Prevalence of strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised patients in Mazandaran province of northern Iran: A comprehensive study utilizing simultaneous parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques

Introduction: Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted helminth (STH) responsible for strongyloidiasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that affects nearly 614 million people globally. This intestinal nematode poses significant health risks, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. T...

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Main Authors: Reza Saberi, Aliasghar Ghorbanzadeh, Rabeeh Tabaripour, Shahabeddin Sarvi, Shirzad Gholami, Seyed Abdollah Hosseini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Parasite Epidemiology and Control
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405673125000182
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author Reza Saberi
Aliasghar Ghorbanzadeh
Rabeeh Tabaripour
Shahabeddin Sarvi
Shirzad Gholami
Seyed Abdollah Hosseini
author_facet Reza Saberi
Aliasghar Ghorbanzadeh
Rabeeh Tabaripour
Shahabeddin Sarvi
Shirzad Gholami
Seyed Abdollah Hosseini
author_sort Reza Saberi
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted helminth (STH) responsible for strongyloidiasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that affects nearly 614 million people globally. This intestinal nematode poses significant health risks, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of S. stercoralis in high-risk populations in northern Iran, employing a combination of parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques. Methods: Blood and fecal samples were collected from 92 patients in Mazandaran province, northern Iran, consisting of 52 patients with HIV+/AIDS and 40 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or corticosteroid treatment. Initially, all fecal samples were examined using the nutrient agar culture method for parasitological assessment. Following this, DNA extraction was performed on all samples for identify S. stercoralis (by COX1- Nested PCR). Additionally, the sera of the patients were analyzed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit (NovaTec Immunodiagnostica GmbH, Dietzenbach, Germany). Results: The stool samples from these patients were negative in agar plate cultures. Among the 92 patients in the study, stool microscopy for Strongyloides rhabditiform larvae was positive in three cases. Using nested PCR, four samples (4.34 %) tested positive for S. stercoralis. Serological investigations revealed that 4 out of 52 HIV-positive patients (7.69 %) and 15 out of 40 cancer patients (37.5 %) had a history of infection with S. stercoralis. Conclusions: These results emphasis the importance of employing a multifaceted diagnostic approach, combining parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques, to accurately identify infections in at risk populations. Given the potential for severe complications associated with strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised individuals, regular screening and prompt treatment are essential to reduce health risks.
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spelling doaj-art-a52c1ac80e36404eb8a28037b56aea262025-08-20T03:13:08ZengElsevierParasite Epidemiology and Control2405-67312025-05-0129e0042510.1016/j.parepi.2025.e00425Prevalence of strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised patients in Mazandaran province of northern Iran: A comprehensive study utilizing simultaneous parasitological, serological, and molecular techniquesReza Saberi0Aliasghar Ghorbanzadeh1Rabeeh Tabaripour2Shahabeddin Sarvi3Shirzad Gholami4Seyed Abdollah Hosseini5Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IranStudent Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IranStudent Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IranDepartment of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IranDepartment of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IranToxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Corresponding author at: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, (MAZUMS), Mazandaran, Sari, Iran.Introduction: Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted helminth (STH) responsible for strongyloidiasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that affects nearly 614 million people globally. This intestinal nematode poses significant health risks, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of S. stercoralis in high-risk populations in northern Iran, employing a combination of parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques. Methods: Blood and fecal samples were collected from 92 patients in Mazandaran province, northern Iran, consisting of 52 patients with HIV+/AIDS and 40 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or corticosteroid treatment. Initially, all fecal samples were examined using the nutrient agar culture method for parasitological assessment. Following this, DNA extraction was performed on all samples for identify S. stercoralis (by COX1- Nested PCR). Additionally, the sera of the patients were analyzed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit (NovaTec Immunodiagnostica GmbH, Dietzenbach, Germany). Results: The stool samples from these patients were negative in agar plate cultures. Among the 92 patients in the study, stool microscopy for Strongyloides rhabditiform larvae was positive in three cases. Using nested PCR, four samples (4.34 %) tested positive for S. stercoralis. Serological investigations revealed that 4 out of 52 HIV-positive patients (7.69 %) and 15 out of 40 cancer patients (37.5 %) had a history of infection with S. stercoralis. Conclusions: These results emphasis the importance of employing a multifaceted diagnostic approach, combining parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques, to accurately identify infections in at risk populations. Given the potential for severe complications associated with strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised individuals, regular screening and prompt treatment are essential to reduce health risks.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405673125000182StrongyloidiasisImmunodeficiencyELISAPCRMazandaran
spellingShingle Reza Saberi
Aliasghar Ghorbanzadeh
Rabeeh Tabaripour
Shahabeddin Sarvi
Shirzad Gholami
Seyed Abdollah Hosseini
Prevalence of strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised patients in Mazandaran province of northern Iran: A comprehensive study utilizing simultaneous parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques
Parasite Epidemiology and Control
Strongyloidiasis
Immunodeficiency
ELISA
PCR
Mazandaran
title Prevalence of strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised patients in Mazandaran province of northern Iran: A comprehensive study utilizing simultaneous parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques
title_full Prevalence of strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised patients in Mazandaran province of northern Iran: A comprehensive study utilizing simultaneous parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques
title_fullStr Prevalence of strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised patients in Mazandaran province of northern Iran: A comprehensive study utilizing simultaneous parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence of strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised patients in Mazandaran province of northern Iran: A comprehensive study utilizing simultaneous parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques
title_short Prevalence of strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised patients in Mazandaran province of northern Iran: A comprehensive study utilizing simultaneous parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques
title_sort prevalence of strongyloidiasis in immunocompromised patients in mazandaran province of northern iran a comprehensive study utilizing simultaneous parasitological serological and molecular techniques
topic Strongyloidiasis
Immunodeficiency
ELISA
PCR
Mazandaran
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405673125000182
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