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Background: We aimed to investigate the genotypes of Giardia intestinalis among the food handlers in Qazvin, Iran. Methods: Overall, 1530 stool specimens were collected from the food handlers who visited Shahid Bolandian Health Center, Qazvin, Iran during 2016. Specimens were evaluated by microscopic and concentration methods. Twenty specimens with appropriate number of giardia cysts were selected followed by DNA extraction. Determination of giardia genotypes was achieved through PCR and sequencing the glutamate dehydrogenase gene. The phylogenetic tree was drawn using the MEGA7 software. Finally, the data were analyzed statistically with a P-value<0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Twenty stool samples (1.3%) were positive for Giardia cyst. All positive specimens were obtained from male participants with abdominal cramp being their most common symptoms. The mean age for infected individuals was 32 yr. Molecular characterization was successfully performed for 17 isolates and two genotypes A (AII, 65%) and B (BIII, 35%) were identified. Conclusion: The most prevalent giardia genotypes among the food handlers in Qazvin were A (AII) and B (BIII) genotypes with A (AII) genotype as the dominant one in the region. Considering the direct association between the food handlers and public health as well as the impact of geographical and host conditions on dispersion and pathogenicity of various genotypes and their zoonotic aspects, further investigations are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intestinal parasites are one of the health challenges in developing countries. Decreasing the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) is one of the main aims of health services in these countries. This study was designed to determine the current status of IPIs in rural residents of Takestan a town located in North West of Iran. Methods: A total of 2280 rural residents of Takestan were randomly selected. Data were collected through questionnaire by interviews and laboratory findings obtained by microscopic examination of stool sample including wet smear and formalin ethyl-acetate concentration. A P <0.05 was considered significant, statistically. Results: In total, 8.7% (199/2280) of participants were positive for at least one intestinal parasite. The prevalence of polyparasitism was 0.7% in study population. Hymenolepis nana was the only helminthic infection which was detected (1/2280). Blastocystis, Entamoeba coli, and Giardia lamblia were the most common IPIs with prevalence of 3.6%, 2.9%, and 1.6%, respectively. Statistically, the prevalence of IPIs showed significant differences among villages (P<0.01) and age groups (P<0.001), and also habit of eating raw vegetables (P<0.005), whereas, the difference was insignificant in terms of sex, education level, and occupation. Conclusion: The prevalence of IPIs in rural residents of the study area is considerably low and this reduction was very impressive about helminthic infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is the most common parasite causing latent cerebral infections in human. It has been shown that some anti-psychotic drugs are able to inhibit the proliferation of the parasite in in vitro study. There is very limited data regarding the inhibitory effect of anti-psychotics on Toxoplasma in in vivo. In this study, we evaluated anti-Toxoplasma activity of fluphenazine and thioridazine drugs on T. gondii in mice. Methods: Mice were divided into six groups: Control, sesame as vehicle, thioridazine 10 mg/kg, thioridazine 20 mg/kg, fluphenazine 0.06 mg/kg and fluphenazine 0.6 mg/kg. They were inoculated intraperitoneally with brain suspension containing tissue cysts of T. gondii Tehran strain. Two months after inoculation, the number of cysts in crushed smears of mice brain were counted microscopically and considered as an indicator of anti-Toxoplasma activity. This work has conducted in Qazvin, central Iran, 2014. Results: Our study showed that fluphenazine and thioridazine could not significantly inhibit the brain cystogenesis of T. gondii in mice. However, the number of brain cysts was less at higher dose compared to lower doses for both drugs. Conclusion: Further studies need to clear the mechanism of different structure of anti-psychotic drugs on activity of Toxoplasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Toxoplasma specific IgM antibodies; the common serologic marker in diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis has its own limitations. Confirmatory testing with other markers, introduced as a complementary tool in distinguish acute and chronic infections is unusual in Iran. In the present study, we investigated the correlation between the results of IgM ELISA, IgA ELISA, and IgG avidity tests in the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis to demonstrate the necessity of confirmatory testing in serodiagnosis of infection in the country. Methods: A total of 107 positive Toxoplasma IgG and IgM sera were obtained from patients referred to private laboratories and stored at -20 °C for futures use. Serologic tests were set up in duplicate to analyze the serum levels of IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgG avidity antibodies using commercial ELISA kits. The results were presented as semi quantitative for IgG, IgM and IgA ELISA, and Relative Avidity Index in percentage for IgG avidity test. Pearson's correlation coefficient (rp) was applied to analyze the data. Results: Of 107 serum samples, T. gondii specific IgM and IgA antibodies were positive in 67.3% and 53.3%, respectively. Besides, 29.9% of the sera displayed low avidity for IgG antibodies. The rp was - 0.572 (P<0.01) between the IgG avidity and IgM ELISA, - 0.364 between the IgG avidity and IgA ELISA (P<0.01), and 0.564 between the IgM and IgA ELISA (P<0.01). Conclusion: The study strongly highlights the necessity of confirmatory testing in differential