Therapeutic effect of curcumin nanoemulsion on cystic echinococcosis in BALB/c mice: a computerized tomography (CT) scan and histopathologic study evaluation.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the therapeutic efficacy of curcumin nanoemulsion (CUR-NE) in mice infected with Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto protoscoleces. METHODS: Forty-two inbred BALB/c mice were divided into seven groups of six animals each. Six groups were inoculated intra-peritoneally with 1500 viable E. granulosus protoscoleces, followed for six months and used as infected groups. The infected groups were named as: CEI1 to CEI6 accordingly. The 7th group was not inoculated and was named cystic echinococcosis noninfected group (CENI7). CEI1 and CEI2 groups received 40 mg/kg/day and 20 mg/kg/day curcumin nanoemulsion (CUR-NE), respectively. CEI3 received nanoemulsion without curcumin (NE-no CUR), CEI4 received curcumin suspension (CUR-S) 40 mg/kg/day, CEI5 received albendazole 150 mg/kg/day and CEI6 received sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). CENI7 group received CUR-NE 40 mg/kg/day. Drugs administration was started after six months post-inoculations of protoscoleces and continued for 60 days in all groups. The secondary CE cyst area was evaluated by computed tomography (CT) scan for each mouse before treatment and on the days 30 and 60 post-treatment. The CT scan measurement results were compared before and after treatment. After the euthanasia of the mice on the 60th day, the cyst area was also measured after autopsy and, the histopathological changes of the secondary cysts for each group were observed. The therapeutic efficacy of CUR-NE in infected groups was evaluated by two methods: CT scan and autopsied cyst measurements. RESULTS: Septal calcification in three groups of infected mice (CEI1, CEI2, and CEI4) was revealed by CT scan. The therapeutic efficacy of CUR-NE 40 mg/kg/day (CEI1 group) was 24.6 ± 26.89% by CT scan measurement and 55.16 ± 32.37% by autopsied cysts measurements. The extensive destructive effects of CUR-NE 40 mg/kg/day (CEI1 group) on the wall layers of secondary CE cysts were confirmed by histopathology. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated a significant therapeutic effect of CUR-NE (40 mg/kg/day) on secondary CE cysts in BALB/c mice. An apparent septal calcification of several cysts revealed by CT scan and the destructive effect on CE cysts observed in histopathology are two critical key factors that suggest curcumin nanoemulsion could be a potential treatment for cystic echinococcosis.

Nanoemulsion of Spiramycin against Tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii, RH Strain: Preparation, Toxicology, and Efficacy Studies.

Background: Toxoplasma infection is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which is an intracellular protozoan parasite. This infection consequently lead various congenital disabilities during pregnancy in patients. Spiramycin (Spi), a macrolide antibiotic, is typically recommended for T. gondii infection in pregnant women. We aimed to prepare the nanoemulsion of spiramycin (NE-Spi) and to evaluate the activity of this formulation in tachyzoites of T. gondii, RH strain. Methods: This study was conducted in 2019-2021 at the School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. NE-Spi was prepared by spontaneous emulsification. The effects of this nanoemulsion on the viability of cultured cells were measured using MTT assay. To estimate the effects of NE-Spi on tachyzoites of T. gondii, RH strain, different concentrations of NE-Spi, S-Spi (suspension of spiramycin), and NE (nanoemulsion without any spiramycin) were added to tachyzoites and then stored for 30, 60, 90, 120 min and 24 h in 250 µg/ml concentration at room temperature. Finally, Tachyzoites mortality rates were evaluated by trypan blue staining. Of note, flow cytometry was conducted to confirm the obtained results. Results: The final particle size of NE-Spi was calculated to be 11.3 nm by DLS and TEM. Thereafter, using MTT assay, in 62.5 µg/ml concentration of NE-Spi, the Vero cells viability was obtained as 82%. The highest mortality rates of tachyzoites of T.gondii, RH strain were observed at 250 µg/ml concentration and after 120 min of exposure, but it was not significantly different from 24 h of exposure. Conclusion: NE-Spi has lethal efficacy on T. gondii RH strain in-vitro.

Multilocus sequence typing of Giardia duodenalis genotypes circulating in humans in a major metropolitan area.

Giardia duodenalis is an intestinal protozoan parasite of humans and animal hosts and comprises eight microscopically indistinguishable molecularly-diverse lineages designated as assemblages A-H. Assemblages A and B are the primary sources of infections in humans and a wide range of mammals. Here, we identified assemblages, and inter-/intra-assemblage genetic diversity of human G. duodenalis isolates based on the multilocus sequence typing of the triosephosphate isomerase (tpi), ß -giardin (bg), and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) loci. Multilocus sequence analysis of 62 microscopically-positive G. duodenalis fecal samples identified 26 (41.9%), 27 (43.5%), and nine (14.5%) isolates belonging to assemblages A, B, and discordant assemblages, respectively. The tpi locus assemblage-specific primers identified dual infections with A and B assemblages (45.2%). The sequence analysis of multiple alignments and phylogenetic analysis showed low genetic polymorphism in assemblage A isolates, classified as sub-assemblage AII at three loci, subtype A2 at tpi and gdh loci, and subtype A2 or A3 at bg locus. High genetic variations were found in assemblage B isolates with 14, 15, and 23 nucleotide patterns at tpi, bg, and gdh loci, respectively. Further concatenated sequence analysis revealed four multilocus genotypes (MLG) in 24 assemblages A isolates, two previously-identified (AII-1 and AII-5), with one novel multilocus genotype. However, the high genetic variations observed in assemblage B isolates among and within the three genetic loci prevented the definitive designation of specific MLGs for these isolates. Multilocus sequence typing may provide new insight into the genetic diversity of G. duodenalis isolates in Tehran, suggesting that humans are likely a potential source of G. duodenalis infection. Further host-specific experimental transmission studies are warranted to elucidate the modes of transmission within multiple host populations.

