Sarcocystis is an intracellular parasite belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa. More than two hundred species of Sarcocystis are capable of infecting different species of wild and domesticated animals and humans. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Sarcocystis species and their morphological characteristics in the esophagi muscles of ruminants slaughtered at Zakho abattoir, Zakho City, Kurdistan Region/Iraq. Esophagi muscle specimens’ of 1586 ruminants including, 764 sheep, 569 goats and 253 cattle were examined macroscopically and microscopically from April 2021to March 2022 to determine the prevalence of macroscopic and microscopic sarcocysts. Results revealed a total rate of infection with macrosarcocysts at 18.03 % (286 / 1586), with the highest rate 26.85% (254/946) in local breeds versus 5% (32/640) of imported ones. The highest rate among local breeds 90.91% (10/11) was in cattle, while the highest rate in imported breeds 9.13% (21/230) was among sheep. The overall rate in males was higher than in females. The detected macrosarcocysts relying on morphological characters were assigned as Sarcocystis gigantea, S. moulei, S. medusiformis, S. fusiformis, and S. hirsuta. Histological examination revealed the presence of microsarcocysts in the esophageal muscles of the three hosts which were assigned as S. tenella, S. arieticanis in sheep, S. capracanis in goats and S. bovifelis or S. hominis in cattle. The study results show the widespread of sarcocystosis among ruminants in this region that poses a threat to livestock and humans. This condition necessitates the development of preventive strategies to minimize or eradicate this parasitic infection.

Infection of healthcare workers with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) occurs by direct contact with infected wounds, through hand contamination from asymptomatic people or medical devices. While Community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections arise in healthy non-hospitalized people or in those having medical procedure within the past year. The study was conducted from April 2021 to March 2022 to determine the rates of S. aureus and MRSA isolates, their antibiotic resistance and virulence factors among 712 specimens (308 out-patients and 404 healthcare workers) of Azadi and Bedari hospitals/ Duhok province. Staphylococcus aureus isolated at rates of 28.57% and 16.83%, among out-patients and healthcare workers, respectively. Male outpatients’, and patients with ages of >40-50 years showed higher isolate rate than healthcare worker (46.15% vs 35.38% and 85.71% vs 46.42 %) respectively. CA-MRSA showed higher resistance to beta lactam antibiotics, while HA-MRSA showed higher multidrug resistance. Males of both MRSA types (CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA) carried higher isolate rates than females (38.46% and 15.87%) respectively. The higher rates of CA-MRSA and HC-MRSA isolates were 64.29% and 22.54% at ages of >40-50 and >20-30 years, respectively. PCR analysis detected nuc and mecA genes in 100% of both MRSA types, also, the genes arcA lukS/F-pvl and lukE-lukD were detected at high rates (30.3%, 42.42% and 33.33%), respectively.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is considered a serious public health problem. This study aimed to estimate the rate of MRSA among Staphylococcus aureus isolates of inpatients and to determine their susceptibility to antibiotics and some of the virulence genes. The study was conducted from April 2021 to March 2022 and involved specimens from 302 inpatients admitted to Azadi and Bedari teaching hospitals in Duhok province. Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 20.53% (62/302) of the examined specimens with the highest rate (37,50%) from surgical swabs. Antibiotics sensitivity tests showed that all isolates were resistant to penicillin G. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus was detected in 77.42% (48/62) of S. aureus isolates with a higher rate from skin swabs (85.71%). According to gender, a significantly (P<=0.005) higher rate of S. aureus and MRSA isolates was recorded in Males (21.52%). As regards age, ages > 40-50 years showed the highest rate of MRSA isolate (24.62%). Among MRSA, 77.08% (37/48) were multidrug resistant. Molecular analysis revealed the presence of nuc, mecA, pvl and eta genes at rates of 100%, 66.6%, 31.2% and 22.9%, respectively among the analyzed isolates.

Toxoplasmosis is a neglected foodborne disease, stands as the fourth most frequent cause of hospitalization and the second leading factor behind deaths among immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women who contract the disease at early pregnancy stage. The prevalence of toxoplasma infections among males in Zakho city has remained poorly examined. The current study's primary objective is to estimate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in males residing in Zakho city, Iraq. Data for analysis were gathered through serological tests and participant questionnaires. Among the 213 participants, 65 (30.52%) and 4 (1.88%) exhibited IgG and IgM anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies, respectively. The current investigation highlighted the prevalence of T. gondii infection within the general population of Zakho city, Iraq. However, the rate of seropositivity of anti-toxoplasma IgG, increased with age, but this increase was non-significant (P>0.05). Also, higher but non-significant seroprevalence rates of toxoplasmosis IgG and IgM Abs were observed with other studied factors such as residence, contact with cats, occupation, marital status, and eating at restaurants. Indicating to the presence of poor relationships between toxoplasmosis and these demographic factors in males.

