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Background: Trichuris spp. (whipworms) are soil-transmitted helminths distributed worldwide, parasitizing several mammalian hosts such as ruminants, primates, and rodents. Trichuris spp. is one of the most common intestinal parasites affecting both humans and animals, and it can spread directly through the fecal-oral route, resulting in severe illness and financial loss. So, this work aims to detect the frequency of Trichuris spp. in camels in Beheira Governorate, Egypt, and to identify Trichuris spp. through morphometrical studies, molecular analysis, and phylogenetic analysis., Results: A total of 35 dromedaries out of 127 investigated had Trichuris spp. infection, meaning that the overall prevalence was 27.56%. The age of the camel affected the infection rate, older animals (> 5 years) having a higher prevalence of infection (24%) than animals of ages (< 3 years) (20%) than animals of ages (3-5 years) (19.14%). According to season: Trichuris spp. showed a unique pattern in camels in different seasons: summer (31.25%) > autumn (28.13%) > spring (25.8%) > winter (25%) indicating year-round infection. T. globulosa was identified morphometrically from camels in Beheira Governorate, Egypt. The BLAST analysis revealed the presence of T. globulosa isolate from camels using the Genbank database depending on nuclear small subunit ribosomal RNA (18s) and cytochrome b (Cytb) genes., Conclusion: A high prevalence of T. globulosa was found in camels in Beheira Governorate, Egypt. This is the first report to confirm the identification of T. globulosa from camel based on morphometrical studies and molecular and phylogenetic analysis in Egypt. More thorough studies on the incidence, molecular, and genetic analysis of Trichuris spp. in Egypt are required in addition to camel control programs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Pentatrichomonas hominis ( P. hominis ) is a large intestinal flagellated protozoan infecting humans. Little is known about the epidemiology of P.hominis in Egypt, its association with gastrointestinal symptoms and the co-infection with other parasites. Demographic and clinical data were collected from 180 school-aged children. Parasitological examination of fecal samples was done using direct wet mount, formalin ethyl-acetate, Kato-Katz and cultivation on Jones' medium to detect P. hominis and associated parasitic infection. The diagnosis of P. hominis was confirmed using Giemsa stain and scanning electron microscopy. The prevalence of P. hominis was 13.8% (25 out of 180 children). The prevalence of parasitic co-infection was significantly higher in P. hominis infected (84%, 21 participants) than in non-infected children (56%, 87 participants). The presence of abdominal pain and diarrhea in P. hominis infected children was higher than in non-infected children (84% and 32% vs. 76% and 18%), respectively. The difference was not statistically significant. This is the first report of P. hominis in Egypt. The significant association between P. hominis and other intestinal parasites need more investigations. Further studies are needed to understand the epidemiology and pathogenicity of P. hominis ., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (© Indian Society for Parasitology 2022.)

Tick infestation remains one of the major health problems that affect the productivity and comfort of camels. The control of ticks mainly relies on using chemical acaracides. Limited information is available on the potential benefits and activity of various neem extracts on Hyalomma ticks. The present study investigated the acaricidal activity of neem seed extracts at different concentrations against developmental stages of the camel tick Hyalomma dromedarii in comparison to Butox and diazinon. The acaricidal activity of three extracts, namely, hexane extract (HE), methyl chloride extract (MCE), and methanol extract (ME), of neem seeds ( Azadirachta indica ) were tested at varying concentrations of 5, 10, 15, and 20% on engorged H. dromedarii female ticks at days 1, 3, 5, 7, 12, 16, 20, 28, 37, and 43 after treatment (DPT). Interestingly, results of applying different neem seed extracts to engorged H. dromedarii female ticks showed that the most effective extract was hexane at concentration 20%, causing 100% mortality at 1st day post-application, while methanol extract at 20% and dichloromethane extract at 20% caused the death of all ticks at 28th day posttreatment as compared to Butox ® 5.0 and Diazinon-60, which resulted in mortality of all ticks at 3 and 5 DPT, respectively. In addition, no mortality was reported with the application of aqueous extract (AE), which served as the control group. Furthermore, the neem hexane extract exhibited high efficacy against reproductive performance of female ticks, whereas no fertility or oviposition was reported at all of their concentrations. Additionally, no hatchability occurred using all neem extracts, except the aqueous extract, which showing no effect. In the present study, larvae responded more rapidly to the plant extracts, whereas mortality of all larvae was recorded at 24 h after treatment with 5% hexane. Taken together, this study pointed out that the acaricidal effect of hexane extract of neem seeds was more effective and could be economically used for controlling H. dromedarii ticks., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Gareh, Hassan, Essa, Kotb, Karmi, Mohamed, Alkhaibari, Elbaz, Elhawary, Hassanen, Lokman, El-Gohary and Elmahallawy.)

