Background: Blastocystis species (sp.) are enteric parasites that live in both humans' and an... more Background: Blastocystis species (sp.) are enteric parasites that live in both humans' and animals' gastrointestinal tracts. Blastocystis hominis (B. hominis) is the recognizable human isolates in clinical and diagnostic specimens. Human infection occurs via the oro-fecal route, particularly in developing areas due to a lack of sanitation and hygienic facilities. B. hominis can exist in the large intestine for weeks to years until treated appropriately. Metronidazole is the drug of choice for the treatment of Blastocystis infection. However, it induces intolerable side effects and has been shown to have teratogenic and carcinogenic potential. Several medicinal plant extracts have been experimentally tested against Blastocystis infection in comparison to currently available treatments. Objective: Based on in vitro and in vivo studies, this article reviewed the anti-Blastocystis activity of some medicinal plants. Method: To conduct the research for this review, Google Scholar ...
Introduction: Although vaccines are the safest and most effective means to prevent and control in... more Introduction: Although vaccines are the safest and most effective means to prevent and control infectious diseases, the increasing rate of vaccine hesitancy and refusal (VHR) has become a worldwide concern. We aimed to find opinions of parents on vaccinating their children and contribute to available literature in order to support the fight against vaccine refusal by investigating the reasons for VHR on a global scale. Methodology: In this international cross-sectional multicenter study conducted by the Infectious Diseases International Research Initiative (ID-IRI), a questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was used to determine parents’ attitudes towards vaccination of their children. Results: Four thousand and twenty-nine (4,029) parents were included in the study and 2,863 (78.1%) were females. The overall VHR rate of the parents was found to be 13.7%. Nineteen-point three percent (19.3%) of the parents did not fully comply with the vaccination programs. The VHR rate was higher ...
Toxocariasis, a parasitic infection, carries a major health risk in children, especially in the d... more Toxocariasis, a parasitic infection, carries a major health risk in children, especially in the developing countries. Children are the most infected group because of their undeveloped immune system, their higher exposure to infection, and the frequency of reinfections depending on the factors related to their hygienic and behavioral habits. Many human infections are asymptomatic, with only eosinophilia and positive serology. However, several complications were associated with this neglected disease. These complications depend on the organs invaded by migrating Toxocara larvae, the degree of the larvae burden, and the strength of the host immune response. This review aims at giving an update on clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of toxocariasis in children. The pediatricians should merge this information into their clinical diagnosis to defeat this neglected disease by establishing the correct diagnosis and treatment.
Ocular lesions are frequently associated with different parasitic infections. The classes of infe... more Ocular lesions are frequently associated with different parasitic infections. The classes of infection include protozoa, nematodes, cestodes, and ectoparasites. Ocular parasitic infections can manifest in any part of the eye; the disease manifestations are frequently characterized as either posterior or anterior eye disease. Parasite-induced lesions may be due to damage directly caused by the parasite, indirect pathology caused by toxic products or the immune response initiated by infectious parasitism. This review characterized the parasite-induced lesions in the posterior segment of the eye. Prompt diagnosis and early treatment of these lesions can reduce ocular morbidity. The method of the literature search was conducted on PubMed, Elsevier Scopus database, and Google Scholar with no limitation on the year of publication databases. It was limited to English articles published for ocular lesions in clinical studies and was focused on parasitic infections of the eye.
The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro effects of ethanol extracts of Ocimum basilicum ... more The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro effects of ethanol extracts of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) and Thymus vulgaris (thyme) for anti- Blastocystis hominis activity. Four different concentrations of each extract were used, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 mg /ml for O. basilicum and 0.5, 1, 2, 4 mg/ml for T. vulgaris. Metronidazole was used as a drug control at a concentration of 50 µg /ml . Isolated B. hominis cysts from stool samples were incubated with different concentrations of the plants extracts at 37°C for different incubation periods (24, 48, 72 and 96 hr). The results showed that the ethanol extract of O. basilicum had a significant anti- B. hominis effect with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2 mg/ml in all incubation periods, while the concentration of 1.5 mg/ml completely inhibited the growth of cysts after 72hr. On the other hand, the concentrations of 0.5 and 1 mg/ml failed to inhibit the cysts growth completely, but showed growth reduction by 51.5 – 86.3 % in al...