Abstract Objectives:Pseudomonas aeruginosa is opportunistic gram-negative bacillus and a major human pathogen belongs to family Pseudo-monadaceae, it causes several nosocomial infections including pneumonia, urinary tract, surgical sites, otitis externa, and soft tissues. Methods: The study was conducted from April 2021 to January 2022 and involved the prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates and their susceptibility to different antimicrobial agents among patients and healthcare workers specimens in three hospitals of Duhok city. The collected specimens were examined and cultured on different media in the Advanced Microbiology Laboratory, Azadi teaching hospital. The isolated bacteria were identified according to their morphological and biochemical properties. Results: Out of 324 specimens, 29.32% (95/324) of the isolates were identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolated from 26.89% patients and 40% healthcare workers. Regarding isolate rates among specimens, the highest rate (48.78%) was from sputum, with a highly significant (P < 0.001) difference from other sources. Females had a non-significantly higher isolate rate than males (28.19% vs 25.22%), ages, > 50 years had the highest isolate rate (72.88%), while the lowest rate 6.25% was among ages > 10–20 years, with highly significant (P < 0.001) differences among them. Specimens from Heevi hospital showed a non-significantly higher isolate rate (28.57%) than other hospitals. Isolates highest susceptibility was to Colistin (88.7%)-followed by Imipenem (78.9%), while they were 98.6% resistant to ampicillin and 100% resistant to Amoxicillin, Erythromycin and Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole. A high rate of extensively drug-resistant (19.72%) Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates was documented among patients who attended these hospitals with the highest (31.25%) from wounds. Conclusion: These findings will be helpful to advise treatment with appropriate antibiotic strategy against multi- and extensively drug-resistant P. aeruginosa to cope with the chances of evolving resistant pathogens.

The aims of the current study were molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of Fasciola species isolated from infected cattle and sheep using the ITS2 region of rDNA as a molecular marker in Duhok province, Kurdistan region, Iraq. DNA was extracted from 40 adult flukes isolated from the livers of infected sheep (23) and cattle (17) slaughtered at the abattoirs of Duhok Province. The amplification of the rDNA ITS2 region of these 40 specimens was performed by PCR using designed primers. ITS2 fragments of the rDNA with a length of 314 bp were successfully amplified. From these isolates, 5 amplicons of ITS2 from both species (sheep and cattle) were selected for sequencing. The blast alignment of NCBI-GenBank revealed four sequences of five amplicons belonging to Fasciola hepatica and one belonging to Fasciola gigantica, both with 100% similarity. The genetic distance between F. hepatica and F. gigantica was 0.0127. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the sequences of this study into two main clades (F. hepatica and F. gigantica) in comparison with the corresponding sequences of Fasciola species worldwide. The study concluded that ITS2 rDNA sequences were appropriate to identify both Fasciola species isolated from the infected animals, which were identical to those of neighboring countries (Iran and Turkey). The primers for the ITS2 rDNA region that were designed for the current study can be useful for the diagnosis of animal and human fasciolosis.

Scabies is a common dermatological condition, frequently associated with pyoderma especially in warm climatic areas causing the most common dermatological infection worldwide. The indirect health impact of scabies complication, including secondary bacterial infection imposes a major cost on health-care systems particularly among internally displaced children in refugee camps. There is inadequate information concerning the genetic diversity of populations of the scabies mites in humans in Iraq. The objective of this study was to measure the strength of association between pyoderma and scabies in addition to genetic characterization and variation in the DNA sequences of Sarcoptes scabiei and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in internally displaced children in UNHCR Refugee-IDP camp in Zakho, Iraq. Molecular characterization was performed using ITS2 rDNA as a specific marker for targeting the nuclear ribosomal DNA of Sarcoptes scabiei and specific primers mecA for targeting the mecA gene of MRSA using PCR techniques. There are no previous studies in Iraq in this direction. The results revealed a 480 bps PCR product amplified from the DNA of S. scabiei isolates and 310 bps PCR product from the DNA of MRSA, which indicating specific detection of S. scabiei var. hominis and MRSA from infected children. Four isolates of scabies and one isolate of MRSA were subjected to DNA sequence of ITS2 and to partial DNA sequence of mecA gene to access the relation with other global isolates. The obtained sequences were submitted to GenBank with the following accession numbers (MW261329, MW261330, MW261331, MW115895, MW165336). PCR assay has increased sensitivity over microscopic examination especially during outbreak investigation of scabies when large number of suspected patients are screened and untreated scabies is often associated with pyoderma.

