In Vitro Evaluation of Ozonated Water Treatment on the Viability of Eimeria Oocysts and Giardia Cysts from Water Buffaloes: A Proof-of-Concept Study

The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to evaluate the in vitro effects of ozonated water treatment on the viability of Eimeria oocysts and Giardia cysts isolated from naturally infected water buffaloes. Eimeria oocysts were divided into seven groups of six replicates that were treated with ozonated water at three ozone concentrations (0.5, 1, and 2 mg/L) and two contact times (five and ten minutes), and one group (negative control) that was exposed to non-treated water. Giardia cysts were divided into nine groups of six replicates and were treated with ozonated water at four ozone concentrations (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 mg/L) and two contact times (one and two minutes), while one group (negative control) was exposed to non-treated water. The results of the ozonated water treatment gave a 33% inhibition of the sporulation of Eimeria oocysts and rendered 96.3% of Giardia cysts non-viable, suggesting that ozonated water treatment could be a promising alternative sanitation technology to common conventional disinfectants for reducing intestinal protozoa infections in water buffaloes; though further in vitro and in vivo tests are needed.

In Vitro Assessment Antiparasitic Effect of Selenium and Copper Nanoparticles on Giardia deodenalis Cyst

Background: Application of chemotherapy to treatment of parasitic disease of man and animals can be problematic due to different adverse effects. As a result, there is an increasing interest in nanoparticles as new therapeutic tools against these diseases. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of selenium and copper oxide nanoparticles on Giardia deudenalis cysts in vitro, as well as comparing it to that of metronidazole. Methods: The cysts were taken from the stools of patients in Urmia, Iran, during 2017-2018. The cysts were taken from stool and were concentrated and isolated on 0.85 M-sucrose. Then, selenium and copper oxide nanoparticles were prepared at concentrations of 0.15, 0.3, and 0.6 mg/ml. The effect of nanoparticle’s various concentrations at 10, 15, 30, 60, and 180 min were evaluated and compared to control groups. Obtained data was recorded and statistically analyzed. Results: Copper oxide nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.6 mg/ml and selenium nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.3 mg/ml had the same effect as of metronidazole in killing of Giardia cysts. The cytotoxic effects of selenium and copper oxide nanoparticles, compared with metronidazole, on Giardia cysts, showed an increase of fatality rate due to extend exposure time and nanoparticle’s concentration (P<0.05). Conclusion: Selenium and copper oxide nanoparticles are as efficient as metronidazole, for killing Giardia cysts in vitro.

Detection of Giardia genotypes in sewage and in stool samples in Israel

Giardia is a protozoan parasite which causes a severe disease called Giardiasis. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Giardia cysts in raw wastewater and its prevalence in the study community. Furthermore, the prevalence of assemblages A and B in sewage was compared with their prevalence in stool samples tested positive for Giardia. All wastewater samples were found positive for Giardia at a concentration range of 10-12225 cysts/L. Positive stool samples contained Giardia at an average concentration of 1.4x105cysts/gr. Giardia assemblage A alone was detected in 38.2% of wastewater samples, whereas assemblage B was not detected separately. However, 61.8% of the samples were found to contain both assemblages. In stool samples, the majority 27 out of 50 (54%) were found to contain assemblage B, 34.6% contained assemblage A and only 11.5% contained a mix of both assemblages. The results of the study indicate that Giardia is highly prevalent in wastewater in Israel reflecting its prevalence in the community. In addition, assemblage A is highly prevalent in wastewater, whereas assemblage B is more prevalent in stool samples, suggesting milder and/or carrier state of infection for assemblage A.

CLINICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF GIARDIASIS IN CHILDREN. ANALYSIS OF THE WORK OF 2015-2019

In their work, the authors analyze the incidence of Giardia in children of the Astrakhan region for the period from 2015 to 2019. A total of 17,244 cases of parasitic infestation were registered in the Astrakhan region during the analyzed period, of which 94.8% were children under the age of 14. Clinically, the disease occurred mainly in the form of complaints of pain in the epigastric region-62.5%, decreased appetite-27.0%, loose stools several times a day-27.2% and various allergic rashes on the skin of the extremities, abdomen and face – 26.3%, nausea – 17.9% and vomiting – 8.4%. Also, there were minor complaints of fever up to subfebrile figures and 2.1%, the result of 2.3%. A small number of children – 7.3 percent, there were no complaints. After detecting Giardia cysts in feces and establishing a clinical diagnosis, all patients were prescribed a course of chemotherapy in the form of antiparasitic drugs: «Albendazole», «Macmiror»and « Metronidazole».

Effect of Bifidobacterium Probiotic in the Treatment of Giardiasis Infection in Mice

Metronidazole therapy is recommended in the treatment of giardiasis,athough some clinical reports mention the resistance to this drug from many pathogens. Many studies were applied to show the effect of probiotic to prevent or to heal diseases of gastrointestine, but only few is known about probiotic activity against infections of protozoa. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of Bifidobacterium against infection with Giardia lamblia in experimental mice. It was found that daily application of viable Bifidobacterium cells with a single dose (0.1ml∕mice∕day) significantly reduced the shedding of Giardia lamblia parasite cysts in feces, and infection completely disappeared at the day (15th) post inoculation with this probiotic. Also, it was noticed that Giardia cysts were reduced in the group treated with metronidazole, and infection cured at day (17th) from treatment, while the control group showed shedding cysts of this parasite. Histopathologically, the effect of Bifidobacterium in vivo by gut cells modulation prevents the colonization of Giardia, leading to reduce the infection with this parasite.