Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a worldwide distributed protozoan parasite which has infected a wide range of warm-blooded animals and humans. The most common form of T. gondii infection is ...asymptomatic (latent); nevertheless, latent toxoplasmosis can induce various alterations of sex hormones, especially testosterone, in infected humans and animals. On the other hand, testosterone is involved in behavioral traits and reproductive functions in both sexes. Hence, the purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the available evidence regarding the association between T. gondii infection and testosterone alteration.
In the setting of a systematic review, an electronic search (any date to 10 January 2023) without language restrictions was performed using Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The PRISMA guidelines were followed. Following the initial search, a total of 12,306 titles and abstracts were screened initially; 12,281 were excluded due to the lack of eligibility criteria or duplication. Finally, 24 articles met the included criteria. A mean±standard deviation (SD) was calculated to assess the difference of testosterone between T. gondii positive and T. gondii negative humans. The possibility of publication bias was assessed using Egger's regression. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
This systematic review identified 24 articles (18 studies in humans and six studies in animals). Most human studies (13 out of 19) reported an increased level of testosterone following latent toxoplasmosis in males, while three studies reported decreased levels and two studies reported an insignificant change. Eleven articles (seven datasets in males and seven datasets in females) were eligible to be included in the data synthesis. Based on the random-effects model, the pooled mean± SD of testosterone in T. gondii positive than T. gondii negative was increased by 0.73 and 0.55 units in males and females, respectively. The Egger's regression did not detect a statistically significant publication bias in males and females (p = value = 0.95 and 0.71), respectively. Three studies in male animals (rats, mice, and spotted hyenas) and two studies in female animals (mice and spotted hyenas) reported a decline in testosterone in infected compared with non-infected animals. While, one study in female rats reported no significant changes of testosterone in infected than non-infected animals. Moreover, two studies in male rats reported an increased level of testosterone in infected than non-infected animals.
This study provides new insights about the association between T. gondii infection and testosterone alteration and identifies relevant data gaps that can inform and encourage further studies. The consequence of increased testosterone levels following T. gondii infection could partly be associated with increased sexual behavior and sexual transmission of the parasite. On the other hand, declining testosterone levels following T. gondii infection may be associated with male reproductive impairments, which were observed in T. gondii-infected humans and animals. Furthermore, these findings suggest the great need for more epidemiological and experimental investigations in depth to understand the relationship between T. gondii infection and testosterone alteration alongside with future consequences of testosterone alteration.
Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common infections in humans and animals, which is caused by an obligate intracellular opportunistic parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). Some data have ...shown that both Rhesus (Rh)-positive and Rh-negative individuals differ in response to biological factors, including Toxoplasma infection. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the scientific evidence regarding the possible association between the Rh blood group and Toxoplasma infection and to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii in the Rh blood group system.
The research was conducted on PubMed, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases until January 2023. Twenty-one cross-sectional studies were included with a total of 10910 people. The data were synthesized using a random effect model with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
The overall prevalence of T. gondii was calculated at 32.34% (CI 95%: 28.23-36.45%) and 33.35% (CI 95%: 19.73-46.96%) in Rh-positive and Rh-negative blood groups. In addition, the pooled OR for the relationship between the Rh blood group and the seroprevalence of T. gondii was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.72-1.28).
This meta-analysis showed a high prevalence of Toxoplasma infection in both Rh-negative and positive blood groups. This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that no significant association was found between toxoplasmosis and Rh factor. Because of the limited number of studies in this field, more research is recommended to determine the exact relationship between toxoplasmosis and the Rh factor.
Leishmaniasis is a major public health problem that causes by parasite of the genus Leishmania. The pentavalent antimonial compounds that used for treatment are not safe or effective enough. The aim ...of the present study was preparation and evaluation of the efficacy of green synthesized silver nanoparticles against Leishmania major (L. major) in vitro.
To synthesis silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs), ginger extract was added to the 0.2mM AgNO3 aqueous solution (1:20). Effects of different concentrations of Ag-NPs on the number of L. major promastigotes were investigated using counting assay. The MTT test was applied to determine the toxicity of Ag-NPs on promastigotes of L. major, as well as, macrophage cells. Then, to evaluate the anti-amastigotes effects of Ag-NPs, parasites within the macrophages were counted by light microscope. Furthermore, to determine the induced apoptosis and necrotic effects of Ag-NPs on promastigotes, flow cytometry method was employed using annexin staining.