diagnosis of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cystic hydatid disease (CHD) is one of the most important zoonotic diseases in different parts of Iran. While it causes major health problem, there is limited information about its transmission cycles and reservoirs of human infection. Therefore we aimed to characterize the existence Echinococcus granulosus cysts in humans and animals in the province of Isfahan, central region of Iran. We collected hydatid cysts from the liver and lungs of patients who underwent surgery procedure and also cysts were obtained from domestic animals at slaughterhouses. DNA was extracted from the protoscoleces and examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of rDNA internal transcribed spacer1 (ITS1-PCR) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). In addition, fragments of the genes coding for mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) and NADH dehydrogenase 1 (ND1) were sequenced. Among the two different identified strains/genotypes (sheep and camel), the sheep strain was shown to be the most common genotype of E. granulosus affecting humans, sheep, cattle, goats and occasionally camels. Nine out of 26 camel samples were infected with sheep strain. However the camel genotype was observed in humans, camels and cattle. Seventeen out of 26 camel isolates, 6 out of 31 human and 5 out of 14 cattle samples were infected with the camel genotype. The camel genotypes had PCR and RFLP patterns which were different from the PCR and RFLP patterns of the rest of isolates (sheep strain). The results of this study showed that the ‘camel’ strain was actual source of infection to humans which circulates between intermediate hosts including camels and cattle, and it confirms the camel–dog transmission cycle in Isfahan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hydatidiosis is a serious parasitic disease in humans and livestock, worldwide. Echinococcus granulosus shows notable genetic variation among intermediate hosts. Several genotypes of the worm have been reported from different parts of Iran, but no information on the parasite genotypes status in the study region is available. The current study investigated the presence of different genotypes of E. granulosus in the livestock of Qazvin, Iran, by sequencing the mitochondrial Cox1 genes., Methodology: One hundred twenty E. granulosus isolates, including 30 from goats, 40 from cattle and 50 from sheep, were collected from the slaughterhouses in Qazvin province. Mitochondrial Cox1 gene region was amplified by PCR and 30 isolates were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis was performed by using the MEGA 7.0 software. Morphological analysis was performed on rostellar hook length of protoscoleces., Results: All isolates were identified as E. granulosus sensu stricto (G1-G3 complex) among 17% of the isolates clarified as G3 genotypes. G1 was the predominant genotype among the specimens. No significant difference between the rostellar hooks measurements of different genotypes was observed., Conclusion: Our findings confirmed the presence of E. granulosus sensu stricto in the region, although further studies are required to determine the haplotype diversity of E. granulosus using different mitochondrial and nuclear genes., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Introduction: Fascioliasis and dicrocoeliasis are the most frequent zoonotic diseases with increasing human health problems in different parts of Iran. Two species, Fasciola hepatica (F. hepatica) and Fasciola gigantica (F. gigantica), are spread in the country. Molecular approaches have a decisive role in identifying both the species. The aim of this study was to detect Fasciola spp. and Dicrocoelium spp. by amplifying the ITS-2 and 28S rDNA gene sequence., Methods: Overall, 30 infected liver samples were collected from the livestock of Qazvin, Iran. The adult flukes were collected from different livestock. DNA extraction and PCR amplification of ribosomal RNA gene region (ITS2) and 28S rDNA gene fragment were conducted and a phylogenetic tree was constructed., Result: All the isolates obtained from the cattle (No: 7) and 82.6% (No: 19) of sheep isolates were infected with F. hepatica species, whereas 17.4% (No: 4) of sheep isolates were infected with F. gigantica. It was also shown that F. hepatica was the predominant species of Fasciola present in the region. All the specimens were infected with Dicrocoelium dendriticum (D. dendriticum)., Conclusion: Both the species of Fasciola were found in Qazvin. D. dendriticum was the sole infecting species of the Dicrocoelium genus in the livestock of the city of Qazvin. Further research studies are needed to determine the intermediate host of the parasites in the region., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Introduction: Hymenolepis nana is a zoonotic tapeworm with widespread distribution. The goal of the present study was to identify the parasite in the specimens collected from NorthWestern regions of Iran using PCR-sequencing method., Methods: A total of 1521 stool samples were collected from the study individuals. Initially, the identification of hymenolepis nana was confirmed by parasitological method including direct wet-mount and formalin-ethyl acetate concentration methods. Afterward, PCR-sequencing analysis of ribosomal ITS2 fragment was targeted to investigate the molecular identification of the parasite., Results: Overall, 0.65% (10/1521) of the isolates were contaminated with H. nana in formalin-ethyl acetate concentration. All ten isolates were succefully amplified by PCR and further sequenced. The determined sequences were deposited in GenBank under the accession numbers MH337810 -MH337819., Conclusion: Our results clarified the presence of H. nana among the patients in the study areas. In addition, the molecular technique could be accessible when the human eggs are the only sources available to identify and diagnose the parasite.

