International Journal of Enteric Pathogens
Year:2019 | Volume:7 | Issue:3|Papers Count:7

Heart failure is recognized as one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality among human population. It is an advanced heart problem and one of the main causes of death and burden in many developing countries. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is more common in women than men and therefore accounts for at least half the cases of heart failure in women. 1 The prevalence of heart failure is between 0. 4%-4. 3% in the general population and between 2%-20% in the elderly population over 75 years of age. The rate of heart failure has been estimated to increase by two times in two decades. In Iran, the one-year mortality rate of heart failure was 32%, while the rate has fallen in other countries.

Background: Microbial resistance has recently become one of the major healthcare problems worldwide. Finding new sources of chemical active antimicrobial compounds, along with what has been produced by fungi is now a common approach to solve this problem. On the other hand, inflammation has recently been considered as an underlying factor of many diseases, and working on anti-inflammatory drugs is interesting as well. Information provided by Iranian traditional medicine (ITM) can be used as a source of inspiration in order to find the herbs with antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. Objective: The present study aimed to examine antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of 6 medicinal smokes prescribed in ITM for catarrh. Materials and Methods: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6051, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, and Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404 were used in this study. In addition, the preliminary antimicrobial activity of Commiphora myrrha, Cinnamomum cassia, Costus arabicus, Nigella sativa, Pimpinella anisum, and Tetraclinis articulate was performed by the disc diffusion method. Further, the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum lethal concentration were determined using the microdilution method. Finally, antioxidant activity was evaluated by measuring the reduction of the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl solution. Results: The results showed that C. arabicus, C. cassia, and P. anisum had considerable antimicrobial activities. Furthermore, antioxidant evaluation of the herbal smokes demonstrated the lowest IC50 for C. cassia (10. 44 μ g/mL), C. myrrha (13 μ g/mL), and C. arabicus (15. 16 μ g/mL). Conclusion: In general, herbal medicinal smokes were found to have interesting antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Therefore, more investigation on these smokes would be fruitful.

Background: One of the most important foodborne pathogen which causes enteritis is Salmonella enteritidis (SE). Human cases are mostly associated with the consumption of eggs and poultry meat. Objective: An experiment has been carried out to evaluate the impacts of a yeast product as liquid prebiotic on bacterial shedding, performance indices, and some breast meat characteristics of broiler chickens challenged with SE. Materials and Methods: A total of 90 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to three different groups with three replicates for each treatment. The treatments were as follows: (1) CONT: birds were not challenged, (2) SE: birds were challenged with SE and fed with a control diet without prebiotic, and (3) SE+PREB: birds were challenged with SE and fed with liquid prebiotic. The challenge with SE was performed on birds in groups 2 and 3 at 28 days of age. Performance parameters and Salmonella shedding were determined on days 7 and 14 post infection. Twelve birds per treatment were sampled at the end of the trial for evaluating characteristics of breast meat. Results: The challenged birds which received prebiotic showed significantly higher body weight gain, lower feed intake, and lower SE shedding than SE group (P<0. 05). No significant differences were seen in meat characteristics. Conclusion: Prebiotics can have beneficial effects even if they are used in the diet at an unusual time. The supplementation of yeast product can improve some performance parameters and reduce bacterial shedding in SE challenged chicken.

Background: Poultry is considered as a major source of human contamination with non-typhoidal Salmonella species. Global concern regarding the emergence and dispersion of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBLs)-producing isolates in broilers has increased during recent years. Objective: This study was proposed to evaluate the prevalence of Salmonella and the associated ESBLs in broilers in Lorestan province of Iran. Materials and Methods: Five hundred fresh fecal samples of broilers were phenotypically screened for Salmonella. The isolates were confirmed molecularly using an invA-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Confirmatory combination disk method was applied for phenotypic detection of ESBLs among the isolates, followed by molecular identification of blaCTX-M, blaTEM, and blaSHV genes in 3 single PCR assays among positive isolates. Chi-square test in SPSS software was used for the assessment of statistical relationships. Results: Of the 95 Salmonella isolates detected using routine bacteriological methods, all were confirmed molecularly. They generated the expected 254-bp amplicon. Moreover, 13 isolates were phenotypically recognized as ESBL determinants, among which 9 and 4 harbored blaCTX-M and blaTEM, respectively. No blaSHV and co-existence of the genes were determined. Conclusion: The threat imposed by dissemination of ESBL-producing non-typhoidal Salmonella spp. isolated from broilers was confirmed in the studied region. Continuous monitoring programs, application of biosecurity measures, and prudent prescription of antibiotics are warranted in order to prevent the introduction or dispersion of the ESBL-producing Salmonella.

