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Purpose: Coccidiosis of domestic chicken is an important disease caused by any of seven species of Eimeria which, by developing within the epithelial cells of the intestine, cause lesions therein. We carried out a study on poultry farms located in various regions of Iran to determine the incidence and spread of Eimeria species by employing a single PCR test., Methods: A total of 64 fully confirmed clinically intestinal tracts were collected from different parts of Iran. From these 64 intestinal tracts, 82 samples were prepared from the different sites involved in the digestive tract. In morphological assessment, 23 samples could not be isolated and its information was not evaluated., Results: Using morphological methods, the following seven species of Eimeria were identified: E. acervulina (15/59; 25.42%), E. tenella (30/59; 50.84%), E. maxima (12/59; 20.33%), E. praecox (1/59; 1.69%), E. necatrix (2/59; 3.38%), E. mitis (5/59; 8.47%), and E. mivati (2/59; 3.38%). Mixed infections were found in eight (13.55%) samples. In molecular assessment, 31 samples could not be isolated and its information was not evaluated. Totally, the following five species were identified using molecular methods: E. acervulina (35/51; 68.62%), E. tenella (33/51; 64.70%), E. maxima (6/51; 11.76%), E. brunetti (5/51; 9.80%), and E. necatrix (2/51; 3.92%). Mixed infections were found in 23 (45.09%) samples., Conclusions: The present study is an update on the situation of poultry coccidiosis in Iran and provides the first data on the molecular detection, identification, and characterization of Eimeria spp. in the poultry population of this country and confirmed the presence of different species of this parasite in this area. According to the results, E. acervulina and E. tenella, as the main disease-causing species, should be considered in control programs such as treatment and vaccination strategies., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

The role of gut microbiota and its products in human health and disease is profoundly investigated. The communication between gut microbiota and the host involves a complicated network of signaling pathways via biologically active molecules generated by intestinal microbiota. Some of these molecules could be assembled within nanoparticles known as outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). Recent studies propose that OMVs play a critical role in shaping immune responses, including homeostasis and acute inflammatory responses. Moreover, these OMVs have an immense capacity to be applied in medical research, such as OMV-based vaccines and drug delivery. This review presents a comprehensive overview of emerging knowledge about biogenesis, the role, and application of these bacterial-derived OMVs, including OMV-based vaccines, OMV adjuvants characteristics, OMV vehicles (in conjugated vaccines), cancer immunotherapy, and drug carriers and delivery systems. Moreover, we also highlight the significance of the potential role of these OMVs in diagnosis and therapy., (© 2023. The Author(s).)