زهرا اسلامی راد

Giardiasis is a worldwide infection of the small intestine. The causative agent of this disease is a flagellate protozoan called Giardia. It is only transmitted by mature cysts. It is important to identify the geographical distribution of Giardia intestinalis assemblages and genotypes in order to determine their transmission pattern in each region of the country. Therefore, the present study was performed to determine the predominant Giardia assemblage in human samples in Arak.

Fecal samples with severe contamination to Giardia were collected from laboratories affiliated to Arak University of Medical Sciences and Giardia cysts were isolated by flotation method and then DNA extraction was performed by phenol-chloroform method on these samples. The extraction product was used in the PCR reaction based on the identification of the β-giardin gene.  Finally, the product of PCR reaction was sent to the sequencing.

In this study, 25 samples of Giardia-infected feces were examined by PCR method and 12 of PCR reaction products were sent for sequencing. Ten isolates were 98% similarity to LC508640.1 sequence and two isolates were 97% similarity to JN616244.1. These isolates were recorded in GenBank (MT584765- MT584776). Results of current study showed assemblage A of Giardia intestinalis is the dominant in Arak.

The assemblage of all isolates that obtained from current study was matched with genotype A. Given that assemblage A is mostly contaminating humans and other mammals, it seems the transmission of Giardia is zoonotic in Arak city.

Acanthamoeba is a resistant protozoan that causes severe diseases, such as GAE and CAK. Because many medications are ineffective on the parasite, the quest to find alternative drugs is in progress.

This research was aim13 ed to assess the performance of the black and green tea extracts on Acanthamoeba.

The clinical isolate of Acanthamoeba was cultured on non-nutrient agar plates. The black and green tea extracts were prepared via maceration, dried by rotary evaporation, and stored at 4 °C. The main component of the extracts (caffeine) was recognized using GC-MS analysis. The effects of three concentrations of black and green tea extracts were evaluated on the parasite and compared with the control and current drug.

Black and green tea extracts have lethal effects on Acanthamoeba cysts and the performance was more than that shown by the control and the current anti-keratitis drug. Moreover, the effectiveness of the tea extracts was tim 25 e- and dose-dependent (P < 0.0001). There was no significant differences between the performance of black and green tea (P > 0.05).

Black 13 and green tea extracts demonstrated the potential to inhibit the Acanthamoeba parasite, but the use of tea extract in clinical applications requires further study.

Some eukaryotic microorganisms, including flagellated protozoan called Trichomonas tenax, are effective in causing periodontal diseases. The purpose of this study is to review Iranian articles on the prevalence of Trichomonas tenax in order to provide a comprehensive description of the prevalence of this parasite in the country.

To investigate the research articles on the prevalence of Trichomonas tenax on the Iranian population, a systematic search was conducted in Persian and English databases. The search process led to the inclusion of 9 articles into this systematic review, all of which entered meta-analysis.

In the reviewed articles, a total of 1,651 people had been examined for Trichomonas tenax infection. Based on the random effects model, the prevalence of this parasite in Iran was 0.07 with a 95% confidence interval (0.02-0.13) (P< 0.001).

The findings of the experimental study showed that the maximum Trichomonas tenax prevalence in Iran was 36.6%. On the other hand, the prevalence of this parasite is higher in patients with periodontitis than in healthy individuals. Hence, the parasite can be a serious concern for the health of the oral cavity. Therefore, it is necessary to estimate the prevalence of this infection using standard methods. Moreover, the factors associated with the prevalence of this parasite should be examined.

 Acanthamoeba is a free-living and opportunistic amoeba that the potential of this parasite to convert to a cyst, making its treatment difficult. In this study, we investigated the effect of microwave radiation on Acanthamoeba cysts in vitro.

 Acanthamoeba cysts were reproduced in the culture medium. We divided 16 test tubes containing cysts into two groups. The contents of 8 tubes were irradiated with continuous microwave in the time range of 0-120 s, and the next 8 tubes were irradiated with repetitive microwave in the range of 0-360 s. The mortality of cysts at the end of irradiation was recorded and compared with control.

