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Cryptosporidium species are enteric apicomplexan parasites associated with diarrhoeal disease in humans and animals globally. Waterborne outbreaks resulting from contamination with the infective oocysts are common worldwide. Updated reports on waterborne protozoal infections are needed to identify emerging pathogens and susceptible populations. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the current profile of Cryptosporidium contamination of various water sources in Sharqia Governorate, Northeastern Egypt. For this purpose, eighty samples were collected from five different water types (canal, tap, tank, filtered, and groundwater), distributed in four major cities (El-Hessenia, Fakous, Zagazig, and Belbies) in Sharqia Governorate. All water samples were examined using conventional microscopy, ELISA, and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) techniques. Based on microscopic analysis, the Cryptosporidium protozoan was identified in 25% of the tested water samples. The RT-PCR assay has allowed for the quantification of Cryptosporidium oocysts in different types of water. Canal water exhibited the highest Cryptosporidium contamination levels (mean = 85.15 oocysts/L), followed by water tanks (mean = 12.031 oocysts/L). The study also provided a comparative evaluation of ELISA and RT-PCR for the diagnosis of Cryptosporidium infection. RT-PCR performed better than ELISA in terms of analytical accuracy (97.50% vs. 86.25%) and specificity (100% vs. 83.33%). However, ELISA showed a higher sensitivity (95.00% vs. 90.00%) for Cryptosporidium recovery. Our findings could serve as a platform for further investigations into the potential risks associated with water contamination in Sharqia Governorate., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12639-024-01675-1., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (© Indian Society for Parasitology 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Toxoplasmosis is one of the widest spread parasitic infections which is caused by Toxoplasma gondii protozoon. Many experimental studies have evaluated the effect of aminoguanidine upon parasitic load and inflammatory process. However, few reports have illustrated the impact of combining aminoguanidine with spiramycin in the treatment of toxoplasmosis. Therefore, our study aimed to explore the possible effects of spiramycin used alone and combined with aminoguanidine against the avirulent (ME49) Toxoplasma gondii strain in experimental toxoplasmosis. Fifty-five Swiss albino mice were included in the study and were divided into five groups: (GI): non-infected control group; (GII): infected untreated control group; (GIII): infected- spiramycin treated group; (GIV): infected-aminoguanidine treated group; (GV): infected and received combination of spiramycin and aminoguanidine. Obtained results exhibited a significant increase in brain cysts numbers in aminoguanidine treated groups compared to infected untreated control groups. Histopathological studies denoted that combination between spiramycin and aminoguanidine improved the pathological features only in liver and heart tissues of the studied groups. Moreover, it was noticed that spiramycin administered alone had no effect on nitric oxide expression, whereas its combination with aminoguanidine had an inhibitory effect on inducible nitric oxide synthase enzyme in brain, liver and heart tissues of different study groups. In conclusion, the combination of spiramycin and aminoguanidine significantly reduced the parasitic burden, yet, it failed to resolve the pathological sequels in brain tissues of Toxoplasma gondii infected mice., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors report no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this manuscript., (© Indian Society for Parasitology 2021.)

We describe a Libyan boy with an unusual phenotype of multiple congenital anomalies, including triophthalmia, dolichocephaly, porencephaly, cleft lip/palate, facial asymmetry, micrognathia, and VSD. The reported phenotype is likely to represent a new entity of non-chromosomal syndromic triophthalmia. Other possibilities are discussed.

Clinico-radiological assessment of three mentally retarded members of a large Bedouin kindred showed lissencephaly, spastic paraparesis, myoclonic epilepsy and cerebellar hypoplasia. It seems that the familial association of lissencephaly/myoclonic epilepsy/cerebellar hypoplasia represents a new entity.

A male Bedouin baby with the clinical profile of femoral hypoplasia-unusual facies syndrome is described. The phenotype includes bilateral asymmetrical lower limb hypoplasia/aplasia with short remnants of both femora, absent right tibia, bifid right big toe, dysmorphic facies, thoracic/pelvic abnormalities, macrophallus, and bilateral cryptorchidism. This report re-emphasises the previously described rare association of femoral hypoplasia-unusual facies syndrome with preaxial polydactyly and suggests that the clinical spectrum of the syndrome could be stretched further to accommodate other unusual traits, for example, macrophallus and absent tibia.

A Somali female baby with right upper limb triplication, polythelia, left sided hemihypertrophy, congenital hip dislocation, facial dysmorphism, congenital heart disease, and scoliosis is described. It seems that the above described pattern of anomalies has not been reported before. The possible developmental genetic mechanism responsible for this phenotype is briefly discussed.

In this preliminary report we summarize the results of a 4-year multidisciplinary systematic, etiological clinicogenetic survey of 400 institutionalized mentally retarded patients in Kuwait. All had an intelligence quotient below 50. A constitutional disorder, as the direct cause of the mental retardation, was found in 203 patients (50.75%)): a chromosomal abnormality in 37 (9.25%), Mendelian disorders in 137 (34.25%), MCA/MR in 22 (5.55%) and CNS malformations in 7 cases (1.75%). In 157 patients (39.35%) a pre-, peri or postnatal cause was ascertained. No etiological diagnosis was detected in 40 patients (10%). A detailed analysis of the "disease profile" is given and compared with the results of previous diagnostic genetic surveys among different institutionalized mentally retarded populations in Western and developing countries.

A Bedouin infant born to consanguineous parents and grandparents is reported. She had Müllerian aplasia and the phenotypic features of the limb/pelvis-hypoplasia/aplasia syndrome (MIM 276820). Phenotypic variability of this newly recognised syndrome is briefly discussed.

Two male Arab sibs are reported with congenital heart disease and skeletal malformations. Other published case reports sharing some features in common with these brothers are considered. However, clinical and radiological features in these boys are distinct enough to represent a new cardioskeletal syndrome.

