A serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep and goat from Benin, West-Africa In the original publication of the article, one of the authors' name and affiliation is incorrect and the author has requested to correct it. The correct name and affiliation is mentioned below.

Prevalence and associated risk factors of Cystoisospora belli and Cyclospora cayetanensis infection among Iranian patients with colorectal cancer Abstract From among intestinal parasites, coccidian intestinal parasites such as Cystoisospora belli (previously known as Isospora belli), and Cyclospora cayetanensis are well-known as opportunist parasites, particularly in patients with cancer. This study assessed the prevalence of C. belli and C. cayetanensis in patients with cancer in Lorestan Province, Southwest of Iran. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 87 patients with colorectal cancers, referred to the general hospitals of Lorestan from October 2017 to August 2018. A fresh stool specimen was collected from each subject in a sterile labeled container. The collected stool samples were concentrated through sucrose flotation method and then prepared for Ziehl–Neelsen staining for microscopic examination. Demographic and possible risk factors such as age, sex, education, residence, and unwashed vegetable/fruit consumption were collected by an applied questionnaire. Out of the 87 patients with colorectal cancer, eight (9.2%) were found positive for C. belli and C. cayetanensis infections, with five (5.74%) and three (3.44%) patients positive for C. belli and C. cayetanensis infections, respectively. Results also showed that sex and unwashed vegetable/fruit consumption were significantly associated with the prevalence of these parasites (p < 0.01). The findings revealed the considerable prevalence of C. belli and C. cayetanensis in patients with colorectal cancers. It is therefore essential for gastrointestinal specialists to pay special attention to the prevalence of coccidian parasites in patients with colorectal cancer.

First report of Cryptosporidium sp. infection in sheep population of Ladakh, India Abstract Ladakh is the high altitude (11,184 ft above sea level) cold desert region in the state of Jammu & Kashmir (India), where winter temperature goes below − 35 °C. A total of 37 faecal samples were collected from local Changthangi and Russian merino sheep of the Leh region of Ladakh, having the history of diarrhoea and emaciation, followed by death. Of the 37 samples collected, 20 (54.05%) showed presence of Cryptosporidium sp. infection on faecal smear examination after Ziehl–Neelsen staining. The number of samples positive for Cryptosporidium sp. infection on faecal smear examination was 7 and 13 for Russian Merino and local Changthangi sheep, respectively. The occurrence of Cryptosporidium sp. infection was similar in both sexes, 11/20 (55%) in females and 9/20 (45%) for males. The Age-wise occurrence of Cryptosporidium sp. infection in different age groups was found to be: 50% in less than 2 year age group and 50% in more than 2 year age group. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Cryptosporidium sp. infection in adult sheep from India. The survival of the parasite at such freezing temperature gives the insight about its cold-resistant nature.

An unusual case of Cheyletiellosis in a Persian cat and its therapeutic management Abstract A male Persian cat was presented with a history of alopecia at the dorsal tail region, with mild pruritus, flaking of skin and the owner’s complaint of pruritus on herself and her family members. All the vital signs of the cat were found within the normal reference range. Skin scraping and hair samples were found to be negative for Demodex spp. and Sarcoptes spp. of mites, pediculosis and fungal infestation. Physical examination of the whole body revealed absence of fleas or flea eggs. Further, food hypersensitivity was ruled out by gradually changing the previous wheat based diet to a commercial cat food. However, eggs of Cheyletiella spp. were seen on microscopic examination of skin scraping and the lesions on the owner’s body were indicative of infestation by Cheyletiella spp. as it’s zoonotic in nature. A treatment protocol was initiated that included Ivermectin and bath with a shampoo containing selenium sulphide. Owners were advised to apply Calamine lotion on their lesions. Both the owner and patient recovered uneventfully 3 months post-therapy.

In vitro therapeutic effect of Hemiscorpius lepturus venom on tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii Abstract Pyrimethamine which is a main anti-Toxoplasma gondii drug has a serious side and toxic effects on the host. Accordingly, the development of new treatment options for toxoplasmosis with less toxic effects, low teratogenicity and parasiticidal effect against the various stage of T. gondii are dramatically crucial. Currently, natural molecules from scorpion and snake venoms are widely used as an alternative treatment against human disease, these compounds considered to be safe and to have low toxicity in comparison with synthetic drugs. Therefore, the goal of our study was to investigate the anti-Toxoplasma gondii activities of Hemiscorpius lepturus venom. We measured cytotoxicity of H. lepturus whole venom on Vero cells as well as effectiveness of this compound on viability of T. gondii applying colorimetric assay, according to mitochondrial oxidation of the MTT reagent (Methylthiazol tetrazolium 98%). The results of this study indicated that the H. lepturus whole venom has an anti-Toxoplasma effects with less toxic effect on Vero cells. Also, the T. gondii tachyzoites were treated with H. lepturus venom reached better results in comparison with Pyrimethamine-treated group. This research will serve as a base for future studies on toxoplasmosis and suggest a role for scorpion venom in promoting natural drugs.