 Continuous and repetitive irradiation of microwave resulted in mortality of 100 (%) of Acanthamoeba cysts during 120 and 360 seconds, respectively. In continuous mode, parasite mortality in all groups was significantly different from the control group (P<0.0001). But in the repetition pattern only in groups that had been irradiated for more than 60 seconds, parasite mortality was significantly different from the control group (P<0.0001).

 The change of radiation mode from continuous to repetitive, reduces the thermal effects of the microwaves but does not affect the mortality rate of Acanthamoeba cysts. Therefore, probably the impact of microwaves was not only caused by the increase in ambient heat but also its another property is involved in the death of Acanthamoeba.

Impaired immune system provides favorable conditions for colonization by Acanthamoeba in the human body. In this case control study, we compared the molecular and culture methods in identifying Acanthamoeba in the nasal and oral secretions of HIV+/HIV human.

In a current case control study, nasal and oral discharge of 53, HIV+ patients and 53, HIV people were evaluated. The nasal and oral secretions of each patient were prepared by sterile swabs and transferred to the laboratory. All samples were cultured but only the positive samples used for molecular analysis.

By cultivation method, of the 53, HIV+ patients, a total of 11 samples, including 5 nasal and 6 oral samples, were contaminated with Acanthamoeba. Of the 53, HIV people, 3 samples of nasal discharge were contaminated with this parasite. The molecular method approved the contamination of 10 samples, including 5 oral and 5 nasal samples from HIV+ patients with this parasite. Statistical analysis showed the rate of infection in HIV+ patients was significantly different compared to HIV people

The results of the current study showed that the rate of Acanthamoeba infection in HIV+ patients was higher than that of HIV- individuals. Also, considering that in the control group (HIV- individuals) only the nasal discharge were infected with the parasite, it seems that in the case group (HIV + patients) the infection of the oral discharge with the parasites is due to the  entry of its cysts into the nose and transmission to the mouth

Introduction This note addresses the scientific study of behavioral changes caused by Toxoplasma. About a third of the world's population is infected with the chronic form of the parasite, which is usually asymptomatic and causes severe symptoms only in the presence of the parasite in the eye and nervous system. The study of behavioral changes caused by this parasite has begun since the 1980s and continues to this day. According to the results of these studies, infected men and women exhibit behavioral and personality changes. The mechanism of these changes is still unclear, but there are hypotheses about it that are under evaluation.

Vermamoeba vermiformis is an opportunistic free living amoeba(FLA) that is ubiquitous in different environmental sources. This Amoeba can cause Amoebic Keratitis(AK) and Granulomatous Amoebic Encephlitis (GAE) in immunocompromised patients. This study was conducted to determine the rate of Vermamoeba vermiformis in stagnant water and soil in Arak.

  In this Cross-Sectional study, stagnant water(60) and soil samples(36) were collected from Arak parks. The samples were filtered in 0.45µm nitrocellulose paper and cultured on to 1.5% NNA for the presence of free living amoeba(FLA). After DNA extraction, Vermamoeba vermiformis was identified by Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR) using primers NA1 and NA2. Eight isolates of Vermamoeba vermiformis were sequenced blasted and after confirmation, recorded in the Gene Bank. The data were recorded in SPSS.16 and analyzed using X2 and Fischer Exact test.

Out of 96 environmental sources, 29.2% were positive for free living amoeba. The rate of FLA pollution in stagnant water and soil were 28.3 and 30.6% respectively(P<0.001). The contamination rate of stagnant water and soil with Vermamoeba vermiformis were 10% and 16.7%, respectively(P<0.001).

The results of the present study revealed ,that stagnant water and soil resources were contaminated to FLA and Vermamoeba. Due to the Pathogenic ability of this amoeba and the possibility of endosymbian pathogens in it, health education is recommended for controlling and preventing the disease, especially in susceptible patients, including those who use contact lenses.

