Background: Waterborne cryptosporidiosis is the second cause of diarrhea in young children and immunocompromised hosts after rotavirus. Except for nitazoxanide (NTZ), there is no accredited cryptosporidiosis treatment to date. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find an effective and safe treatment for cryptosporidiosis. This study aimed to investigate the possible anti-protozoal effects of Syzygium aromaticum (clove) oil, Anethum graveolens (dill) seeds oil, Lactobacillus acidophilus LB, and zinc against Cryptosporidium parvum in comparison to NTZ. Methods: Besides the negative control, mice from six experimental groups (T1–T6) were infected with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. On the seventh day post-infection (PID), mice from five groups were treated for 8 consecutive days with NTZ, clove oil, dill seed oil, Lactobacillus acidophilus LB, and zinc commercial forms (T2–T5). Oocysts shedding rate, differences of mice body weight, serum IL10, and TNF-α, cryptosporidial antigen, and cd3 at the intestinal mucosa were evaluated at the end of the experiment. Results: The mean of the C. parvum oocysts’ shedding rate was significantly lower in all treated groups than in the non-treated group. The oocysts reduction rate was the highest in zinc-treated mice (98.3%), Lactobacillus acidophilus LB and dill-treated groups (95.77%), and the NTZ-treated group (91.55%). Clove oil was the least effective, with a 74.65% reduction rate. Excluding the clove oil-treated group, immunohistochemical analysis revealed the clearance of the Cryptosporidium antigen in the intestinal tissue in all treated groups. Conclusion: The study has provided a rational basis for using these safe, cheap, and commercially available alternatives in treating cryptosporidiosis combined with NTZ.

The intolerable side effects and clinical limitations of current conventional therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), there is a pressing need for alternative treatment options. Helminthes adapt immune responses of their hosts to reduce immune-mediated IBDs. The identification of the mechanism responsible for this beneficial effect on IBDs will provide another feasible approach to treating these diseases. The study was designed to investigate the possible protective and therapeutic role of Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) crude larval antigen extract in mice challenged with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) to induce colitis. Colitis was induced by intra-colonic instillation of TNBS (5 mg/ml in 50% ethanol), preceded or followed by intra-peritoneal (i.p.) administration of a single dose of T. spiralis crude larval antigen extract (100 µg/mouse). Colonic damage was assessed macroscopically and microscopically, and the expression of myeloperoxidase (MPO) was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Colonic interleukin-10 (IL-10) and serum nitric oxide (NO) levels were also measured. Administration of T. spiralis crude larval antigen extract before induction of colitis reduced colitis severity as demonstrated by reduced colon weight-to-length ratio, improved macroscopic and microscopic scores, increased colonic IL-10 expression, and diminished colonic MPO protein expression. Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation between serum NO and colonic IL-10 levels. In addition, the preventive potential of T. spiralis crude larval antigen extract against TNBS-induced colitis was more prominent than its therapeutic effect. These findings support the hypothesis that T. spiralis has both prophylactic and therapeutic potential in inflammatory bowel diseases, which may be via an increase in IL-10 with predominance of its prophylactic role.

Triclabendazole (TCBZ) is the gold standard treatment for fascioliasis. However, reports on resistance are increasing, emphasizing the need for alternative therapy. Combining TCBZ with ivermectin (IVM) was found to be effective for treating animal fascioliasis. Building on this, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the TCBZ/IVM combination therapy for human fascioliasis. This study enrolled 136 patients with Fasciola from Upper Egypt, and they were divided into the first group (n = 65), who received TCBZ monotherapy, and the second group (n = 71), who received the TCBZ/IVM combination. Assessments were to evaluate treatment response based on clinical, eosinophilic, and radiological parameters. Chronic fasciolosis was diagnosed in 17 patients (12.5%). No differences were observed in age and sex. Significant improvements were noted in all parameters in both groups, with more pronounced effects observed in the second group. A significantly higher complete response, including clinical, eosinophilic, and radiological improvements, was reported in the combined therapy group, with 53.3% compared to 26.2% in the monotherapy group (p < 0.001). A high baseline eosinophilic count was significantly associated with response. The efficacy of the TCBZ/IVM combination for treating human fascioliasis suggested a possible boosting effect, which can benefit regions of TCBZ failure. Further large-scale randomized studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Background: Investigating simple, low-cost household washing methods is critical to avoid parasitic infections before consumption of fresh vegetables. Objective: To evaluate the effect of commonly feasible household washing methods, and identify the most effective one for eliminating diverse infective parasitic stages. Material and Methods: A total of 202 samples of 6 different raw consumable vegetables were collected from local markets in Assiut, Egypt, and microscopically examined to confirm parasitic contamination. Each sample (~50 g) was subjected to four washing treatments: direct rinsing with distilled water (DW) and immediate removal (W1), soaking in diluted vinegar (4:1) for one hour (W2), soaking in DW for 1, and 24 h (W3, and W4, respectively). To provide quantitative and qualitative measures of decontamination efficacy, the wastewater of each wash was subjected to parasitological examination to assess parasite contamination frequency, and viability rate (%). Results: Among all tested methods, the vinegar-based washing method (W2) demonstrated optimal efficacy. It exhibited 82% reduction in pathogenic protozoan contamination, the highest decontamination rate. Prolonged soaking (W4) showed moderate efficacy (68% contamination reduction), while brief rinsing (W1) was the least effective. For helminth contaminants, W1 and W2 showed comparable efficacy (55-60% reduction, respectively). Although W2 achieved maximal pathogen inactivation (only 15.8% viable stages remaining) a significant (P<0.01) result versus other methods. No method eliminated all pathogenic stages, demonstrating the need for combined preventive approaches. Conclusion: Soaking in diluted vinegar not only eliminates infective parasitic stages more effectively, but also inactivates them, making it superior for ingestion of raw vegetables.