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Abstract: Plasmodium vivax is still the more prevalent human Plasmodium outside Africa and despite this fact, there is still a deep lack of knowledge on its biology. Metacaspases are cysteine proteases related to metazoan caspases, involved in programmed cell death. Here, we have characterized the P. vivax metacaspase 1 gene in a total of 63 vivax isolates, 32 isolates collected in southern Iran and 31 Italian imported isolates originating from 12 different endemic countries. We have firstly identified DNA size polymorphism in P. vivax metacaspase 1 gene. A total of four different allelic sizes were found, resulting from the insertion of 1 to 4 tandem repeat units located within the intronic region of the P. vivax metacaspase 1. Similarly, we also have identified four distinct allelic types by using vivax merozoite surface protein-1 size polymorphism analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The aim of this study was to characterize the Leishmania parasites isolated from cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) patients in Fars Province in Iran and to compare the potential infectivity of the isolates in macrophage cell line. Moreover, attempt was made to find out the association between parasite infectivity and their zymodems. Methods: Twenty samples were taken from the skin lesion of CL patients. The samples were cultured in biphasic media followed by mass cultivation in RPMI medium. Each isolate was tested for the activity of the 5 enzymes including glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), nucleoside hydrolase 1& 2 (NH1 & NH2), and phosphoglucomutase (PGM). The enzymatic profiles of the isolates were compared with WHO reference strains. Specific PCR (primers: LIN17 & LIN R4) and RAPD-PCR were used as complementary methods for characterization of the isolates. Results: Isoenzyme electrophoresis showed that all of the isolates were L. major. PCR with LIN17 and LIN R4 and RAPD-PCR with AB-07 primers further determined the isolates as L. major. Results of macrophage infectivity experiment, using J774 cell line, showed that the most virulent isolates were related to Z1 with 63% macrophage infectivity rate. A well correlation was found between the infectivity rate of the isolates and type of ulcer. Those isolates with high infectivity rate were involved in more severe, ulcerative or erythmatose lesions in CL patients. Conclusion: The most invasive isolates might be a good candidate for immunological studies and for vaccine development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Toxoplasma gondii is transmitted congenitally or acquired by consumption of food and water contaminated with cysts or oocysts. This study aimed at genotyping T. gondii strains from slaughtered goats in Jahrom., Methods: A total of 561 specimens (heart, diaphragm, and tongue) from 187 slaughtered goats were collected from Jahrom slaughterhouse. After DNA extraction, the T. gondii strains were genotyped by the nested PCR-RFLP based on GRA6 and 3', and 5' ends of the SAG2 gene., Results: T. gondii infection was present in 18.2% of cases. Among the examined organs, the diaphragm was more disposed to the infection (10.2%). Furthermore, infection rates of the heart and tongue were 8.6% and 3.7%, respectively. Concurrent infection in the heart and diaphragm, tongue and diaphragm, and heart and tongue were 3.2%, 0.5%, and 0.5%, respectively. In genotyping experiments, genotype I was the most frequent genotype of T. gondii (58.8%), followed by type II (23.5%), type III (11.8%), and a combination of type I and II (5.9%)., Conclusions: The results of this study showed the presence of different genotypes of T. gondii in goats including three major and mixed genotypes. These results can be useful in toxoplasmosis control and prevention., (© 2021. Witold Stefański Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences.)

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an intracellular protozoan that infects the fetus through the placenta and leads to severe complications in the fetus. One of the complications of congenital toxoplasmosis is spontaneous abortion. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis infection was investigated among spontaneously aborted fetuses (SAFs), and the genotypes of parasite isolates were determined in the present study. Placentas from 330 samples of SAFs were collected in Jahrom (Fars province) from February to September 2018. DNA was extracted from each placental tissue. The T. gondii infection was detected using nested polymerase chain reaction (Nested-PCR) assay based on a 529 bp repeat element (RE) gene. Afterward, Toxoplasma was genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) based on the GRA6 gene. The frequency of T. gondii infection was found to be 14.5% (48 out of 330 samples). Genotyping of nine T. gondii isolates revealed that all belonged to genotype II. Statistically, the prevalence of T. gondii infection was significantly correlated with the education levels of the mothers and the age of the fetus (P < 0.05). The lowest prevalence of Toxoplasma infection belonged to mothers with university education and the highest frequency of infection was observed among the fetuses in the age group of 8-9 weeks. The findings of the present study suggest a significant role for toxoplasmosis in SAFs in Jahrom city., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Acanthamoeba spp. is a free-living amoeba that can cause major infections in humans, including keratitis and granulomatous encephalitis. Thus, water resources play an important role in transmitting Acanthamoeba spp. infection to humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. in public swimming pools from three cities of Kerman Province, southeastern Iran. Eighty water samples of 20 public indoor swimming pools were taken from Kerman, Jiroft, and Kahnauj cities. Water temperature (°C), pH, and free chlorine concentration (ppm) were measured. Filtration and cultivation were applied on non-nutrient agar medium. The polymerase chain reaction was applied by using the genus-specific primers (JDP1 and JDP2) on positive samples; these primers can amplify the 423-551 bp fragment. Eighteen of the 20 swimming pools (including 32/80; 40% samples) were contaminated with Acanthamoeba spp. All swimming pools of Jiroft and Kahnauj and 88.2% of swimming pools in Kerman were contaminated. As such, all 32 Acanthamoeba isolates were amplified using the JDP primer pairs. Two genotypes, T3 and T4, were also identified. The present research is the first to report Acanthamoeba spp. in public swimming pools from Kerman Province. Due to high occurrence of this protozoan, it is recommended to use warning signs around swimming pools to create awareness of this infection.

Objective: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that is widely prevalent in most warm-blooded vertebrates. Humans mainly become infected by eating raw or undercooked meat. This study was designed to investigate the infection of cattle with T. gondii in Jahrom, southern Iran., Methods: Tissue samples consisting of heart, diaphragm, and tongue were collected from 125 slaughtered cattle. DNA samples were extracted from the homogenized tissues. T. gondii was detected and genotyped using nested-polymerase chain reaction (Nested-PCR) and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) based on GRA6 and SAG2 (3', 5' terminal regions) genes, respectively., Results: The prevalence of T. gondii DNA was 56% in cattle. The most infected tissue was the diaphragm (54.4%) followed by the heart (48.8%) and tongue (43.2%). Type II was the most prevalent genotype (70%) among T. gondii isolates., Conclusion: In this study, the high prevalence of T. gondii infection in cattle meat indicates the important role of cattle in the transmission of infection to humans. Therefore, incorporating the correct method of consuming meat in health education programs is crucial to prevent human infection., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)