Giardia lamblia is an important cause of acute gastroenteritis in human world wide, that is more common in children. Since the culture of giardia lamblia was made possible in-vitro, many immunological studies were done. In the present study, G.Jamblia trophozoite prepared from TYI -S - 33 culture media were used as antigen to detect G.lamblia antibodies using indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) in 50 serum specimens obtained from patients with symptomatic or asymptomatic giardiasis. Serum from 50 healthy subjects was used as control.Patients sera were 100% positive for anti G.lamblia antibodies with having 1:2 to 1:256 titer. Thirty six serum specimens (76%) from patients had a titer >1:16. Thirty three serum specimens (66%) from. healthy controls had a titer of 1:16 or lower. A titer of at least 1:16 was accepted as diagnostic for Giardeiasis which was found in 76% of patients. Since the patient's titer were significantly higher than controls the IFAT used in this study proved to be useful in detecting antibodies against G.lamblia and screening.

Giardiais a flagellate protozoan with worldwide distribution that causes significant gastrointestinal diseases. The life cycle of the organism alternates between the active, proliferating trophozoite and the dormant cyst.5-Nitroimidazoles have been used extensively in the treatment of amoebiasis, giardia sis, and trichomoniasis. We have previously synthesized some new analogues of metronidazole containing a phenyl or cyclohexanol ring in the side chain of the imidazole ring, and evaluated their antigiardia sis activity on giardia cyst. In the present study, we evaluated their activity against Trophozoites of the parasite. For this purpose TYI-S-33 media was used and their MIC were compared with metronidazole and DMSO as positive and negative controls, respectively. The results showed that the new compounds had desirable antigiardia sis activities.Analogues which contain phenyl group in their structure are more active than those which contain cyclohexanol moiety. Although all the new compounds had higher MIC than metronidazole but their antigiardia sis activity were comparable to metronidazole and they may prove good alternatives for metronidazole.

Objectives: Trichomonas vaginalis which is flagellated unicellular organism is the causative agent of vaginitis. Medications used to treat trichomoniasis often have unpleasant side effects or are not effective. Given the prevalence of this disease, the production of safe, effective and affordable medicines is necessary. Various species of ferula are antibacterial and anti-fungal and anti- protozoan. So far, no study has been done on the effect of Ferula szowitsiana on trophozoite of Trichomonas vaginalis.Materials and Methods: Coma (Ferula), native to Eastern Azerbaijan province, was collected and methanol extracts were prepared. Trophozoite of Trichomonas vaginalis was cultured in vitro in CPLM medium and the effect of the mentioned extracts on the growth and survival of Trichomonas vaginalis trophozoite was measured by Mack-master slide.Results: Concentrations of 2 and 3 mg/ml in Methanol extracts of F. szowitsiana and could inhibit the growth of Trichomonas vaginalis trophozoite completely after 72-hour incubation. Trichomonas vaginalis trophozoite survived at concentrations of 0.5 and 0.375 and 0.25 mg/ml and methanol extract of F. szowitsiana were 42, 52 and 68%, respectively. The reduction of the number of parasites was visible 48 hours after incubation which was statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusion: Ferula extract in different concentrations inhibited the growth of the dose-dependent trophozoite of Trichomonas vaginalis. The results of this study showed that native species of F. szowitsiana is suitable for the study of anti-trichomonas nature of it in vitro. Therefore, further study and identification of effective components in the methanol extract in the studied species are required.

Background and objectives: Chemical drugs such as metronidazole, quinacrine and furazolidone are used to treat giardiasis. Although these drugs are useful in most cases, they are associated with some side effects. The present investigation was designed to evaluate the antiparasitic effects and cellular mechanisms of Astragalus maximus chloroformic extract against both Trophozoites and cysts of Giardia. Methods: The extraction was done based on the maceration method with 70% methanol. The in vitro anti-Giardia effects of various concentrations of A. maximus extract (11. 25, 22. 5, and 450 mg/mL) were evaluated on cysts and Trophozoites of G. lamblia for 15-360 min. In addition, the effects on the plasma membrane permeability and the induction of apoptosis in the Trophozoites of G. lamblia were studied. Results: Astragalus maximus extract significantly (p<0. 0001) declined the viability of cysts of G. lamblia,in both concentrations of 22. 5 mg/mL and 45 mg/mL, the extract killed 100% of G. lamblia cysts after 240 and 360 min of incubation. The results also showed that the extract in both concentrations of 22. 5 mg/mL and 45 mg/mL, killed 100% of G. lamblia Trophozoites after 120 and 240 min incubation The findings revealed that treatment of G. lamblia Trophozoites with A. maximus extract increased the permeability of the plasma membrane in a dose dependent response. The extract, especially at the concentration of 10 mg/mL, significantly (p<0. 001) induced caspase-3 activation. Conclusion: The present study showed the promising in vitro antiparasitic effects of A. maximus extract against both Trophozoites and cysts of G. lamblia by affecting the permeability of the plasma membrane and induction of apoptosis. Further investigations especially in animal models and clinical setting are required to clarify the accurate efficacy and mechanisms against G. lamblia infection.