Background: Human resource in health system especially in developing countries has main role in health promotion. Therefore their satisfaction and motivation are the key points in developing health system., Objective: To determine the motivation and satisfaction of general physicians (GP) towards their career., Methods: Using random sampling, 150 physicians were selected from comprehension commercial database list. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire that consisted of three sections; first demographic data, second work satisfaction and third questions toward biologic, dependent and growth motivation. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 with P&lt;0.05., Results: From participants 64.7% of physicians were in age between 30-40 years and 27.3% were men. Only 5.3% of physicians who were employed for over 10 years were satisfied from their career. Satisfaction of career among female and male physicians was 8% and 24% respectively. The item of job safety sensation in biologic motivation had maximum scale (4.1±0.89). In dependent and growth motivations, value success sensation in job (4+-0.88) and make new skills and knowledge (4+-0.67) had maximum scale of mean. Relation of growth motivators with age (P&lt;0.01), postgraduate duration (P&lt;0.005) was significant. Dependent motivators had significant relation with age (P&lt;0.04), postgraduate duration (P&lt;0.01) and employment duration (P&lt;0.002). Biological motivators had significant relation with sex (P&lt;0.4) and satisfaction of work hours (P&lt;0.007). Correlation of biological (r=0.44, P&lt;0.001) and growth (r=0.7, P&lt;0.001) motivators was significant., Conclusion: Growth motivators score had higher ranking than other motivators. However, biological motivators especially job security and finance were also important and must be noticed from decision makers.

We conducted a study to determine the extent of parasitic contamination of raw vegetables distributed by wholesalers in villages of Qazvin Province, Iran. Vegetables collected for the study were leek, parsley, lettuce, coriander, radish, spring onion, tarragon, basil, spearmint, and cress. Samples of each vegetable were collected at monthly intervals for 6 months from May to October 2008, yielding a total of 654 samples. Samples of each vegetable collected at each monthly interval were selected randomly and allocated to be washed or to remain unwashed before being analyzed for parasitic contamination. Of the 654 samples collected over the study period, 218 samples were analyzed for parasitic contamination without washing and 436 were washed before being analyzed, with the wash procedure consisting of submersion in a solution of 200 ppm of calcium hypochlorite and rinsing in an automated vegetable washer for 10 minutes. The samples were analyzed according to the method used by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for identifying parasitic contamination of raw fruits and vegetables, with specimens weighing 200 g each being prepared from the vegetable samples, followed by sonication of each specimen for 10 minutes in 1.5 L of detergent wash solution, collection and centrifugation of a 50-mL aliquot of the wash solution for 15 minutes at 1500 g, and examination of the resulting sediment for parasites by light microscopy. No parasitic contamination was found on any of the 436 washed samples of vegetables. Of the 218 unwashed samples of vegetables, 82 (37.6%) were found to be contaminated with parasites, of which 69 (31.6%) were contaminated with metazoa (helminth eggs in 9.6% and rhabditoid larvae in 22.0%), and 13 (6.0%) were contaminated with protozoa (Entamoeba coli cysts in 2.8%, Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar cysts in 1.4%, and Giardia lamblia cysts in 1.8%). The difference in parasitic contamination of the washed and unwashed groups of vegetables was significant at p < 0.05. Helminth eggs detected in unwashed samples included those of nematodes (Ascaris lumbricoides [2.3%], Trichuris trichiura [0.9%], and Trichostrongylus spp. [2.8%]), trematodes (Dicrocoelium dendriticum [1.4%]), and cestodes (Taenia spp. [1.8%] and Hymenolepis nana [0.5%]). The eggs recovered in greatest number were those of nematodes (n = 13), followed by those of cestodes (n = 5) and trematodes (n = 3). No helminth eggs were found on unwashed samples of spearmint, tarragon, coriander, or radish. The percent parasitic contamination of unwashed samples was highest for leek (66.7%) and lowest for radish (20.7%). The highest percent parasitic contamination was with rhabditoid larvae (22.0%) and the lowest with H. nana eggs (0.5%). These findings emphasize the importance of properly washing and disinfecting raw vegetables before they are consumed.