The resistance to insecticide among Anopheles stephensi population due to insecticide selection pressure has been previously reported from Iran. The current study was performed to evaluate the ...susceptibility of different insecticide reagents against An. stephensi by bioassay and molecular methods in Saravan County, a malaria-endemic area in southeastern Iran.
An. stephensi mosquitoes were collected from different larval habitats in Saravan City, southeastern Iran in 2022. At first, the susceptibility of collected samples for DDT, permethrin, and deltamethrin were evaluated by bioassay test. The collected mosquitoes were then evaluated for the presence of different kdr mutations.
Insecticide susceptibility tests were conducted on the field population of An. stephensi from Saravan, revealing its potential resistance to pyrethroids and DDT. Of the 150 An. stephensi samples, 4 % carried the kdr L1014F mutation as heterozygous and the rest of them were homozygous L1014 wild type.
The current study revealed the presence of L1014F mutation for the first time in Iran. So, further monitoring of kdr mutations in the VGSC gene and resistance phenotypes should be performed.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the most important health problems that are capable of involving both tropical and subtropical areas, especially in Iran. This cross-sectional study aimed to ...differentiate the species that are able to cause CL in Zahedan city by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.
It was conducted on 145 suspected CL patients in Zahedan city between 2014 and 2016. The smears were initially prepared, air-dried, fixed with absolute methanol, and stained with 10% Giemsa. Then, we examined the stained samples by a light microscope under 1000× magnifications. PCR assay targeted cytochrome
(cyt
) gene using LCBF1 and LCBR2 primers and the products digested by Ssp1 enzymes.
From 145 suspected CL patients, 76 (52.4%) were positive in microscopic examination. In addition, we detected gene of interest (cyt
) in 98 (67.5%). The results of PCR-RFLP indicated that 53/98 (54%) cases were
and 45/98 (46%) were
, and the main species in these areas was
.
We concluded that the microscopic examination is not sensitive enough and is not able to distinguish between different
species. Instead, molecular methods like PCR-RFLP can be appropriately used with promising results.
Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by
Leishmania
species. The identification of parasite species and the type of disease is beneficial for treatment and preventive modalities.
...Leishmania tropica
and
L. major
have been reported as the main etiological agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Iran. The incidence of zoonotic CL has increased and different in distinct loci of Iran. Hence, we perused the
Leishmania
species and its genetic traits in the North East of Iran. The investigation was conducted on 200 positive smears prepared from patients’ lesions suffering from CL referred to the health care centers of northeastern provinces in Iran from 2013 to 2019. The obtained positive microscopy samples were divided to score the ranges from + 1 to + 6, of them 40 smears exhibited low-parasitemia.
Leishmania
species analyzed using PCR–RFLP, genetic diversity indices evaluation, phylogenetic analysis, and sequencing comparison with other species in the GeneBank based on ITS1 gene. The isolated
L. major
strains were similar to other Iranian isolates in this region. Pairwise fixation index (F
ST
) index was statistically significant in different
L. major
populations and showed the genetic differences in pairwise population of different geographical locations of Iran. The current study confirmed an old pattern endemicity of zoonotic CL in North-east of Iran. Therefore, in order to assess the hybrid formation, more epidemiological, ecological, and gene polymorphism studies are needed to understand the pathogenic role of
Leishmania
species in Iran.
Apical Membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1) is an important membrane protein that presents in all Plasmodium species and participates in critical phases in the attraction of cells. In human, it is one of the ...most immunodominant antigens with a protective immune response simulation role Apical Membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1) is an important membrane protein which presents in all Plasmodium species and is located on the surface of merozoite and sporozoites that participates in critical phases in attraction of human red blood cells by merozoites and hepatocytes by sporozoites, so in human, it is one of the most immunodominant antigens with a protective immune response simulation role. Since extra information is necessary to lighten of AMA-1 scope, we equaled genetic variation in P.vivax AMA-1 from 40 Iranian isolates with those reported from the other malarious countries.
Blood samples were collected from 40 patients' positive of P.vivax, and genomic DNA was extracted from the blood. The nucleotide sequence for 446 amino acid (AA) residues (42-488 of PvAMA-1) of AMA-1 gene was amplified via PCR and then sequenced.
A total of 24 different haplotypes were recognized between samples. No new haplotype was determined in this research that was reported previously in other regions of Iran and the world. We detected 37-point mutations at the nucleotide level in their sequences and showed 43 amino acid variations, at 37 positions in which 6 sites demonstrate trimorphic polymorphism, and the others were dimorphic.
Sequence analysis of the major haplotype showed 95% similarity with P.vivax Sal-1 AMA-1 gene and high level of allelic diversity at the domain I of PvAMA-1 among
isolates of Iran. Because PvAMA-1 is noticeable as vaccine candidate antigen, these documents provide valuable information for the development of malaria vaccine.
Child Toxocariasis (CT) is one of the most important helminthic parasitic diseases in Iran. The current study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of toxocariasis in children in Zahedan, ...southeast of Iran. In this cross-sectional study, serum samples of 373 children aged 3–13 years old referred to health centers in Zahedan were collected randomly with criteria based on the parameters that were used in earlier studies and examined for anti-Toxocara antibody using a commercial ELISA kit. Of the 373 recruited subjects, 206 (55.2%) were male and 167 (44.8%) were female. Most of the subjects (36.5%) were in the age group 3–4 years old. Anti-
Toxocara
antibodies were detected in the sera of five out of 373 individuals, corresponding to a seroprevalence rate of 1.3%. A significant correlation was found between the incidence of disease and eosinophilia, a history of contact with dogs or cats, as well as the consumption of raw vegetables and drinking of contaminated water. There was no significant correlation between prevalence and gender or age. The finding of this study revealed that the prevalent CT is relatively low in Zahedan region. The rate of CT infection in the southeast of Iran was lower than the rate in other parts of Iran.