The study was performed on 504 stool samples from infants and children with diarrhea who attended laboratories at Zakho General Hospital, Heevie Pediatric Hospital, Chamisku and Bersive 1 camps, and children who did not have diarrhea in various primary schools in Zakho between August 2021 and the end of July 2022. The study focused on 1 month of age to 15 years old. The collected stool specimens were examined macroscopically followed by microscopic examination using wet mount and concentration methods. The microscopic findings revealed an overall prevalence of Giardia lamblia at a rate of 6.15% (31/504), with slightly but non-significantly higher infection rate in males than in females (6.71% vs. 5.43%). The highest rate of infection was noted among the age group >3-6 years, while the lowest rate was among the age group >12-15 years, which were 11.76% and 1.45%, respectively. The infection rate was also twice as high among rural residents as compared to urban ones (10.34% and 3.32%), respectively. Infants and children who drink tap water had a high infection rate, whereas those drinking bottled water had a lower infection rate (8.05% and 1.92%), respectively. The infection rate was non- significantly higher in families with more than 6 members than in those with less than 6 members (7.06% and 5.22%) respectively. In terms of monthly infection distribution, the highest prevalence was reported in July (11.29%), while the lowest rate was recorded in February (2.27%). Finally, the statistical analysis revealed a significant relationship between infection and age group, residence, as well as the types of drinking water consumed, but non-significant relationship between infection and gender, number of family members and months of sample collection.

Intestinal parasites and bacteria especially enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) are important causative agents responsible for persistent diarrhea in infants and children worldwide due to their high occurrence in both the hospitals and community settings. However, sporadic outbreaks by these microorganisms occur globally. This study was conducted from August 2021 to January 2022. In this study 500 diarrheic stool samples were collected from both genders and various ages (6 month to 12 years) from outpatient in Zakho hospital to identify the causative agents of diarrhea in infants and children of both gender and different ages. In addition to find out the relationship of pathogenic bacteria and parasites with gender and age In this study the total rate of infection was 64.2% (321/500), considerable number of samples were positive for more than one species of microorganisms, elevating the rate to 89%, with the highest rate (62%) being with bacteria among which E. coli was the dominant species (74.84%), while the rate with parasites was 27%, with E. histolytica being the dominant species (45.93%). Other recorded bacterial species with their rates are: Klebsiella spp. (15.16%) Pseudomonas spp. and Shigella spp. at rates of 6.13% and 3.87%, respectively. While other parasites included: Cryptosporidium spp. (34.07%), Blastocysts spp. (13.33%), G. lamblia (5.93%) and H. nana (0.74%). Single infections were reported in 61.68% (198/321) of the positive cases with the highest rate (49.53%) of bacteria and only 12.15% with parasites. The dominant organisms in single infections were E. coli and the oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp. at rates of 81.13% and 61.54%, respectively. The mixed infections were documented in 38.32% (123/321). Among these, 67.48% (83/123) showed a combination between bacteria and parasites. The most frequent microorganisms encountered in mixed infections were E. coli and E. histolytica at rate of 33.33%. The total rate of infection in males was higher than that in females (59.19 vs 40.81%), with the highest (77.89%) being among the age group 6 months-2 years. In each gender separately, males of the age group 6 months to 2 years showed the highest rate (62.16%,) whereas females of the age group 9-12 years had the highest rate (51.16%). Statistically the relationships between the rate of infection, age and gender were non-significant (P = 0.294). In conclusions it's obvious that 89 % of diarrheal cases were associated with pathogenic bacteria, and parasites, with E. coli, Klebsiella spp., E. histolytica, and Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts as leading microorganisms. Most infections occurred with one type of microorganisms, and the prevalence of microbes was found to be gender and age independent. Therefore, it is recommended to disseminate the health education and sanitary application programs among the community.

This study aimed to characterize and identify the genotypes of Fasciola spp. isolated from sheep, goats, and cattle in Duhok province based on the ITS1 region of rDNA. About 54 adult Fasciola flukes were individually isolated from the livers of naturally infected ruminants. After morphological identification, the genomic DNA of 54 isolated Fasciola spp. was successfully extracted, and the ITS1segment (518 bp) of rDNA was amplified. The amplicons were confirmed by gel electrophoresis and yielded mono cleared bands. Five amplicons from these samples (2 sheep, 2 cattle, and 1 goat) were selected for sequencing and then compared with NCBI-GenBank sequences for genotyping and phylogenetic analysis. Sequencing analysis and the BLAST results revealed that 3/5 of the resultant sequences were F. hepatica and 2/5 were F. gigantica. The ITS1 sequences were submitted to NCBI-GenBank with accession numbers: OM920533, OM920534, OM948733, OM948683, and OM918714. Alignment analysis of the current study and GenBank ITS1 sequences showed the presence of nucleotide variations between F. hepatica and F. gigantica species (interspecific), which were enough to separate them. At the same time, they were not observed within the same species of Fasciola (intraspecific). The pairwise identity percentage of intraspecific and interspecific Fasciola isolates was 100% and 99.2- 99.6%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS1 sequences demonstrated that the Fasciola isolates of this study were clustered into two clades (hepatica and gigantica clades). The present study concluded that both Fasciola spp. (F. hepatica and F. gigantica) existed among the infected ruminants in Duhok province, and are closely related to intraspecific Fasciola isolates from different countries in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Africa.

