Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated yeast that can cause cryptococcosis, a life-threatening infection that mainly occurs in immunocompromised patients. The major environmental sources of C. neoformans have been shown to be soil contaminated with avian droppings. In the present study, we evaluated the isolation of C. neoformans from swallow (Hirundo rustica) excreta in two northern cities...

Background and purpose: In the process of rapid urbanization and industrialization in developing countries, environmental pollution is a major concern. One of the fastest growing problems of environmental pollution is an excessive intake of lead in urban soils. Lead concentrations in urban soil may result from human activities such as vehicle emissions and industrial activit...

The production and consumption of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in soil profile are poorly understood. This work sought to quantify the GHG production and consumption at seven depths (0-30, 30-60, 60-90, 90-150, 150-200, 200-250 and 250-300 cm) in a long-term field experiment with a winter wheat-summer maize rotation system, and four N a...

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are known to influence plant growth by various direct or indirect mechanisms. Thirty–two strains were isolated from 15 soils sampled in central Iran, by using and comparing three different methods. The screening of soil samples by means of soil paste– plate method combined with isolation on mannitol agar proved to be the best strategy in terms of reli...

Soil is well known to support the transient or ongoing existence of kerathophilic fungi and potential sources of infection for humans and animals. Fifty soil samples were collected from various areas of forests and farmyards at Golestan Province in the north part of Iran to determine the prevalence of keratinophilic fungi and dominant species. A total of 357 fungal colonies including 13 genera ...

Plant litter is an important factor for soil conservation and sustainability that could modify soil chemical properties and increase the plant biomass production. The aim of this research was to compare plant litter chemical composition and its effects on soil properties in three species including Hordeum bulbosum, Poa bulbosa, Bromus tectorum. First, soil samples were taken in the depth of 0-3...

conclusions based on the results of this study there is a risk of infection with soil transmitted helminthes among children of kermanshah, iran. results out of 192 soil samples, soil of play areas from four regions was contaminated with geohelminth eggs. the rate of soil contamination with trichuris spp. eggs was 3.12% while this was 2.1% for hookworm eggs, yet no ascaris eggs were found in the...

Acanthamoeba, a free-living amoeba, is widely distributed in the environment, water sources, soil, dust, and air. It can cause keratitis in contact lens wearers with poor hygiene and also fatal granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE) in immunocompromised hosts. The aim of this study was to gain some insights into the distribution and genotypes of the potentially pathogenic species of Acanthamoe...

BACKGROUND Table salt is the most commonly used food additive. Since most of the salt consumed in Iran comes from mines, contamination with heavy metals is a health concern. The commonest salt purification method in Iran is washing with water. But recently, some industries have turned to recrystallization method. The present study aimed to determine the level of essential and non-essential heav...

This paper reports on five species of mites of the genus Gymnolaelaps associated with ants and soil in Iran--G. artavilensis sp. nov. from Pheidole pallidula, G. laevis (Michael) and G. myrmecophilus (Berlese) from Tetramorium caespitum, G. myrmophila (Michael) from Formica sp., and G obscuroides Costa from soil. Gymnolaelaps australicus Womersley and G. hospes (Berlese) have also been reported...