socioepidemiological data were collected.
Results
Using chemiluminescence, 47/124 samples (37.9%) were positive for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies, 2/124 samples (1.62%) were positive for IgM antibodies while 2/124 samples (1.62%) contained both IgM and IgG. There were no IgM-positive or IgG-negative patients. RT-PCR revealed four (3.22%) positive samples. On the basis of the results, a statistically significant relationship was found between anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody seropositivity and residence (p=0.012).
Conclusions
The study showed a relatively low seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies in HIV-positive patients in northwest Iran, while the prevalence was much higher in other regions of Iran. However, regular screening for T. gondii antibodies and early initiation of therapy are very important to decrease the mortality rate in HIV-positive patients.
Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular parasitic protozoan, is capable of infecting man and all warm‐blooded animals. Cell‐mediated immunity is vital in mounting protective responses against
T. gondii infection. Recent studies have shown that T‐helper (Th) 17 responses may play a key role in parasite control. In this current study, we constructed a DNA vaccine encoding
T. gondii ROP13 in a pcDNA vector. Groups of BALB/c mice were immunized intramuscularly with pcROP13 or controls and challenged with the RH strain of
T. gondii. The results showed that immunization with pcROP13 could elicit an antibody response against
T. gondii. The expression of the canonical Th17 cytokines, interleukin (IL)‐17 and IL‐22, were significantly increased after immunization with pcROP13 compared with control groups (
p < 0.05). Furthermore, vaccination resulted in a significant decrease in parasite load (
p < 0.05). The induction of Th17 related cytokines, using a ROP13 DNA vaccine, against
T. gondii should be considered as a potential vaccine approach for the control of toxoplasmosis.
Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent parasitic pathogen that infected over one-third of the
global population. Toxoplasmosis is diagnosed by isolating the parasite and detecting host antibodies.
In contrast, the main problem with diagnosis relates to the sensitivity and specificity of the tests. Currently,
treatment with pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine is recommended, despite their side effects and
toxicity to humans. Moreover, the absence of a vaccine to completely protect against this infection is
the main obstacle to the effective treatment and prevention of toxoplasmosis. Recently, nanoparticles
and nanomaterials have been studied as delivery systems for the immunization and treatment of T.
gondii infections. One of the most important applications of liposomes is drug and vaccine delivery,
due to their biodegradability, low inherent toxicity, and immunogenicity. Liposomes are flexible delivery
systems and immunological adjuvants able not only to load diverse antigens, such as proteins,
peptides, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates but also to combine them with immunostimulators.
Liposomes have the incredible potential within the development of modern types of vaccines and numerous
endeavors have been made to improve the effectiveness of vaccines in recent years. In this review,
we concentrate on the viable targeting strategies of liposome-based vaccine delivery systems to
prevent, control and treat toxoplasmosis.
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