Background & Objectives: Cold Plasma is an emerging non-thermal, chemical-free, environmentally friendly disinfection technology. Plasma-activated water has received considerable attention from researchers in recent years. Despite extensive studies on the antibacterial effects of plasma-activated water, its anti-eukaryotic effects have not been identified. In humans, Acanthamoeba causes granulomatous encephalitis, skin ulcers, and Acanthamoeba keratitis. Considering the health importance of Acanthamoeba, this study investigated the anti-amoeba effect of plasma-activated water on Trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Methods: In this study, plasma-activated water prepared by the cold atmospheric plasma method. Physicochemical properties of produced water were evaluated by measuring pH, hydrogen peroxide, nitrite, and nitrate. To assess the effect of plasma-activated water on A. castellanii, Trophozoites and cysts were exposed to plasma-activated water for 0. 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 hours. Three replicates were examined each time. At the mentioned times, cell viability was calculated by trypan-blue staining and counting on a hemocytometer, and the results were statistically analyzed. Results: Based on the physicochemical results, the mean pH of plasma-activated water in this study was about 3. 4, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide, nitrate, and nitrite were 102, 737, and 36. 94 μ, M, respectively. The present study showed that plasma-activated water killed A. castellanii Trophozoites after three hours of exposure and A. castellanii cysts after four hours of exposure. On the other hand, some Trophozoites gradually became cysts after exposure to plasma-activated water. These cysts became more resistant to plasma-activated water and inactivated after five hours of exposure. Conclusion: In this study, for the first time, the effect of plasma-activated water on A. castellanii was investigated. The results of the present study showed that plasma-activated water is able to inactivate A. castellanii Trophozoites and cysts. Therefore, plasma-activated water can be used to disinfect and inactivate A. castellanii.

Background: Acanthamoeba-related disease have a poor prognosis according to many previous studies. Thus researches regarding biochemical and molecular aspects of this organism are a high priority. To this end achieving high amount of amoebae in culture is the first step for such studies. The main aim of the present research was to address the usage of TYI-S-33 (Tripticase, Yeast extract, iron-serum) medium as an enrichment component for achieving high and fast growth of Trophozoites in agar culture medium within 24 hours.Materials and Methods: Overall, 10 Acanthamoeba strains were cultured, cloned and genotyped and the cultures were then enriched with addition of TYI-S-33 medium. Amoebae growth was then monitored daily. Ten plates also were used without addition of TYI-S-33 medium.Results: The result of the present research revealed that addition of TYI-S-33 medium is a promising approach for obtaining 100% Trophozoites within 24 hours of culture.Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of successful achieving high amount of Trophozoites within short time that able researchers to arrange molecular and biochemical assays.

Background: Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic protozoan pathogen that is known to infect the cornea to produce eye keratitis and the central nervous system to produce lethal granulomatous encephalitis. The overall aim of the present study was to determine the anti-amoebic potential of natural compound Peganum harmala against the Trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba in vitro.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, a clinical isolate of Acanthamoeba was cultured and genotyped. The ethanolic extract of Peganum harmala was prepared. The Trophozoites and cysts were collected by washing in page's saline. Various concentrations (1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/ml) of the ethanolic extract and polyhexanide 0.02% drop as positive control were tested at three different times (24, 48 and 72 h) on Trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoebain vitro. The viability of Trophozoites or cysts was tested by eozin method, MTT, and flowcytometry analysis.Results: The results revealed that alcoholic extract had remarkable inhibitory effect on the proliferation of Acanthamoeba cysts as compared to non-treated control, and the inhibition was time and dose dependent. In the presence of 10 mg/ml ethanolic extract in medium culture after 72 h, no viable Trophozoites were determined and 21.10% cysts of Acanthamoeba were viable. Percentage of Trophozoites and cysts viability after adding polyhexanide 0.02% drop in medium culture after 72 hours was 0% and 23.71%, respectively.Conclusion: Ethanolic extracts of Peganum harmala could be considered a new natural compound against the Acanthamoeba Trophozoites and cysts. Further works are required to evaluate the exact effect of this extract on Acanthamoeba agents in animal models.