Introduction: Human T cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV-I) infection has been recognized as the causative agents of two diseases; HTLV-1- associated myelopathy tropical spastic paraparesis (HAMITSP) and adult T- cell leukemia (ATL). Approximately 15- 20 millions people are infected with HTLV-I all over the world. The North- East Iran (Mashhad) has been considered as a new endemic area for HTLV- I infection especially Neishaboor. The purpose of this study was the seroepidemiologic study of HTLV-1 in Neishaboor.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in Neishaboor in 2002. Neishaboor (without rural areas) is divided into 5 health sections. A total number of 1003 subjects were selected randomly proportional to the population of each region. 5cc of venous blood was obtained from cach subject and assessed serologically by Eliza method at immunology laboratory of Ghaem hospital. A questioner was provided for data collection of each person. The collected data was analyzed with using of T, Mann Whitney and regression tests.Results: 1- The seroprevalence of HTLV-I infection was 3.4% in Neishaboor (95% CI= 2.3- 4.5%).2- Male/female ratio was 33/67 in serum positive population.3- HTLV-I infection was increased with age.4- As expected, the prevalence of infection did not show a uniform distribution throughout the city: a. The most ancient part (region 2) of the city had the highest prevalence (4.9%). b. The rate of infection was more prevalent in the center of city (region 1, 2) in comparison with the peripheral regions of the city (regions 3, 4).5- The main risk factors for acquisition of HTLV-I infection are breast feeding, blood transfusion, surgery and sexual transmission.Conclusion: Our results strongly suggest that screening of blood bank donors for HTLV-I infection and limiting of other routes of HTLV-I transmission such as breast feeding, surgery and sexual transmission should be considered to prevent of HTLV-I infection in Neishaboor and other endemic areas.

Introduction. One of the most common microbial infections in human beings is Helicobacter Pylori. The infected people are more infected to such  diseases  the chronic inflammation of the peptic ulcers and malignancies of the digestive system. The aim of this research is to study the infecting pattern in various age groups and determine the rate of infection in Semnan(1999).Materials and Methods. Cluster sampling was performed in this study. Clusters/households were chosen systematically, one member of each household was chosen by chance and taken 3 ml blood. The serum was separated from the blood and then the level of antibody IgG in serum was measured by using ELISA method. Serums more than 30 mR/ml antibody IgG considered as positive. The data were analysed by Chi-Square test and P<0.05 was considered as significant.Results. The results indicated that 48% of the Semnan population infected to Helicobacter pylori. This rate begun from the first to seventh decades, 22%, 38%, 40%, 45%, 62%, 64% and 65%, respectively and there was significant association between prevalence of Helicobacter pylori and the peoples age (P=0.0000)Conclusion. Findings indicate by increasing the age, the infection increases too. As a result, most infection occurred in the first, second and fifth decades of life time.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne virus. It is a major global public health problem and can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis. The aim of this study was to report the epidemiological features of HCV infection and risk factors based on the data from Azar Cohort, East Azerbaijan province, Iran. Methods: The population of this study comprised the people in the age range of 35-70 years from Azar Cohort, East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The study was conducted between 2015 and 2016. Based on cluster sampling, 4, 949 people were selected and invited to complete the questionnaire and perform the tests. Blood samples collected in this study were analyzed to detect the presence of antibodies against HCV using enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) Kit. The positive samples were re-tested by qualitative HCV-RNA polymerase chain reaction. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 19. 0 software. Results: The mean age of the participants was 49. 15± 9. 02 years. Of these participants, 54. 3% (n=2686) were females. Seven people (0. 14%) were detected as HCV positive and the highest frequency was seen in the age range of 40-50 (0. 16%). There was a statistical significant relationship between history of hospitalization (P=0. 02) and history of abnormal urine (P=0. 01) with the frequency of HCV infection. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that the frequency of hepatitis C virus infection is 0. 14% in the general population of Azar Cohort.

Background: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has a worldwide distribution, although this distribution tends to be uneven among geographical regions and population groups. The prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies in the general population varies widely among countries. In europe, the seroprevalence of HAV is reported to range from 32% to 88%.Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HAV among the general Croatian population.Materials and Methods: During a 2-year period (2008-2009), a total of 791 serum samples were tested for the presence of anti-HAV total (IgM+IgG) and anti-HAV IgM antibodies using an automated enzyme-linked fluorescent assay (Mini Vidas, bioMerieux, Marcy l’etoile, France).Results: The overall anti-HAV seroprevalence was 41.6%. The observed difference in the seroprevalence rates among male and female patients was not statistically significant (44% vs. 39.6%, P=0.218). A marked increase in anti-HAV seropositivity with age was observed (P<0.001). The seroprevalence did not differ significantly between participants residing in rural regions (45.3%) and those residing in urban regions (40.6%, P=0.292).Conclusions: our results corroborate those of seroprevalence studies in other developed countries. More than half of the Croatian population (59.4%) is susceptible to HAV infection. older age is an important predictor for being anti-HAV positive.

