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Background: Canids are definitive hosts of Echinococcus multilocularis and Echinococcus granulosus. This study aimed to survey these two Echinococcus species in canids of North-Khorasan Province, northeastern Iran, using morphological criteria and genetic characterization of mitochondrial DNA. Methods: The carcasses of 106 canids, namely 61 jackals (Canis aureus), 23 foxes (Vulpes vulpes), 19 dogs (Canis familiaris) and three wolves (Canis lupus) were collected from the study area in 2013–2014 and examined for Echinococcus species. Morphological features were assessed by microscopy of adult worms. For molecular characterization, DNA was extracted, mostly from the adult worms but also from eggs. DNA fragments of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) mitochondrial genes were amplified and sequenced. Sequences were aligned and compared with reference sequences. Intraspecific and interspecific diversity were calculated and phylogenetic analysis was performed. Results: Overall, 9.4% of the canids (eight jackals and two foxes) were found infected with E. multilocularis by molecular methods, of which seven cases were also confirmed using morphological description of the adult worms. Echinococcus granulosus was found in 6.6% of the canines (four dogs, two jackals and one wolf) as determined by both molecular methods and adult cestode morphology. All E. granulosus isolates were identified as the G1 genotype. Comparative sequence analysis indicated 0–0.7% and 0% intraspecific divergence within E. granulosus isolates and 0% and 0–0.2% within E. multilocularis isolates for cox1 and nad1, respectively. Conclusions: This study revealed the presence of E. multilocularis and E. granulosus in canids of North-Khorasan Province of Iran. Jackals were found infected with both E. multilocularis and E. granulosus, but infection with the former species was higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polycephalic larva of Taeniidae family isolated from abdominal cavity of a great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus) from Golestan province, northern Iran, was subjected to molecular analysis. Genomic DNA from the larva was obtained using a DNA extraction tissue kit. Polymerase chain reaction was performed for amplification of the partial 12S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1) mitochondrial genes. BLAST analysis of DNA sequencing indicated 99.00% homology in 12S rRNA and cox1 genes and 98.00% homology in nad1 gene with Hydatigera krepkogorski (accession No. AB731762). The sequences of current isolate were deposited in GenBank by accession Nos. MF281971, MF281972 and MF281973 for 12 SrRNA, cox1 and nad1 genes, respectively. This study was the first report of molecular characterization of H. krepkogorski from Iran. Isolation and characterization of the adult stage from definitive host will help to better clarify incomplete life cycle and morphology data of this species in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a globally parasitic zoonosis caused by larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus. This study investigated E. granulosus genotypes isolated from livestock and humans in the Golestan province, northern Iran, southeast of the Caspian sea, using partial sequencing data of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1) mitochondrial genes. Seventy E. granulosus isolates were collected from animals in slaughterhouses: 18 isolates from sheep, 40 from cattle, nine from camels, two from buffaloes and one from a goat, along with four human isolates (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues) from CE patients of provincial hospitals. All isolates were successfully analysed by PCR amplification and sequencing. The sequence analysis found four E. granulosus genotypes among the 74 CE isolates: G1 (78.3%), G2 (2.7%), G3 (15%) and G6 (4%). The G1-G3 complex genotype was found in all of the sheep, goat, cattle and buffalo isolates. Among the nine camel isolates, the frequency of G1-G3 and G6 genotypes were 66.7% and 33.3%, respectively. All four human CE isolates belonged to E. granulosus sensu stricto. This study reports the first occurrence of the G2 genotype in cattle from Iran and confirms the previously reported G3 genotype in camels in the same country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study was aimed to investigate molecular diversity of Echinococcus granulosus isolates collected from human clinical samples using two mitochondrial genes cox1 and nad1 in Iran. Methods: Forty seven human hydatid cysts were collected through surgery from two hospitals in Tehran during 2010-2012. To determine the fertility of protoscoleces, the cyst fluids were subjected to morphological microscopic examinations. Protoscoleces were removed from each cyst and their total genomic DNAs were extracted. PCR was performed to amplify fragments of 450 and 400 base pair (bp) for cox1 and nad1 genes, respectively. Genotype diversity and sequence variation of the strains were studied by bioinformatics software and in comparison with those mtDNA sequences already deposited in GenBank. Results: Sixteen, (53.3%), 13 (43.3%), and 1 (3.3%) samples were related to lung, liver, and spleen, respectively. The remained 17 unfertile samples were excluded from the study. From the 29 isolates, 86.7% (n=26) and 10% (n=3) were related to G1, and G3 genotypes, respectively. The sole isolate with G6 genotype was obtained from lung sample. Analysis of concatenated sequences of cox1+nad1 indicated the presence of 11 haplotypes among our strains that were related to genotypes G1 (n=9), G3 (n=1) and G6 (n=1). Conclusion: In consistent to other reports from Iran, genotypes G1, G3, and G6 were observed in our human isolates. The rate of G3 genotype was however higher than other studies implying that human can be considered as a new appropriate host for G3 genotype. Further studies with more sample size from different geographic areas of Iran are needed for E. granulosus mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Taenia multiceps is a widely distributed zoonotic tapeworm of canids. The larval stage of the parasite (Coenurus) occurs in sheep, goat and cattle and has been rarely reported from humans. This study investigated genetic variability of two mitochondrial genes in 102 isolates of T. multiceps. Metacestodes were collected from brains and hearts of sheep in Tehran and Qom provinces of Iran. DNA of each isolate was extracted and used for PCR amplification of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (CO1) and 12S ribosomal DNA (12S rRNA) genes. All amplicons were sequenced and the sequence data were analyzed using NCBI Blast and BioEdit. Phylogenetic trees and pairwise calculations were obtained by using Mega5 software. In total 7 and 25 representative haplotypes were differentiated for CO1 and 12S rRNA genes, respectively. For CO1 sequences 11 segregation sites within 7 haplotypes were observed. For 12S rRNA sequences a total of 32 segregation sites were observed in 25 haplotypes. CO1 gene displayed lower diversity than 12S rRNA gene with an overall nucleotide variation of 3.0% for CO1 vs. 7.2% for 12S rRNA. Pairwise comparisons among 7 haplotypes in CO1 and 12S rRNA genes showed the level of nucleotide differences 0.3–2.5% and 0.2–4.0%, respectively. A high degree of genetic variation was found in the isolates of T. multiceps in Iran. Additional molecular studies are required on the parasite from other intermediate hosts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]