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Introduction: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the metacestode of Echinococcus granulosus. CE is a health problem in Middle Eastern countries, such as Iran. The purpose of this study was to purify subunit 8 KDa antigen B from crude sheep hydatid cyst fluid (HCF) and compare its sensitivity and specificity with a commercial human ELISA kit (PT-Hydatid-96)., Methods: 28 sera samples were collected from hydatid cyst patients who had surgery for a hydatid cyst and had their disease confirmed by pathology after the surgery. Furthermore, 35 samples of healthy individuals with no history of hydatid cysts were collected, as were nine serum samples from parasite-infected non-CE patients. HCF was obtained from sheep fertile cysts at a Sari slaughterhouse and used as an antigen. In an indirect ELISA test, the B antigen was employed, and the results were compared to those from a commercial ELISA kit., Results: The results of this study were analyzed using the Kappa test. The commercial ELISA kit showed 17 cases (23.6%) positive, 44 cases (61.1%) negative, and 11 cases (15.3%) borderline. B antigen showed that 18 (25%), 43 (59.7 %), and 11 (15.3%) were positive, negative, and borderline, respectively. One sample (1.4% of 72 total samples) of 35 serum samples from healthy individuals was positive using B antigen-based ELISA. In addition, all nine serum samples from parasite-infected non-CE patients were negative for both tests. The sensitivity and specificity of the commercial ELISA kit have been evaluated at 60.7% and 100%, respectively. For B antigenbased ELISA, these values are 64.3 and 97.7%, respectively., Conclusion: Antigen B produced from hydatid cyst fluid is a promising option for serological identification of hydatid cysts in both infected and healthy individuals. In an indirect ELISA test, hydatid fluid antigen could be used as a precise source of detection., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Cystic echinococcosis and toxoplasmosis are two human parasitic diseases. Butchers and slaughterhouse workers are in close contact with body fluids and tissues of ruminants. To investigate the prevalence of Toxoplasma and Echinococcus IgG antibodies in slaughterhouse workers in Northeast of Iran, Mashhad, 2016. This cross-sectional study was performed on all personnel working at the largest industrial slaughterhouse of Khorasan Province. Serum samples were taken and kept frozen until used. IgG against Echinococcus and Toxoplasma were quantified using commercial ELISA kits. A questionnaire addressing possible risk factors of infection acquisition was filled by participants. Out of 91 male participants, 58.2% were positive for toxoplasmosis, 5.5% were positive for cystic echinococcosis and 3.3% were positive for both. Except using gloves, and gown and boots, other personal protective equipment (PPE) were not completely used by all personnel; mask 38%, tool disinfectants: 12%, face and hand disinfection: 14.3%. There was a high risk of Toxoplasma in slaughterhouse workers, however, such finding was not observed in Echinococcus parasite. Importance of PPE and tool disinfectants to reduce the risk of zoonotic infections in the workplace should be emphasised.

Background: Echinococcus granulosus is a cestode whose larval stage causes cystic echinococcosis in wild animals, livestock, and human., Objective: The aim of this study is to highlight the seroepidemiology of E. granulosus infection and surgical cases in the general population of Khorram Abad district, southwest of Iran., Materials and Methods: Anti-E. granulosus antibodies were tested in 617 inhabitants in Khorram Abad by enzyme-linked immunoassay and antigen B. The surgical cases of cystic echinococcosis were investigated in Shohaday-e-Ashayer Hospital of Khorram Abad (as a referral center) from 2007 to 2011., Results: In total, 95 (15.4%) of the 617 participants (mean age 39.6 ± 17.6 years) had anti-E. granulosus antibodies. Prevalence of infection was more in males (60%) than females (40%), and showed statistical significance (P < 0.001). High-titer antibodies were most prevalent among the subjects aged 20-29 years. There was significant association between the presence of Echinococcus antibodies and the sector of residence, education of volunteers, and occupation (P < 0.05). According to hospital records, 58 cystic echinococcosis cases were referred to the hospital during the 5 years. Among the cases, 28 (48.3%) were men and 30 (51.7%) were women. They were between 4 and 74 years of age (36.6 ± 18.9 years). The liver was the organ where most of the hydatid cysts (51.7%) were located, followed by lungs (20.7%)., Conclusion: This is the first report of the seroprevalence and contributing factors for E. granulosus infection in the general population in Khorram Abad. The findings confirm the importance of diagnosing human cystic echinococcosis in these regions, given the prevalence rates of surgical cases during the last 5 years, and need further evaluation of the risk factors present.

We investigated the prevalence of human CE among nomadic communities in 4 areas of Khuzestan province: Behbahan, Shoush, Masjed Soleiman and Izeh. Blood samples from 3446 individuals from 700 randomly selected families were examined for detection of antibody against Echinococcus granuIosus. Family members were interviewed to assess possible risk factors for infection such as age, sex, dog ownership. The prevalence of CE was 13.8%: 1.9% in Behbahan, 12.4% in Shoush, 17.3% in Masjed Soleiman and 18.2% in Izeh. These differences were statistically significant. There was no significant association between CE seropositivity and age, sex and dog ownership.