Berenji F, et al. Korean J Parasitol. 2007 Jun;45(2):145-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2007.45.2.145

Introduction.Lophomonas blattarumis a rare cause of bronchopulmonary and sinus infection. This paper presents a rare case ofLophomonassinusitis.Case Presentation. The patient was a 31-year-old woman who was admitted because of a history of upper respiratory infection and sinusitis. Direct microscopic examination of the sputum and nasal discharge showed large numbers of livingLophomonas blattarumwith irregular movement of flagella. The patient was successfully treated byMetronidazole750 mg t.i.d. for 30 days.Conclusions. This is the first case report ofLophomonas blattarumsinusitis from Iran.

The province of Khorasan-Razavi in the North East of Iran is an endemic area for anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL caused mainly by Leishmania tropica) and zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL caused mainly by Leishmania major). Based on clinical signs, some cities were considered as ACL foci while others were considered to be endemic for ZCL. This paper reviews studies performed on patients diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) via the use of direct slide examination, ELISA, electrophoresis isoenzyme, RAPD PCR and PCR in Mashhad; the study also includes cases of CL in other cities of the Khorasan-Razavi province where only PCR used as a diagnostic tool. The data show that both Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major caused CL in most of the cities investigated. Our review shows that Leishmania major was found in areas where ACL is prevalent and Leishmania tropica was observed in areas with high incidence of ZCL. This distribution represents a major change in the epidemiological pattern of Leishmania in the Khorasan-Razavi province.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a common parasitic disease which is endemic in some parts of the world. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown azithromycin efficacy on some Leishmania species. Because of structural similarity between clarithromycin and azithromycin and efficacy of clarithromycin against intracellular organisms and due to the absence of previous studies in this respect, we decided to evaluate the efficacy of clarithromycin against promastigotes of L. major in vitro. First, liposomal and non- liposomal clarithromycin were prepared, then both forms of the drug were incubated with promastigotes for 24 hr in NNN culture media without red phenol in the presence of 5% FCS with different concentrations as follows: 20, 40, 80, 100, 200 and 500 µg/ml. According to the results, clarithromycin in both liposomal and non- liposomal forms has in vitro activity against the promastigotes of L. major. The concentration of drug that killed 50% of parasites (ED 50) was 169 and 253.6 µg/ml for liposomal and non- liposomal forms, respectively which shows that lower concentrations of liposomal drug are required to have the same effect as non- liposomal drug and the liposomal form of the drug is more effective than non- liposomal form. Clarithromycin in both liposomal and non- liposomal forms has in vitro activity against the promastigotes of L. major.

Background: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic skin disease. Diagnosis primarily is based on clinical signs and microscopic observation of parasite on direct stained smears or tissue sections. Sensitivity of direct smear is not as high as molecular methods. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize Leishmania species among the negative direct smears obtained from skin ulcers suspected to CL by PCR method. Methods: Among 81 patients with suspicious skin lesions to CL referred to the Parasitology lab, negative Giemsa stained smears were collected. DNA extraction performed by scraping stained smears, then PCR was performed. Results: Among the DNA extracted from smears, L. tropica was isolated from 9 (11.1%) of the smears and L. major was not isolated from any samples. Conclusion: Direct microscopy on stained smears for diagnosis of leishmaniasis is not enough accurate. PCR is recommended for clinically suspected lesions with negative result of direct smear.

Human cystic echinococcosis (hydatidosis) continues to be an essential cause of morbidity and mortality in many parts of the world. We studied hydatid cyst pattern in hospitalized adult patients from 2003 to 2012 in Mashhad and Neyshabour, northeast of Iran. Overall, 1342 patients, 711 females (53%) and 631 males (47%) diagnosed as infected with hydatid cyst were evaluated. Their age was between 1 and 91 yr (mean age 37.75). The most affected age group was 20–30 yr old. Totally, 953 cases (71%) were urban and 375 cases (27.8%) were rural residents. The most common localization of cysts was the liver and lung. The housewives were the most frequently infected occupations. The rate of infection with hydatid cyst is high in Mashhad, northeast of Iran, and the incidence of human hydatidosis tends to increase in recent years so control and prevention programs are recommended.