Background: Blastocystis species (sp.) are enteric parasites that live in both humans' and an... more Background: Blastocystis species (sp.) are enteric parasites that live in both humans' and animals' gastrointestinal tracts. Blastocystis hominis (B. hominis) is the recognizable human isolates in clinical and diagnostic specimens. Human infection occurs via the oro-fecal route, particularly in developing areas due to a lack of sanitation and hygienic facilities. B. hominis can exist in the large intestine for weeks to years until treated appropriately. Metronidazole is the drug of choice for the treatment of Blastocystis infection. However, it induces intolerable side effects and has been shown to have teratogenic and carcinogenic potential. Several medicinal plant extracts have been experimentally tested against Blastocystis infection in comparison to currently available treatments. Objective: Based on in vitro and in vivo studies, this article reviewed the anti-Blastocystis activity of some medicinal plants. Method: To conduct the research for this review, Google Scholar ...
Introduction: Although vaccines are the safest and most effective means to prevent and control in... more Introduction: Although vaccines are the safest and most effective means to prevent and control infectious diseases, the increasing rate of vaccine hesitancy and refusal (VHR) has become a worldwide concern. We aimed to find opinions of parents on vaccinating their children and contribute to available literature in order to support the fight against vaccine refusal by investigating the reasons for VHR on a global scale. Methodology: In this international cross-sectional multicenter study conducted by the Infectious Diseases International Research Initiative (ID-IRI), a questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was used to determine parents’ attitudes towards vaccination of their children. Results: Four thousand and twenty-nine (4,029) parents were included in the study and 2,863 (78.1%) were females. The overall VHR rate of the parents was found to be 13.7%. Nineteen-point three percent (19.3%) of the parents did not fully comply with the vaccination programs. The VHR rate was higher ...
Toxocariasis, a parasitic infection, carries a major health risk in children, especially in the d... more Toxocariasis, a parasitic infection, carries a major health risk in children, especially in the developing countries. Children are the most infected group because of their undeveloped immune system, their higher exposure to infection, and the frequency of reinfections depending on the factors related to their hygienic and behavioral habits. Many human infections are asymptomatic, with only eosinophilia and positive serology. However, several complications were associated with this neglected disease. These complications depend on the organs invaded by migrating Toxocara larvae, the degree of the larvae burden, and the strength of the host immune response. This review aims at giving an update on clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of toxocariasis in children. The pediatricians should merge this information into their clinical diagnosis to defeat this neglected disease by establishing the correct diagnosis and treatment.
Ocular lesions are frequently associated with different parasitic infections. The classes of infe... more Ocular lesions are frequently associated with different parasitic infections. The classes of infection include protozoa, nematodes, cestodes, and ectoparasites. Ocular parasitic infections can manifest in any part of the eye; the disease manifestations are frequently characterized as either posterior or anterior eye disease. Parasite-induced lesions may be due to damage directly caused by the parasite, indirect pathology caused by toxic products or the immune response initiated by infectious parasitism. This review characterized the parasite-induced lesions in the posterior segment of the eye. Prompt diagnosis and early treatment of these lesions can reduce ocular morbidity. The method of the literature search was conducted on PubMed, Elsevier Scopus database, and Google Scholar with no limitation on the year of publication databases. It was limited to English articles published for ocular lesions in clinical studies and was focused on parasitic infections of the eye.
The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro effects of ethanol extracts of Ocimum basilicum ... more The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro effects of ethanol extracts of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) and Thymus vulgaris (thyme) for anti- Blastocystis hominis activity. Four different concentrations of each extract were used, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 mg /ml for O. basilicum and 0.5, 1, 2, 4 mg/ml for T. vulgaris. Metronidazole was used as a drug control at a concentration of 50 µg /ml . Isolated B. hominis cysts from stool samples were incubated with different concentrations of the plants extracts at 37°C for different incubation periods (24, 48, 72 and 96 hr). The results showed that the ethanol extract of O. basilicum had a significant anti- B. hominis effect with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2 mg/ml in all incubation periods, while the concentration of 1.5 mg/ml completely inhibited the growth of cysts after 72hr. On the other hand, the concentrations of 0.5 and 1 mg/ml failed to inhibit the cysts growth completely, but showed growth reduction by 51.5 – 86.3 % in al...
