Gholamreza Mowlavi

Tehran University of Medical Sciences | TUMS · Department of Parasitology and Mycology

Background: We aimed to evaluate the rate of infection by endoparasites amongst rodents in the western regions of Iran to enhance the level of knowledge amongst health authorities in this entity. Methods: This study was conducted in the west and southwest of Kurdistan Province, including the cities of Sanandaj, Marivan, and Sarvabad. The field miss...

Cestodes are important parasites that can affect the health of humans and wildlife. Among these, the genus Passerilepis is an important endoparasite of Passeriform birds while poorly studied in Iran. During a parasitological field survey in central parts of Iran in 2018, thirty-two cestodes, as an obstructive intertwined mass, recovered from the in...

Background: Trichinellosis is a foodborne zoonosis disease worldwide. Humans acquire infection by ingesting raw or uncooked animal flesh containing viable Trichinella larvae. The most common reservoirs of this helminth are pigs and wild boars. In northern Iran, hunting and consuming wild boars meat by some communities, including ethnic Armenians, m...

Dung beetles as detritivores insects, naturally use feces of vertebrates as foods and reproduction beds. This leads to frequent contacts between dung beetles and parasitic helminths. The current study was carried out to assess infections of dung beetles with larval stages of helminths in rural areas of Taleqan County, Alborz Province, Iran. A total...

Dung beetles as detritivores insects, naturally use feces of vertebrates as foods and reproduction beds. This leads to frequent contacts between dung beetles and parasitic helminths. The current study was carried out to assess infections of dung beetles with larval stages of helminths in rural areas of Taleqan County, Alborz Province, Iran. A total...

Dioctophyme renale, is the largest of parasitic nematodes, which infects different species of fish-eating carnivores worldwide. The northern provinces of Iran (Guilan and Mazandaran) located in south of the Caspian Sea are suitable for parasitic infections due to the mild and humid climatic conditions. From separate surveys of road-killed canids in...

Background: Dung beetles are detritivores insects. They naturally use feces of vertebrates as foods and reproduction beds. This leads to frequent contacts between dung beetles and parasitic helminths. The current study was carried out to assess infections of dung beetles with larval stages of helminths in rural areas of Taleqan County, Alborz Provi...

Introduction: Bats are natural reservoir hosts of several zoonotic infections. Few studies have demonstrated gut helminth community parasite in bats. In the present study, we investigated two intestinal helminths of two bat species, Rhinopoma muscatellum, and Rhinopoma microphyllum, from Hormozgan province, southern Iran. Methods: We received diges...

Background: Identification of liver flukes, Fasciola hepatica, and Fasciola gigantica by morphometric parameters is not always reliable due to the overlapping measurements. This study aimed to characterize the liver flukes of animals from different parts of Iran by the genetic markers, ITS1, and COXI. Methods: We collected flukes from infected l...

Camacho & Reinhard stated in the December 2019 issue of the KJP (57: 621-625) that we confused a pollen grain with an Enterobius egg found in the grave of a female adolescent residing in ancient Tehran 7,000 years ago. We want here to clarify and answer to the outlined points in their article.

Abstract Background: Efforts to find a reliable non-molecular means of identification has been the main purpose of the current work that always is persuaded by researchers interested in the field of parasitology. Methods: Adult fasciolids were obtained from the slaughterhouses in different parts of Iran in 2017, and inves- tigated using the clas...

Background: The ancient Chehrabad Salt mine, a well-known archaeological site in Iran, has recently received increasing interest from Iranian and international archeologists. Also, the biological remains from this site have provided valuable sources for studying the pathogenic agents of ancient times. This study aimed to identify the parasitic hel...

Abstract: Camacho & Reinhard stated in the December 2019 issue of the KJP (57: 621-625) that we confused a pollen grain with an Enterobius egg found in the grave of a female adolescent residing in ancient Tehran 7,000 years ago. We want here to clarify and answer to the outlined points in their article. Key words: Enterobius egg, palynology, poll...

Background: The aim of the present study was to study pathological and parasitological characteristics of simultaneous capillariasis and hystrichiasis in a diseased Anas crecca captured in Mazandaran Province of Iran on Oct 2016. Methods: Parasitology and histopathology techniques were used to detect the parasites of the carcass of the captive com...

Background We detected eight trematodes in the small intestine of a road-killed jackal (Canis aureus) from Hamidiyeh District near the city of Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province in 2010. Methods Three worms were stained with carmine acid, mounted in Canada balsam on glass slides and examined under a light microscope at 1000X magnification. PCR and sequenci...

