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Background: Head louse infestation, pediculosis, is a serious health problem worldwide. Infected children usually suf­fer from itching, allergies, and secondary infections besides psychological disorders such as depression and lack of self-confidence leading to school failure. This study aimed to investigate the status of pediculosis and its determinant factors among schoolchildren in Amol City, Northern Iran. Methods: This study included 228 schools frequented by about 20017 students. Pediculosis was determined by careful examination of students’ hair on the scalp, back of the neck, and around the ears. The diagnosis was based on observa­tion of live adults, nymphs, and nits. A questionnaire was used to record the personal and demographic characteristics of participants. Results: This study revealed that the prevalence of pediculosis among schoolchildren during all schooling seasons (au­tumn, winter, and spring) correlated with sex: the prevalence being higher among girls than boys (p= 0.00). In addition, the highest rates of pediculosis occurred during the autumn season (p= 0.00). The public schools accommodated higher numbers of louse-infected students than the private ones (p= 0.00). While head louse occurred at higher frequencies in long hair over the schooling year, dandruff had anti-louse effects (p= 0.00) during cold seasons, autumn, and winter. Socioeconomic status and educational level of parents played determinant roles in head louse prevalence (p= 0.00). Schoolchildren coming from socioeconomically well-situated families had lower rates of head louse infestation. Conclusion: Our results showed that head pediculosis was a serious health problem among schoolchildren in Amol city and its prevalence and severity tended to be multifactorial.

Abstract 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.

Abstract Background 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. Methods 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. Results The half maximal inhibitory concentrations of the crude ES, > 10-kDa ES fraction,

Background and Aim: Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic pathogen that may cause fatal granulomatous encephalitis and ocular keratitis in humans and animals. Increasing number of contact lens wearers can lead to increased frequency of amoebic keratitis and due to lack of effective drugs treatment of this disease is difficult. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ethanolic extract of Chaerophyllum macropodum on Acanthamoeba genotype T4. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, samples taken from the patients with keratitis were cultured on 1.5% non-nutrient agar medium. Different concentrations of the ethanolic extract (1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 mg/ml) were tested three times (24, 48, and 72 h) on trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba in vitro. The number of live and dead parasites were counted by using trypan blue staining and neobar lam. Also, the percentage of cysts apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Results: In the presence of 10 mg/ml ethanolic extract in the culture medium, the percentages of live trophozoites after 24, 48, and 72 h were 53.6, 15.11, and 0 percent, respectively. In the case of cysts, after 24, 48, and 72 h, 65.31, 43.31, and 0 percent of the cysts were alive, respectively. The results of flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate was 0.09% in the sample treated with extract after 72 h. Conclusion: Ethanolic extract of Chirophyllum macropodium can be a promising candidate for the development of anti-Acanthamoeba drugs due to its high toxic effects on the cysts. However, since the crude extract of Chaerophyllum macropodum was used in this study, further investigations are needed to find the effective fractions of the plant and determine their mechanisms of action. It can also be tested in vivo or even against other parasites

Background: The extract of myrtle plant contains polyphenolic compounds that show antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-parasitic properties. We aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of aqueous and ethanolic myrtle extract against leishmaniasis caused by L. major in vivo and in vitro conditions. Methods: This study was carried out in Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran in 2018. Aqueous and ethanolic extract of myrtle plant at 6.25 to 400 mg/ml concentrations were tested on Leishmania major promastigotes, non-infected macrophages, and macrophages infected with amastigotes in vitro using counting, MTT and flow cytometry techniques. Then, BALB/c mice were treated with ethanolic, aqueous and a mixture of both extracts of myrtle plant. The treatment was carried out for four weeks. Then, the effectiveness of the herbal medicine was assessed by measuring wounds diameters, mice weights and their mortality rate on weekly basis. Results: The IC50 values of aqueous and ethanolic extracts for promastigotes were 7.86 and 11.66 μg/mL respectively. The IC50 values of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts for amastigotes were 12.5 and 47.2 μg/mL respectively. Flow cytometry indicates 62.88% and 60.16% apoptosis induced by ethanolic and aqueous extract of myrtle plant respectively. The lowest parasitic load was seen in the group treated with ethanolic extract. Conclusion: The lesion sizes for treated groups with extracts were similar to those treated with glucantime. Oral administration instead of injection is another advantage of myrtle plant over glucantime, which makes the herb easy and more practical.

