Abstract:Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by an apicomplexan protozoa of. Cryptosporidium parvum is the specific infective agent in human . The present study aimed to search for the presence of C. parvumand to determine the prevalence of this parasite among children in Kut city, Iraq. Six hundred stool samples were collected from children less than twelve years old from October 2011 to May 2012. Stool samples were inspected by modified Ziehl-Neelsen acid fast stain and ELISA. Results indicated that 203 cases gave positive results (33.83 %) and 397 cases gave negative results (66.17%) with Ziehl-Neelsen acid fast stain . The higher infection, 115 (19.17%) appeared in age (<1) year while the lower infection 37 (6.17%) appeared in age (1-6) years. There was association between anemia 66.01% (134/203), Packed Cell Volume (PCV) 66.01% (134/203), White Blood Cells Count (WBC's) 66.01% (134/203) that showed increase in number, and infection with cryptosporidiosis, respectively. The high percentage of positive cases (100%) was recorded in microscopic examination compared to 72.5% (129/178) of positive cases detected by ELISA assay. The present study is the first record of cryptosporidiosis among children in Wasit Province, Iraq. It demonstrated clearly a high prevalence rate of C. parvum among children of less than 12 years old in Iraq. ELISA technique will be of great value in the rapid and accurate diagnosis of C. parvum in human fecal materials.

Sixty-four specimens collected passively from patients with cutaneous ulcers suggestive of leishmaniasis attending hospital and health centres in all parts of Iraq for diagnosis were included in the study. The present study was conducted from June to December 2012 in Al-Karamah Teaching Hospital in Wasit Province, Iraq. Dermal scrapings were analysed both by parasitological (examination of Giemsa-stained smears and in vitro cultivation) methods and by a genusspecific PCR detection. Microscopy revealed amastigotes in 38 samples (59.4%) and in vitro cultivation gave positive results in 19 cases (29.7%), whereas PCR detected Leishmania in 44 samples (68.75 %). There are two forms of Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Iraq are caused by two species of Leishmania. Of 44 well-documented cases in our study ; 28 (63.6 %) were caused byLeishmania major and 16 (36.4 %) by Leishmania tropica.

Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica cause cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans and dogs in several parts of the world, with a large number of cases recorded in the Middle East. However, when they occur in sympatry, the role of each species of Leishmania in the epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is not clear. To assess the frequency and to identify the species of Leishmania that infect humans and stray dogs in Riyadh and Al-Qaseem (Saudi Arabia), 311 stray dogs and 27 human patients who were suspected for Leishmania infection were examined for CL by a nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR). Seven (25.9%) out of 27 human patients scored positive for Leishmania spp. (i.e., L. major in five patients from Riyadh and L. tropica in two patients from Al-Qaseem). Out of 311 dogs, five (1.6%) were infected by L. tropica. Data herein presented demonstrate the occurrence of L. tropica in dogs and humans in Saudi Arabia, as well as the occurrence of L. major in humans.

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) remains a serious public health concern in some parts of Iraq. The aims of this study to report of CL in some parts of Iraq, by different parasitological, cultural, and molecular methods and evaluate sex differences among infected patients. This is the first study conducted  to characterize Leishmania species causing CL among Iraqi patients using the sequence analysis of Internal Transcribed Spacer1 (ITS1).   Methods: A total of 700 cases of suspected CL who were referred to the Iraqi's clinics  and health centers and they checked for Leishmania amastigote using Giemsa-stained , however the NovyMacneal Nicolle (NNN) culture led to the growth of promastigotes in all samples, then the samples were examined using PCR and RFLP-PCR methods. Results: The present study indicated that the prevalence of CL in eight Iraqi provinces as follow: Diwaniya 88(15.1%) , Wasit 85(14.5%),Najaf 79(13.6%), Thi-Qar 76(13.1%), Basrah 67(11.5%), Baghdad 65(11.2%), Diyala 63(10.8%) and Salah-Adin province which recorded the lower infection 60(10.3%), and it appeared 83.3% by using Giemsa-smeared in eight Iraqi provinces. The highest infection (100 %) appeared using PCR while the lowest infection (68%) appeared by culture on NNN media. The present study was revealed that the highest infection (60 %) caused by L.major than L.tropica (40 %) . Our results showed that 368 (52.6 %) of CL patients were had single lesion and 215 (30.7 %) had multiple lesions, and the ulcerative wet type lesions were present in 49.6% , while the nodule dry type lesions were present in 33.7 %. The overall prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the study area was very high (83.3%) having a statistical significant association with sex; males are more prone (56.4%) to Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) as compared to females(43.6%). Conclusions: A clear and reliable bias toward males exists in some tropical diseases, such as leishmaniasis. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a major health problem in Iraq and CL caused by many countries including Iraq. Health authorities should be aware of the fact that war and terrorist activities induce expansion of the disease and increase incidence rate in the situation that access to medical treatment is not easy especially in poor conditions of leishmaniasis endemic areas.

Background: Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica cause cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans and dogs in several parts of the world, with a large number of cases recorded in the Middle East. However, when they occur in sympatry, the role of each species of Leishmania in the epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is not clear. Methods: To determine the frequency of occurrence and to identify the species of Leishmania that infect humans and stray dogs in Riyadh and Al-Qaseem (Saudi Arabia), 311 stray dogs and 27 human patients who were suspected for Leishmania were examined for CL by a nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR).Results: The use of nPCR detected seven patients (25.9%) who were positive for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Five patients from Riyadh were infected by L. major and two from Al-Qaseem by L. tropica. In addition, five dogs (1.6%) were infected by L. tropica. Conclusions: This is one of the first molecular studies of leishmaniasis to be conducted in Saudi Arabia. The relationship between the sand-fly vectors and the reservoirs of both Leishmania spp. is still scarcely known in this region, and epidemiological investigations are required in order to progress towards control and prevention of the infection in canine and human populations.