The study entailed estimating the prevalence of Entamoeba spp. among symptomatic outpatients from April 2021 to March 2022 using microscopy and an ELISA antigen test. Stool samples were taken from 2592 patient with amoebiasis symptoms who visited Hevii pediatric hospital and Azadi Teaching hospital in Duhok city. Patients ranged in age from 1 to 60 and were of both sexes. To look for Entamoeba spp. infection, all samples that were obtained underwent microscopic examination. Using direct wet mount and formalin-ether concentration procedures. In order to distinguish the Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar complex from another species of amoebae, we used ELISA antigen to determine the intestinal amoebiasis misdiagnosis linked with microscopic analysis of feces. Microscopically 21.68% (562/2592) were positive, for Entamoeba spp. Males showed highest infection than females (67.43% vs 32.56%). Ages from 1-10 years showed the highest rate (54.09%), and urban inhabitant had a higher rate than rural (58.54% vs 41.45%) which was statistically non-significant(P>0.05). ELISA antigen was used to analyze 562 positive stool samples for the presence of E. histolytica/E. dispar antigen. The Tech Lab ELISA based antigen detection kit specific only for E. histolytica in stool samples recorded that 177/562(31.49%) were positive for E. histolytica, while the remaining negative 385/562(68.50%) were considered to be E. dispar. This indicates that the great common of Entamoeba infections in this region were nonpathogenic.

Introduction: Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is the third major contributor to human mortality and morbidity outside of malaria and schistosomiasis. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the prevalence of Entamoeba spp. among outpatients of two teaching hospitals in Duhok city who agreed to participate in the study from April 2021 to March 2022 to assess the impact of associated risk variables on the infection rate. Methodology: Stool specimens were collected from outpatients suffering from diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms in two teaching hospitals: Azadi and Heevi Pediatric in Duhok city, Kurdistan Region- Iraq. The collected stool specimens were examined macroscopically, followed by microscopic examination using the direct wet mount and zinc sulfate flotation methods, respectively. Result: Infection with Entamoeba species was recorded in 21.68% (562/2592) of the analyzed specimens. Males had a significantly higher infection rate than females (67.43% vs. 32.56%). This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.000). The highest rate was seen in the age group 1–10 years (p < 0.001). Lower levels of education, low incomes, eating unwashed fruits and vegetables, drinking well water, eating frequently outside of homes, not using antidiarrheal medications and living in overcrowded families were risk factors that showed high levels of infection (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The present study concluded that improving living conditions, providing clean water, and promoting health education programs are essential to reduce the rate of this disease among the population.

Proteus mirabilis is one of the important causative agents of bacterial infections in humans. This study involved the prevalence of the virulence genes among P. mirabilis from urine, ear, sputum, burn, wound, and vagina specimens in Zakho city during the period of July 2021 until January 2022 and their susceptibility to different commonly used antimicrobial agents. Isolates were identified by traditional phenotypic and biochemical tests. Out of 400 cultures, 95 (23.75%) were P. mirabilis. The antibiotic susceptibility toward different antibiotics varied among the isolates. The results showed that ceftriaxone was the most potent antibiotic with a susceptibility rate of 90.28 %. The isolates were resistant to many screened antibiotics, with the highest rate of 88.42% to imipenem. Whereas, the resistant proportion was slightly lower toward other antibiotics at rates varied from 74.68 % and 77.89% for Ampicillin and Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, respectively. Fifty-two P. mirabilis isolates were selected for PCR analysis, according to their multiple antimicrobial resistance to the used antibiotics. The selected samples were amplified for P. mirabilis identification by producing a single band of the ureR gene. The prevalence of the virulence genes (flaA, rsbA, zapA, and mrpA) among these isolates were 96.15%, 88.46%, 80.77%, and 69.23%, respectively. This study demonstrates that multidrug resistance P. mirabilis harbors multiple virulence genes.

