Qasem Asgari; Seyedeh-Zahra Zandavi; Mohammad Djaefar Moemenbellah-Fard; Amin Hosseinpour; Mohsen Kalantari; Aboozar Soltani
Abstract
Background: Leishmaniasis, as a neglected health issue, is spreading in most parts of the world. It is one of the most important vector-borne diseases in Iran. Bee venom has shown a wide range of medicinal properties. The present study aimed to survey the effect of venom and propolis of Apis mellifera ...
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Background: Leishmaniasis, as a neglected health issue, is spreading in most parts of the world. It is one of the most important vector-borne diseases in Iran. Bee venom has shown a wide range of medicinal properties. The present study aimed to survey the effect of venom and propolis of Apis mellifera on Leishmania major in different environments, including in vivo and in vitro.Methods: In this experimental study, bee venom was extracted using the modified Benton method, and propolis was prepared by the soxhletation method. The promastigotes of L. major were exposed to the different doses of the venom (0.03125-1 μg/ml) and propolis (2.5-80 μg/ml) and then evaluated by MTT assay and Flowcytometry after 24 hours. In vivo phases, 107 promastigotes of the L. major in stationary phase were intradermally inoculated into 48 mice based on the study design. After appearance of the wounds, the mice were topically treated with the lotion containing different doses (5 and 10 μg/ml) of the venom and propolis. The size of the ulcers was measured for four weeks.Results: The results showed that propolis and BV had no significant effects on the vitality of Leishmania promastigotes. However, they had a high mortality effect on macrophages. The highest mortality belonged to propolis (78.39 %). In vivo results showed significant differences between some treated and control groups in terms of the mean ulcer size.Conclusion: It seems that a combination of honeybee venom and propolis in a particular dosage can prevent the development of the ulcers caused by L. major. More studies are needed to evaluate the effects of their constituent compounds precisely.
Mohsen Kalantari; Qasem Asgari; Khadijeh Rostami; Shahrbano Naderi; Iraj Mohammadpour; Masoud Yousefi; Mohammad Hassan Davami; Kourosh Azizi
Abstract
Background: Anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were identified in female university students referred to Valie-Asr hospital of Mamasani from Azad and Payame-Noor Universities, using serological and molecular methods. Methods: Based on the prevalence and characteristics method, 504 serum samples were collected ...
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Background: Anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were identified in female university students referred to Valie-Asr hospital of Mamasani from Azad and Payame-Noor Universities, using serological and molecular methods. Methods: Based on the prevalence and characteristics method, 504 serum samples were collected from female university students, during 2015, and evaluated by Enzyme-Linked Immun-Sorbent Assay (ELISA), Modified Agglutination Test (MAT), and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based on B1 gene for detection of Toxoplasma gondii. The data were analyzed using SPSS 19 software. Results: Out of 504 studied female students, 27 (5.36%) and 36 (7.14%) cases were found to be positive for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies by MAT and ELISA, respectively. Moreover, 5 (0.99%) cases were found to be positive for anti-Toxoplasma IgM. PCR detected the Toxoplasma DNA in 58 out of 504 (11.51%) samples. Conclusions: Findings of the current study revealed that Toxoplasma was a common infection among female university students in Mamasani district in Fars province. Seronegative individuals are at risk for the disease, as well as congenital toxoplasmosis in later stages of their life. Preventive measures should be taken to reduce the rate of infection.
Mohammad Saleh Bahreini; Mohammad Hossein Motazedian; Shahram Bamdad; Mohammad Javad Abbaszadeh afshar; Qasem Asgari
Abstract
Background:Free Living Amoebas, as opportunistic protozoa, can cause more problems such as meningoencephalitis, encephalitis and keratitis in human being. These protozoa have been isolated from many sources in Iran. This study was undertaken to determine the diseases due to these parasites in the south ...
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Background:Free Living Amoebas, as opportunistic protozoa, can cause more problems such as meningoencephalitis, encephalitis and keratitis in human being. These protozoa have been isolated from many sources in Iran. This study was undertaken to determine the diseases due to these parasites in the south of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples and 15 corneal scrapings were collected from patients admitted in clinics of Shiraz city. The samples were examined by light microscopy, cultivation and molecular methods. Phylogenetic relationship was also conducted among the sequences and various Acanthamoeba spp. based on nucleotide sequences in NCBI GenBank. Results: No infection in CSF samples was seen, while one patient suspected with keratitis was positive to Acanthamoeba sp. infection only by PCR. Using Sequencing technique and Phylogenetic tree, the genotype of the parasite was demonstrated T4. This sample belonged to a 26 year old woman who used a contact lens. Conclusion: Our results indicate that it is necessary to pay attention to the complexity of the free living amoeba infections, especially in soft contact lens wearers. Also, PCR as an appropriate method in diagnosis is recommended for the detection of free living amoebae. However, it is unavoidable to suspect these protozoa as an infectious agent in patients with central nervous system infection due to increased immunodeficiency disorders.