Goats can be infected by multiple groups of external and internal parasites. Haemonchus spp. are among abomasal parasites that can result in higher mortality and several considerable economic losses in goats. Early detection of parasites and better understanding of the major risk factors associated with infection are among the main strategies for controlling the infection. Considering this, information on hemonchosis in goats from Egypt, and the contribution of goats in the maintenance of the epidemiological foci of the disease is limited. This study investigated the prevalence of Haemonchus species among 240 abomasum samples collected during postmortem examination of goat carcasses from Assiut Governorate, Egypt. Moreover, the association of the major risk factors to describe the epidemiological pattern of the disease was explored. This study demonstrated that 16.66% of abomasa samples harbored Haemonchus species. Additionally, age, sex, and sampling season were the most significant risk factors associated with infection. Following the variable factors under study, goats aged 1 year or older were at higher risk, with an infection rate of 22.14% (31 of 140), than those younger than 1 year (9%) [ p = 0.008; odds ratio (OR) = 2.87; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.30-6.35]. The infection rate was 25% (19 of 76) in males and 12.8% (21 of 164) in females [ p = 0.024; odds ratio (OR) = 2.26; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13-4.53]. Moreover, the exposure to infection was higher in summer (22.22%) than in winter (8.33%) ( p = 0.007; odds ratio (OR) = 0.318; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.139-0.725). More importantly, three species of the parasite- Haemonchus contortus, Haemonchus placei , and Haemonchus longistipes -were identified for the first time, and the confirmation of the identification and morphological characterization of the worms was performed using light microscopy and SEM. Collectively, this study reveals interesting epidemiological, morphological, and morphometric findings associated with the occurrence of hemonchosis among goats in Egypt. This study suggests further research for exploring the major circulating species of the parasite in Egypt, which is mandatory for controlling the disease., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Gareh, Elhawary, Tahoun, Ramez, EL-shewehy, Elbaz, Khalifa, Alsharif, Khalifa, Dyab, Monib, Arafa and Elmahallawy.)

Background: This study was performed to determine the prevalence and to identify precisely Toxocara spp., which infects feral cats in Alexandria, Egypt based on morphological and molecular approaches., Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 feral cats trapped from different areas of Alexandria during 2018. Adult male and female worms were recovered from small intestinal contents after euthanasia and dissection of cats. Distinct morphological features were initially determined using available keys, and then after amplification and sequencing of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 ( nad1 ) gene was carried out and phylogenetic trees were constructed., Results: Forty out of 100 cats were infected with Toxocara spp. Intensity of infection ranged from 1 to 9 worms/cat, with a mean of 2.27±1.6. All isolates were confirmed as T. cati based on morphological features and the sequence of nad1 gene. Results of the current study clearly show that Egyptian T. cati isolate examined herein is genetically similar to those recorded in other countries., Conclusion: The current work revealed high prevalence of T. cati in feral cats in the study area. This is the first genetic study that confirms T. cati from feral cats in Egypt. In addition, it demonstrated the suitability and need of genetic markers such as nad1 for identification of Toxocara spp. Furthermore highlights the public health importance of T. cati in Egypt., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. This study is a part of NMM requirements for Ph.D. in “Parasitology’., (Copyright © 2021 El-Seify et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Coccidiosis is the most important protozoan disease in broilers all over the world. Controlling of broilers coccidiosis via vaccination rather than chemicals is a new trend with promising results. Thus, the present work describes an evaluation of Eimeria tenella Lab-made vaccine of local Egyptian strain and its comparative efficacy with a commercial live vaccine "Fortegra®". Eighty broiler chickens one day old were used; they were divided in to 4 equal groups; 20 chicks each. Group 1 (G1) kept as control negative, G2 administrated orally with lab-made sporulated oocysts vaccine at 5 days old, the birds of G3 vaccinated orally with Fortegra® at day 6 of age, and G4 served as control positive. All birds were challenge by 50,000 sporulated oocysts of E. tenella at day 21. For testing the efficacy and comparison; OPG (oocyst per gram), serum Interleukin4 (IL4) levels, Immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels in both serum and ceca, cecal lesion score, as well as histopathological changes in ceca of tested groups were evaluated. The results demonstrated significantly elevated IL4 level in serum and IgA level in serum and cecum of G2 than G3. IgA in cecum significantly elevated in G2 than G3. OPG significantly decreased in both vaccinated groups (G2 and G3), and have lower lesion score than nonimmunized group. Cecal tissues of vaccinated groups had mild pathological changes. Conclusively, good immunization by the currently tested vaccine, against experimental E. tenella infection was observed.