Iraq is an endemic country for cystic echinococcosis (CE). This disease is zoonotic infection with a widespread distribution among livestock and humans. The adult parasite inhabits the small intestine of dogs especially stray dogs, their eggs are excreted with the feces to the environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Taeniid eggs and other intestinal parasites in the feces of stray dogs collected from different locations of Zakho city. The study was conducted during the period from March 2020 to March 2021, in which 160 fecal samples of stray dogs were collected from soil surface of 10 different locations in Zakho city. The feces were examined by direct wet mount and flotation technique to detect the presence of parasitic eggs and then the data were statistically analyzed. The overall, rate of infection was 46.25% (74/160) of examined fecal samples. The most frequently detected eggs were of Taeniid spp. constituting 23.13% (37/160) of the examined stool samples, with the highest rate (42.86%) being in samples collected from the areas around Zakho abattoir. Furthermore, other parasites recorded in this study, were the eggs and larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis (13.12%), eggs of Dipylidium caninum (5%), Toxocara spp. (4.38%) and Hymenolepis nana (0.63%).

Cryptosporidiosis caused by species belongs to genus Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidiosis is a zoonotic disease that affects both animals and humans, making it a major public health and veterinary concern. A cross sectional study was performed during the period from August 2021 to March2022, to estimate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in the human population in order to determine the effect of associated risk factors on the rate of infection in Zakho district, Duhok. Seven hundred Fecal specimens were collected from Zakho General Hospital and two primary schools located in suburban area of Zakho city. The collected stool specimens were examined macroscopically and microscopically using a modified Ziehl–Neelsen staining method. Cryptosporidium infection was found in 87.57% (613/700) of the examined specimens. Males showed slightly a higher infection rate than females (88.4% vs. 85.5%) with non- significant difference (P > 0.05). age group (31-41 years) showed highest rates, with significant difference (P<0.05). The highest rates of infection were reported among families with 6-10 members, people drinking unfiltered municipal tap water, suburban residents, those with close contacts with domestic animals, and illiterate people. The control of this disease necessitates the improvement of living conditions, providing potable clean water and disseminating health education programs among the community.

Fascioliasis caused by Fasciola species (Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica) is considered as the most important helminthic infection of domestic animals in developing countries. The present study was performed during January to December 2019, in Biology Department, University of Zakho. Hundred adult’s flukes of Fasciola spp. were isolated from bile ducts and gallbladder of cattle, sheep and goats slaughtered at different abattoirs (Duhok, Zakho, Shelidiza, Aqrah and Bardarash) in Duhok governorate, Kurdistan region, Iraq. Genomic DNA extraction was performed using a Genomic DNA Extraction kit, Jena Bioscience GmbH (Germany). Specific markers ITS1 and ITS2 ribosomal DNA were used for amplifying 480 and 550 bps fragments. DNA sequences have been used to characterize these liver flukes. The PCR products were separated by electrophoresis in 1.5% agarose gel, visualized by staining with RedSafe dye, and photographed. ITS-1 and ITS-1 markers were amplified successfully, the length of produced band for ITS-1 was 480 bp and for ITS-2 was 550 bp. Thirteen Fasciola spp. flukes isolated from cattle, sheep and goats from different districts were sequenced, from these thirteen PCR products, 7 amplicons were recognized as Fasciola hepatica and 6 amplicons as Fasciola gigantica. These sequences were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers: MW161261, MW084365, MW052601 MW084349, MW082585, MW084348, MW082830 for F. hepatica and MW161260, MW052602, MW084353, MW084350, MW082589, MW085034 for F. gigantica. This study confirms the prevalence of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica in Iraq by using the ITS-1 and ITS-2 rDNA.

Fascioliasis is one of the most common neglected zoonotic disease caused by Fasciola species. The current study was conducted during January to December 2019,in which five districts were selected in various parts of Duhok governorates which differ in their environmental and geographical conditions they included: Duhok city, Zakho, Shelidiza, Aqrah and Bardarash. Each slaughter house was visited once monthly to determine the rate of fascioliasis among domestic animals; cattle, sheep and goats. The infected livers were examined grossly and the bile duct and gall bladder were inspected for the presence of Fasciola species, the work was performed in Parasitology Laboratory, Biology Dept., Faculty of Science, Zakho University. Fascioliasis was diagnosed in 2.0% (195/9757) of total slaughtered livestock, with the highest rate of infection in cattle which was 3.27% (66/2021), followed by sheep 1.76% (122/6932) and the lowest in goats 0.87% (7/804). Slightly higher prevalence rate from positive cases was found in local livestock compared to imported one (2.10% versus 1.88%). According to gender, males showed higher prevalence than females (2.08% versus 1.08%). Regarding Fasciola species, among sheep and goats; the prevalence of F. hepatica was higher than Fasciola gigantica. While among cattle, F. gigantica was the most common species. With respect to parasite burden, the heaviest burden was recorded in 38.46% (20-100 flukes/liver) of slaughtered livestock with the heaviest being in sheep (55.74%), followed by goats (71.43%) while lightest burden was recorded in cattle in 62.12% (1-10 flukes/liver). Most of the liver flukes were recovered from the bile ducts (67.69 %), followed by gall bladder (21.54%) and the least (10.77%) from both the bile ducts and gall bladder.

