It has been shown that some parasites interfere with malignant tumor cells growth in vivo or in vitro. In this work anticancer activity of three live protozoan parasites; Toxoplasma gondii, Trichomonas vaginalis and Leishmania major on fibrosarcoma cells growth has been investigated in cell culture medium. In this experimental study, WEHI-164 fibrosarcoma cells treated with alive Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite, Trichomonas vaginalis trophozoite or Leishmania major promastigote as case groups or left intact as control groups. Following 24 hours incubation the number of cells, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and apoptosis were determined in case and control groups. Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite decreased cell proliferation and increased cell lyses' but it did not induce apoptosis. Trichomonas vaginalis or Leishmania major didn't show any effects on cell proliferation, cell lyses or apoptosis. Therefore Toxoplasma gondii may have anticancer activity and further works is recommended to understand the mechanisms of action.
Hydatid cyst is one of the parasitic zoonoses caused by infection with the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus tapeworm. The spread of this parasite is global and is of great importance in terms of public health. To date, ten different species of this parasite have been identified that differ in characteristics such as life cycle, epidemiology and pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to determine the genotype and phylogenetic relationship of hydatid cysts isolated from livestock of Bushehr province, Iran. About 62 samples of hepatic and pulmonary hydatid cysts were collected from slaughtered animals. DNA extracted by phenol-chloroform method was amplified by PCR using primers specific for the cox1 gene. The PCR products of 50 samples were sequenced and analyzed using BioEdit software and compared with sequences in the GenBank. The phylogenetic tree was drawn using Neighbor Joining tree-NJ method, and its reliability was evaluated. Sequencing results showed that out of 50 sequenced samples, 43 samples had the genotype of Echinococcus granulosus and 7 samples had the genotype of Taenia hydatigena. By drawing a phylogenetic tree, all 43 hydatid cyst samples belonged to G1 strain. The predominance of G1 strain of hydatid cyst in livestock of Bushehr province shows the main role of this genotype in establishing the life cycle of parasite in this region and if the genotype of the parasite in dogs and humans is determined, then these findings can be used to disrupt the life cycle of the parasite and reduce the human infections.
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