Background & Aims: In recent years, the feasibility of hydrophilic nanoparticles has been broadly investigated for use in drug delivery and therapeutic systems. Due to the problems of traditional adjuvants, in this study Agkistrodon halys (Ah) Snake venom was loaded in chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs) in order to be used as an advanced adjuvant and antigen delivery system in ant...

Background Scorpions are one of the most important medical arthropods in Iran. This study aimed to determine the fauna, spatial distribution and some morphological characteristics of these venomous arthropods in the study area. Methods Scorpions were collected using Ultra Violet light, rock rolling and digging methods in West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Ardabil Provinces during 2015-2016...

As a part of ongoing cytogenetic studies on the jewel-beetles (Buprestidae, Coleoptera) of Armenia, the male karyotypes and meiosis of nine species (5 genera, 4 tribes, 2 subfamilies) are described, figured and discussed. In Ovalisia nadezhdae Sem., Sphenoptera artemisiae Reitt., Coraebus rubi L., C. sinuatus Creutz., Meliboeus caucasicus Reitt., Agrilus angustulus Ill. Men., A. obscuricollis K...

Third-instar Oestrus caucasicus larvae (n = 236) obtained from Iberian ibex, Copra pyrenaica, were reared in a laboratory to obtain adult flies. They were maintained at a temperature of 21.9 +/- 2.7 degrees C and a relative humidity of 38.9 +/- 8.0 %. In all, 78 imagos emerged (33.1 %), with a sex-ratio at emergence not differing significantly from 1:1; 25 larvae did not complete pupariation. A...

Shirvan district in north-eastern Islamic Republic of Iran is a new focus of visceral leishmaniasis. This study aimed to identify the vector(s), the parasite and the species composition of sand flies in the district during July-September 2009 using polymerase chain reaction techniques. In all, 2088 sand flies were collected from 3 villages. Nine sand fly species were identified: Phlebotomus kan...

Background Phlebotominae sand flies are the main vectors of leishmaniasis and some other diseases. Materials and Methods Using sticky traps, sand flies were collected fortnightly from outdoors and indoors areas of selected sites. Results A total of 2032 specimens (498 in the city and 1534 in the outskirts of Yazd) belonging to 11 species were collected. The activity of sand flies started in...