Hydatid cyst surgery leads to the cyst rupture and release of protoscolices. Following the results of the previous study showing that microwaves have the ability to deactivate protoscolices in vitro, this study aimed to investigate the effect of these microwaves on protoscolices in vivo. This experimental study was conducted on 24 mice. Hydatid cysts from sheep were collected from the slaughterhouse and protoscolices were removed. Twenty-four eppendorf tubes containing protoscolices were divided into 4 groups. The first group (control) was not placed in the experimental environment and was not exposed to radiation, the second and third groups (treatment) were exposed to microwave radiation for 40 and 60 seconds, respectively, and the fourth group (sham) was placed in the experimental environment without radiation. The content of each tube was injected to a mouse, observing the codes for working with animals. After 4 months, the mice were killed and the number and location of their cysts were examined. The data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test at significance level of p<0.05. The mortality rate of protoscolices in the treatment groups after microwave radiation was significantly higher than that in the control and sham groups (p<0.001). The total number of cysts formed in the mice in the treatment groups was lower than that in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Repetitive microwaves not only affect the mortality rate of protoscolices, but also reduce the ability of them for producing cysts. Considering that exposure to microwaves is a non-invasive method, it can be used as an alternative method in treatment of hydatid cyst.

Toxocariasis is human infection caused by larval stage of Toxocara helminthes. The adult Toxocara helminthes live in intestine of dog and cat, but if the human accidentally ingests the egg, the larva is released into the intestine and then penetrating to mucosal capillaries and by blood stream migrates to various organs. Considering to the larva of parasite cannot be adult in human body and finally is destroyed, but its placement in the organs leads to irritation and inflammation of the tissue and appearance of signs and symptoms. The parasite affects liver, lung and central nervous system more than other organs. The most obvious symptoms of this disease are irregular fever, liver enlargement and sever eosinophilia. Other symptoms depend on the final location of the parasite, for example, respiratory symptoms (similar to asthma) will occur at the time of parasite settling in the lung and nervous disorder when the parasite is deployed in the nervous system (1). Sever clinical symptoms due to the disease is more common in 2 to 7 years old children, because of contacting with polluted playground soil or stray dog and cat, that the chance of them getting disease is increased (2). In developing countries including Iran, the diagnosis of the disease is done by collecting signs and symptoms, evaluating risk factor and laboratory results. Laboratory results which is considered on this disease containing eosinophilia, hypergammaglobulinemia and increasing of isohemagglutinin A and B. The serological test by ELISA technique was used for diagnosis of anti-parasite antibody in European countries and USA, the sensitivity and specificity of this test was 78 and 98%, respectively. There is no definitive guideline to the treatment of the disease but the most common treatment plan is 400 mg albendazole and 100 to 200 mg mebendazole, twice a day for 5 days (1).
In recent years the number of dogs and cats in the human environment has been increased in our country and consequently the rate of soil contamination to eggs of Toxocara has been increased. The consequence of this phenomenon is an increasing chance of human contact the egg of this parasite and onset of toxocariasis. The studies in Iran is reported the rate of soil contamination to this parasite is minimum 3.9% (Urmia) to maximum 63.3% (Khoramabad), while the rate of contamination in soil of Arak parks is 26.6% (3-5). In addition, the results of serological study showed that the prevalence of toxocariasis in 5 to 15 years old asthmatic patients was 1.8%, in Arak (6). But the results of a review study showed that the prevalence of toxocariasis in general population of Iran was 15.8% and this rate is increasing (7).
Changes in Ecosystem and abundance of garbage in Iranian cities have led to overabundance of dogs and cats in human environment. On the other hand, accepting some of cultural western lifestyle such as keeping pets, apart from their social and legal responsibility has been caused increasing risk of infectious disease transmitted by animals such as toxocariasis.
Due to the relatively high prevalence of Toxocara infection among dogs and cats in Iran, the need to pay attention to the disease caused by this parasite is felt as a potential medical and health hazard in the country. In this condition, holding workshops for remembering of symptoms, diagnosis method, treatment and prevention of the disease for clinician associate with infected patients, would has an important role for quick diagnosis and remedy of the patients and would reduce the corporal and psychological load of them. Also, performing the research studies would help to know current epidemiological situation and changes that have taken place in various parts of Iran. In the other side, encouraging scholars for isolation, purification and examine excretory-secretory antigens of this parasite that used for producing the serological diagnostic kits could increase accuracy and reduce cost of diagnosis test of disease and finally improve the level of health in community.

