mahdi khoshsima shahraki

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) causes an important parasitic infection known as toxoplasmosis, which is a globally distributed important zoonosis. One of the major serious characteristics of T. gondii is its ability to manipulate the behavior of intermediate hosts. We performed a cross-sectional study to determine toxoplasmosis in schizophrenic patients, as one of the major neuropsychiatric disorders, using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technic by targeting parasite B1 gene.

Blood samples were taken from 118 schizophrenic patients hospitalized in tow hospitals including Baharan, Clinic of Psychiatric Ali-ibn-Abi-Talib Hospital (in Zahedan City), and Amir-al Momenin Psychiatric Hospital (in Zabol City), Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southeast Iran in 2016. They were analyzed using LAMP, and compared with the previous data of nested-PCR and serology.

Out of the 118 schizophrenic individuals, 56 patients (47.4%) were found to be infected with T. gondii. The diagnosis of toxoplasmosis was confirmed in 41 patients (34.7%) via the nested-PCR. The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in schizophrenic patients was 55.9% (66/118).

We found a high efficiency of LAMP method in identifying toxoplasmosis and its high prevalence among schizophrenic patients. Our findings could provide viable offer implications for the prevention of schizophrenia.

The detection of Fasciola species in various geographical regions is essential for health policymaking. Here, we aimed to identify livestock (cattle and sheep) related Fasciola genotypes by restriction fragment length polymorphism PCR. Seventy adult Fasciola flukes were collected from 70 infected livers of 35 cattle and 35 sheep slaughtered in Zabol abattoir, outh-east Iran (Jan-Jul 2017). Fasciola species were determined based on molecular features. For molecular detection, Fasciola ITS1 region was amplified and sequenced. A 700 bp fragment was amplified. These were digested with RasΙ enzyme. F. hepatica specific fragments were 47, 59, 68, 104, and 370, while those related to F. gigantica had 45, 55, 170, 370. The two main species of F. hepatica and F. gigantica are responsible for fasciolosis in sheep and cattle in our region. From 35 Fasciola isolated from cattle, 3 and 32 were F. hepatica and F. giagantica respectively. From 35 Fasciola isolated from sheep, 4 were F. hepatica and 31 were F. gigantica. All Seventy Fasciola samples from two different hosts (cattle and sheep) were identified as either F. hepatica or F. gigantica by PCR-RFLP. Genotypic variability of Fasciola species was high in our region. It is recommended to assess molecular variation of Fasciola isolates in other host livestock.

The aim of the present survey was to assess thr seroepidemiologic and parasitological aspects of Toxocara canis infection in children under 14 yr old. Overall, 963 sera were collected from children in the Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Southeast of Iran during the period from Sep 2015 to Jun 2016. IgG antibody against T. canis in the subjects’ sera was evaluated using the commercial ELISA kit. Anti-Toxocara IgG were detected in the serum of 17 (1.7%) of the participants. In the examined children, the highest presence of anti-Toxocara antibodies was 2.1% (9/418) in 6-10-yr olds, which was higher than other age groups (P<0.05). Anti-Toxocara antibodies were significantly higher in males (2.4% or 12/492) than in females (1.1% or 5/471) (P<0.03). Highest serological prevalence of T. canis occurred in tribes (5.5% or 4/69), followed by rural areas (0.9% or 7/757), while in the urban area it was 0.1% (6/163) (P<0.01). A significant association was seen between the serological prevalence of T. canis and laboratory findings such as eosinophilia (P=0.001) and red blood cell count (P=0.02). Seroprevalence of Toxocara infection is high among children living in the poor regions of southeast Iran.

BackgroundCryptosporidiosis has a worldwide distribution, and is the commonest cause of diarrhea in children and immune compromised individuals. Since there is no data available on the prevalence of Cryptosporidium species (sp.) in Zabol city, thus this study was carried out to assess the disease prevalence and related factors influencing the disease.
Materials and MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 200 fecal specimens were collected from children referred to the Central or hospital labs in Zabol city, South East of Iran, during April 2014 to August 2016. Fecal examination was performed by staining with Ziel-Neelsen acid-fast to find oocysts of the parasite. The children were grouped according to the age, gender, kind of water supplies, and diarrheic and non-diarrheic condition. Data were evaluated using SPSS version 13.0 software.
ResultsAmong the children referred to the Central laboratory, 200 fecal samples from different age groups were collected. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium species was 9.7% which was higher in children under 4 years. There was a significant relationship between sources of water supply and diarrheic children infected with Cryptosporidium (PConclusionCryptosporidiosis is the most infectious disease in Zabol city, especially in children. Healthy water supply significantly affects the disease prevalence.