The current survey was carried out to determine the prevalence of heterophyids infection in tilapia fish " Orechromaus niloticus ", and the role of cats " Felis catus " as a reservoir for the zoonotic digenetic trematodes "Heterophyid"-particularly Heterophyes hetrophyes -in Egypt. All over a year, 100 tilapia fish " Orechromas niloticus " were collected randomly from local markets at Alexandria city. Fish specimens were examined for the presence of encysted metacercariae (EMC). Furthermore, specimens of infected fish were experimentally fed to cats as well as rats to detect the adult species and infection ratio, and resulted clinical signs. Results showed that 65% (CI: 55.7-74.3%) of examined fish was infected by one or more of flukes EMC. The highest infection was recorded in summer and spring, followed by autumn then winter. Regarding the identified EMC; Heterophyes spp. was the most common adults (50%). Experimental feeding of EMC to cats and rats resulted in identification of 8 adult flukes namely; H. heterophyes , H. dispar , Haplorchis pumilio , Haplorchis taichiue, Pygidiopsis geneta , Centrocestus cuspidatus, Procerum varium and Prohistomum vivax . Experimentally infected cats were more susceptible to infection compared with rats; also showed more severe clinical and pathological signs than rats. In conclusion, the current work clarifies and highlights a high infection rate of EMC in edible tilapia fish in the study area, also the possible role of cats as a reservoir of the digenetic trematodes particularly the zoonotic H. heterophyes , that necessities planning and application of suitable control measures; and continuous monitoring of fish zoonotic parasites as well as cats and its parasites., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest. This research is a part of N. M. Marey’s study to acquire the Ph. D. in Parasitology., (© Indian Society for Parasitology 2020.)

Mange has been considered one of the most common parasitic infestations among camels. It adversely impacts animal productivity and poses a risk to human health. Given the scarcity of available data about mange in camels, the current study focused on the prevalence of camel mange and its associated risk factors in Aswan Governorate, Egypt. Towards this end, a general visual inspection was conducted on camels (N = 210) in different markets and slaughterhouses in Aswan Governorate. Skin scrapings from suspect infected camels were also examined microscopically. Importantly, these findings were further checked and confirmed by histopathology on samples from suspected cases collected post-slaughter in abattoirs. The possible risk-associated factors, which include the camel's age, sex and sampling season, were recorded and statistically analyzed. Interestingly, the data showed that a total of 100 camels (47.6%) were found exclusively infested by sarcoptic mange. Furthermore, the predominant histopathological changes included burrowing tunnel of mites in the skin, hyperkeratosis and acanthosisconsis of the epidermis, while the dermis showed hemorrhage, mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltration around the blood vessels and perifolliculitis. These major histopathological findings are consistent with sarcoptic mange. Furthermore, the statistical analysis of the possible associated risk factors, camel's age ( p = 0.006), gender ( p = 0.032) and sampling season ( p = 0.004), were all found to be significantly affected and related to the disease. In this regard, camels ≥2 years old were found at higher risk of infection (odds ratio (OR) = 2.75; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.345 to 5.604) versus younger animals (OR = 0.36; 95 CI, 0.1784 to 0.743). Females had higher odds of exposure (OR = 2.02; 95% CI, 1.096 to 3.708) compared to males (OR = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.269 to 0.912). Moreover, the exposure to infection was reported higher in winter (OR = 2.30; 95% CI, 1.297 to 4.098) than in summer (OR = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.244 to 0.771). Collectively, our data provide novel epidemiological and histopathological support for sarcoptic mange being widespread among camels in the studied area. Sarcoptic mange is extremely contagious and zoonotic. Therefore, our baseline investigation indicates an urgent need for additional multicenter-studies to investigate the occurrence of this disease in camels and humans combined with the appropriate control measures of camel importation for combating this disease.