Resistance of Acanthamoeba cysts causes recurrence of the disease; so, the patient should be monitored regularly ¡The aim of the study was to examine the effect of a few herbal materials on Acanthamoeba cysts in vitro.
Essential oils (EOs) of Zataria, Mint, and Oregano were prepared by steam distillation. The EOs and Hypericum perforatum extract were prepared in three concentrations (0.6%, 1% and 10%)¡ Acanthamoeba cysts in various time intervals (30, 60, 120, 180 and 1440 minutes) were exposed with plant extracts. Then, the viability of parasite was investigated by eosin 0.1%.
Comparison of the parasite mortality rate between control and case groups showed that the mortality of Acanthamoeba cysts was higher in the case groups that exposed to herbal materials. At the equal concentration (10%) and time (24 h), the Zataria and mint EOs produced the highest (22%) and lowest (4%) mortality, respectively. The results showed the mortality rate of Acanthamoeba was time-dependent.
Zataria showed the most fatality effect against Acanthamoeba cysts. In this respect, clinical trial studies are suggested.

Toxocariasis is a parasitic disease caused by presence of Toxocara larva in human body. Soil as a reservoir maintained eggs of parasite and has important role in dissemination of disease because dogs and cats defecate eggs of parasite by feces. Despite there are large number of stray cats and dogs in urban areas such as Arak city, we need to collect information about soil pollution in public places. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate soil contamination with Toxocara eggs in public parks in Arak city.
In this cross-sectional study, 60 soil samples were collected from 15 public parks in the Arak city during the summer 2015. The soil samples were provided by flotation method and examined by microscope.
The results of this study showed that 4 (26.6%) of 15 parks were infected with Toxocara eggs. The highest rate of infection was observed in the walking and picnic site of parks. Also, in this study, two contaminated parks were located in the center and two parks were located in the southeastern of city.
Considering that soil contamination with Toxocara eggs was high in Arak city, it seems that the health authorities should design and implement programs in order to prevent human infection.

Nowadays addiction is a major problem of families and communities. Euphoria and changing of mental states due to drug use, association with addicted friends and social anomies are factors of tendency to addiction. The pray is a religious behavior and is the main symptom and true sign of religion. The pray can lead people to human dignity and grandeur. In this study, because of the important role of pray in changing and consolidation of human personality, tendency to pray was evaluated in addicts referring to Nejat and Avaye-Mehr drug rehab center in Arak city. The cross sectional study included 205 patients referred to the two rehab centers during 6 months in Arak city. Data were collected by a questionnaire and interviews. The results showed that 30% of the patients under study always pray. In the months that religious ceremonies are held, the adherence of them to perform the ritual of pray is increased. The results suggest that in these patients, pray is considered negligible because only 42, 20 and 23.9 percent of them respectively are bound to: understand the meaning of pray, earlier pray and provide preparations of pray before the Azan. Although it cannot be claimed that the cause of addiction is inappetence to prayer, we can say that the adherence to prayer among drug addicts who were referred to the drug rehab centers was low.

Malassezia that is a part of normal flora is lipophilic yeast involved in a variety of skin diseases such as seborrheic dermatitis, pityriasis versicolor, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Seborrheic dermatitis affects most often the sebaceous-gland-rich areas of skin such as face, scalp, and parts of the upper trunk. Dandruff is a mild variant of seborrheic dermatitis characterized by scaling. In this study, Malassezia species causing dandruff were identified.

In this descriptive study, the samples (n= 60) from participants with dandruff were examined under a microscope using 10% KOH solution and cultured in Leeming and Notman ager medium. DNA Extraction was performed from colonies by glass bead and the Malassezia genus, and species were detected by CfoI enzyme using PCR-RFLP method

Of 60, 40 (66.6%) were positive for Malassezia yeast. The positive samples in direct examination grew in culture medium. Malassezia species isolated were Malassezia globosa (25 cases), Malassezia restricta (10 cases), Malassezia furfur (3 cases) and Malassezia sympodialis (2 cases).

