The use of a nested PCR-RFLP technique, based on the parasite's 18S ribosomal RNA, to characterise Cryptosporidium isolates from HIV/AIDS patients.
Since there have been few studies on human cryptosporidiosis in Iran, attempts were made to identify Cryptosporidium isolates from HIV-positive Iranians, to genotype level. A nested PCR (based on a fragment of the parasite's 18S ribosomal-RNA gene) was first used to see if faecal samples from 35 HIV-positive patients (of whom 17 had apparently been found smear-positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts) contained Cryptosporidium. Twenty-one of the samples (including all 17 of those that appeared smear-positive) were found PCR-positive. Each of these 21 samples was then investigated further, by RFLP analysis in which the amplicons from the secondary PCR were digested with VspI. Curiously, although HIV-infected individuals are known to be susceptible to infection with a wide range of Cryptosporidium genotypes, all the Iranian subjects of the present study were found to be infected with C. hominis (71%) or C. parvum (29%).
Zavvar
M
M
Parasitology Department, School of Medical Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Sadraei
J
J
Emadi
H
H
Pirestani
M
M
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004586:Electrophoresis / Q000379:methods; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host / Q000276:immunology*; D007492:Iran; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length / Q000235:genetics; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics
D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S