Background: 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.
Methods: 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.
Results: 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).
Conclusion: 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.
Objective(s): Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, is widespread across the world. It causes congenital disease and abortion in humans and domestic animals. One of the ...major concerns in parasitology, thus, is an effective vaccine development to control Toxoplasmosis. Materials and Methods: In the present research, a nano-liposomal vaccine containing soluble antigens (SA) was designed to evaluate the immunity and protective efficacy against T. gondii infection in BALB/c mice. Soluble antigens (SA) were achieved from tachyzoites, encapsulated in the liposome, and investigated via scanning electron microscope. Three times with 2-week intervals, BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with different formulations. The level of protection against infection was assessed through the percent survival survey of BALB/c mice after challenge with tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain; also, the type of generated immune response was determined by evaluating the generation of cytokine (IFN-γ, IL-4) and titration of IgG isotypes.Results: The immunization with liposome DSPC+ SA and liposome DSPC+ Imiquimod + SA induced a substantial increase in anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody as compared to the PBS group (p <0.05). The IgG2a and IFN-γ secretion highest levels were seen with liposome DSPC+ Imiquimod + SA more than the control group (p <0.01) and (p <0.0001), respectively. After challenge with tachyzoites, less mortality was detected in the immunized mice by liposome DSPC + Imiquimod + SA that was meaningfully different (p <0.01) in comparison to other groups.Conclusion: Vaccination with liposome DSPC + Imiquimod + SA showed more survival rate and cellular immune reaction against T. gondii.
Despite the high prevalence and drug resistance of disease in Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran, the species of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has not been identified. In the present study, ...cytochrome
(Cyt
) was used in Sistan and Baluchestan to find species of
in suspected patients of CL using PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing.
This study was conducted from Oct 2015 to Oct 2016. The samples were collected from the individuals clinically suspected to CL and referred to Iran Shahr, Chabahar, Khash, Zabol, Zahedan, Mirjaveh, and Nikshahr health centers. Overall, 700 Giemsa-Stained slides from the wound of patients suspected of CL were passive collected and examined under a light microscope at ×1000. After DNA extraction, positive samples were used for Cyt
detection by PCR-RFLP to determine the parasite species. One hundred positive slides were selected for molecular studies. Among positive samples, 20% were sequenced. To compare the results of sequences, molecular evolutionary genetic analysis (MEGA6) was used.
Overall, 53 samples were identified as
and 47 samples (47%)
. Cyt
in
and
is converted to 400 and 480 bp and 130, 215 and 535 bp pieces respectively. In the isolated
and
, nucleotide changes were 3-5 (mainly in wobble site).
Infection was more related to
. PCR-RFLP method has a high sensitivity for diagnosis of
species.
Protection against leishmaniasis, in the murine model, is dependent on developing a potent CD4
mediated Th1 type response. Liposomes can be applied as immunoadjuvants to stimulate immune responses to ...different antigens. In the present study, it was investigated whether DOTAP liposomes having SLA and imiquimod adjuvant, can induce a Th1 response and protect against
challenge in BALB/c mice.
Liposomes were provided applying the lipid film procedure. BALB/C mice were subcutaneously immunized, three times with 2-week intervals, with various formulations. Assessment of lesion development and parasite burden in the foot and spleen after challenge with
, assessment of Th1 cytokine (IFN-γ), and titration of IgG isotypes assessed the type of generated immune reaction and the protection extent.
The mice immunized with Liposome DOTAP+imiquimod+SLA showed smaller footpad swelling which was meaningfully different (
0.05) compared with other groups. The highest level of IgG2a was observed with Lip DOTAP+imiquimod+SLA more than the control (
0.001). Mice immunized with Lip DOTAP+SLA+imiquimod demonstrated the least number of live parasites in the footpad and spleen. Cytokine assay showed that the greatest IFN- γ secretion was seen in the splenocytes of mice immunized with all formulations as compared to the control group (
0.0001). In contrast, the lowest IL-4 production was detectable in Lip+imiquimod+SLA spleen, which was not significantly different compared with other groups.
The results of this study show that liposome DOTAP+SLA+imiquimod formulation generates a cellular immune response that is protective against challenge against
.
Leishmaniasis is a sand fly-borne disease caused by the protozoan parasites belonging to the genus
. Because of the preventing and controlling methods, clinical course, prognosis and choice of ...treatment are differing from species; differentiation of species is critical. The present study was aimed to detect the parasite species using the PCR-RFLP method.
A total of 130 Giemsa-Stained slides from suspected Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) patients were examined under a light microscope at ×1000. DNA from each slide was extracted PCR method was undertaken with HSP70 genes and the PCR products were digested with a restriction enzyme HaeIII (BsuR1). The study was conducted in the laboratory of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in the Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran in 2015.
From 130 suspected samples, 59 (45.3%) were positive by the microscopic examination, meanwhile 64 (49.2%) were positive by PCR-RFLP,
species were recognized, and
was introduced as predominant species in current study.
PCR-RFLP is a valuable technique for distinguish of
species. Furthermore, anthroponotic CL is the dominant cause of CL in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.
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