JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Year:2020 | Volume:8 | Issue:3|Papers Count:8

Introduction: Pulmonary fungal infections are a significant etiology of morbidity among immunocompromised and immunosuppressed patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of fungal pathogens and associated risk factors among pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and non-PTB patients attending Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, Nigeria. Methods: Three consecutive early morning sputum samples were collected from 43 PTB patients and 173 non-PTB persons and then examined for fungal pathogens using standard mycological stains, microscopy, and biochemical assays. All the participants were screened for HIV by the World Health Organization HIV testing algorithm and M. tuberculosis infection using GeneXpert ® nested PCR equipment. Samples with at least two significant fungal growths were considered positive. Results: Out of 216 sputa, 73. 6% showed fungal growth in cultures. One hundred percent and 67% of PTB and non-PTB participants had positive sputa culture, respectively. In PTB patients, Candida albicans (25. 6%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (20. 9%), and in non-PTB individuals A. fumigatus (51. 7%) and A. nigar (17. 2%) were the most prevalent species. Age and residential areas were significantly associated with fungal infection in PTB and non-PTB subjects (p˂ 0. 05). Cigarette smoking, prolonged antibiotic use, and having domestic pets were significant risk factors for developing pulmonary fungal infections in both groups (p˂ 0. 05). None of the studied risk factors was significantly associated with pulmonary mycosis among TB patients (p˃ 0. 05). However, prolonged use of antibiotics was a significant risk factor of pulmonary fungal infection among non-TB patients (p=0. 009). Conclusion: Our study showed that PTB was a predisposing factor for fungal infection, especially among individuals with low socioeconomic status.

Introduction: Salmonella species Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi, types A, B, and C are the causative agents of enteric fever. This disease continues to pose a severe threat to public health, especially in developing countries. This study investigated the prevalence of typhoidal Salmonella infections and the associated risk factors in Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria. Methods: A questionnaire was used to obtain information from 250 patients attending four selected government hospitals and 50 healthy individuals as the control. Blood samples from participants were obtained to determine the blood groups and genotypes, and stool specimens were used to isolate typhoidal Salmonella species. Results: Thirty cases were among symptomatic patients and two among controls showing a total prevalence of 10. 6%. Among the 32 isolates, 25 were S. typhi (78. 1%), and seven were S. paratyphi A (21. 9%), revealing an approximate ratio of 4: 1. Factors significantly associated with the infection prevalence included age, source of drinking water, and frequency of infection. Blood groups and genotypes were not statistically associated with the infection; however, individuals with blood group O and genotype AA were more commonly infected. Also, females, the age group 20-29, singles, and unemployed, showed more infections. Conclusion: The prevalence, the ratio of typhoidal Salmonella species, and the associated risk factors call for public health and control measures, including the provision of suitable drinking water and improving living and sanitary conditions.

Introduction: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection poses a significant public health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. This study investigated the effect of vaccination policies on the HAV seropositivity of Syrian immigrants and local Turkish people. Methods: The anti-HAV antibodies of 6007 patients, including 5613 (93. 4%) Turks and 394 (6. 6%) Syrian suspected of HAV infection, were analyzed by the chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) method. Results: In our study, total anti-HAV positivity was higher in Turkish patients than in Syrian patients in the 0-9 age group, while in the 10-19, 20-29, and 30-39 age groups, the rate was higher in Syrians. Anti-HAV seropositivity was significantly higher in Turkish male patients than female patients. The young adult and adult age groups of Turks were more at risk of HAV infection, i. e., when the disease is symptomatic. Conclusion: Vaccination of young and young adult seronegative Turks and ensuring Syrian children's participation in the routine vaccination program implemented in our country is a requirement for preventing HAV infection.

Introduction: Leptospirosis is a significant public health problem in the Caspian littoral of Iran comprising Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan provinces. In Golestan province, serology assays indicated anti-Leptospira antibodies in animals and humans; however, no reliable record of infections in patients with signs and symptoms of the disease is available. Methods: We employed the indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay (IFA), and two PCR assays, a realtime PCR (qPCR) and a nested-PCR targeting 16S rDNA (rrs) sequence for diagnosis of leptospirosis in febrile patients in Golestan province. Results: Out of 52 febrile patients, 25 (48. 07%) had antibody titers ≥ 1/80 by IFA, and were defined as positive. In 7, 9, and 7 individuals, the antibody titers were 1/40, 1/20, and 1/10, respectively, and 4 had no antibodies. The qPCR and nested PCR detected leptospiral DNA in 55. 75% and 67. 3% of the patients' sera, respectively. The two PCR assays had a Kappa agreement of 0. 53 (P< 0. 0001), suggesting a moderate agreement, and showed a significant reverse association with the IFA titers (P<0. 05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that higher antibody titers accompanied the spirochete's removal from blood by the patient's immune response. Hence, a reliable diagnosis of Leptospira infection necessitates deploying a DNA-based method alongside serology.