Detection of incidence of Babesia spp. in sheep and goats by parasitological diagnostic techniques Abstract The present study was undertaken on epidemiology and diagnosis of babesiosis in sheep and goats in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts of Karnataka state from November 2017 to May 2018. Out of 343 (225 sheep and 118 goats) blood smears examined by Giemsa and acridine orange (AO) fluorescent dye staining methods, 3.55 and 4.0 per cent of sheep and 0.84 and 1.69 per cent of goat samples were found positive for Babesia organisms, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity was found to be higher in AO fluorescent dye staining method. In agewise susceptibility, the percent positivity was found to be higher in animals > 6 months old. In genderwise susceptibility, the percent positivity was found to be higher in females than males. Hence, AO fluorescent dye staining method is found to be very rapid and cost effective diagnostic method for treatment and control of babesiosis.

Diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis by IgG avidity method in pregnant women referred to health centers in south-eastern Iran Abstract Toxoplasmosis, one of the most common parasitic infections, can cause abortions in human. The purpose of this study was to determine seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis and acute form of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women. 208 pregnant women who referred to health centers in south-eastern Iran were taken under study after signing the informed consent forms and filling out the checklists. For those with high levels of IgG or IgM antibody titers, IgG Avidity test was performed to determine the acute infection. High level of IgG anti-body were found in sera of 81 pregnant women and 7 persons had borderline titer. IgM antibody results were positive in 33 and borderline in 4 cases. Then, the samples with positive and borderline results for IgM and IgG were evaluated by IgG avidity test. In this study, approximately 60% of pregnant women were not immune to risks posed by Toxoplasma gondii. Therefore, this group are at risk of acquiring primary infection of toxoplasmosis during gestation.

An annotated list of aseptate gregarine parasites (Protozoa; Apicomplexa; Sporozoa) infecting oligochaete hosts Abstract Gregarines are mainly coelozoic parasites belonging to the protozoan phylum Apicomplexa. The present communication deals with 137 species belonging to the genera Aikinetocystis Gates, 1926; Apolocystis Cognetii de Martiis, 1923; Dirhynchocystis Cognetii de Martiis, 1921; Enterocystis Tsvetkov, 1926; Nematocystis Hesse 1909; Rhynchocystis Hesse 1909; and Zygocystis Von Stain, 1848. This study was conducted to explore the diversity of gregarine parasites infecting the oligochaete hosts of the world.

Toxoplasma gondii in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: seroprevalence and interferon gamma level Abstract Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic parasite causing life-threatening diseases in immune-compromised patients. The purpose of the study is to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in chemotherapy receiving cancer patients in relation to different types of malignancies, and to estimate the level of interferon gamma in Toxoplasma seropositive and seronegative cancer patients and healthy controls. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies, and interferon gamma were analyzed in 120 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy (60 having hematological malignancies and 60 with solid organ tumors) and 60 healthy controls using ELISA method. Toxoplasma (IgG and IgM) were determined in (66.7% and 9.2%) of the cancer group compared to (33.3% and 6.7%) of the control group with statistical significance only in IgG seropositivity (p < 0.001, OR = 4). Patients with hematological malignancies had higher IgG seropositivity than solid organ tumors (40% vs 26.7%). The difference between the groups was statistically significant (p = 0.002, OR = 3.5). Median level of interferon gamma was in the same range between cancer patients and control group. However, it was highly elevated in Toxoplasma seropositive (76 pg/ml) than seronegative (44.5 pg/ml) cases with statistical significance (p < 0.001). T. gondii infection remains a major threat to cancer patients and still needs proper screening, diagnosis and treatment.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with human cystic echinococcosis in Iran Abstract Cystic echinococcosis (CE), as a zoonotic helminthic infection, imposes a large socioeconomic burden to societies throughout the world. This study aimed to analyze the demographic, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic data of CE patients across all provinces in Iran. In this cross-sectional study, the mentioned data were routinely collected by provincial medical universities during the time from March 2016 to March 2017. The provincial population census was used to calculate the prevalence of CE per 1,000,000 populations for all provinces. T test and Chi squared test were used to compare variables between genders. Statistical analysis was done at 95% significant level using STATA 14 software. The overall prevalence of CE was 6.8 cases per 1,000,000 populations in Iran. The highest and lowest prevalence was reported for Northeast (15.2) and southeast (0.7) of Iran, respectively. There was a significant difference in the prevalence between male and female (5.8 vs. 7.9, p < 0.001). An increasing trend of the prevalence was found by age in both males and females. Abdominal pain was reported as the highest proportion of symptom (39.0%) and the liver was a commonly infected organ (62.7%). CT scan (39.0%) and MRI (1.9%) had the highest and lowest proportion among types of CE diagnosis, respectively. About 67% of the patients washed the vegetable by water without any disinfectant. Due to global efforts on the control and prevention of CE, it still remains endemic in many countries throughout the world. Incidence trend of CE in Iran showed being endemic for CE and more investigations are needed on all aspects of the disease.