Introduction: Rodents are known as the reservoir of various zoonotic diseases and play a critical role in the transmission of pathogenic agents to humans. During an investigation on rodent reservoirs of leptospirosis in Caspian Sea littoral, northern Iran, we took advantage of the opportunity to examine the animals for intestinal helminth infection...

Spirocerca lupi (Rudolphi 1809) esophageal nodules, aortic aneurysms andspondylitis. Clinical signs of infection are regurgitation, vomiting, weight loss, coughing, dyspneaand, rarely, reports the infection rate in dogs in Yasuj city, south of I In this study, 22 carcasses of dogs were examined for were examined macroscopically for carcass and plac...

After half a century, Trichinella infection has been reported in humans following ingestion of wild boar meat hunted in Northern Iran. We have performed a cross-sectional study to evaluate the prevalence of Trichinella spp. infections in wild boar and prevalence of anti-Trichinella antibodies among at-risk individuals for the first time in Iran. Mu...

Introduction: Some postgraduate students reported the presence of a nematode infection, presumably, Trichosomoides crassicauda in the urinary bladder of rats (Rattus norvegicus) from the animal house of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). We prompted to explore the prevalence of this infection among the rats of animal houses belonging to...

INTRODUCTION Experiments in different fields of biology and medical sciences depend on various laboratory animals. Rats are the second most utilized experimental animals in research studies worldwide, after laboratory mice [1]. Different lines of biomedical science such as organ transplantation, immunology, genetics, cancer research, pharmacology,...

Introduction: The Afghan pika (Ochotona rufescens) is a small mammal in the family Ochotonidae. This small mammal occurs in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. Here, we investigated the helminth infections among the Afghan pikas from northeastern Iran. Methods: Fourteen Afghan pikas were entrapped from Bojnord, Mashhad, Birjand, and Tand...

Abstract Background: Trichinellosis is an important and neglected foodborne zoonotic infectious disease in worldwide. The most human outbreaks in recent years have been related to consumption of wild boar meat. This cross-sectional study determined the prevalence of Trichinella spp. infections in hunted wild boars in northern Iran. Methods: Thirty...

Background Rodents are considered as reservoirs of various zoonotic diseases including helminthic infections. The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of helminth infections in rodents, in Boyer-Ahmad district, Southwestern Iran. Methods Overall, 52 rodents were captured from various areas of the district by Sherman live traps. The anima...

BACKGROUND Paleoparasitology reveals the status of parasitic infections in humans and animals in ancient times based on parasitic particles found in biological remains from archaeological excavations. This line of research emerged in Iran in 2013. OBJECTIVE The identification of parasites from Neolithic times is an attractive subject that shows th...

Introduction: Cysticercus fasciolaris is the larval stage of the cestode Taenia taeniaeformis, whose definitive hosts are cats. Rodents and very rarely humans act as intermediate hosts. Here, we investigated the rate of infection among urban rats in the north of Khuzestan province, southwest of Iran, and described the histopathological changes in t...

Background Demodicosis is one of the most prevalent skin diseases resulting from infestation by Demodex mites. This parasite usually inhabits in follicular infundibulum or sebaceous duct and transmits through close contact with an infested host. Methods This study was carried from September 2014 to January 2016 at Tehran University of Medical Scie...

Background: Demodicosis is one of the most prevalent skin diseases resulting from infestation by Demodex mites. This parasite usually inhabits in follicular infun-dibulum or sebaceous duct transmitted through close contact with an infested host. Methods: This study was carried from September 2014 to January 2016 at Tehran University of Medical Scie...

Evidence of rare human helminthiasis in paleoparasitological records is scarce. we report here the finding of Physaloptera spp. eggs in a soil sample collected in the pelvic and sacrum bones area of a skeleton excavated from a grave of Shahr-e Sukhteh archeological site dating back to the Bronze Age. The site is located in southeastern Iran and has...

Background Along with the newly emergence of paleoparasitology research in Iran, findings of parasites from Northern part of the county have not been reported so far. In this study tracking for the lancet liver fluke dates back 250 BC is addressed. Methods Samples were taken from grave crypts of the soil layers attached to the pelvic bones from ab...

Background Hymenolepis diminuta is a cestod of rodents and rarely infects humans. Infection in humans is via ingestion of infected insects. This study was aimed to detect H. diminuta cysticercoids in red flour beetles, Tribolium castaneum, and cockroaches originated from different regions of Iran. Methods The red flour beetles and cockroaches were...