Introduction: A simple and sensitive diagnosis method is needed to identify HIV infection in sera of untreated, treated, and drug-resistant patients. The purpose of this study is to determine whether heat shock proteins (Hsp)-27 and-20 and HP91 peptide along with HIV-1 polypeptides can serve as potential biomarkers to distinguish HIV infection in untreated, treated, and drug-resistant individuals compared to HIV-negative subjects. Methods: At first, human sera were obtained from 141 participants, including 20 naï ve HIV-infected, 71 treated, 30 drugresistant, 20 HIV-negative (healthy/control) individuals. The recombinant Hsp27, Hsp20, and five designed HIV-1 polypeptides were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography under denaturing or native conditions. Finally, the antibodies against these antigens were quantified in sera using ELISA. Results: Our data showed that HIV-infected patients significantly displayed higher serum levels of anti-Hsp27, anti-HP91, and anti-Nef-Tat-Gp160-P24, anti-Nef-Vpr-Gp160-P24, anti-Nef-Vif-Gp160-P24, anti-Nef-Vpu-Gp160-P24, and anti-Nef-Rev-Gp160-P24 polypeptide antibodies than healthy groups (p < 0. 05), but not for anti-Hsp20. Moreover, the serum levels of antibodies against Hsp27, Hsp20, HP91, and HIV-1 polypeptides were not statistically significant between different groups of patients (p > 0. 05). Conclusion: The levels of anti-Hsp27 and anti-HP91 antibodies in serum increased in HIV-1 seropositive subjects along with antibodies against five HIV-1 polypeptides suggesting their potential value as a diagnostic marker for HIV-1 infections.

Introduction: Bats are natural reservoir hosts of several zoonotic infections. Few studies have demonstrated gut helminth community parasite in bats. In the present study, we investigated two intestinal helminths of two bat species, Rhinopoma muscatellum, and Rhinopoma microphyllum, from Hormozgan province, southern Iran. Methods: We received digestive tracts of 56 Rhinopoma bats previously captured by several biologists. The specimens were precisely dissected and examined for the parasitic helminths. The collected helminths were cleared in the lactophenol and identified using reliable morphological and morphometrical key references. Result: In this study, 44 R. muscatellum and 6 R. microphyllum species were examined, among which 15 (26. 7%) had infections with parasitic worms. Lecithodendrium sp. and Castoria sp. were identified in the digestive tract of eight and four individually examined R. muscatellum bats, respectively. Also, in three R. microphyllum bats, a few spirurid nematodes with incomplete structures were detected. Conclusion: We, for the first time, identified Lecithodendrium sp., Castoria sp., in R. muscatellum from south of Iran. Due to the insectivorous biological trait of bats, the most abundant helminth was Lecithodendrium sp. Further study with more samples is needed to describe the helminths fauna of microbats in Iran taxonomically.

Introduction: One of the most important food sources of humans are poultry products. Poultries are irritated and losing blood by blood-sucking ectoparasites, which affect the quality and quantity of meat and egg production. Methods: This study was conducted on 120 free-ranging backyard chickens from December 2017 to November 2018 to determine ectoparasites' prevalence in Sabzevar city, northeastern Iran. Different parts of the birds' bodies were examined, and ectoparasites were collected. The specimens were identified based on morphological features using diagnostic keys. Results: Of the 120 (30 males and 90 females) free-ranging backyard chickens examined, 75 (62. 5%) showed infestation with three lice and one mite species. The prevalence of infestation was higher in females (66. 67%) than males (50%); however, the difference was not significant (P>0. 05). The louse Menopon gallinae was the most prevalent species (57. 33%), followed by Menacanthus stramineus (37. 33%), Lipeurus caponis (13. 33%), and Dermanyssus gallinae (4%). Conclusion: This is the first survey on determining the prevalence and multiplicity of ectoparasites among free-ranging backyard chickens in Sabzevar city, Iran. The high prevalence rate of ectoparasites among chickens shows that parasitic infection is prevalent in this area.

Dear Editor The coronavirus disease pandemic 2019 (COVID-19) has inflicted many populations with respiratory system problems worldwide. Patients with COVID-19 have a wide range of symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, respiratory failure, septic shock, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). One of the symptoms of COVID-19 can be chest pain. Chest pain has different types and outcomes according to its underlying causes with various etiologies involved. The most common heart problems that cause chest pain include 1) pericarditis characterized by a sharp and sudden pain worsening with breathing (pleuritic pain), 2) angina or coronary heart syndrome, which causes typical chest pain characterized by an intense sub-sternal pressure radiating up to the neck, jaws, shoulders, and the left arm, and 3) aortic dissection which presents with severe pain and a feeling of tearing in the chest...