In vitro and in vivo susceptibility of Leishmania major to some medicinal plants

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of some medicinal plants and systemic glucantime in a comparative manner against the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis both in vitro and in BALB/c mice.Methods: For in vivo testing, inbred mice were challenged with Leishmania major parasites and the resultant ulcers were treated with extract based-ointments applied topically two times per day for a period of 20 days. A group of 56 mice were randomly divided into 7 subgroups. The control group received the ointment void of extracts,whereas the reference group received glucantime only. The efficacy of treatments was evaluated by measuring ulcer diameter, parasite burden and NO production.Results: Our results indicated that plant extract based-ointments were effective in reducing ulcer size and parasite burden in spleens, but their effects did not differ significantly from that of glucantime. The plant extracts tested in this study were able to increase NO production that helped parasite suppression.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the tested plant extracts are effective against Leishmania major both during in vitro and in vivo experiments, but further researches are required to recommend a potential plant extract as an alternative drug.

Parasitic contamination of surface and deep soil in different areas of Sari in north of Iran

Objective:To study the parasitic contamination of soil in selected areas of Sari,north of Iran.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify all available parasites in surface and deep soil.In this study 580 soil samples(278 deep soil and 302 topsoil samples)from 21 different locations were collected from pathways,parks,greenhouses,estates around the city,cemetery,main squares,farmlands,fenced gardens and seashores.Depending on the soil type,two samples were prepared,from surface and deep soil at the depth of 3 to 5 cm.After performing various stages of preparation,including cleaning and washing,smoothing and flotation,parasitic elements were examined microscopically and quantitative parasite counting was done using a McMaster slide.Results:The results showed that the highest rate of parasitic contamination was related to nematodes larvae(26.11%).Other contaminants such as Entamoeba and Acanthamoeba cysts,vacuolization Blastocystis hominis form,oocyte containing sporocysts,Toxascaris eggs,nematoda larvae,Hymenolepis eggs,Ascaris eggs,Fasciola eggs,hookworm eggs,Toxocara eggs,insects'larvae and other ciliated and flagellated organisms were also observed.The results of this study showed that the highest contamination was found in public garden(25.80%)both in surface(29.30%)and in deep soil(21.12%),while the lowest level of contamination was observed in seashore surface soil(4.90%).Conclusions:The results showed that soil can provide a potential medium for the spread of soil transmitted parasitic diseases in the environment;therefore,preventive programs are needed.