Background: Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis is regarded as the most prevalent gastrointestinal infection, as well as the major cause of several other diseases. Despite being discovered over 30 years ago, no golden diagnostic method has yet been suggested for this microorganism. Objective: The present study aimed to compare two common diagnostic methods of histology and serology. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study began in July, 2016, and was conducted at Imam Jafar Sadegh Hospital (a university hospital) in Maybod, Yazd, Iran, on 70 patients. All the patients underwent endoscopy, and biopsy samples were taken for histology, as well as blood samples for ELISA test. Finally, sensitivity, specificity, NPV (negative predictive values), and PPV (positive predictive values) were calculated and analyzed. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of the ELISA method with histology as the gold standard were 87. 5%, 36. 9%, 54. 2%, 42%, and 85%, respectively. Still, the histology method appears to be the most reliable test for the diagnosis of H. pylori in Iran. Conclusion: Regarding the high prevalence of H. pylori in Iran, the present study recommends the use of histology as a diagnostic method in combination with other diagnostic methods for detecting H. pylori infection.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is considered to be one of the most important causes of foodborne diseases. Objective: The current examination was performed to examine the distribution of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene amongst the MRSA strains isolated from raw fowl meat samples. Materials and Methods: A total of 240 fowl meat samples were collected and cultured. MRSA strains were identified using cefoxitin and oxacillin susceptibility tests. DNA samples extracted from the MRSA strains were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of SCCmec and PVL gene. Results: Twenty-two out of 240 (9. 16%) raw fowl meat samples were positive for S. aureus strains. Twelve out of 22 S. aureus strains (54. 54%) were determined as MRSA strains. The incidence of MRSA strains in raw chicken, turkey, quail, and ostrich meat samples was 66. 66%, 50%, 50%, and 33. 33%, respectively. The incidence of SCCmec IVa, SCCmec IVd, and SCCmec V was 50%, 8. 33% and 41. 66%, respectively. The applied method failed to detect SCCmec types I, II, III, IVb, and IVc. The incidence of the PVL gene amongst the MRSA strains was 75%. Conclusion: The presence of SCCmec IV and SCCmec V and PVL gene revealed occurrence of community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) in fowl meat samples. Further studies are required to find additional epidemiological aspects of the MRSA strains in fowl meat samples.

Background: Micro-organisms resistant to most of the commercial antibiotics are rapidly expanding and there is an urgent need for detection of novel antimicrobial compounds. Tooth decay is a dental infection with bacterial sources such as Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguis. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial effects of different concentrations of Citrus limon peel, pineapple fruit, and pineapple peel extracts on oral pathogens such as S. mutants and S. sanguis. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, the hydroethanolic extracts of the selected plants were prepared by maceration method and their antibacterial effects were evaluated by agar well diffusion method. Results: Two-fold dilutions of plant extract solutions were tested to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against each selected microorganism. The results of the current study revealed that pineapple peel extracts had the highest antibacterial effect on S. sanguis (MIC: 1. 56 mg/mL and MBC: 3. 12 mg/mL). Pineapple fruit had the lowest antibacterial activity against S. mutans (MIC: 25 mg/mL and MBC: 100 mg/mL). C. limon peel had significant antibacterial activity against S. mutans and S. sanguis. Conclusion: The peel of C. limon and pineapple had significant antibacterial activity against cariogenic microorganisms such as S. mutans and S. sanguinis.