Trichuriasis is one of the most common soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, affecting populations globally. The condition is particularly prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas with low ...levels of sanitation and poor living conditions. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the prevalence of
Trichuris trichiura
infection in Asia at the country and region level. Multiple databases/academic search engines (Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, and Google Scholar) were searched for literature on
T. trichiura
prevalence in Asia published through January 2021. Pooled prevalence was determined using the meta-package in R (version 3.6.1). Out of 13,836 articles, 226 studies (5,439,500 individuals) from 26 countries met the inclusion criteria. Of the 226 studies, 151 were community-based studies that included individuals across the age spectrum, while 75 studies focused on school children (typically in the 5–16 years age range). The overall
T. trichiura
pooled prevalence was 15.3% (95% CI: 12.4–19.1%), with a pooled prevalence of 13.3% (95% CI: 10.0–17.1%) for the community studies and 20.9% (95% CI: 14.7–27.9%) for the studies only including school children. For studies including all age groups, individuals in the 1–15 years age group had the highest pooled prevalence at 23.4% (95% CI: 1.7–49.4%). There was a significant difference found in overall pooled prevalence by sex (
p
< 0.001) and community type (rural versus urban) (
p
< 0.001). Although prevalence appears to be decreasing, study findings suggest that
T
.
trichiura
infection continues to be a public health problem in Asia. Therefore, control programs focused on at-risk individuals in endemic areas are needed.
snails are hosts to a variety of trematode cercaria of public and veterinary health importance. In Guilan Province, Iran, a region with a high level of fish and bird farming and wetlands important ...for migratory birds, little is known about the trematode cercaria from
.
From April 2020 to October 2021, six freshwater sites in Guilan Province were sampled for Lymnaeidae snails three times per season (spring, summer, autumn and winter). Snails were exposed to light and heat to induce cercaria shedding and shredded cercaria were identified morphologically and molecularly.
In total, 5,712 Lymnaeidae snails were collected of which 3,288 (57.6%) were identified to be
with 54.3% containing trematode cercaria. Snail and cercaria recovery were highest in the spring and summer. Trematode cercaria identified included
,
,
,
,
,
, and
.
The four trematodes
.
,
,
, and
have not been previously reported in Iran; all four of these can infect migratory birds. The most common cercaria found,
(18.3% of the snails) is of zoonotic importance. The third most common cercaria found,
(10.0% of the snails) is detrimental to fish production. Given the importance of the wetlands in the region for wildlife and migratory birds as well as the number of fish and bird farms in the area, efforts to control
snails are needed to protect wildlife and human health. In addition, monitoring programs should be implemented to identify and prevent introductions of new trematode species.
Leishmaniasis is a worldwide prevalent parasitic infection caused by different species of the genus
Leishmania
. Clinically, the disease divided into three main forms, including visceral ...leishmaniasis (VL), cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL). There is no vaccine for human leishmaniasis and their treatment is challenging. Trace elements (TEs) alteration, including the selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), ron (Fe), and magnesium (Mg) have been detected in patients with CL and VL as well as canine leishmaniasis. Because TEs play a pivotal role in the immune system, and host immune responses have crucial roles in defense against leishmaniasis, this systematic review aimed to summarize data regarding TEs alteration in human and animal leishmaniasis as well as the role of these elements as an adjuvant for treatment of leishmaniasis. In a setting of systematic review, we found 29 eligible articles (any date until October 1, 2020) regarding TEs in human CL (
N
= 12), human VL (
N
= 4), canine leishmaniasis (
N
= 3), and treatment of leishmaniasis based on TEs (
N
= 11), which one study examined the TEs level both in CL and VL patients. Our analysis demonstrated a significantly decreased level of Fe, Zn, and Se among human CL and canine leishmaniasis, and Zn and Fe in patients with VL. In contrast, an increased level of Cu in CL patients and Cu and Mg in VL patients and canine leishmaniasis was observed. Treatment of CL based zinc supplementation revealed enhancement of wound healing and diminished scar formation in human and experimentally infected animals. The results of this systematic review indicate that the TEs have important roles in leishmaniasis, which could be assessed as a prognosis factor in this disease. It is suggested that TEs could be prescribed as an adjuvant for the treatment of CL and VL patients.
Patients with mental disorders have a high risk of intestinal parasitic infection due to poor hygiene practices. Hence, to better clarify this overlooked phenomenon, the current study is conducted to ...determine the global prevalence of protozoan parasite infections in patients with mental disorders and investigate the associated risk factors.
Several databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar) were searched for papers published until December 2022. The fixed effect meta-analysis was used to estimate the overall odds ratio (OR) and pooled prevalence was estimated using a random-effects model with a 95% confidence interval (CI).