In most studies, the Malassezia species were identified as the agents causing seborrheic dermatitis. In our study, Malassezia globosa was isolated as a dominant species.

Toxocariasis is a parasitic infection in dogs and cats، and human gets infected with larva migrants when embryonated eggs are accidentally ingested. Migration of toxocara larvae to tissues causes inflammatory responses (visceral، ocular and cerebral) and eosinophilia increase in blood. This study was aimed to investigate the human toxocariasis، one of the possible causes of hypereosinophilia with an unknown origin. This case-control study was performed on 100 hypereosinophilic patients (cases) and 100 people with normal eosinophil count (controls) that referred to hematology department of laboratories of Arak University of Medical Sciences in 2012. Epidemiological data were collected by a questionnaire and diagnosis was performed using excreted-secreted antigens of Toxocara (TES Ag - ELISA). Positive test for toxocariasis in hypereosinophilic patients was 16% and in patients with normal eosinophil count was zero (P=0. 001). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of gender، age، residential place، occupation and education level (P>0. 05). However، there was a significantly higher history of contact with dogs and consumption of unclean fruits and vegetables in the infected patients (p<0. 05). The mean of eosinophilia in patients with toxocariasis showed a significant difference compared with that of eosinophilia in patients not infected with toxocariasis (p=0. 001). The results confirmed the role of toxocariasis in hypereosinophilic patients with unknown origin، and eosinophilia can be considered to analyze and treat toxocariasis.

Considering the physical and socio-economic consequences of Toxoplasmosis، survey of the disease in women، before and during pregnancy is very important. The aim of this study was to determine the susceptibility and risk factors of toxoplasmosis among pregnant women by scrutiny of anti-Toxoplasma gondii Immunoglobulins during prenatal care in the healthcare centers in Arak- 2010. It was a descriptive، cross-sectional study. A total of 308 women referring to 5 health care centers and during their prenatal care were selected by multistage cluster sampling. Data was collected by an epidemiological questionnaire and diagnostic techniques were done on blood specimens. IgM and IgG anti- T. Gondi were investigated using the immune-enzymatic assay (ELISA) technique. The study data was analyzed by chi-square test using SPSS-PC (v. 11). The seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM of the women during their prenatal care was 38% and 1/7% respectively. The highest incidence was observed in 20-24 year old women. Significant relationship was seen between total positive cases of IgG and IgM and history of abortion، consumption of undercooked or raw foods (milk، meat and eggs) (P<0/05). There was no significant relationship between the total positive cases of IgG and IgM and job، level of education، quality of vegetables washing، knowledge about disease، consumption of outdoor foods، and contact with cats. Considering the susceptibility of %64 of women to the disease in the early stages of their pregnancy، reducing the risk of possible complications by health education programs and increasing awareness to the disease and also assessing sensitivity to the disease for married or pregnant women during their prenatal period and doing more extensive research on this issue in the country is recommended.

Toxoplasma gondii is an important pathogen protozoa for human and animals. This parasite can cause severe infection and abortion. The relationship between cholesterol and other lipids in the blood of infected persons has been considered by researchers. There is evidence that host lipids are involved in the pathogenesis of Toxoplasma. Therefore this study measured and compared lipid and testosterone levels of serum in men infected with toxoplasmosis and non- infected men. This case – control study was conducted on 200 men، 20 to 29 years old referred to the Arak post marriage center. After completing the questionnaire، 5 ml blood sample was taken and serum was separated. Then diagnosis test for toxoplasmosis and measured of testosterone was conducted on samples. Results showed that testosterone levels were normal in case and control groups but the hormone level in the case group was significantly lower than the control group. The study of relationship between testosterone level and serum lipids in case and control groups showed there is a significant negative correlation between testosterone level and triglyceride level. Also there is a significant positive correlation between testosterone level and HDL levels.