Cystic Echinococcosis is one of the earliest known animal diseases. Its origin may be traced back to Hippocrates (377 BC), who wrote in his notes (Seventh, 55): "In those whose liver is filled with water open into the peritoneum, the belly is filled with water, and they die" (Thompson et al. 2017; Slimane et al. 2018). Galen regarded the liver to be the primary location of CE in slaughtered animals about 200 BC. The existence of the cysts in animals and humans was later on widely documented (Slimane et al. 2018). In the Bible Talmud of 1534, Egyptians and Babylonians characterized the cyst as a bladder filled with liquid (Sabau 2011). The exact nature of CE remained unclear until the early modern period when Philip Hartmann described a small, spherical structure connected to the bladder in 1685. He confirmed the animal nature of cystcerci, in 1760. Then Peter Pallas classified the CE as a separate group (bladder worms) and described them as small bodies located on the inner wall of the bladders in his medical thesis (Thompson et al. 2017). In 1782, Goeze described the tapeworm scolex and the front end, naming it Taenia visceralis socialis granulosus (Alam-Eldin 2009). Batsch, on the other hand, termed it Hydatigena granulose in 1786 (Rausch 1967). The term Echinococcus was first used in zoology by Carl Asmund Rudolphi in 1801 (Thompson et al. 2017). Echinococcus is a Greek term that signifies hedgehog berry (echinos = spine and kokkos = grain) (Moringlane 2003). Echinococcus granulosus is the parasite's current scientific name.

Fascioliasis is considered as a neglected zoonotic disease of ruminants. This disease is caused by two species of Fasciola (F.) namely Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. They are distributed in more than 70 countries except Antarctica, in areas where sheep and cattle are reared (WHO 2016; CDC 2019). This disease was first recorded as early as 2000 BC. Fasciola spp. cause serious pathological effects to livestock (Abbas et al. 2019). The number of infected sheep exceeds 250 million and about 300 million cattle are infected globally with fascioliasis. The disease cause losses exceeding 3.2 billion $ yearly, due to decrease in milk and meat production and an increase in mortality rate in addition to liver condemnation and expenditure of anthelminthic (Hillyer and Apt 1997; Jaja et al. 2017).

Cryptosporidiosis is considered as a major zoonotic infection caused by protozoan parasite, with public health and economic impacts on humans and animal health, since it infects humans and a wide variety of animal species. Cryptosporidiosis is caused by an intracellular apicomplexan protozoan parasite belonging to different species of Cryptosporidium. About 23 species of Cryptosporidium have been identified from human and other vertebrates including domestic animals with different degree of pathogenicity ranging from asymptomatic to severe gastrointestinal disorder (Ryan and Hijjawi 2015). This parasite has a direct monoxenous life cycle (sexual and asexual stages), which is completed within a single host, usually an herbivore animal (Leitch and He 2012). Humans are most commonly infected with Cryptosporidium hominis by the consumption of contaminated food or water with oocysts of the parasite. The parasite infects the gastrointestinal tract and causes injury to small intestine resulting in severe diarrhea (Feng et al. 2018). Furthermore, Cryptosporidium parvum, which most frequently infects animals, can cause infection in humans as well and is also considered as a zoonotic protozoan (Hatam-Nahavandi et al. 2019).

This study was conducted to estimate the incidence and the effects of associated risk factors of scabies and head lice on displaced people in Cham Mishko camp, Zakho city, Duhok Province, Iraq. The study included 1300 internally displaced people (IDPs) who visited the dermatology clinic and health care center in Cham Mishko camp from January 2018 to December 2019. Participants' bio-information was collected on special questionnaire form after receiving permission from the camp's health authorities and verbal consent from the participants. Monthly weather data were collected from Duhok Directorate of Meteorology and Seismology. The total rate of ectoparasites was 81.2% (45% for scabies and 36.2% for head lice). Ages from 1-10, 21-30, and 31-40 years showed the highest rates with scabies (48.1%, 46.7% and 46.1%, respectively), while the highest rates of head pediculosis were at ages from 1-10 and 11-20 years (40% and 36.6%, respectively). Scabies rate was slightly higher in males than females (46.6% vs. 43.4%), while the rate of head pediculosis was significantly higher in females than males (58.2% vs. 13.9%). Families with more than ten people showed the highest rates of scabies and head pediculosis (49.5% and 74.5%). Scabies was more common in cold months than in summer while head pediculosis was more common in hot months. The number of scabies and head pediculosis cases increased by 123 and 85 cases, respectively, in 2019. It is inferred that the effects of scabies and head pediculosis in IDPs will be considerable, with a higher carriage rate than other studies in Iraq.

