Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic and cosmopolitan infection. Although a few studies have evaluated the prevalence of Toxoplasma oocysts in the soil of public places, the present study was conducted to provide insights into environmental contamination levels and its potential transmission to humans on a global scale. A systematic search was conducted using bibliographic databases through 30 August 2020. A random effects model was utilized to estimate pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analysis and meta-regressions were also performed on the geographical and environmental parameters. Finally, 22 articles, wherein 15 420 soil samples were examined, met the systematic review and meta-analysis requirements. The mean pooled prevalence of Toxoplasma oocysts was estimated at 16% (95% CI 10 to 26) in public places. The estimated prevalences in Europe, South America, Asia and North America were 23% (95% CI 4 to 65), 22% (95% CI 18 to 26), 15% (95% CI 0.06 to 33) and 8% (95% CI 0.00 to 97), respectively. An increasing trend was observed in the prevalence of Toxoplasma oocysts with increasing latitude (41–56°), decreasing longitude (0–40°) and increasing relative humidity (≥76%). Loop-mediated isothermal amplification and polymerase chain reaction methods revealed the highest and lowest prevalence rates, respectively, in the detection of Toxoplasma oocysts. Awareness of the health authorities and people about Toxoplasma prevalence in the soil of public places and its risk factors is of great importance to developing effective strategies to prevent infection.

Toxocariasis is a zoonotic and widespread infection which manifest as a spectrum of syndromes in humans such as visceral, neural, ocular, covert and asymptomatic. Herein we aimed to design a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of Toxocara spp. eggs in soil depositories in Iran. English (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, EBSCO, and Ovid) and Persian (Scientific Information Database and Magiran) databases were explored. This review resulted in a total of 14 publications meeting the inclusion criteria during January 2000-November 2016. Altogether, 3031 soil samples were examined among which 470 were positive in terms of Toxocara spp. The weighted overall prevalence of Toxocara spp. in soil samples was 16% (95% CI = 11-21%), and Tehran and Qazvin provinces had the highest and lowest prevalence rates, respectively. Metaregression analysis showed that the correlation between prevalence of Toxocara eggs in soil with sample size (P = 0.45) and year of study (P = 0.42) were not statistically significant. Further studies are highly recommended to enlighten different aspects of toxocariasis in Iran.

Background: Swine species are important source for meat production worldwide, except in Islamic countries where pig breeding and pork consumption are forbidden. Hence, they are often neglected in these regions. A considerable number of wild boars (Susscrofa) inhabit Iranian territories, particularly in dense forests of north, west and southwest of the country, but our knowledge on their parasites is very limited. Objective: The lack of a comprehensive record in this connection encouraged us to review the whole literatures in the country Methods: The current review presents all information about the parasitic diseases of wild boar in Iran extracted from articles available in both Persian and English databases until June 2017 Results: So far, 8 genera of protozoa (Toxoplasma, Balanthidium, Tritrichomonas, Blastocystis, Entamoeba, Iodamoeba, Chilomastix and Sarcocystis) and 20 helminth species, including four cestode species, two trematode species, thirteen nematode species as well as a single species of acanthocephalahave been described in Iranian wild boars. Conclusion: This review sheds light on the veterinary and public health aspects of the parasitic diseases of wild boars in the country and alerts authorities for future preventive measures.

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) as a public health concern is increasingly circulating by causative agents of Leishmania tropica and L. major in Iran. As regard to recent treatment failure and controlling problems, the accurate elucidation of heterogeneity traits and taxonomic status of Leishmania spp. should be broadly addressed by policymakers. This study was designed to determine the genetic variability and molecular characterization of L. major and L. tropica from Iranian CL patients. Methods: One hundred positive Giemsa-stained slides were taken from clinical isolates of CL at Pol-e-Dokhtar County, Southwest Iran, from May 2014 to Sep 2016. DNAs were directly extracted and amplified by targeting ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene following microscopic observation. To identify Leishmania spp. amplicons were digested by restriction enzyme HaeIII subsequent PCR-RFLP technique. To reconfirm, the isolates were directly sequenced to conduct diversity indices and phylogenetic analysis. Results: Based upon the RFLP patterns, 84 and 16 isolates were explicitly identified to L. tropica and L. major respectively. No co-infection was found in clinical isolates. The high genetic diversity of L. tropica (Haplotype diversity 0.9) was characterized compared to L. major isolates (Hd 0.476). The intra-species diversity for L. tropica and L. major isolates corresponded to 3%-3.9% and 0%-0.4%, respectively. Conclusion: Findings indicate the L. tropica isolates with remarkable heterogeneity than L. major are predominantly circulating at Pol-e-Dokhtar County. Occurrence of high genetic variability of L. tropica may be noticed in probable treatment failure and/or emerging of new haplotypes; however, more studies are warranted from various geographic regions of Southwest Iran, using large sample size.

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