Background: Hydatidosis is one of the most prevalent zoonotic diseases worldwide. So far no survey was conducted to determine the rate of human hydatidosis in Golestan Province, so using IFA and ELISA tests the prevalence of this disease was detected in patients referred to health centers in this province.Methods: Totally 1024 serum samples were collected from patients referred to different health centers in 4 cities of Gloestan Province including Gorgan, Gonbad kawoos, Aliabad Katool and Kordkoy. All the sera were examined using IFA and ELISA tests.Results: Twenty four cases (2.34%) were positive for hydatidosis in Golestan Province using IFA, whereas 22 cases (2.15%) showed positivity using ELISA. Gorgan, Gonbadkaoos, Aliabad Katool and Kordkoy demonstrated the rate of positivity as 1.41%, 2.40%, 5.36% and 2.30%, respectively, but no significant difference was seen. As to positivity, there was no significant difference between age groups, sex, different cities and rural or urban life, but a significant different was seen according to job and literacy (P< 0.001). According to Job and literacy, housewives and illiterates had the highest rate of infection as 3.67% and 3.72%, respectively. As regards residency, urban life showed no significant difference with rural life (2.47% vs. 2.45%). Age group of 40-49 years old had the highest rate of positivity (3.95%). Females were more infected than males (3.16% vs. 1.93%).Conclusion: The rate of prevalence in this province shows somehow a resemblance with the other cities in Iran. Considering the lifestyle in this province a complementary study is suggested in all related cities.

Background and Aims: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is recognized as a common cause of epidemic and sporadic viral hepatitis. HEV outbreaks have been documented in some military forces in the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate anti-HEV antibody in Iranian soldiers.Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 800 soldiers were selected by simple random sampling in Tehran, Iran in 2006. A questionnaire of demographic data was completed and blood samples were obtained for anti-HEV IgG & IgM antibody. Data were analyzed using student t-test and chi-square using SPSS 12.Results: All soldiers were male and their mean age was 19±1.2. Education level in 553 (69.1%) of them was high school diploma or higher. Anti-HEV IgG antibody was positive in only 9 (1.1%) of them and IgM was negative in all soldiers.Conclusions: Approximately 98% of soldiers were at risk for HEV infection and before discovering an effective vaccine, preparation of healthy drinking water and personal hygiene education should be considered for prevention of hepatitis E infection.

Background: Because of the invasiveness of specimen collection for bacteriologic diagnosis and the expense of tests such as labeled urea breath tests, serology is the most feasible means of determining the population epidemiology of H. pylori. The aim of this study was to describe the SEROEPIDEMIOLOGY of H. pylori infection in Tabriz city.Methods: H. pylori -specific ELISA for the presence of IgG antibodies was performed on a representative sample of 21429 (70.02% F, 29.98% M) sera from Tabriz in two years (March 2012 to March 2014), using validated serosurveillance methods. Serum samples were analyzed through qualitative and quantitative methods for anti-H.pylori IgG antibodies with a research use only available enzyme immunoassay kit, that is, ''Anti -H.pylori IgG IBL ELISA". Anti- H.pylori IgG antibody levels greater than 12 U/ml was considered positive. Analysis was conducted using SPSS v15.0 and Epi info v3.2.2. The subjects were divided into nine groups according to age, Group I: Children under 10 years old, 1118 subjects, Group II: between 11-20 years old, 1756 subjects (1165 F, 591 M), Group III of between 21-30 years old, 4200 subjects (2976 F, 1224 M), Groups IV: 31-40 years old, 5072 subjects (3576 F, 1505 M), Group V: between 41-50 years old, 4299 subjects (3130 F, 1169 M), Group VI: between 51-60 years old, 3115 subjects (2307 F, 808 M), Groups VII: between 61- 70 years old, 1252 subjects (861 F, 409 M), Group VIII: between 71-80 years old, 483 subjects (284 F, 199 M), Group IX: between 81-90 years old, 116 subjects (64 F, 52 M).Results: The overall seroprevalence of H. pylori infection in Tabriz was 63.93% (63.77% F, 64.24% M), with no statistical difference between genders. Seropositivity rates increased progressively with age. In the first group, 23.61% the second group, 47.15%, the third group, 65.90%, the fourth group, 72.98%, the fifth group 62.59%, The sixth group, 69.92%, Group seven, 71.25%, Group eight, 60.45%, nine group, 62.93 %, The Anti H. pylori test was positive.Conclusion: The prevalence of infection with H. pylori in Tabriz City was lower than rates reported in other developed countries, at 63.93%. This study provides important baseline measurements for future preventive measures including vaccine research and development.

Background: Enterovirus 70 (EV70) and Coxsackievirus A24 variant (CA24v) are the etiologic agents of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC). The two viruses were isolated in early 1970s in Japan and Singapore, respectively. EV70 was responsible for two pandemics and several outbreaks worldwide affecting millions of people. CA24v has been responsible for several outbreaks of AHC especially in the Southeast Asian countries. Despite reports from Mediterranean region and Middle East there are no records of EV70 or CA24v infections in Iran. We conducted a serologic study to obtain such information. Material and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 66 donors in Tehran, Iran. Serum was separated under sterile conditions, stored below 20°C until shipped on dry ice to the Enterovirus Research Centre, Mumbai, India. LLC-MK2 and HeLa cell lines were used for testing samples for antibodies against EV70 and CA24v, respectively. Virus neutralization test was carried out in microtitre plates using serial two-fold dilutions of serum and 100TCID50 of the viruses. The highest serum dilution' that neutralized the virus infectivity completely was taken as the titre of antibody in the serum. Results: 68% (44/66) sera showed presence of neutralizing antibodies against EV70. Individuals in all age groups showed presence of EV70 antibodies the youngest donor was 4 years old. There was no difference in proportion of anti-EV70 antibody positive samples among men and women. Interestingly, antibodies against CA24v were absent in all the 65 serum samples tested. Conclusions: Iranian population has been exposed to EV70 infections during recent years but not to CA24v. A systematic study of disease burden due to viral AHC in Iran is warranted.