Leishmaniasis is one of the important endemic diseases in Iran and is divided into cutaneous and visceral Leishmaniasis. Since determining the type of the parasite is effective in the controlling and preventing of the disease، we sought to find a method for the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

In this research 35 cutaneous leishmaniasis patients from different part of Iran [8 infectious cases from the province of Isfe-han and its margins namely، Ardestan، Kashan and Samiram; 2 cases from Kerman (the foci of the infection was Sirjan)، 4 cases from Khorasan، 2 cases from Mashhad، 2 cases from Esfraeian، 2 casese from Boshehr، 3 cases from Semnan (the foci of the infection was Damghan) and 1 case from ghom] were collected. After preparing the direct slide DNA extracted from all patients، polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done for the gene of ITS1.

The results of PCR indicated that all of the cases were positive and showed DNA fragment bands in the size range of 69-350 bp. The results from restriction fragment length of polymorphism (RFLP) indicated that 94% (33 persons) and 6% (2 persons) of the cases were detected as Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica، respectively. Discussion &

These results showed that PCR-RFLP method by using Apo1gene is suitable for the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by leishmania species.

Toxoplasmosis can lead to severe pathological effects in both infected humans and animals. The various DNA vaccines against Toxoplasma compose of single or cocktail antigens have been investigated but they have partial protective against disease. In this study, we used pcROP1 as a DNA vaccine and aluminium phosphate and aluminium hydroxide to compare their efficacy as mineral adjuvants. BALB/c mice immunized with pcROP1 alone or with co-administration of Alpo4 or Alum and the effectiveness of these two adjuvants were compared using lymphocyte proliferation assay, cytokine and antibody assay and survival time. The group co-administered alum elicited stronger humoral and Th1-type cellular immune responses than the group co-administered Alpo4, while immune response in group administered with pcROP1 alone is higher than them. When challenged with Toxoplasma gondii RH strain, mice immunized with or without alum had significantly higher survival rates, whereas there was no notable enhancement of survival rate in Alpo4 group (P≤0.05). Our result suggest that pcROP1 plus alum and aluminium phosphate not strongly potentiate the efficacy of this DNA.

Alimentary  parasitic  infections  are  still  one  of  the  main  problem  in  developing  countries, and  their  relation  with  environmental  factors  are  important.  Since  children  are  more  vulnerable  to  these  infections, in  basic  researchers  this  group  is  more  targeted.

  This  descriptive-analytical  cross-sectional  study  was  carried  out  on  1-13  years  children  who  were  living  in  Shahrak-e-Valiasr  Arak.  Simple  random  sampling  was  used  for  selecting  385  children.  Three  days  collected  feces  samples  from  each  person  were  examined  using  formaline-ether  concentration  technique. Data  were  analyzed  by  Chi  square  method.

  The  results  showed  a  prevalence  of  42.3%  of  intestinal  parasitic  infections  in the  children. From  these, 17.4%  were  pathogen  parasits. The  highest  prevalence  was  reported  for  Giardia  lambia  (16.6%).  Girls  were  more  infected  than  boys.  The  level  of  infection  was  significantly  increased  by  age. The  prevalence  of  the  infection  was  more  in  orphans  or  in  children  who  had  uneducated  parents.

  Since  date  indicated  of  a  high  prevalence  of  intestinal  parasitic  infections  in  the  children. It  is  suggested  to  use  washed  and  clean  vagetables   and  fruits  and  also  emphasize  on  personal  and  environmental  hygiene.

Cryptosporidium spp. Have a world-wide distribution that is a common cause of acute gastroenteritis in children and in the immunocompromised such as those with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Cryptosporidium in many countries is three of forth agent of diarrhea among children. This study was carried out on 405 children under age of 5 that referred to Amir-Kabir hospital between May to October 1997-98 (N=405). The analysis of excretion by modified Zeil-Nelson were carried out. 31 children 7.7% were infected by cryptosporidium. This rate in children with diarrhea was 5.66%. The amount of infection was 6%, 8.7% in girls and boys and this rate was in higher limit in September and October. Infection in children was related with domestic animals and birds in house or drinking other source of water except of piping water. The infection was highest rate in 4-5 years children and was lower rate in 3-4 years children.