A Step Forward Towards Food Safety from Parasite Infective Agent, 2021
Many parasites can be transmitted by food. Toxoplasma gondii and
Toxocara spp. are amongst foodb... more Many parasites can be transmitted by food. Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. are amongst foodborne parasites which are prevalent in developing countries. These parasites do not multiply in foods, but they may survive in foods for months and are not routinely controlled in food causing major health problem. Toxoplasma gondii infection occurs by ingesting oocysts (from contaminated raw fruits, vegetables and water with cat feces) or Toxoplasma cysts from contaminated raw or improperly cooked meat. Toxoplasmosis is usually asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals while in immunocompromised subjects, causes serious complications with particularly, encephalitis, myocarditis, and pneumonitis with high death-rate. Toxocariasis occurs by the ingestion of contaminated raw vegetables or water with embryonated Toxocara eggs and, by eating raw or improperly cooked infected meat containing viable Toxocara larvae. Infection with Toxocara organism induces visceral, ocular or neurological manifestations. Involvement of the eye may lead to loss of vision and, central nervous system involvement in the form of meningitis and encephalitis may be fatal. This chapter discussed the occurrence and persistence of Toxoplasma and Toxocara parasites in relevant foods, current detecting methods in foods and possible control measures
Frontiers in Clinical Drug Research: Anti-Infectives, 2020
Toxoplasmosis is caused by an obligate intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) whic... more Toxoplasmosis is caused by an obligate intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) which infects about thirty percent of the world human population. Infection occurs by the consumption of Toxoplasma tissue cysts in raw or undercooked infected meat, intake of the contaminated food or water with Toxoplasma oocysts shed in the feces of an infected cat, blood transfusion, placental transmission or organ transplantation. Toxoplasmosis is the most common opportunistic infection in the pregnant women and the immunocompromised individuals resulting in severe complications as encephalitis, pneumonitis and myocarditis with high mortalities. Unfortunately, few effective drug therapies for this disease are available, their aim being the decrease of the parasite replication rate to prevent more pathological changes in organs involved as well as to avoid the serious complications. The recommended therapy for treatment or prophylaxis of toxoplasmosis is the combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, in spite of this combination is so effective against acute toxoplasmosis but being unsuccessful in the treatment of toxoplasmic chorioretinitis, encephalitis, and congenital toxoplasmosis. Anti-Toxoplasmic drugs need to be effective against the all stages and strains of Toxoplasma parasite with a higher penetration into the cerebral, ocular and placental tissues and have no side effects as fetal toxicity and teratogenic effects. Up till now, there is no available drug has all these advantages. The occurrence of side effects, the development of resistant strains and the lack of effectiveness against Toxoplasma tissue cyst are the main disadvantages of the current drug therapies. The discovery of drug therapies with a lower toxicity and able to prevent and treat toxoplasmosis would represent a novel era in the treatment of this infectious disease, especially in immunosuppressed patients. Therefore, the researches technology with regard to the parasite’s proteomics and functional genomics are needed for the development of new and safer drug agents. Currently, an increase orientation of the pharmacological action of natural agents and medicinal plants are usually considered to be safer than synthetic drugs. The value of these plants as sources of natural product bioactive molecules to medicine related to their chemotherapeutic effect and considered as template molecules for the manufacture of new drug agents. Recently, most of the researches in the drug development for toxoplasmosis focus on the use of nanotechnology for improving the pharmacokinetic profile of drugs. The combination of nanoparticles and plant extracts to give rise broad spectrum of drugs may be a greater chance for defeating Toxoplasma infection. This chapter aimed at giving an update on the current progress in the development of new drugs for the treatment of toxoplasmosis.