Shahr-e Sukhteh (meaning burnt city in Persian) in Iran is an archeological site dated back to around 3,200-1,800 BC. It is located in Sistan and Baluchistan Province of Iran and known as the junction of Bronze Age trade routes crossing the Iranian plateau. It was appointed as current study area for paleoparasitological investigations. Excavations...

Background: Carnivore carcasses on the roads can be regarded as study materials in parasitology and eco-epidemiology. Stray carnivores such as dogs and cats are known to harbor so many different pathogens like zoonotic helminthes. The current investigation, apparent the status of the helminthic parasites found in road killed carnivores from differe...

Background Fascioliasis is a zoonotic disease caused by the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica. Drug resistance, high costs of treatment and economic losses in meat production have emerged the need of alternative control measures into consideration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro ovicidal activity of Paecilomyces lilacinus fungus on...

The Molavi street archeological site south of Tehran accidentally provided a unique opportunity for paleoparasitological studies in Iran. A female skeleton was unearthed and evaluated to be 7000 years old. Soil samples were collected around the pelvic and sacrum bones. Careful microscopic investigation of rehydrated soil samples revealed the presen...

Background Wild boars, Sus scrofa, of wide distribution considered as a potential source of zoonotic parasites. The current study aimed to assess the prevalence of helminth infections in wild boars in the Persian Gulf coastal area (Bushehr Province), Southwestern Iran. Methods Twenty-five wild boars, including 11 males and 14 females, were collect...

Introduction: The nematophagus fungi have been suggested as an alternative way to eliminate the zoonotic helminths eggs from the environment. In the present study, we evaluated the ovicidal activity of a fungus, Paecilomyces lilacinus, recovered from a compost soil, on the eggs of parasitic helminths under in vitro condition. Methods: Water suspens...

Parasites and parasitic diseases have been prevalent in Iran according to Iranian ancient scholars and physicians’ inscriptions dating back to 865-1496. Some protozoan diseases such as malaria and cutaneous leishmaniasis have been introduced by clinical manifestations and helminthic infections by size and morphology of the worms. Scientific studies...

A pathological and epidemiological study on Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus infection on 25 wild boars Sus scrofa in southwestern Iran was done. Overall 24 helminthes (18 female and 6 male) were collected from the intestine of 13 infected wild boars. Thus, the prevalence of acanthocephalans among the 25 examined boars was 52 %. Pathological evalua...

Introduction: There is not much data on parasitic infections of laboratory animals that are kept in conventional conditions in Iran. The present study was designed to investigate intestinal helminths infections in laboratory colonies of rats and mice. Methods: Droppings from 110 mice and 110 rats (each animal one dropping) belonging to experimental...

This study presents the first molecular and serological evaluation of Echinococcus granulosus infections in wild boars in Iran. Twenty five wild boars were collected in south-western Iran, during authorized hunting program, from March to October 2013, necropsied and examined for E. granulosus infection. Furthermore, seroprevalence of cystic echinoc...

During a long term of road survey for detection of the zoonotic helminthes in carnivores, a male Vulpes vulpes was naturally found infected by Dioctophyme renale in Caspian Sea littoral in Iran. Since the parasite transmission usually occurs through consumption of fish and other accidental food items, investigation of the worm amongst fish-eating a...

Abstract Present paper is the second publication introducing the paleoparasitological findings from animal coprolites obtained from archeological site of Chehrabad salt mine in northwestern Iran. The current archeological site is located in northwest of Iran , dated to the Sassanian Era (4th/5th century CE).In the summer 2012 the carnivore coproli...

Dicrocoeliasis of animals and humans is caused by trematode species of the genus Dicrocoelium, mainly D. dendriticum in ruminants of the Holarctic region. Dicrocoelium dendriticum may be considered an old parasite, probably related to the appearance and diversification of Eurasian ovicaprines, occurred 14.7-14.5 million years ago. The oldest palaeo...

Due to various climatic conditions in different parts of Iran, presenting of various kinds of human myiasis is expected. Despite of a few case series, most papers related to myiasis are case reports originated from various parts of Iran. This study discusses on different clinical features of myiasis in Iran and description of one case from Tehran a...

The aim of this study was to detect the seroprevalence of human fascioliasis in Isfahan County, central Iran in 2013. Overall, 471 sera samples were collected from people recalled randomly to 20 health centers in the city of Isfahan and 10 related villages in 2014. Sera were examined using ELISA test. A questionnaire was filled out for each partici...

The current study aimed to find out the morphometric and genotypic divergences of the flukes isolated from different hosts in a newly emerging focus of human fascioliasis in Iran. Adult Fasciola spp. were collected from 34 cattle, 13 sheep, and 11 goats from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, southwest of Iran. Genomic DNA was extracted from the...