The effect of Ag-NPs on promastigotes and amastigotes of L. major was effective and has a reverse relationship with its concentration. According to the results of anti-amastigote assay, the IC50 value of this nanoparticle was estimated 2.35 ppm after 72h. Also, Ag-NPs caused Programmed Cell Death (PCD) in promastigotes of L. major and showed 60.18% of apoptosis.
Based on the mentioned results, it can be concluded that Ag NPs has a beneficial effect on promastigote and amastigote forms of L. major in vitro. Hence, these nanoparticles could be applied as promising antileishmanial agents for treatment of Leishmania infections.
Toxoplasma gondii and Mycobacterium tuberculosis are intracellular pathogens, both infecting a substantial proportion of human population. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to ...estimate the pooled T. gondii seroprevalence in tuberculosis patients. Three international databases were systematically searched for literature on prevalence of T. gondii in tuberculosis patients. A total of 1389 documents were identified, and eight papers were eligible to be included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Geographical data gaps were evident, as no studies were identified from many countries where both infections are important. The pooled seroprevalence of IgG, IgM, and both IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii in tuberculosis patients were estimated to be 35.9% (95% confidence interval CI, 19.3–56.7%), 35.0% (95% CI, 3.0–90.3%), and 13.4% (95% CI, 2.4–49.0%), respectively. In the included case-control studies, the pooled T. gondii seroprevalence (proportion anti- T. gondii IgG antibody positive) was higher in tuberculosis patients than in their controls, with an odds ratio by random effects model of 1.63 (95% CI, 1.28–2.08). The results of our work suggest an association between T. gondii seropositivity and being a tuberculosis patient, which should however be interpreted with caution because the timeline of the infections and the disease process are not accounted for. Our work showed that T. gondii seropositivity, indicating chronic infection with the zoonotic parasite, was relatively common among tuberculosis patients.
•T. gondii and M. tuberculosis are intracellular pathogens that are able to cause chronic infections as well as severe disease in humans.•We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate pooled T. gondii seroprevalence among tuberculosis patients.•The seroprevalence estimate of IgG antibodies against T. gondii among tuberculosis patients was 35.9% (95% confidence interval 19.3–56.7%).•In the case-control studies, T. gondii seroprevalence was 29.5% among tuberculosis patients and 17.2% among controls, and the odds ratio was 1.63 (95% CI 1.28–2.08).•The results showed that T. gondii seropositivity was relatively common among tuberculosis patients.
Leishmaniasis is a neglected infectious disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. The disease generally manifests as characteristic skin lesions which require lengthy treatment with ...antimonial drugs that are often associated with adverse side effects. Therefore, a number of studies have focused on natural compounds as promising drugs for its treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of larval excretion/secretion products (ES) of Lucilia sericata in crude and fractionated forms on Leishmania major, by using in vitro and in vivo models. The in vitro experiments involved evaluation of ES on both promastigotes and macrophage-engulfed amastigotes, whereas the in vivo experiments included comparative treatments of skin lesions in L. major-infected mice with Eucerin-formulated ES and Glucantime. The half maximal inhibitory concentrations of the crude ES, > 10-kDa ES fraction, < 10-kDa ES fraction, and Glucantime were 38.7 mug/ml, 47.6 mug/ml, 63.3 mug/ml, and 29.1 mug/ml, respectively. Significant differences were observed between percentage viabilities of promastigotes treated with the crude ES and its fractions compared with the negative control (P < 0.0001). The crude ES was more effective on amastigotes than the two ES fractions at 300 mug/ml. The macroscopic measurements revealed that the reduction of lesion size in mice treated with the crude ES followed quicker cascades of healing than that of mice treated with Glucantime and the ES fractions. The present study showed that the larval ES of L. sericata in both crude and fractionated forms are effective for both intracellular and extracellular forms of L. major. Also, the ES exert both topical and systemic effects on mice experimentally infected with L. major.