The present study aims to investigate the seroprevalence rate of Toxoplasma gondii infection and its relation to some demographic factors among males in Duhok province/Iraq. A total of 424 random blood samples were collected from the male population of different ages (18-60) years and different social-economic classes. Out of 424 samples examined, 108 (25.47%) were seropositive to the anti- T. gondii antibodies; 88 (20.75%) were found seropositive for IgG, while 20 (4.72%) samples were seropositive for IgM. Regarding occupation, the highest percentage for chronic toxoplasmosis was reported in workers followed by policemen and pensioners at rates of 23.96%, 23.6%, and 23.07%, respectively. The age group 18-30 years showed the highest seropositive rate which was 26.6%; the seropositivity rate decreased with the increase of age. Regarding the blood groups, the highest percentage of IgG was reported in both O+ and B- groups, which were 23.2% and 23.1%, respectively. The higher rate of seropositivity was observed among married males (21.32%) as compared to unmarried males (19.05%) and fertile (22.3%) versus sterile males (12.5%). Concerning IgM antibodies, the highest seropositivity (9.4%) was reported in infertile males. The results of this study showed the importance of demographic factors to the epidemiology of T. gondii in males, which support the role of public health in the control of infectious diseases.

Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. That makes serious health problems among immunocompromised patients which comprise pregnant women as well. The present study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies among women of childbearing age and their associations to some demographic factors in Zakho City, Kurdistan Region/Iraq. Blood samples were collected randomly from 630 women aged 15-45 which were divided into subgroups (15-20), (21-26), (27-32), (33-38) and (39-45) years after taking their consent for the detection of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies. A special questioner sheet was designed for the study containing full information about each participant. The diagnoses were done using ELISA-IgG and IgM kits and Rapid Test (RT) method. The prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies was 78/630 (12.38 %), including 73 (11.58 %) for ELISA IgG, 4 (0.63 %) for ELISA IgM and 1 (0.15 %) for RT method. The age group 33-38 years and married females showed the highest seroprevalence of 19/93 (20.43 %), 67/535 (12.52 %), respectively using ELISA IgG. Statically there were significant relations regarding ages, educational status, contact with cats and consumption of undercooked meat. This investigation indicated that the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies among women at childbearing age is still a high rate. Furthermore, the association of some risk factors must be taken into consideration and this requires the introduction of health education programs to the community.

Aim: Displaced people living in camps are at risk of infection with different types of pathogens, including parasites. Parasitic infection is not only considered to be a public health hazard but also causes significant morbidity and mortality in children and adults. To estimate the prevalence of intestinal parasites (protozoa and helminths) among displaced people living in the displacement camps. Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 3925 stool samples were taken from displaced people of both sex and different ages after receiving permission from the camps’ health authorities and verbal consent from the enrolled people. The study covered five camps of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Duhok governorate/Iraqi Kurdistan between August 2016 and May 2017. The prevalence rates of protozoa and helminths were presented in number and percentage. Results: The study showed that out of the total 3925 persons, 229 individuals (5.83%) were infected by intestinal parasites, including protozoa (95.20%) and helminths (4.80%). The recorded parasites and their prevalence rates were: Entamoeba histolytica (69.87%), Giardia lamblia (17.47%), Blastocyst hominis (7.86%), E. vermicularis (3.49%), H. nana (0.44%), and Egg of Taenia spp. (0.87%). The prevalence rate with various intestinal parasites was higher among males, and it was inversely proportional to age. Furthermore, people with a low level of education showed a higher prevalence rate. Conclusions: The present study suggests that the IDPs in camps are at risk of intestinal parasites infections regardless of sex and age.

