Several toxigenic cyanobacteria produce the cyanotoxin (microcystin). Being a health and environmental hazard, screening of water sources for the presence of microcystin is increasingly becoming a recommended environmental procedure in many countries of the world. This study was conducted to assess the ability of freshwater cyanobacterial species Westiellopsis prolifica to produce microcystins in Iraqi freshwaters via using molecular and immunological tools. The toxigenicity of W. prolifica was compared via laboratory experiments with other dominant bloom-forming cyanobacteria isolated from the Tigris River: Microcystis aeruginosa, Chroococcus turigidus, Nostoc carneum, and Lyngbya sp. signifi

Trichomonas vaginalis is a causative agent of trichomoniasis , one of the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease (STD) over all the world, especially in immunocompromised women such as pregnant. Wet smear and Giemsa stain are the current methods used in hospital to diagnosis trichomoniasis. DNA based diagnosis is still to be validated to diagnose the local isolates, the objective of the present study was to compare the conventional methods of disease diagnosis with the DNA-based method to diagnose Trichomonas incidence in local isolates. In the present study, 105 samples were collected from outpatient women (18-45 years) of Maternity hospital in Mosul who showed a classical presentation of Trichomonas

    Streptococcus pluranimalium was first isolated in 1999. Recently, several case reports have been published that have revealed that S. pluranimalium can infect humans as well. The pathogenicity and pathophysiology of this pathogen is poorly studied and its characteristics are not well known. In this study, S. pluranimalium was first isolated and then identified from infants and children who suffered from upper respiratory infections. 90 samples were collected from nasopharyngeal cavity. Among them, 83 Streptococcus spp. isolates were identified. 3 out of which were biochemically and molecularly identified as S. pluranimalium. 16S rRNA sequencing based identification revealed that all iso

Tanqua anomala (von Linstow,1904) specimens were recovered, from the lining wall of the gastro-intestinal tract of the dice snake Natrix tessellate tessellate (Laurenti, 1768) collected in Baghdad city, central Iraq. Measurements of the males, females and a comparison of the nematode with other studies tabulated. Reporting of Tanqua anomala from this snake represents the first record for Iraq as well as a new host record.

Radiological assessment due to existing of natural occurring radioactive materials
(NORM) in South Rumaila oil field was achieved in this study. Different samples
including soil, sludge, scale, oil, and water were collected from different stages of
oil and gas production in Markazia Degassing Station (SDS) in South Rumaila oil
field. Radioactivity of Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 were measured using gamma
spectrometry system based on HPGe detector with efficiency of 30%. The results
show that some locations within SDS are contaminated with NORM. The activity of
Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 range between 18.4 to 312.8, 9.4 to 140.8 and 66.4 to
800.8 (Bq/kg) respectively. The places to be more contaminated among the other
p

     A mineralogical study using X-ray diffraction supported by scanning electron microscopic examination on the Paleocene- Eocene Kolosh and Gercus formations from northern Iraq is conducted to show the distribution of clay minerals and their paleoenvironmental implications. Smectite palygorskite, kaolinite, illite, and chlorite are commonly present in varying proportions within the Kolosh and Gercus formations. Association of smectite and chlorite in the claystone of the Paleocene Kolosh Formation refers to marine environment of this formation, whereas development of palygorskite fibers from smectite precursor may relate to post-depositional diagenesis. In addition, the abundance of illite and kaolinite in the Eocen

  Two species of monogenetic trematodes of the genus Dactylogyrus were recorded in the present paper for the first time in Iraq from two freshwater fishes from Diyala river, Diyala province. The first species,  D. bocageii Alvarez Pellitero, Vicente et Gonzalez Lanza, 1981 was recorded from gills of Aspius vorax, the second species, D. lenkorani Mikailov, 1967 was recorded from gills of Barbus sharpeyi. The descriptions and measurements of these parasites as well as their illustrations were given.

In this study the Entrance Surface Dose (ESD) received by pediatrics patients undergoing chest, abdomen and skull X-ray examinations was estimated. The study was conducted in two hospitals in Najaf city where three radiographic systems were considered. The study participants were classified into four age groups 0-1 ,  1-5 ,  5-10  and  10-15  years. Calculations were performed using exposure factors, kVp, mAs and focal-skin distance, together with patient data age. The ESD was calculated for the involved patients who underwent an Antero-posterior (AP) chest, abdomen and skull X-ray examination. The resulted data were analyzed and compared with international dose references. For all studied radiographic examinations and all X-ray mac