belongs to the Apicomplexa phylum that caused a widespread zoonotic infection in wide range of intermediate hosts. Over one-third of the world's population are latently infected with
and carry it. ...The complex life cycle of
indicates the presence of a plurality of antigenic epitopes. During the recent years, continuous efforts of scientists have made precious advances to elucidate the different aspects of the cell and molecular biology of
. Despite of great progresses, the development of vaccine candidates for preventing of
infection in men and animals is still remains a challenge. The calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) belongs to the superfamily of kinases, which restricted to the apicomplexans, ciliates, and plants. It has been documented that they contribute several functions in the life cycle of
such as gliding motility, cell invasion, and egress as well as some other critical developmental processes. In current paper, we reviewed the recent progress concerning the development of CDPK-based vaccines against acute and chronic
.
Fumaria has been traditionally used to treat skin damages due to anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of the ethanolic extract of Fumaria parviflora Lam. (F. ...parviflora) against Leishmania major (L. major) using chitosan biopolymer drug delivery system both In vitro and In vivo models.
The ethanolic extract of F. parviflora was analyzed by HPLC to determine its active ingredients content. The extract was then loaded on chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs). The parasite was treated with various concentrations of the ethanolic extract, CNPs and CNPs loaded with F. parviflora extract (CNPs@ F. parviflora). The size of lesions of treated mice were measured on a weekly basis. The parasite burden was evaluated 8 weeks after treatment.
The HPLC analysis showed the presence of Fumaric acid at a high concentration. The percentage of the drug released from CNPs@ F. parviflora within 24 and 72 h were 65% and 90% respectively. The results showed that F. parviflora extract and CNPs@ F. parviflora caused 84% and 96% growth inhibition of L. major promastigotes as revealed by Neubauer chamber counting and MTT test respectively. The IC50 values of F. parviflora extract and CNPs@ F. parviflora were 450 and 68.4 µg/ml respectively. In amastigote assay, the best results showed in CNPs@ F. parviflora that only 2% of macrophages were infected with amastigotes. In vivo experiments for mice treated with F. parviflora and CNPs @ F. parviflora in comparison to control group showed a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the mean diameter of the lesions (2.3 and 1.72 mm and 9.91 mm respectively).
The ethanolic extract of F. parviflora both as standalone and loaded in CNPs showed promising inhibitory effects against L. major both upon In vitro and In vivo experimentation as well as therapeutic effects for wound healing in infected mice.
Background
Ticks are important ectoparasites of small ruminants in tropics and subtropics including Iran. They transmit serious zoonotic pathogens such as Babesia and Theileria. These parasites cause ...major burden on small ruminants jeopardising livelihoods of rural people in Zarrin Dasht County.
Objectives
This study was carried out to investigate the diversity and distribution of hard ticks of small ruminants and their piroplasm infection in a bid to contribute to Theileria and/or Babesia detection and control in Zarrin Dasht County of Fars province, Iran.
Methods
We examined 751 sheep and goats from 10 sites of the County during four seasons for hard tick infestation. The collected hard ticks (994) were taxonomically identified before being separately confined in microtubes coded to indicate their species and host animals as well as site and date of collection. In total 50 pooled samples were analysed by PCR technique for Theileria and Babesia infection.
Results
The identified ticks included Hyalomma marginatum 994/362); 36.4%), Rhipicephalus turanicus 994/352); 35.51%), Hyalomma anatolicum 994/264); 26.6%), Hyalomma dromedarii 994/14); 1.41%) and Hyalomma asiaticum 994/2) 0.2%). Molecular analyses showed that 7 out of 50 pooled sample were infected with piroplasm genome in ticks shared by Theileria ovis (6:50) and Theileria lestoquardi (1:50). Babesia was absent in collected hard ticks.
Conclusions
This is the first report on the presence of piroplasm infection in hard ticks of small ruminants in Zarrin Dasht County. Theileria ovis was more prevalent than Theileria lestoquardi but Babesia was absent. Piroplasm infection was detected in Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma anatolicum and Rhipicephalus turanicus. Hyalomma marginatum appears to be more competent to vector Theileria spp. This study may contribute to risk assessment and prevention of epizootic theileriosis in the County.
