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BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis disease that can cause a variety range of manifestations in human specially fetus duration and immunodeficiency conditions. Due to toxicity and side effects of current treatment, we evaluated in vivo and in vitro effects of ethyl acetate extract of Acorus calamus rhizomes (rootstocks) on Toxoplasma gondii. METHODS: The plant, Acorus calamus, was collected from Sari, North of Iran in spring season. Ethyl acetate extract was provided from plant rhizomes using Soxhlet apparatus. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extract were measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The mortality effect of different concentrations (1-256 µg/ml) of the extract on Toxoplasma tachyzoites was assessed by flowcytometry and propidium iodide staining. For the therapeutic effect assessment, the tachyzoites were inoculated intraperitoneally to mice, and then these mice were orally and intraperitoneally administered different concentrations (32, 64, 128, and 256 mg/kg) of the extract. Also, an infected group received PBS including DMSO 1% as negative control, and an infected group administered sulfadiazine as positive control. For toxicity evaluation of this extract, a group only received dose 256 mg/kg. RESULTS: The plant extract was rich of phenolic compounds (41.27 ± 0.21 mg/g), whereas it contained fewer amounts of flavonoids (4.79 ± 0.01 mg/g). Results of in vitro experiments showed that there is an inverse relationship between the concentrations and the mortality of the parasites (IC50 = 200.01 ± 7.74 µg/ml). The highest percentage (62%) of dead tachyzoites was seen at maximum concentration of the extract. A significant longevity (8.9 days) was belonged to mice orally administered extract dose (256 mg/kg/day). CONCLUSION: The ethyl acetate extract of A. calamus rhizomes had significant anti-Toxoplasma activities either in vitro or in vivo. It may be connected to high amount of phenolic compounds. We suggest that the effects of different fractions and the admin types of the extract will be evaluated on the parasite.
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Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. Although CE has a large geographic distribution, data are lacking on the frequency of infection and epidemiology of CE in many endemic areas of the world, including the Middle East. Demographic and clinical information on surgically managed human CE cases were evaluated from a referral hospital in north-eastern Iran for the years 2001-2008. Of the 400 CE cases, 218 (54.5%) were male. The median age of patients was 35 years (range 2-83 years). The lungs (41.0%) and liver (37.7%) were the most commonly infected organs. However, 12.7% of patients had multiple organ involvement. The majority of cases (54.3%) were diagnosed using ultrasound, with only 12.0% diagnosed with the help of serology. Total white blood cell count was elevated in 26.8% (107/400) of patients, neutrophil count was elevated in 24.0% (96/400) of patients, and eosinophil count was elevated in 13.3% (53/400) of patients. Lymphocyte count was the only complete blood count (CBC) value that differed based on organ location (P = 0.001). Despite some successes in the control of CE, the number of surgical CE cases in north-eastern Iran remains high. Although not diagnostic alone, CBC values allow for clinicians to obtain a more complete clinical picture of CE before, during, and after treatment. While serology has its place, the use of diagnostic imaging continues to be the most commonly used tool for the diagnosis of CE cases.
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AIM: Wild boars, Sus scrofa, are potential reservoirs of many zoonotic diseases, and there are a possibility of transmission of the zoonotic diseases from these animals to humans and also domestic animals. This study aimed to evaluate the protozoan contamination of wild boars in the Persian Gulf's coastal area (Bushehr Province), southwestern Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 25 crossbred boars were collected during a course of vertebrate pest control in Bushehr province, in 2013. Samples were collected from the gastrointestinal tracts of each boar in 5% formalin, Bouin's solution, sodium acetate-acetic acid-formalin, and polyvinyl alcohol fixatives. Fixed stool smears examined by trichrome and Ziehl-Neelsen staining. RESULTS: Each of the 25 wild boars was infected with at least one of the intestinal protozoans. The rate of contamination with intestinal protozoan was 64% for Balantidium coli, 76% for Iodamoeba sp., 52% for Entamoeba polecki, 44% for Blastocystis sp. and 8% for Chilomastix sp. No intestinal coccidian was detected in studied boars when the stool samples were evaluated by Ziehl-Neelsen staining method. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study demonstrated that wild boars in the Persian Gulf coastal area are contaminated by many protozoans, including zoonotic protozoan, which poses a potential risk to locals as well as the domestic animals of the area.