In this paper, paleoparasitological findings from rodent excrements obtained from Chehrabad Salt Mine archeological site located in northwest of Iran are demonstrated and discussed. Chehrabad Salt Mine archeological site located in northwest of Iran, dated to the Achaemenid (mid 1(st) mill. BCE) and to Sassanid (3(rd) cent. - 7(th) cent. CE) period...

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the capability of helminths to absorb heavy metals in comparison with that of the host tissues. Methods: We compared the concentration of cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) in urban rats and in their harboring helminthes —Moniliformis moniliformis, Hymenolepis diminuta and larval stage of Taenia...

Two calcified objects recovered from a 3rd to 4th-century grave of an adolescent in Amiens (Northern France) were identified as probable hydatid cysts. By using thin-section petrographic techniques, probable Calodium hepaticum (syn. Capillaria hepatica) eggs were identified in the wall of the cysts. Human hepatic capillariosis has not been reported...

Dear Editor-in-Chief There has been a widespread debate over the exist-ence of a relationship between intestinal parasites and bruxism. While some authors suggested that parasites may play a role in bruxism (1-5), others do not confirm this association (6). Since detection of etiology of bruxism in every patient seems to be necessary to make an eff...

Eighteen lesser mouse-eared bats, Myotis blythii (Tomes 1857) (Vespertilionidae) from Zanjan Province, Iran, were examined for parasites and found to harbor one species of Cestoda, Hymenolepis rhinopomae; one species of Nematoda, Molinostrongylus alatus; one species of Diptera, Penicillidia dufourdi; and one species of mite, Spinturnix andegavinus....

To find out different species of helminthes and blood/tissue protozoan parasites of stray dogs and their potential role for transmission of zoonotic species to human in Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province, northeast Iran, during 2008-2009. Totally, 100 stray dogs were selected among Mashhad municipal collection from different sites of the city. Inter...

Rats are capable to harbor various pathogens, among which certain species of zoonotic parasites are included. A long-term detection of parasite fauna of rats has sporadically been carried out in Iran. Abundance of these vertebrate pests is of great importance as regards public health issue. The present paper is focused on a digenean trematode Plagi...

The aim of the study was to determine the helminthic species occurring in great gerbil Rhombomys opimus collected from Maraveh Tappeh, Golestan Province, northeast Iran. During 2010-2011, a total of 77 R. opimus were captured from rural areas of Maraveh Tappeh, Golestan Province, using Sherman live traps and examined for infectivity with any larva...

Trichinellosis is an important helminthic food-borne zoonosis, which is caused by nematodes of the genus Trichinella. Although, Trichinella spp. has been detected frequently in Iranian wildlife, this parasitic infection is not considered a major public health problem. This is largely because Islamic codes forbid consumption of pork meat in this cou...

Cases of canine onchocerciasis caused by Onchocerca lupi are increasingly reported from Europe and the western United States of America. The zoonotic role of this parasite had already been suspected in Europe as the clinical signs and histopathology seen in two ocular cases from Albania and the Crimean region were very similar to those of canine oc...

Pachysentis canicola (Meyer, 1931) is an acanthocephalan belonging to the class Oligacanthorhynchida. These species parasitize canids and other carnivores as definitive hosts which are followed by ingestion of an infected arthropod as its biological intermediate host. We present here a natural occurrence of P. canicola in fox from Iran with special...

To find importance of morphometric criterion of larval rostellar hook of Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) and the easy and reliable method for distinguish sheep and camel strains in epidemiologic studies. Larval rostellar hooks (n=1860) of 31 camel and sheep isolates in Iran, which already had been characterized by PCR, were carefully proces...

Two interesting known dorylaims, namely Crassolabium rhopalocercum and Axonchium (Syncheilaxonchium) nairi, collected in soil of natural areas from northern of Iran are studied in depth, including detailed descriptions, table of measurements and LM pictures. An emended diagnosis is provided for Crassolabium rhopalocercum since new relevant characte...

Genus Trichostrongylus (Nematoda: Trichostrongylidae) is one of the most important zoonotic nematodes with wide geographic distribution in the world. The purpose of the present study was to describe morphological and morphometrical characteristics of male Trichostrongylus species, currently prevalent in domestic ruminants of Khuzestan Province, sou...

Due to scarcity of human reports, we took advantage of the heaviest infection of M. moniliformis in rats, to describe histopathological and microanatomical valuable useful keys while confronting human occurrences. Samples were obtained from captured rats in Tehran, capital of Iran, during two decades. Tissue sections were performed through hematoxy...