Objective(s): Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis in humans and animals. Micronemes (MICs) are effective candidates for DNA vaccine. Materials and Methods: In this study, we evaluated the immune response of BALB/c mice against MIC3 gene of Toxoplasma gondii and interleukin 12 (IL-12) as DNA vaccine. The MIC3 gene was cloned into the PTZ57R/T vector before sub-cloning in pcDNA3. Recombinant pc-MIC3 was transformed into Escherichia coli (TOP10 strain). The pc-MIC3 plasmid was then transfected into Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, and the expression of the MIC3 gene was evaluated by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Sixty female BALB/c mice were divided into 6 groups. Each group received 3 intramuscular immunizations on days 0, 21st and 42nd using one of the following stimulants: phosphate-buffered saline, pcDNA3, pCAGGS-IL12, pc-MIC3 (100 µg), pc-MIC3 (50 µg), or combined pCAGGS-IL12 (50 µg) and pc-MIC3 (50 µg). The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays was applied to evaluate interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and IL-4 cytokines excretion of lymphocytes stimulated with tachyzoites lysate antigen, as well as the total levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG2a and IgG1 in immunized mice sera.Results: Our results showed that mice challenged with pc-MIC3 (100 µg) had the highest longevity and quantity of immunoglobulin. Moreover, the highest expression level of IFN-γ was found in mice injected with combined pcMIC3 and pCAGGS-IL12 (P

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common meat-born zoonoses that infect all warm-blooded animals and humans. Sheep (Ovis aries) is one of the main reservoirs of T. gondii worldwide, and the infections induce various sequels, such as abortion and stillbirth. The present study aimed to identify the effects of humidity on the prevalence of T. gondii in sheep in high- and low-humidity regions. Heart samples from 200 slaughtered sheep (140 samples from a high-humidity region and 60 samples from a low-humidity region) were collected from Hormozgan Province (south of Iran). The samples were tested by nested PCR targeting the RE gene. Genotyping was performed by the PCR-RFLP method using the SAG3 and GRA6 genes. Some isolates were sequenced and recorded in the GenBank. T. gondii DNA was detected in 10.71 percent of the samples from the highly humid region, whereas no positive samples were detected in the low-humidity region. Genotyping revealed that all isolates belonged to the T. gondii type III genotype. Our study indicated that humidity is an important factor for the prevalence of T. gondii in sheep. Additionally, our study also showed the dominance of type III strain of T. gondii in sheep in the south of Iran.

Chemical insecticides application for pest control pose serious impacts on human health and environment. Nowadays, intensified efforts to find safer and environmentally friendly alternatives have resulted in identification and production of some plant-derived natural ingredients that can use against insect pests. Amongst these plants, feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Sch.Bip., from Asteraceae family is reputed to have insecticidal properties in addition to its excellent medicinal values. In this study, we quantitatively evaluated the extract of T. parthenium collected from Northern Khorasan province (Northeast of Iran) for its pyrethrin content using RP-HPLC chromatography. Flowers and leaves of T. parthenium harvested at flowering stage were dried at cool and dark place and subjected to 3 steps maceration with (30ml) chloroform and shaking for 1 hr. followed by filtration. Pyrethrin contents were then read by chromatographic method at 230 nm wavelength against the background of calibration regression equations. Our results indicated that dry flowers contain 0.46% total pyrethrin (I+ II), whereas leaves and stems include 0.06% pyrethrum. Pyrethrin was more concentrated in flower than stem. The wild population of T. parthenium of Northern Khorasan province demonstrates high potentiality to be commercially cultivated if it undergoes a plant-breeding program to manipulate phenotypic variation in the concentration of bioactive compounds present at harvest.