Background: Displaced people are susceptible to the same diseases including parasitic diseases. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of ectoparasites (scabies and pediculosis) among displaced people living in displacement camps in Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan. Methods: A total of 3,925 displaced people from five camps around the city of Duhok were included in the study. These individuals included males and females ages 8 months–60 years. The subjects were clinically examined in the camps’ health centers for the presence of ectoparasites, certain types of skin lesions, and a rash suggestive of scabies. For head lice, screening was performed by examining the scalp for lice and nits. The obtained information was subsequently recorded in a pre-designed anonymous questionnaire. Results: Out of the 3,925 total subjects who were examined, 672 (17.12%) were found to be infested with ectoparasites: 395 with scabies (10.06%; Females: 210, Males: 185), and 277 with pediculosis (7.05%; Females: 182, Males: 95). The highest rates of infestation, both scabies and pediculosis, were found in Domize1 camp (5.15%; 2.93% for scabies and 2.21% for pediculosis). Females showed a slightly higher prevalence than males (53.25% versus 46.75%, respectively). The highest prevalence of scabies was observed in the age group 11–20 years (27.84%) and of pediculosis in the age group 1–10 years (45.85%). Subjects with a primary school education level had higher prevalence rates of scabies and pediculosis (38.50% and 54.15%, respectively). Conclusions: This study showed that ecto-parasite in displaced people in prevalent in this region.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is one of the most causative agents which causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) in humans. This study involved the prevalence of the virulence genes among UPEC isolated from patients in various hospitals in Zakho city from July 2018 until January 2019 and their susceptibility to different commonly used antimicrobial agent against UPEC. The different culture media were used for the identification of Escherichia coli (E. coli). Out of 400 samples, 141 (35.25%) strains of UPEC were isolated from enrolled patients. The antibiotic susceptibility toward different antibiotics was varied among the isolates. Imipenem was the most potent antibiotic with a resistant rate of only 2.84%. While the isolates were resistant to most screened antibiotics, with the highest rate 96.45% to Amoxicillin/ clavulanic. The resistant rates decreased toward other antibiotics at rates varied from 93.62% for Amoxicillin to 43.97% for Norfloxacin. Fifty-seven isolates were selected for PCR analysis, according to the resistance of E.coli to various antibiotics. The selected samples were successfully amplified for E. coli identification by producing a single band of a target uidA gene. In this study, the virulence related genes were detected in only 35 (61.40%) isolates out of 57 isolates. The distribution of the virulence related genes that included; afa, sfa, hly, cnf and pai were 28.07%, 17.54%, 26.32%, 22.81% and 22.81%, respectively. The study highlight that multidrug resistance UPEC harbors multiple virulence genes circulating in this setting.

Background: The causative agent of toxoplasmosis is Toxoplasma gondii which is an intracellular protozoan. It has an important role in abortion and congenital diseases in pregnant women, which lead to infant's defectiveness birth when pregnant, are exposed during pregnancy. Toxoplasmosis is one of the most prevalent and most successful parasitic infectious disease worldwide, due to its efficient transmission through the ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked and infected meat, or the ingestion of oocysts in contaminated vegetables and water. The present study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence rate of anti-Toxoplasma gondii Abs and their relation to some demographic factors among females, in Duhok province/ Kurdistan Region/ Iraq. Methods: During the period from October 2016 to November 2017, a total of 792 random blood samples were collected from the female population of different ages (16-55) years and various socioeconomic classes, who attended Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Azadi teaching hospital and Central Public Health Laboratory/ Duhok. Results: Out of 792 samples examined, 288 (36.3%) were seropositive from which 282 (35.61%) were found seropositive for IgG, while only six samples (0.76%) were seropositive for IgM. Regarding to occupation, the highest rate for chronic toxoplasmosis was reported in housewives followed by employed and students at rates of 40.19%, 22.3%, and 14.0%, respectively. These outcomes were statistically significant (p<0.05). The age group 36-45 years showed the highest seropositive rate for both IgG and IgM Abs which were 41.02% and 1.28%, respectively, which was statistically non-significant. The higher rate of seropositivity was observed among married females 39.93%, and pregnant 41.9% versus non-pregnant 33.3%. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.05) among married while non-significant in pregnant. Concerning to blood groups, the highest rate of seropositivity was reported among females with blood group AB+ which was 60% followed by group O- which was 46.7 %. This difference was statistically non-significant (p>0.05). Conclusions: This study showed the importance of demographic factors to the epidemiology of T. gondii in females, which support the role of public health in the control of infectious diseases.

In this study, ten multilocus PCR-RFLP markers were used for genotyping of T. gondii in six cats;that were seropositive by MAT test. These markers include SAG1, SAG2 (5-SAG2, 3-SAG2 and Alt.SAG2), SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1 and Apico. Eight T. gondii reference strains (GT1, PTG, CTG, TgCgCa1, MAS,TgCatBr5, TgCatBr64 and TgToucan) were used as positive controls for genotyping. Sample A20-1 was type III by one marker (GRA6), while sample A9-2 was type III by four markers (SAG3, BTUB, c22-8 and c29-2) and sample A20-2 was type III by four markers (SAG1, SAG3, BTUB and c29-2). Hence, it could be concluded that the strain of T. gondii in Kurdistan stray cats is likely the type III.