Herds of small ruminants in Zarrin Dasht County were scrutinised for hard tick infestation. Hard ticked were collected from sheep and goats and examined under a Stereomicroscope for taxonomic identification. The prevalent species were Hyalomma marginatum (36.4%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (35.5%), Hyalomma anatolicum (26.6%), Hyalomma dromedarii (1.41%) and Hyalomma asiaticum (0.2%). The hard ticks were then exposed to DNA extraction and gene amplification using PCR technique by targeting 18S rRNA gene with the aid of specific primers to detect piroplasm infection. The electrophorese analysis indicated the presence of Theileria infection but not Babesia. Further gene sequencing and phylogenic analysis confirmed infection of ticks removed from sheep and goats with T. ovis and T. lestoquardi with the former being more prevalent.
Abstract
Background
Cystic echinococcosis (CE), is a parasitic zoonosis caused by
Echinococcus granulosus
(
E. granulosus
) larvae in liver and lungs of both humans and animals. Surgical intervention ...is the mainstay for CE treatment, using scolicidal agents that inactivate live protoscolices. This study evaluated the scolicidal effects of
Silybum marianum
ethanolic extract and its combination with albendazole in vitro for the first time. Moreover, in a literature review, we investigated the effects of a wide range of Iranian medicinal plants on protoscolices of
E. granulosus
.
Methods
S. marianum
ethanolic extract was prepared and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used to establish the proportions of its component compounds in the extract. Cytotoxicity was evaluated in mouse macrophage cells (J774A.1 cell line) using MTT method. Next, the scolicidal activity of the extract alone and combined with albendazole was tested as triplicate at various concentrations incubated for 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 min. Finally, protoscolex viability was determined using 0.1% eosin as a vital stain. PCR–RFLP and DNA sequencing techniques were used to characterize the genotype of
E. granulosus
.
Results
HPLC analysis showed that
S. marianum
ethanolic extract contained mostly silydianin (14.41%), isosilybin A (10.50%), and silychristin (10.46%). The greatest scolicidal effects were obtained with the combination of
S. marianum
with albendazole (79%),
S. marianum
ethanolic extract alone (77%) and albendazole (69%), at a concentration of 500 μg/ml for 60 min, respectively (
P
< 0.05). Molecular analysis showed that all the cysts used were G1 genotype.
Conclusion
The data suggest that
S. marianum
ethanolic extract is a potential scolicide in vitro; however, further investigations are required to determine its efficacy in vivo.
Plasmodium vivax resistance to chloroquine (CQ) has been reported from many endemic regions in the world. Plasmodium vivax is responsible for 95% of malaria cases in Afghanistan and CQ is the ...first-line treatment given for vivax malaria. The pvmdr-1 and pvcrt-o (K10 insertion) genes are possible markers for CQ-resistance in P. vivax isolates. There have been no studies done on the presence or absence of molecular markers for CQ-resistance P. vivax in Afghanistan. The present work aimed to evaluate the frequency of mutations in the pvmdr-1 and K10 insertion in the pvcrt-o genes of P. vivax.
Plasmodium vivax isolates were collected from Laghman, Baghlan and Khost provinces. For investigation of polymorphisms of desired regions in pvmdr-1 and pvcrt-o genes, sequencing was applied on the PCR products. A new asymmetric qPCR and melting analysis assay based on unlabelled probe developed for scanning of K10 insertion in pvcrt-o gene.
The analysis of sequencing data of the pvmdr-1 gene showed wild type Y976 and K997 and mutant M958 and L1076 in 33 isolates from three provinces. Of the 36 samples evaluated for K10 insertion in pvcrt-o, 2/18(11%), 0/10(0%) and 0/8(0%) isolates from Laghman, Baghlan and Khost province, respectively, possessed K10 insertion, confirmed by either sequencing and unlabelled probes.
Two samples with K10 insertion and 33 samples with pvmdr1 polymorphism, indicating on the possibility of CQ resistance in P. vivax populations in Afghanistan. Furthermore, unlabelled probes are simple and inexpensive alternative tools for screening of P. vivax mutations.
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