Antihelimentic effect of Androctonus crassicauda scorpion venom against Trichuris arvicolae isolated from Psammomys obesus in Egypt.

Trichuridae family has a genetic and morphological variability between species affecting rodents, but it is considerably hard to morphologically diagnose species within the genus of Trichuris and the individuals of these species are identified according to their host, as it is known that Trichuris spp. is strictly host-specific. However, some species lack host specificity. So, it is necessary to use molecular data in order to well identify the Trichuris spp. in Egyptian rodents. The host examined in the current research is Psammomys obesus and the molecularly identified species from its cecum is Trichuris arvicolae. In addition, Trichuris arvicolae was subjected to in vitro treatment with Androctonus crassicauda Crude Venom as a model of natural alternative treatment for gastrointestinal nematodes that increasingly develop anthelmintic drug resistance. The changes in Trichuris arvicolae were monitored using scanning electron microscopy, Androctonus crassicauda Crude Venom made a significant ultrastructural surface changes in Trichuris arvicolae, including marked cuticular sloughing, disintegrated bacillary glands, bursting of vulva and edema of anal region. This study was done for closer identification of Trichuris spp. infecting rodents in Egypt and evaluating the efficacy of Androctonus crassicauda Crude Venom in vitro.

Prevalence, risk factors and first record of mitochondrial cox1 gene-based molecular characterization of Paramphistomum epiclitum from Pakistan.

Parasitic infestations are one of the major threats to the livestock industry in Pakistan. These have a negative impact on the production of domesticated livestock species. Paramphistomes belong to the superfamily Paramphistomoidea and are involved in infecting ruminants all over the world. To date, there was no information on mitochondrial DNA-based molecular characterization of Paramphistomum epiclitum from Pakistan. To close this research gap, this study was designed to provide insights into the epidemiology of Paramphistomum species. Paramphistomum epiclitum isolates were recovered from the rumen of small ruminants slaughtered at an abattoir located in Faisalabad city and animal demographics were recorded. DNA was extracted and mitochondrial cox1 was amplified and sequenced. Prevalence was calculated along with a 95% confidence interval in various groups. The chi-square test was applied to determine the association between different variables under investigation. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the Bayesian method. Population diversity indices were calculated using DnaSP 4.5 software. A total of 43 mutations were observed among 7 haplotypes. Negative values of Fu's Fs values, and Tajima's D indicated population expansion. Deworming, season, and grazing were the variables that significantly correlate (p < 0.05) with the prevalence of P. epiclitum. The high prevalence of P. epiclitum demonstrates that more studies are indeed needed to further understand the prevalence and distribution of P. epiclitum in definitive and all potential intermediate hosts in addition to intraspecies variation and relationship with populations from other locations.

In vitro Scolicidal effects of Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807) venom against the protoscolices of Echinococcus granulosus.

Hydatidosis is a zoonotic disease that commonly occurs in several places around the world, especially in the Middle East, due to infection by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. This disease impacts an immense effect on the economic and public health of both humans and animals. Despite their effectiveness, the unacceptable side effects and progressive resistance to scolicidal agents may limit their use. According to their biopharmaceutical activity and benefits, numerous studies have reported that scorpion venom and its derivatives represent important resources for therapeutic applications. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the in vitro scolicidal consequences of the crude venom of Androctonus crassicauda on E. granulosus. For this purpose, protoscolices from infected organs of camel containing hydatid cysts were collected, separated, and washed. The scolicidal impacts of three different concentrations of the crude venom (20, 50, and 100 µg/mL) were tested at different times of exposure (30, 60, 120, and 240 min). Particularly, eosin exclusion test was used to examine the viability of the protoscolices. The study results showed that the crude venom at 100 µg/mL destroys all protoscolices after 240 min incubation. Also, the scolicidal activity of venom increased significantly according to the time of exposure. In conclusion, the crude venom of A. crassicauda demonstrated high scolicidal activity in vitro against protoscolices of hydatid cysts in low concentration and short exposure time. However, the efficacy of scorpion venom remains to be evaluated in vivo for the treatment of hydatidosis in both humans and domesticated animals.