Zeinab Asadi; Somayeh Bahrami; Mehdi Zarei; Hossein Hamidinejat
Abstract
AbstractIntroduction: Chlorine is an effective disinfection agent to kill pathogenic microorganisms in the municipal water treatment system. However, despite treatment, studies have shown that Acanthamoeba is isolated from different water sources in Iran. In this study, the effect of standard concentrations ...
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AbstractIntroduction: Chlorine is an effective disinfection agent to kill pathogenic microorganisms in the municipal water treatment system. However, despite treatment, studies have shown that Acanthamoeba is isolated from different water sources in Iran. In this study, the effect of standard concentrations of chlorine used in urban water treatment systems was evaluated on the survival of Acanthamoeba castellanii and its ultrastructure. Materials and methods: Acanthamoeba trophozoites and cysts were exposed to different concentrations (1-10 ppm) of calcium hypochlorite at different times (30 minutes, 1 and 2 hours). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the ultrastructural changes of amoebic trophozoite.Results: This study showed that conventional chlorine concentrations could not completely eliminate A. castellanii trophozoites and cysts. Cysts were more resistant to different chlorine concentrations and compared to trophozoites, fewer cysts were killed at the same chlorine concentration and exposure time. Alteration of the cell membrane permeability, decrease in the number of pseudopodia, increase in mitochondria, vacuolation of the cytoplasm, and changes in the endoplasmic reticulum were the main ultrastructural changes in the chlorine-treated amoeba.Conclusion: This study showed that standard chlorine concentrations used as a disinfectant could not eliminate the trophozoites and cysts of A. castellanii. Due to the pathogenicity of the amoeba and its role as the reservoir and transmission of microbial agents, revising the guidelines for using disinfectants such as chlorine in the treatment of urban water systems is highlighted by this study.
Ali Reza Alborzi; Mandana Hosseini; Somayeh Bahrami; Masoud Ghorbanpoor; Mohammad Reza Tabandeh
Abstract
This study was performed to determine the prevalence of infection in sheep and goats by observing parasite nymph in mesenteric lymph nodes and indirect haemagglutination test. Furthermore, changes in serum protein and membrane osmotic instability of erythrocytes in infected and non-infected groups were ...
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This study was performed to determine the prevalence of infection in sheep and goats by observing parasite nymph in mesenteric lymph nodes and indirect haemagglutination test. Furthermore, changes in serum protein and membrane osmotic instability of erythrocytes in infected and non-infected groups were evaluated. 791 samples of blood and mesenteric lymph nodes from sheep (456) and goats (335) were collected from the slaughterhouse of Ahvaz city (Khuzestan province). The results showed that 7.8% of all ruminants in the present study were infected with L. serrata. The infection rate was estimated to be 5.7% in sheep and 10.7% in goats. Total protein and albumin concentration, as well as albumin to globulin ratio, decreased significantly and globulin levels increased significantly in the infected group compared to the non-infected group in both animals (p˂0.05). The amount of membrane osmotic instability of erythrocytes increased in the groups infected with L. serrata (p˂0.05). Overall, the present study showed that sheep and goats are infected with L. serrata in Iran. This parasite also causes changes in the serum proteins of small ruminants. Infection with this parasite may cause oxidative stress and damage the structure of red blood cells and increase their membrane instability.