Frontiers in Clinical Drug Research - Anti-Infectives, 2020
Toxoplasmosis is caused by an obligate intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) whic... more Toxoplasmosis is caused by an obligate intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) which infects about thirty percent of the world human population. Infection occurs by the consumption of Toxoplasma tissue cysts in raw or undercooked infected meat, intake of the contaminated food or water with Toxoplasma oocysts shed in the feces of an infected cat, blood transfusion, placental transmission or organ transplantation. Toxoplasmosis is the most common opportunistic infection in the pregnant women and the immunocompromised individuals resulting in severe complications as encephalitis, pneumonitis and myocarditis with high mortalities. Unfortunately, few effective drug therapies for this disease are available, their aim being the decrease of the parasite replication rate to prevent more pathological changes in organs involved as well as to avoid the serious complications. The recommended therapy for treatment or prophylaxis of toxoplasmosis is the combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, in spite of this combination is so effective against acute toxoplasmosis but being unsuccessful in the treatment of toxoplasmic chorioretinitis, encephalitis, and congenital toxoplasmosis. Anti-Toxoplasmic drugs need to be effective against the all stages and strains of Toxoplasma parasite with a higher penetration into the cerebral, ocular and placental tissues and have no side effects as fetal toxicity and teratogenic effects. Up till now, there is no available drug has all these advantages. The occurrence of side effects, the development of resistant strains and the lack of effectiveness against Toxoplasma tissue cyst are the main disadvantages of the current drug therapies. The discovery of drug therapies with a lower toxicity and able to prevent and treat toxoplasmosis would represent a novel era in the treatment of this infectious disease, especially in immunosuppressed patients. Therefore, the researches technology with regard to the parasite’s proteomics and functional genomics are needed for the development of new and safer drug agents. Currently, an increase orientation of the pharmacological action of natural agents and medicinal plants are usually considered to be safer than synthetic drugs. The value of these plants as sources of natural product bioactive molecules to medicine related to their chemotherapeutic effect and considered as template molecules for the manufacture of new drug agents. Recently, most of the researches in the drug development for toxoplasmosis focus on the use of nanotechnology for improving the pharmacokinetic profile of drugs. The combination of nanoparticles and plant extracts to give rise broad spectrum of drugs may be a greater chance for defeating Toxoplasma infection. This chapter aimed at giving an update on the current progress in the development of new drugs for the treatment of toxoplasmosis.
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Papers by Nagwa Mostafa El-Sayed
Toxocara spp. are amongst foodborne parasites which are prevalent in developing
countries. These parasites do not multiply in foods, but they may survive in foods
for months and are not routinely controlled in food causing major health problem.
Toxoplasma gondii infection occurs by ingesting oocysts (from contaminated raw
fruits, vegetables and water with cat feces) or Toxoplasma cysts from contaminated
raw or improperly cooked meat. Toxoplasmosis is usually asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals while in immunocompromised subjects, causes serious
complications with particularly, encephalitis, myocarditis, and pneumonitis with
high death-rate. Toxocariasis occurs by the ingestion of contaminated raw vegetables or water with embryonated Toxocara eggs and, by eating raw or improperly
cooked infected meat containing viable Toxocara larvae. Infection with Toxocara
organism induces visceral, ocular or neurological manifestations. Involvement of
the eye may lead to loss of vision and, central nervous system involvement in the
form of meningitis and encephalitis may be fatal. This chapter discussed the occurrence and persistence of Toxoplasma and Toxocara parasites in relevant foods, current detecting methods in foods and possible control measures
in the feces of an infected cat, blood transfusion, placental transmission or organ transplantation. Toxoplasmosis is the most common opportunistic infection in the pregnant women and the immunocompromised individuals resulting in severe
complications as encephalitis, pneumonitis and myocarditis with high mortalities. Unfortunately, few effective drug therapies for this disease are available, their aim being the decrease of the parasite replication rate to prevent more pathological changes in organs involved as well as to avoid the serious complications. The recommended therapy for treatment or prophylaxis of toxoplasmosis is the combination of
pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, in spite of this combination is so effective against acute toxoplasmosis but being unsuccessful in the treatment of toxoplasmic chorioretinitis, encephalitis, and congenital toxoplasmosis. Anti-Toxoplasmic drugs need to be effective against the all stages and strains of Toxoplasma parasite with a higher penetration into the cerebral, ocular and placental tissues and have no side
effects as fetal toxicity and teratogenic effects. Up till now, there is no available drug has all these advantages. The occurrence of side effects, the development of resistant strains and the lack of effectiveness against Toxoplasma tissue cyst are the main disadvantages of the current drug therapies. The discovery of drug therapies with a
lower toxicity and able to prevent and treat toxoplasmosis would represent a novel era in the treatment of this infectious disease, especially in immunosuppressed patients. Therefore, the researches technology with regard to the parasite’s proteomics and functional genomics are needed for the development of new and safer drug agents.
Currently, an increase orientation of the pharmacological action of natural agents and medicinal plants are usually considered to be safer than synthetic drugs. The value of these plants as sources of natural product bioactive molecules to medicine related to their chemotherapeutic effect and considered as template molecules for the manufacture of new drug agents. Recently, most of the researches in the drug development for toxoplasmosis focus on the use of nanotechnology for improving the pharmacokinetic profile of drugs. The combination of nanoparticles and plant extracts to give rise broad spectrum of drugs may be a greater chance for defeating Toxoplasma infection. This chapter aimed at giving an update on the current progress
in the development of new drugs for the treatment of toxoplasmosis.