malaria is highly endemic in the south-east of Iran and, the prompt assessment of the malaria cases is dependent on sensitive and specific identification of malaria. The aim of this study is to ...compare light microscopy (LM) and rapid diagnostic test (PfHRP-2/pLDH RDT) with Nested-PCR in the Malaria detection.
In this cross-sectional study, all of the suspected malaria individuals, who were referred to Razi Hospital in Saravan, Sistan and Baluchistan were evaluated. Demographic, microscopic, RDT and Nested-PCR data were collected. Nested-PCR as a reference method was compared to other methods. Finally, all the results were analyzed by SPSS software version 20.
The sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and Kc were reported by LM to be 55.3%, 100%, 100%, 94.3% and 0.671 respectively. Furthermore, the RDT method showed results of 55.3%, 99.6%, 95.4%, 94.3%, and 0.602, respectively. Sn, Sp, PPV, NPV and Kc were reported by LM for p. vivax to be 55.7%, 100%, 100%, 96.2%, and 0.714, respectively. Using the same method for plasmodium falciparum, results were reported to be 25%, 100%, 100%, 97.9%, and 0.393, respectively. Also, the Sn, Sp, PPV, NPV, and Kc by RDT were reported to be 57.7%, 99.6%, 93.7%, 96.2% and 0.695 for p. vivax, respectively. These values for p. falciparum were reported to be 25%, 99.6%, 66.7%, 97.9% and 0.354, respectively.
LM and RDT methods have been sensitive and specific in detecting malaria and identifying Vivax species compared to Nested- PCR. By contrast, there was little agreement for P. falciparum using these two methods compared to the nested method.
•This study was performed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of RDT and LM methodes compared to Nested-PCR for better detection of malaria in the region.•Nested-PCR has the highest specificity and sensitivity among the proposed methods, even in the diagnosis of asymptomatic cases, and it has capable of identifying a variety of Plasmodium species.•The results of the study show that, RDT and LM had high sensitivity and especially specificity for malaria detection.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the most common parasitical diseases in many regions of Iran and plays a significant role in the inhibition of socioeconomic growth of this deprived province. ...The present study aimed to molecular identification of cutaneous leishmaniasis species in patients from Chabahar and Konark district, in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 250 patients suspected of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Samples of the skin lesions and ulcers suspected to CL were collected from patients and diagnosed by parasitological test and molecular methods, respectively. The microscopic test detected 80 out of 250 (32%) suspected patients to CL, while 80 out of 80 (100%) were positive for Leishmania kDNA. Two species L. major and L. tropica were responsible for 9 and 69 cases, respectively. Our results were consistent with the previous reports in Iran, revealing L. tropica as the most causative agent of CL Further investigation are demanded to identify the hosts, reservoirs, disease species and vectors in this part of the world.
•The minicircle kDNA amplification of Leishmania using nested PCR was used.•The sensitivity of morphological test was compared to molecular study for identification of cutaneous leishmaniasis.•Based on this study, the L. major was the most causative agent of CL.
This study aimed to detect the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. in different water resources of Zahedan, southeast of Iran, and also systematically reviewed all publications regarding Acanthamoeba in ...Iran (2005-2018). Fifty water samples were collected from different water resources in Zahedan. The positive samples were identified morphologically and subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using fragments of 18S rRNA. In the systematic review, data collection using particular terms was carried out using the following electronic databases including Science Direct, ISI Web of Science, MEDLINE, EBSCO, Scopus, and Google Scholar. A total of 17 (34%) samples were positive for Acanthamoeba spp., and nucleotide sequencing indicated that 15 samples (88.23%) belonged to the T4 genotype and the rest belonged to the T5 genotype. A total of 39 studies reported genotyping of Acanthamoeba spp. from various geographical areas of Iran and revealed that T4 (35 studies), T5 (19 studies), T3 (11 studies), T11 (8 studies), and T2 (6 studies) genotypes were the most prevalent in Iran. The T4 genotype of Acanthamoeba is a prevalent free-living amoeba and widely distributed not only in Zahedan but also in other provinces of Iran. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that A. castellanii and A. griffini predominantly colocalize with the T4 genotype.
Background: Toxoplasma gondii might lead to behavioral changes in patients with toxoplasmosis. Since addicts are considered as individuals with behavioral, social, and psychiatric changes, we need to ...evaluate the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in addicts. Objectives: This cross-sectional study was conducted to measure Toxoplasma antibodies using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in addicted women who were kept at the Zahedan Welfare Center in 2018. Patients and Methods: Ninety-six addicted women with high-risk behaviors and history of narcotic drug consumption as the case group and 96 non-addicted women (without a history of narcotic drug consumption) as the control group participated in this study. They had no history of alcohol consumption. The type of consumed narcotic drugs and the way of the consumption of narcotic drugs were indicated in the participants. After taking blood samples and separating the sera, the opium rapid strips were used to confirm the addiction status of the participants. Then, all sera were evaluated for Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies using ELISA. Results: All sera showed positive results for addition using opium rapid strips. The ELISA results indicated that the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma IgM in addicted women was 0.96%. Also, the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma IgG was identified as 37.5% in addicted women and 27.1% in the control group. Conclusions: According to the low difference in the rate of Toxoplasma IgG between addicts and controls, and the low rate of Toxoplasma IgM, the relationship between addiction and toxoplasmosis was not proven in this study. Presumably, different factors can be involved, so more studies are needed to elucidate the reasons for the high seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in addicts.
Background: Malaria is one of the most serious parasitic diseases and the major health issue in tropical and subtropical countries. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the type of infection ...of female Anopheles mosquitoes to sporozoites of Plasmodium species (Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum), using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in southeastern Iran. Methods: To determine the infections and Plasmodium species using the nested PCR in Sistan and Baluchestan Province (southeastern Iran), 360 female Anopheles mosquitoes were collected from the control villages of Chabahar and Konarak counties and examined by entomology check stations affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in the second half of 2018. The mosquitos were caught manually from indoor places (humans and animals) as well as natural and artificial sites, i.e., pit-shelters. After DNA extraction, the molecular analysis was performed by nested PCR. Results: Of 200 species collected from Daregas, Owraki, and Bahu Kalat in Chabahar, four Anopheles stephensi (2%) were infected with P. vivax, and of 160 samples collected from the rural districts of Konarak, including Zarabad, Heyan, Islamabad, and Joholu, two An. stephensi (1.25%) were infected with P. falciparum. In this study, no mixed infection of Plasmodiumvivax and Plasmodium falciparum were observed. Conclusions: The present study showed that the only species infected with Plasmodium in the aforementioned regions was An. stephensi, which was the most frequent species of Anopheles among other species as well. The nested PCR could be the most suitable method for detecting Plasmodium parasites in malaria vectors, among other diagnostic methods.
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