Morphological detection and molecular characterization of Hepatozoon spp. from venomous terrestrial snakes in Iran.

Hepatozoon spp. are blood protozoans that can infect snakes. Infections with these parasites are found in more than 200 snake species and are considered to be the most frequent hemogregarines in snakes.

A description of parasites from Iranian snakes.

Little is known of the parasitic fauna of terrestrial snakes in Iran. This study aimed to evaluate the parasitic infection rates of snakes in Iran. A total of 87 snakes belonging to eight different species, that were collected between May 2012 and September 2012 and died after the hold in captivity, under which they were kept for taking poisons, were examined for the presence of gastrointestinal and blood parasites.

Effects of sheep and mouse urine on the growth pattern of Leishmania major promastigotes.

The protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania are the causative agents of different clinical diseases. Fetal calf serum (FCS) is the main part and the most expensive ingredient of the Leishmania culture media. Here, the efficacies of different concentrations (1%, 2.