Background: In spite of the global economic significance of sheep production, little is known about the prevalence of various Sarcocystis spp. infecting the domestic sheep (Ovis aries) in Egypt., Materials and Methods: Muscle samples were collected from 175 sheep (> 2 years) slaughtered at El-Mahalla El-Kubra abattoir, Gharbia governorate, Egypt. Samples were initially examined by naked eye for the existence of macrosarcocysts. The microscopic sarcocysts were detected and identified using the light microscopy and the Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Different microscopic species of ovine Sarcocystis were molecularly confirmed by PCR, sequence analyses and phylogeny., Results: Preliminary light microscopic inspection of the muscle specimens revealed the existence of only the microscopic sarcocysts of Sarcocystis tenella and Sarcocystis arieticanis in 152 (86.8%) out of the175 examined animals. Sarcoysts of S.tenella had striated thick cyst wall that amounted from 3.5-5.5 μm in thickness whereas, S.arieticanis sarcocysts had a thin cyst wall that ranged from 1-3 μm in thickness. S.tenella sarcocysts were detected in 115 sheep (65.7%), and were more prevalent than those of S.arieticanis, observed only in 68 sheep (38.8%). No macroscopic sarcocysts were observed in any of the examined carcasses. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the cyst wall of S.tenella revealed the existence of the short stubby villar protrusions (VP) with the characteristic disk-like structures at the tips of the (VP). While, TEM of S.arieticanis showed that the cyst wall had elongated tubular protrusions that measured approximately 5-7 μm in length. Each (VP) consisted of a dome-shaped base (0.3-0.9 μm in diameter), a relatively thick middle portion (0.1-0.3 μm) in width, and a thin hair-like distal portion that measured about (0.03 x 1-4.5 μm)., Conclusion: Comparative analyses of the sequences of the four genetic markers (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, mitochondrial cox1 and ITS-1) for S.tenella and S.arieticanis isolates detected herein, revealed genetic variations of 95% and 95- 96% among the different isolates on the level of the 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA, respectively. Whereas, the cox1 and ITS-1 shared sequence identities of 76-78% and 70-73%, respectively. S.tenella was strongly related to S.capracanis infecting goats (Capra hircus). Sequence identity of 98% on the level of 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA genes was observed between the currently identified isolates of S.tenella and the formerly GenBank deposited isolates of S.capracanis. While, cox1 sequences shared identities of 92-93%. Furthermore, S.arieticanis isolates identified here were closely related to the formerly published sequences of S.hircicanis. The 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA sequences of S.arieticanis shared 98% and 94-95% identities with those of S.hircicanis, respectively. However, 87-88% homologies were observed between the cox1 sequences of S.arieticanis and S.hircicanis. Consequently, cox1 and ITS-1 gene sequences act as better genetic markers than 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA sequences for the characterization of ovine Sarcocystis spp. Maximum parsimony analyses based on the sequences of three genetic markers, (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and mitochondrial cox1), yielded the same placement of the currently identified isolates of the two taxa (S.tenella and S.arieticanis) within a clade of Sarcocystis species with carnivorous animals as known, or assumed, final hosts.