Totally, 131 articles (91 case-control and 40 cross-sectional studies) met the eligibility criteria. Patients with mental disorders were significantly at higher risk for protozoan parasites than healthy controls (OR: 2.059, 1.830-2.317). The highest pooled OR (2.485, 1.413-4.368) was related to patients with neurodevelopmental disorders, and the highest pooled prevalence was detected in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders (0.341, 0.244-0.446), followed by bipolar and related disorders (0.321, 0.000-0.995). Toxoplasma gondii was the most prevalent protozoan parasite (0.343, 0.228-0.467) in cross-sectional studies and the highest pooled OR was related to Cyclospora cayetanensis (4.719, 1.352-16.474) followed by Cryptosporidium parvum (4.618, 2.877-7.412).
Our findings demonstrated that individuals afflicted with mental disorders are significantly more susceptible to acquiring protozoan parasites in comparison to healthy individuals. Preventive interventions, regular screening, and treatment approaches for parasitic diseases should be considered for patients with mental disorders.
Congenital toxoplasmosis is an important cause of spontaneous abortion worldwide. However, there is limited information on detection and genotypic characterization of
in women with recurrent ...spontaneous abortion (RSA). The aim of this study is the molecular detection and genotypic characterization of
in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded fetoplacental tissues (FFPTs) of women with RSA that have referred to the Avicenna Research Institute in Tehran, Iran.
This experimental research was undertaken on 210 FFPTs of women with RSA. The information of the patients was collected from the archives of Avicenna Research Institute in Tehran, Iran. After DNA extraction, the presence of T. gondii was examined by nested polymerase chain reaction targeting the GRA6 gene. Genotyping was performed on positive samples using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) that targeted the
and
genes. Sequencing was conducted on two GRA6 positive samples.
DNA was detected in 3.8% (8/210) of the samples. Genotyping showed that all positive samples belonged to type III of the
genotype. Sequencing two genomic DNAs of the GRA6 gene revealed 99% similarity with each other and 99-100% similarity with
sequences deposited in GenBank. There were six patients with histories of more than three abortions; one patient had a healthy girl and another patient had two previous abortions. Abortions occurred in the first trimester of pregnancy in seven patients and in the second trimester of pregnancy in one patient.
The results of this study have indicated that genotype III is the predominant type of
in women with RSA in Tehran, Iran. Also, our findings suggest that toxoplasmosis may play a role in the pathogenesis of RSA. However, further studies are needed to elucidate a clear relationship between
infection and RSA.
Background
Microsporidia are spore‐forming intracellular pathogens with worldwide prevalence, causing emerging infections in humans and animals. Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a zoonotic species of ...microsporidia and is responsible for more than 90% of cases of microsporidiosis in humans and animals. Pigs and wild boars are important animal reservoirs of microsporidia. Hence, we aimed to estimate the global prevalence of microsporidia and genetic diversity of E. bieneusi in pigs and wild boars through a set of systematic review and meta‐analysis (PRISMA) guidelines.
Methods
Four databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar) were searched between January 1, 2000 and April 30, 2021. Regarding meta‐analysis, the random‐effect model was employed by forest plot with 95% confidence interval (CI).
Results
After exclusion of irrelevant articles and duplication removal, 33 papers, including 34 datasets (30 datasets for domestic pigs and 4 for wild boars) finally meet the inclusion criteria to undergo meta‐analysis. The pooled prevalence rates of microsporidia infection in domestic pigs and wild boars were 37.6% (95% CI: 30.8–44.9%) and 8.1% (95% CI: 2.1–26.8%), respectively. While, the pooled prevalence rates of E. bieneusi were 35% (95% CI: 28.4–42.2%) in domestic pigs and 10.1% (95% CI: 1.7–42.4%) in wild boars. The genotypes EbpA was the most reported genotype in domestic pigs and wild boars. Male animals had higher prevalence rates of microsporidia infection than females (27 vs. 17.4%, OR = 1.91; 95% CI, 0.77–4.71%).
Conclusion
This study indicates the important role of domestic pigs and wild boars as animal reservoir hosts of microsporidia. Thereby, strategies for control and prevention of these zoonotic pathogens should be designed in pigs and wild boars.
Zoonotic transmission of microsporidia from pigs and wild boars to humans.
Introduction: Intestinal parasites are among the most prevalent foodborne diseases worldwide, and raw vegetables and herbs are among the primary sources of human infection by these parasites. This ...study aimed to investigate the prevalence of parasitic contamination of fresh herbs in Shushtar, Khuzestan Province, Southwest of Iran. Methods: In this study, 129 herb samples from various farms were collected and washed with water. The washing waters were centrifuged, and the resulting sediments were examined by formol-ether concentration and Sheatherchr('39')s sugar flotation procedure, as well as a wet smear and Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Results: Among the 129 samples, 73.6% (n=95) showed contamination with at least one parasite, including trophozoite like amoebae (52.6%), followed by Giardia lamblia (14.7%), Cryptosporidium spp. (2.1%), Blastocystis sp. (21%), free-living nematodes larvae (3.1%), Trichostrongilid nematodes (1.05%), Ascaris lumericoids eggs (2.1%), Hymenolepis spp. (2.1%) and Taeniid eggs (1.05%). Conclusion: A high prevalence rate of parasitic contaminations of herbs in Shushtar necessitates proper washing of herbs and vegetables by consumers to prevent parasitic infections.
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