Background: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic disease in Iran. The pentavalent antimonials as first-line drugs are losing efficacy because of side effects, disease relapse and drug resistance. Application of Lucilia sericata larvae (maggot therapy) to diabetic and refractory wounds approved to be satisfactory for accelerating healing process. In this study, therapeutic effects of L. sericata maggot was evaluated in vivo against leishmanial ulcer using BALB/c mice as animal model. Methods: Female BALB/c mice were inoculated with promastigotes at the base of tails and kept for 28 days until the emergence of early ulcers. The mice were then underwent 4 treatments as follows: Glucantime alone, Glucantime plus maggots, maggot alone and positive control. The control and treated mice were monitored for a period of 5 weeks during which the wound diameters were measured and recorded on a weekly basis. Data were analyzed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and ANOVA T- test. Results: Statistical analysis showed significant difference (p

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of some medicinal plants and systemic glucantime in a comparative manner against the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis both in vitro and in BALB/c mice. Methods: For in vivo testing, inbred mice were challenged with Leishmania major parasites and the resultant ulcers were treated with extract based-ointments applied topically two times per day for a period of 20 days. A group of 56 mice were randomly divided into 7 subgroups. The control group received the ointment void of extracts, whereas the reference group received glucantime only. The efficacy of treatments was evaluated by measuring ulcer diameter, parasite burden and NO production. Results: Our results indicated that plant extract based-ointments were effective in reducing ulcer size and parasite burden in spleens, but their effects did not differ significantly from that of glucantime. The plant extracts tested in this study were able to increase NO production that helped parasite suppression. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the tested plant extracts are effective against Leishmania major both during in vitro and in vivo experiments, but further researches are required to recommend a potential plant extract as an alternative drug.

Leishmaniasis is a growing health challenge in many parts of Iran, including Kerman Province. Investigating vector ecology and parasite-harboring capacity is prerequisite to the disease control measures. This study included six provincial sites namely Bam (Bm), Dehbakri (Di), Jiroft (Jt), Mohammad-Abad (Md), Rostam-Abad (Rd) and Darb-e-Behesht (Dt) where sand flies were trapped. The specimens were then identified before being exposed to DNA extraction. PCR-RFLP was used to detect leishmanial infection rates and feeding preference of vectors. Diversity indices indicated that the highest effective numbers of species was in plain sites, whereas, the highest expected numbers of species was in mountainous sites. P. papatasi and P. sergenti showed similar feeding preferences to both human and animal bloods. P. papatasi from indoor catches was found infected with Leishmania major at a 2% rate. The ITS1 gene sequences of isolated parasites were >99% similar to related GenBank haplotypes. Bam and Rostam-Abad remain active foci of both types of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Md and Di are prone to visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Jt is not at risk of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) due to absence of P. sergenti. Sand flies are absent in Dt, probably because of high elevation and cold climate. In conclusion, patterns of climate and ecosystem changes and vector-host-reservoirs interactions must be carefully scrutinized if leishmaniasis is to be controlled in the stricken sites.

Background: Among viral enzymes, the human HIV-1 protease comprises the most interesting target for drug discovery. There are increasing efforts focused on designing more effective inhibitors for HIV-1 protease in order to prevent viral replication in AIDS patients. The frequent and continuous mutation of HIV-1 protease gene creates a formidable obstacle for enzyme inhibition which could not be overcome by the traditional single drug therapy. Nowadays, in vitro and in silico studies of protease inhibition constitute an advanced field in biological researches. In this article, we tried to simulate protease-substrate complexes in different states; a native state and states with whiskers deleted from one and two subunits. Molecular dynamic simulations were carried out in a cubic box filled with explicit water at 37°C and in 1atomsphere of pressure. Results: Our results showed that whisker truncation of protease subunits causes the dimer structure to decrease in compactness, disrupts substrate-binding site interactions and changes in flap status simultaneously. Conclusions: Based on our findings we claim that whisker truncation even when applied to a single subunit, threats dimer association which probably leads to enzyme inactivation. We may postulate that inserting a gene to express truncated protease inside infected cells can interfere with protease dimerization. The resulted proteases would presumably have a combination of native and truncated subunits in their structures which exert no enzyme activities as evidenced by the present work. Our finding may create a new field of research in HIV gene therapy for protease inhibition, circumventing problems of drug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]