Coccidiosis is one of the most dangerous diseases that affect poultry, resulting in worldwide economic losses. Plant extracts and essential oils have been used as potential alternatives for chemotherapeutics, because they don't have the negative consequence of creating tissue residue and drug resistance. Therefore, this study had been conducted to determine the efficacy of artemisinin liquid extract, cinnamon essential oil and clove essential oil against Eimeria stiedae in rabbits. Sixty New Zealand white rabbits were divided into six equal groups, where group 1 and group 2 represented the negative and the positive controls, respectively, and groups 3-6 were infected with Eimeria stiedae and received 15 ppm toltrazuril, 200 ppm artemisinin, 100 mg/kg cinnamon oil, and 100 mg/kg clove oil, respectively. The results showed that artemisinin had a significant beneficial role in protection against hepatic coccidiosis: it mitigated the clinical symptoms, reduced the mortality rates, improved body weight and feed conversion, decreased the oocyst output, prevented oxidative stress, improved biochemical parameters, and decreased the lesion formation. Moreover, it has been found that cinnamon and clove essential oils induced partial protection against hepatic coccidiosis. Our findings suggested that artemisinin liquid extract and cinnamon and clove essential oils could be used for protection against hepatic coccidiosis. However, further investigations are needed in order to elucidate the active components, optimal doses, and mode of action of these extracts and essential oils before their clinical applications.

The ear mite "Psoroptes cuniculi" is the main cause of ear mange, a highly contagious parasitic skin disease in rabbits all over the world. In the current work, a preliminary therapeutic trial to study the effect of the broad use acaricides doramectin and ivermectin on P. cuniculi was performed on artificially infested rabbits. Twenty five adult New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. The rabbits were assigned randomly into five groups/ 5 rabbits in each group. Each rabbit was experimentally infested with 100 mites/ ear. The first group was designated the positive control group and was not treated. The second and third groups were treated with doramectin 200 and 400 μg/kg bw, respectively. Groups 4 and 5 were treated by dressing with ivermectin in one dose and 2 doses with a 1 week interval. After the therapy, all rabbits were examined microscopically on the 7th, 14th, and 28th day post treatment and the number of live mites (larvae, nymphs, and adults) on each rabbit was counted at the end of the experiment (28th day). The results showed that the rabbits treated subcutaneously with doramectin at a single dose of 200 μg /kg bw showed a very low effect, although there was significant improvement when the dose was doubled to 400 μg /kg bw, with the number of mites counted decreasing significantly. Rabbits treated topically with ivermectin spot-on, a single dose or 2 doses, showed great improvement of the lesion: the number of mites was reduced to zero. In conclusion, this work showed that ivermectin spot-on applied locally on infested ears proves to be more effective against P. cuniculi than doramectin injected subcutaneously. Further trials on ear mange therapeutics in rabbits are to be encouraged.

M esostephanus appendiculatus (Family: Cyathocotylidae) is one of the unique trematodes that complete their cycles in human and animal intestines in many countries of the world. The main source of its transmission is eating raw or undercooked infected fish muscle. Earliest analyses of genes to different parasites supported the analysis of helminthes either biological or morphological. This paper detected M. appendiculatus sequence with GenBank accession number gb (KY026782). Comparison of M. appendiculatus with other helminthes using BioEdit 7 and MEGA7 program shows some similarity in different points along its sequence. The phylogenetic analysis clarifies that it was closely related to both trematodes (Clinostomum complanatum and Echinochasmus japonicus) and some cestodes of fish origin such as Polyonchobothrium polypteri, Bothriocephalus sp., and Haplobothrium globuliforme. The obtained results provide a good source for genome analysis of M. appendiculatus in relation to other Platyhelminthes.

Passalurus ambiguus (Rudolphi, 1819) is one of the most common oxyurid nematodes to be found in domestic and wild rabbits worldwide. In order to identify and determine the morphological characteristics of this pinworm, the current research was conducted as a microscopic study, using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Adult P. ambiguus were collected from naturally infected domestic rabbits in Egypt. Identification was made primarily by ordinary microscope, and subsequently, the morphological features were evaluated by SEM. Results indicate that SEM is a powerful tool to identify in detail the morphological characteristics such as the head, male cloacal area, female tail and the female copulatory plugs. All these features confirm the species is P. ambiguus and show the effectiveness of the SEM to differentiate P. ambiguus from related oxyurid species.