Detection of Toxoplasma gondii B1 Gene and IgM in IgG Seropositive Pregnant Women.

BACKGROUND: The onset of acute toxoplasmosis in pregnant women may pose a risk to their growing fetuses. The timely diagnosis of infection in managing the disease and preventing its harmful consequences on the fetus is very important. Therefore, the study was conducted to identify acute toxoplasmosis in the pregnant women by detecting the specific IgM antibody and Toxoplasma gondii B1 gene. METHODS: A total of 653 serum samples of women who attended to Fatemieh Hospital of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences were tested for IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii by enzyme-linked immunosorbent as-say (ELISA). The IgG positive specimens were further examined for IgM by ELISA and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for B1 gene. In the second phase, change in IgG titers was evaluated on 47 IgG positive samples after two weeks. RESULTS: ELISA data showed that 167 out of 653 and 2 out of 167 samples were positive for IgG (25.6%) and IgM (1.2%), respectively. However, PCR detection showed that 36 cases (21.6%) were positive for the B1 gene. Seven out of 47 IgG positive samples showed an increase in the antibody titer and positive for the B1 gene. The most cases of IgG positives and the B1 gene samples were associated with the third trimester of pregnancy with 49.7% and 14%, respectively, and the most common abundance of the B1 gene was 14.4% in the age group of 26 - 35. The most commonly reported clinical symptoms in the B1 gene-positive women were nausea 15 (41.7%), cough 13 (36.1%), headache 12 (33.3%), and vomiting 11 (30.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Using PCR and the B1 gene in serum samples of pregnant women to detect acute toxoplasmosis is a more appropriate and accurate method than IgM antibody.

Aeromycological analysis of allergenic airborne fungi in Qazvin, Iran.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Airborne fungi are one of the most important agents responsible for triggering allergicreactions such as rhinitis and severe asthma. This study was conducted to analyze and monitor the prevalence and distribution patterns of atmospheric fungal aerosols in the air of Qazvin during winter of 2012. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the current descriptive study, the incidence and diversity of potentially allergenic airborne fungi were determined using two times sampling interval in 25 different locations of Qazvin city by Petri dish trappingtechnique and exposure of 10- cm diameter plates of Sabouraud's dextrose agar medium plus chloramphenicol to the air. RESULTS: A total of 2867 fungal colonies were counted on 156 Petri dishes. Of the identified 18 microfungi genera,Cladosporium spp. was the most frequently isolated genera representing 30.9% of isolates, followed by 30.9% Penicillium spp. (27.3%), Aspergillus spp %) . (24.5 , Alternaria spp. (3.3%), Rhizopus spp. (3.1%), and other fungal genera. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence, high quantity and variety of allergenic airborne fungi in the air of Qazvin showed that people residing in this area are exposed to health hazards. Furthermore, reduction of exposure to bio-aerosols containing these outdoor fungi is necessary to improve the health of individuals, especially those sensitive to fungal-induced diseases like asthma.

Prevalence of zoonotic intestinal parasites in household and stray dogs in rural areas of Hamadan, Western Iran.

Zoonotic parasitic infections are a major global public and veterinary health problem and widespread among dogs. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasites in stray and household dogs in the rural areas of Hamadan district. During 2012, 1,500 fresh fecal samples from 243 household and 1,257 stray dogs were examined by using direct wet mount, simple zinc sulfate flotation, and Lugol's solution staining. Of 1,500 dogs, 20.4% were positive for intestinal parasites. Helminthes eggs were more frequently found in fecal samples than protozoan cysts or trophozoites (15.9% vs. 4.5%, respectively). Toxocara canis was the most frequently detected parasite, with a prevalence of 6.3%, followed by Taenia/Echinococcus spp. (2.9%), Isospora spp. (2.7%), and Toxascaris leonina (2.6%). Helminthes and protozoa were significantly more prevalent in household dogs than in stray dogs (P<0.001). There were significant differences in the prevalence of Isospora spp., T. canis and D. caninum among three age groups (P<0.05). The wide range of isolated parasites indicated that people residing in this area are at risk of exposure to these potentially hazardous zoonotic pathogens. Mass education of the general population is highly recommended to increase awareness of the potential for horizontal transmission of these parasitic infections from dogs to humans.

Genotyping of Trichomonas vaginalis isolates in Iran by using single stranded conformational polymorphism-PCR technique and internal transcribed spacer regions.

Infection with Trichomonas vaginalis, the causative agent of human urogenital infection, is the most prevalent nonviral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. In spite of the high prevalence and medical importance of trichomoniasis, there is little knowledge about genetic epidemiology and genetic characterisation of this parasite. For this purpose, a Single Stranded Conformation Polymorphism-PCR (SSCP-PCR) typing method was conducted for Iranian T. vaginalis isolates using 5.8s ribosomal gene (rRNA gene) and the flanking internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Nine hundred and fifty vaginal swab samples were examined in which 50 (5.3%) samples were parasitologically positive and used for molecular identification based on SSCP-PCR and nucleotide sequence analyses. Results of the SSCP analysis showed two distinct reproducible banding patterns (I, II) which were confirmed by nucleotide sequence analysis in the ITS1 regions. Frequencies of the SSCP banding patterns I and II were 84% (42/50) and 16% (8/50), respectively. In conclusion, SSCP-PCR analysis provided a reliable and sensitive method for strain genotyping of T. vaginalis based on the ITS1/5.8s/ITS2 region. This finding may help us gain more information about correlation between genetic properties and biological features of this parasite.

Occurrence of fumonisins in maize imported into Iran during 2001-2002.

Fumonisins, fungal toxins found primarily in maize and produced by various Fusarium species, have been shown to cause a variety of significant adverse health effects in livestock and experimental animals, and are probable human carcinogens. Thirty-three maize samples were collected at ports from bulk shipments, which were imported into Iran from six countries during 2001-2002, and analysed by HPLC for the most abundant of the naturally occurring fumonisin analogues, namely fumonisins B1 (FB1), B2 (FB2) and B3 (FB3). Of the 33 samples, 21 (64%) were found to contain FB1 (58-512 µg/kg) at levels above 10 µg/kg. The frequency of FB1 found in maize samples imported from Uruguay and Canada was 75%, followed by China and Argentina (67%), USA (60%), and Brazil (50%). The average FB1 level was 266 and 169 µg/kg for positive and all samples, respectively. Medians were 250 and 146 µg/kg for positive and all samples, respectively. FB2 levels ranged from not detected (<10 µg/kg) to 53 µg/kg, whereas no sample had an FB3 level above the detection level (10 µg/kg). This is the first report of fumonisin contamination of imported maize in Iran. Although, the level of all detected fumonisins were below the Iranian and FDA tolerance levels for foods and feeds, It is necessary to maintain the strict rules to ensure continued safety of imported maize.