Lymphatic filariasis in Asia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is an important neglected parasitic disease according to the World Health Organization. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of human LF in Asia using a systematic review and meta-analysis approach. Records from 1990 to 2018 in reputable databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched using a panel of related keywords. All 48 countries of Asia were searched one by one in combination with the keywords. In all, 41,742 cases identified in this study were included in the analysis. According to our findings, the pooled prevalence of LF in Asia was estimated at 3% (95% CI: [1.7, 5.2]). There was no major trend in the cumulative prevalence of LF over time. Some countries in Asia including China, Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea succeeded in eliminating LF as a public health problem, but others still need to monitor the disease. Based on the initiative of the WHO starting in 2000, some countries in Asia succeeded in eliminating LF as a public health problem. Other countries have taken steps to eliminate the disease with variable degrees of success. These efforts might be affected by issues such as climate change.

Human Cysticercosis in Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cysticercosis in among the neglected tropical disease caused by eating the egg of parasite Taenia solium. In this review, we aimed to verify the prevalence of human cysticercosis in different countries of Asia using systematic review and meta-analysis approach. METHODS: Based of the protocol, reliable databases including PubMed, SCOPUS, Science Direct, Embase, and Cochrane Library from 1990-2018 were searched using a panel of keywords. Overall, 48 countries of Asia were searched in turn and data were analyzed using a category of statistical tests. RESULTS: Out of 28 included studies, 586175 samples were collected and included in the data analysis. Based on the meta-analysis results, the overall pooled percent of cysticercosis was estimated 3.8% (95% CI: [2.0, 7.0]). According to the result of heterogeneity statistics including I-squared, chi-square, and tau-squared, it was statistically significant (Tau2 = 2.94, chi2 = 12733.31, P<0.001, I2 = 100%) therefore a random effect model was used to handle the heterogeneity of studies. To evaluate the trend of cysticercosis over the time, Cumulative meta-analysis was performed and the result showed that there was a minor upward tendency in the prevalence of cysticercosis over the time. CONCLUSION: Although, considering the religious culture and food habits in Asia, we might have expected to witness a low prevalence of human cysticercosis, but we noticed more or less significant infection in some countries of the region. Regarding the new feature of immigration and travel between countries, all authorities are advised to take measures on controlling and monitoring the disease.

Risk factors and prevalence of toxocariasis in pregnant women and diabetic patients compared to healthy adults in Ilam province, western Iran.

Toxocara is one of the common intestinal nematodes in dogs and cats and is the agent of tissue migratory larvae in humans. Customarily, the prevalence of human toxocariasis hovers around 15.8 % in Iran. Furthermore, other research outcomes demonstrated a tendency for an outbreak of toxocariasis in Iran. Therefore, we carried out a cross-sectional study and assessed the seroprevalence of toxocariasis humans in Ilam Province, western of Iran. A total of 539 serum samples were collected between September 2017 and March 2018 from patients referred to the Health Centers of Ilam province, Iran. Serum samples were investigated for the presence of Toxocara using IgG antibodies, ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) kit. Risk factors such as contact with cats and dogs, living in rural areas were investigated among the study population. Out of 539 total samples collected, 97 cases (17.99 %) were positive for anti-toxocara IgG antibodies. These antibodies were recovered from serum samples of otherwise healthy adults (15.54 %, 49/296), pregnant women (21.16 %, 40/189) and diabetic patients (14.81 %, 8/54). This study showed significant relationship between toxocariasis and contact with animal pets in all studied groups (P value ≤ 0.05) and a significant relationship between toxocariasis and living in rural areas among pregnant women (P value ≤ 0.05).

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Human Intestinal Parasites in Roudehen, Tehran Province, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal parasitic infections are among the most common infections and health problems worldwide. Due to the lack of epidemiologic information of such infections, the prevalence of, and the risk factors for, enteric parasites were investigated in residents of Roudehen, Tehran Province, Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 561 triple fecal samples were collected through a two-stage cluster-sampling protocol from Jun to Dec 2014. The samples were examined by formalin-ether concentration, culture, and with molecular methods. RESULTS: The prevalence of enteric parasites was 32.7% (95% CI 27.3-38). Blastocystis sp. was the most common intestinal protozoan (28.4%; 95% CI 23.7-33.0). The formalin-ether concentration and culture methods detected Blastocystis sp., Entamoeba coli, Giardia intestinalis, Dientamoeba fragilis, Iodamoeba butschlii, Entamoeba complex cysts or trophozoite, Chilomastix mesnilii, and Enterobius vermicularis. Single-round PCR assay for Entamoeba complex were identified Entamoeba dispar and E. moshkovskii. E. histolytica was not observed in any specimen. Multivariate analysis showed a significant association of parasites with water source and close animal contact. There was no correlation between infections and gender, age, occupation, education, or travel history. Protozoan infections were more common than helminth infections. CONCLUSION: This study revealed a high prevalence of enteric protozoan parasite infection among citizens of Rodehen. As most of the species detected are transmitted through a water-resistant cyst, public and individual education on personal hygiene should be considered to reduce transmission of intestinal parasites in the population.