Strongyloidiasis is mostly an asymptomatic infection and diagnosis of latent infections is difficult due to limitations of current parasitological and serological methods. This study was conducted to set up a PCR-based method for molecular diagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis infection by detection of copro-DNA in stool samples. A total of 782 fr...

The main object of this experimental work was to practise laboratory production both adult and the larval stage of Hymenolepis diminuta with conventional modification to make further studies easier. MATERIALS #ENTITYSTARTX00026; Adults H. diminuta were collected from urban rats in Tehran, Iran. The beetles became infected using blended gravid segme...

In order to verify the infectivity of rodents with endoparasites in Germi (Dashte-Mogan, Ardabil Province) the current study was undertaken. Using live traps, 177 rodents were trapped during 2005-2007. In field laboratory, all rodents were bled prior to autopsy, frozen at -20°C, and shipped to the School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medic...

Ardabil Province, northwestern Iran, is endemic for visceral leishmaniasis of Mediterranean type from many years ago. This situation might cause to underestimate other important diseases, which occur sporadically within the same area. In this case, a 6-year-old male patient in this area was treated as infected with visceral leishmaniasis initially...

Accidental infection with animal filarial worms in humans is a dilemma for clinicians and parasitologists throughout the world. To date a variety of such rare parasitoses have been reported mostly in tropics and subtropics. Human dirofilariasis is among those unusual zoonotic infections that occasionally have been observed in the eye and in subcuta...

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections (STHs) infection and other intestinal parasites in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in Tehran Province, Iran. Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that many people in the world are chronically affected by STHs and intes...

Nematodes of the genus Trichinella are zoonotic parasites with a cosmopolitan distribution. In Iran, these parasites have mainly been detected in carnivorous mammals, yet information on the Trichinella taxa circulating in this country date back to a time when biochemical and molecular tests were not available. We describe the first detection of Tri...

Dung beetles (family Scarabaeidae) are one of the largest families of beetles worldwide. Due to biological behavior of these arthropods, they are considered to play an important role in the life cycle of some helminths. In the present study, dung beetles collected from cattle pastures in rural areas of Ardabil province, north-west of Iran were exam...

Background: Dung beetles of Coleoptera associated to undisturbed cattle droppings in pastures present great diver- sity and abundance. Dung beetles also play an important role for transmission of some helminthes to human and cat- tle. This study was made to survey the biodiversity and abundance of these beetles in Ardebil Province, western Iran. Me...

Parasite strain characterization is essential for the establishment of a prevention and control strategy in any endemic area. The aim of this study was to characterize different Echinococcus granulosus isolates from Iran by using DNA sequences of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. Thirty livers and lungs of cattle, sheep and goats naturally infected...

Hymenolepis diminuta is a cestode frequently found in rodents and humans. Species of flour moths of the genus Pyralis and beetles in the genus Tribolium are common intermediate hosts. Humans can be accidentally infected through the ingestion of the insects, including larvae in precooked cereals, dried fruits or other food items, and directly by ing...

246, beetles were collected from their habitats in 15 different rural localities in Ardabil area during the summer 2005. After collection of ectoparasites, the worms removed from those infested scarabaeids. 1393 mites belong to 5 different species were identified. The finding results of endoparasites are as follows: Free living nematodes of the gen...

This article reports on the occurrence of M. moniliformis in a 2-year-old girl in Iran after a long time period from its last recorded occurrence. Diagnosis of the both the earlier human record, as well as the later one that we are discussing in this report, has not initially been established by routine stool examination. In this case, symptoms tha...

Here we describe a case of ophthalmomyiasis in a male patient with basal cell carcinoma. During the operation several live and motile maggots were removed from the lesion. Preliminary examination on the larvae confirmed their affiliation to the genus Sarcophaga (Diptera: Sarcophagidae).This genus is widely distributed throughout the world and speci...

Hymenolepis nana is a common parasite of rodents as well as human intestine. This parasite has been reported from all over the world, including Iran. The infection rate has been reported up to 40% in some areas. The infection has various clinical manifestations. The parasite could establish severe hyperinfection in patients with immune deficiency....

The first human infection with Gongylonema in Iran is reported in a 35-year-old Iranian woman with complaints of one year duration and treated as a psychotic patient. Two worms, a male, and a female, were retrieved, described, and identified as G. pulchrum based on their morphological characteristics.

An epidemiological and pathological study of Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus infection in a total of 50 wild boars Sus scrofa attila from cane sugar fields of Iranian Khuzestan was performed. The total prevalence of 64.0 % detected is the highest hitherto known by this acanthocephalan species in wild boars and may reflect a very high contamination...