JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Year:2018 | Volume:6 | Issue:4|Papers Count:8

Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease. The causative agent is a negative-sense RNA genome virus of the genus Lyssavirus (Family: Rhabdoviridae). The disease, commonly transmitted by rabid dogs, is the cause of mortality of over 59000 humans worldwide annually. This disease can be prevented before the development of symptoms through proper vaccination even after exposure. Hence, improvement of the vaccination schedule in the countries where rabies is endemic is essential. In addition to the type of vaccine, injection routes also contribute to enhanced immune responses and increased potency of the vaccines. The vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) include cell culture and embryonated egg-based rabies vaccines (CCEEVs). In order to develop a vaccine against rabies, it is necessary to use an appropriate delivery system to promote a proper antigen-specific immune response. Different routes of injection such as intradermal (ID), intramuscular (IM) or subcutaneous (SC) are practiced, with controversies over their suitability. In this article, we discuss the immunological aspects of rabies vaccination by comparing ID and IM delivery systems.

In November 1950, a relatively modern factory, called Alpha, was established in Javadiyeh district of Tehran. It was the first factory of milk pasteurization in Iran, which started by pasteurizing five tons of milk per day and manufacturing dairy products. The factory was under official health supervision of Pasteur Institute of Iran and had a significant contribution to the improvement of the quality of products. In 1958, the ministry of health established a central laboratory for monitoring of food products, which lifted the official supervision of the Pasteur Institute of Iran. In 1959, despite having advanced equipment, the factory was closed due to bankruptcy. This article tells the story of the first factory of milk and dairy products pasteurization in Iran and the challenges it faced.

Introduction: Staphylococcus is a genus of pathogenic bacteria, which asymptomatically colonizes the upper respiratory tract of the human. The incidence of invasive Staphylococcal infections and the disease burden are high among children in South Asia, including Pakistan. This study aims to determine the nasal colonization and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Staphylococcus species isolated from preschool children in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: A community-based study was conducted in two camps named Shah Di Khui and Jeevan Haana in Lahore city. A total of 100 nasal samples, were collected from preschool children from lower-middle-class families during January to March 2018. Species identification was performed using the coagulase test, catalase test, and Gram staining. Also, a 370 bp fragment of the tuf gene was targetted using specific primers for the genus Staphylococcus. Antibiotic resistance pattern of the isolates was defined by an antibiotic susceptibility test using a series of antibiotic discs. Results: The results of this study indicated the presence of Staphylococcus species, mainly Staphylococcus aureus in more than 85% of the children. PCR amplification of tuf gene confirmed the identity of the S. aureus isolates from the nasal cultures. Many showed resistance to more than two broad-spectrum antibiotics. