An Adrift and Homeless Cyst within the Peritoneal Cavity

Introduction. Echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused by Echinococcus species. Iran is endemic for Echinococcus granulosus. Here, we present a case of hydatidosis in an 85-year-old man, presented with acute, dull, constant, and generalized abdominal pain. A computed tomography scan (CT scan) showed an intact hydatid cyst on the bladder dome and several hydatid cysts in the liver. Open surgery revealed a cyst with hepatic origin, confirmed with histopathological studies. Conclusion. Although a primary abdominal hydatid cyst is very rare, it can be transferred to the abdominal cavity without any rupture as secondary ones. In this case, rupture of the liver wall was the reason for this transfer. As a result, there should be a suspicion of hydatidosis in a patient with a similar presentation.

A rare presentation of rhinosporidiosis on buccal mucosa − a case report

Introduction: Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic mucocutaneous infection caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi, which mainly affects the mucus membranes of the nose, oropharynx, skin, eyes, and genital mucosa. The purpose of this case report was to illustrate the importance of clinicians in understanding the unusual incidence of this fungal infection, clinical presentation, treatment modalities, and recurrence rate. Observations: A clinical case report showed rare occurrence of rhinosporidiosis in the lower third of the face. The lesion was surgically excised by electrocauterization at its base. Commentaries: The patient showed no signs of recurrence even after 3 years of follow-up. Further research should be carried out to analyze the role of genetic predisposition in causing zoonotic infection. Conclusion: Rhinosporidiosis should also be considered as the differential diagnosis when facial swelling is encountered.

Host Immunity and Francisella tularensis: A Review of Tularemia in Immunocompromised Patients

Tularemia, caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, is an infrequent zoonotic infection, well known in immunocompetent (but poorly described in immunocompromised) patients. Although there is no clear literature data about the specific characteristics of this disease in immunocompromised patients, clinical reports seem to describe a different presentation of tularemia in these patients. Moreover, atypical clinical presentations added to the fastidiousness of pathogen identification seem to be responsible for a delayed diagnosis, leading to a” loss of chance” for immunocompromised patients. In this article, we first provide an overview of the host immune responses to Francisella infections and discuss how immunosuppressive therapies or diseases can lead to a higher susceptibility to tularemia. Then, we describe the particular clinical patterns of tularemia in immunocompromised patients from the literature. We also provide hints of an alternative diagnostic strategy regarding these patients. In conclusion, tularemia should be considered in immunocompromised patients presenting pulmonary symptoms or unexplained fever. Molecular techniques on pathological tissues might improve diagnosis with faster results.

The Pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

: Currently, the world is facing the emergence of a virus that causes pneumonia in humans, which has a higher probability of causing complications that include respiratory distress syndrome and death. The new coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV), which is currently known as SARS-CoV-2, is the cause of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) . This virus was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China, and appears to have been a zoonotic infection that has now adapted to humans. On March 11 2020, COVID-19 was announced as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), causing widespread panic worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 is genetically similar to the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related (SARS) and shares many similarities with the disease features of influenza virus infection. Scientists around the world are racing towards the development of vaccines and antiviral for COVID-19. This review will provide an update of COVID-19, a brief review of the symptoms and route of transmission, SARS-CoV-2 virus, and why it is highly infectious as well as the currently available treatments and comorbidities.

Genetic Characterization of Novel H7Nx Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses from Wild Birds in South Korea during the Winter of 2020–2021

Zoonotic infection with avian influenza viruses (AIVs) of subtype H7, such as H7N9 and H7N4, has raised concerns worldwide. During the winter of 2020–2021, five novel H7 low pathogenic AIVs (LPAIVs) containing different neuraminidase (NA) subtypes, including two H7N3, an H7N8, and two H7N9, were detected in wild bird feces in South Korea. Complete genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the novel H7Nx AIVs were reassortants containing two gene segments (hemagglutinin (HA) and matrix) that were related to the zoonotic Jiangsu–Cambodian H7 viruses causing zoonotic infection and six gene segments originating from LPAIVs circulating in migratory birds in Eurasia. A genomic constellation analysis demonstrated that all H7 isolates contained a mix of gene segments from different viruses, indicating that multiple reassortment occurred. The well-known mammalian adaptive substitution (E627K and D701N) in PB2 was not detected in any of these isolates. The detection of multiple reassortant H7Nx AIVs in wild birds highlights the need for intensive surveillance in both wild birds and poultry in Eurasia.

A Cross-Species Transmission of a Camel-Derived Genotype 8 Hepatitis E Virus to Rabbits

Novel genotypes of hepatitis E virus (HEV), i.e., HEV-5, HEV-7, and HEV-8, have been identified in wild boar, dromedary camels, and Bactrian camels, respectively, and they transmit to cynomolgus monkeys in a trans-species manner, raising the potential for zoonotic infection. Rabbits are the natural reservoir for rabbit HEV, but they are also susceptible to HEV-3 and HEV-4. It has been unknown whether rabbits are susceptible to HEV-5, HEV-7, and HEV-8. To investigate the infectivity of novel HEVs in rabbits and to assess whether rabbits are appropriate animal models for these HEVs, we inoculated Japanese white rabbits with HEV-5, HEV-7, and HEV-8, respectively. We observed that viral RNA was present in the fecal specimens of the HEV-8-inoculated rabbits and anti-HEV IgG antibodies were present in its sera, although anti-HEV IgM was undetectable and no significant elevation of ALT was observed. These results indicated that HEV-8 crossed species and infected the rabbits. No evidence for replication was observed in HEV-5 and HEV-7, suggesting that rabbits are not susceptible to these genotypes. The antibodies elicited in the HEV-8-infected rabbits did not protect them from the rabbit HEV challenge, suggesting that the antigenicity differs between HEV-8 and rabbit HEV. Antigenic analyses demonstrated that anti-HEV-8 antibodies reacted more strongly with homologous HEV-8 virus-like particles (VLPs) compared to heterologous rabbit HEV VLPs, but anti-rabbit HEV antibody had similar reactivity to the VLPs of rabbit HEV and HEV-8, suggesting that HEV-8 lacks some epitope(s) that exist in rabbit HEV and induced the neutralizing antibodies against rabbit HEV.

The past, present, prospects and problems of improving the specifi c prevention of brucellosis

Brucellosis remains the most widespread zoonotic infection in the world. Th e spread of the infection is controlled by animals vaccination because the high morbidity rate of the population is associated with the spread of infection among livestock. Th e research is ongoing on a commercial preparation of an eff ective and safe vaccine for immunization of humans and animals against brucellosis. Th e review is devoted to the prospects and problems of improving the specifi c prevention of brucellosis. Th e authors analyzed scientifi c publications from various databases of electronic libraries, such as PubMed, e-library, CyberLeninka, etc.