The College of Science at the University of Basrah organized a seminar entitled "Comparative Study of Parasitological Indices and Apoptosis Gene Expression in Human Intestinal Parasite Infections", presented by the PhD graduate student Sufyan Abdulrahman Abdul Ali Al-Hilfi, from the Department of Biology.

 The study aimed to provide a comprehensive comparative evaluation of amoebiasis and giardiasis by integrating parasitological findings with immunological, biochemical, oxidative stress, and molecular biomarkers to better understand disease pathogenesis and host immune responses. The investigation included parasitological diagnosis, assessment of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and CXCL10), oxidative stress markers (MDA and GSH), LDH activity, and Caspase-3 gene expression associated with apoptosis for amoebiasis patients only, followed by a comparative analysis of the two infections.

The findings demonstrated that amoebiasis induced a more pronounced inflammatory, oxidative, and molecular response than giardiasis, highlighting distinct pathogenic mechanisms. The study recommended incorporating immunological and molecular biomarkers into routine diagnostic protocols for early detection, disease severity assessment, and patient monitoring, as well as expanding future research integrating biomarker profiling with advanced molecular techniques to improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic strategies.