Invasive candidiasis (IC) can affect individuals with various underlying diseases hospitalized in different parts of hospitals. In recent decades, IC has caused 27-55% mortality in general population. Although Candida albicans (C. albicans) is still the most common cause of IC, non-albicans infections such as C. krusei, C. glabrata, C. lusitaniae, C. tropicalis, and C. parapsilosis have been increased in recent years. Treatment of invasive fungal infections is challenging as the number of existing antifungals is limited and more problems include: toxicity, drug interactions, and drug resistance. These problems provide a clear rationale for the development of new immunotherapies to increase outcomes in patients with invasive fungal infections. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to complete review of the current and modern antifungal drugs in IC therapy and focus on the role of immunotherapy in preventing and controlling the disease. Therefore, we review the features of current research efforts directed towards devising safe and effective immunotherapeutic options for fungal infections, including work on antifungal vaccines, engineered T-cells, cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, and other agents.

Fungal infections include a wide range of opportunistic and invasive diseases. Two of four major fatal diseases in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are related to the fungal infections, cryptococcosis, and pneumocystosis. Disseminated candidiasis and different clinical forms of aspergillosis annually impose expensive medical costs to governments and hospitalized patients and ultimately lead to high mortality rates. Therefore, urgent implementations are necessary to prevent the expansion of these diseases. Designing an effective vaccine is one of the most important approaches in this field. So far, numerous efforts have been carried out in developing an effective vaccine against fungal infections. Some of these challenges engaged in different stages of clinical trials but none of them could be approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Here, in addition to have a comprehensive overview on the data from studied vaccine programs, we will discuss the immunology response against fungal infections. Moreover, it will be attempted to clarify the underlying immune mechanisms of vaccines targeting different fungal infections that are crucial for designing an effective vaccination strategy.

Cryptosporidiumis one of the major causes of diarrhea in HIV-positive patients. The aim of this study is to systematically review and meta-analyze the prevalence ofCryptosporidiumin these patients. PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane and Ovid databases were searched for relevant studies dating from the period of 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2017. Data extraction for the included studies was performed independently by two authors. The overall pooled prevalence was calculated and subgroup analysis was performed on diagnostic methods, geographical distribution and study population. Meta-regression was performed on the year of publication, proportion of patients with diarrhea, and proportion of patients with CD4 < 200 cells/mL. One hundred and sixty-one studies and 51,123 HIV-positive participants were included. The overall pooled prevalence ofCryptosporidiuminfection in HIV-positive patients was 11.2% (CI95%: 9.4%–13.0%). The pooled prevalence was estimated to be 10.0% (CI95%: 8.4%–11.8%) using staining methods, 13.5% (CI95%: 8.9%–19.8%) using molecular methods, and 26.3% (CI95%: 15.0%–42.0%) using antigen detection methods. The prevalence ofCryptosporidiumin HIV patients was significantly associated with the country of study. Also, there were statistical differences between the diarrhea, CD4 < 200 cells/mL, and antiretroviral therapy risk factors with Cryptosporidiosis. Thus,Cryptosporidiumis a common infection in HIV-positive patients, and safe water and hand-hygiene should be implemented to prevent cryptosporidiosis occurrence in these patients.

Background: The larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus is the causative agent of hydatid disease in humans. This zoonotic parasitic infection remains a major health problem in certain areas of the world where is still endemic. In view of the ineffectiveness of some drug treatments, the surgical removal of cysts remains the preferred treatment option together with the administration of albendazole and mebendazole. However, severe side effects of these drugs have been reported which demands developing new scolicidal agents that confer suitable efficacy and fewer side effects during surgery. Methods: To that purpose, in the present work we assessed the effectiveness of ivermectin (IVM), a macrocyclic lactone endectocide that has shown to be an effective nematocidal drug against other important parasitic infections. To overcome the limitations observed in some drug formulations and resistance, we used nano lipid carriers (NLCs) as a targeted and sustained drug delivery system for IVM. We evaluated the in vitro cestocidal and apoptotic effects of NLCs-loaded IVM versus IVM by quantifying the expression of caspase-3 mRNA. Results: We found that after 60 and 120 min of administration, 800 μg/ml and 400 μg/ml NLCs-loaded IVM induced 100% mortality, respectively. On the other hand, the 800 μg/ml of IVM induced 100% mortality rate 150 min after administration. Additionally, we found that NLCs-loaded IVM induced higher mRNA caspase-3 expression suggesting a more potent apoptotic effect on the parasite. Conclusions: These data suggest that NLCs-loaded IVM may be a promising alternative to current treatments although in vivo studies are needed.