Five Bedouin sibs are described with Meckel-Gruber syndrome (MGS), an autosomal recessive disorder with multiple abnormalities. Each affected sib manifested only two of the three cardinal signs of MGS: occipital encephalocele and polycystic kidneys, lacking polydactyly. The phenotypic variability of the MGS pleiotropic gene is briefly discussed.

An Arab girl with macrosomia, severe microphthalmia and early infant death is reported. Four other sibs were similarly affected; three of them had median cleft palate. All five sibs showed respiratory infections in early life and died either unexpectedly or because of a documented overwhelming infection. Parental consanguinity and affected sibs of both sexes strongly suggest autosomal recessive inheritance in this apparently new syndrome.

A child with a de novo interstitial deletion, 46,XX,del(2)(q31q33), is described. Clinical features included psychomotor retardation, hypotonia, microcephaly, hypertelorism, downward slanting palpebral fissures, macrostomia, cleft palate, micrognathia, abnormal ears, overlapping fingers, simian creases, and rocker bottom feet.

We report two siblings who had jejunal atresia which we believe to be familial. The parents of these siblings were first cousins. The first child had jejunal atresia with mesenteric agenesis and 'apple-peel' configuration; the second child had jejunal atresia with a V-shaped mesenteric defect. Other reported cases of familial atresia of the small intestine are reviewed.

Two siblings born to consanguineous Bedouin parents and grandparents are reported with the phenotypic features of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), type VI. In addition, the affected individuals have a polyneuropathy as confirmed by nerve conduction velocity, electromyographic and muscle biopsy studies. We propose that this clinical combination represents a distinct type of EDS.

A case of mixed (asymmetric) gonadal dysgenesis is reported in a girl with ambiguous external genitalia, a right intra-abdominal testis, a left streak gonad containing follicle-like structures devoid of oocytes and bilateral Mullerian derivatives. Buccal smear cells were X-chromatin negative and a Y-chromatin body was present in 31% of cells. Cytogenetic studies in peripheral blood leucocyte cultures showed sex chromosome mosaicism with cell lines including structural abnormalities of the Y chromosome in 36% of the cells: 45,X/46,XY/46,X + i(Yp)/46,X, + Yq-/47,XYY/47,XY + Yq-.

In the Arab population of Kuwait of approximately 1.3 million, 26 cases in 15 families were ascertained to have Bardet-Biedl syndrome (20 cases in 13 families) or Laurence-Moon syndrome (6 cases in 2 families). The apparently increased frequency of these interrelated autosomal recessive syndromes in Arabs is discussed in view of the high consanguinity rate and large family size.

A stratified representative sample size of 5,007 Kuwaiti females aged 15 years and above was drawn during 1983 and structurally interviewed to study the influence of consanguineous marriages (up to the second cousin) on reproductive wastage. Losses comprised prenatal deaths (abortions and stillbirths) and neonatal deaths (up to the first month of life). The rate of consanguineous mating in the sample was 54.3% with 95% confidence limits estimated rate 52.9% to 55.7% when projected over the whole Kuwaiti population. First cousin marriages accounted for 30.2% of the sample followed by 22.1% less than first cousin (first cousin once removed and second cousins) and 2% only double first cousin. The study showed higher prenatal and neonatal losses among consanguineous (14.2%, 2.97%) than nonconsanguineous (13.97%, 2.54%) although not statistically significant. No consistent increase in reproductive wastage was evident as the inbreeding coefficient, F, advances mainly because of decline in the wastage rate among the double first cousin marriages which represents only 2% of our sample.

We present an Arab family with some features of Kniest disease. The proband was a six year old boy with rhizomelic short limbed dwarfism, 'dish-like' facies, cleft palate, deafness, and camptodactyly. Most radiological changes were compatible with Kniest disease. Two younger sibs, similarly affected, had died at a few months old, and the pedigree shows strong evidence of autosomal recessive inheritance, unlike previously reported cases of Kniest disease which have shown autosomal dominant inheritance.

A 13 year old female presented with ambiguous external genitalia, right inguinal ovotestis, left ovary, apparently normal Mullerian system, and absent Wolffian system. Cultured lymphocytes showed a 46,XX/46,XY karyotype. Histopathology of the gonads confirmed true hermaphroditism. The presence of two genetically different erythrocyte populations was observed. The findings suggested that the patient is a true hermaphrodite dispermic chimera.

We report an Arab sibship of two brothers with non-syndromic, congenital diaphragmatic defects (CDD). The first had an extensive, left, Bochdalek-type hernia and the second hemidiaphragmatic agenesis; these were verified by surgical exploration and necropsy respectively. The parents are healthy second cousins. Other reported discordant cases of CDD are briefly reviewed.

A total of 5,007 Kuwaitis were ascertained to study the incidence of consanguineous marriages during 1983. The rate of consanguineous mating was found to be 54.3% with estimated population incidence rates 52.9 to 55.7%. First cousin marriages were the most frequent type. The average inbreeding coefficient was 0.0219 which could be considered high.

A newly recognised profound limb deficiency malformation syndrome in two Arab sibs of different sexes with consanguineous parents is described. Additional features, which include thoracic dystrophy, unusual facies, and normal intelligence, are consistent in both of them. Autosomal recessive inheritance is suggested.

We report an Arab sibship of two brothers with apple peel jejunal atresia. The parents are consanguineous. Other reported familial cases are briefly reviewed.

A five year old boy is reported with hypoplastic, bowed tibiae and postaxial polysyndactyly. Sixteen relatives of both sexes in four generations either have bilateral syndactyly or postaxial polydactyly or both. The nature of the condition and the possible mode of inheritance are discussed.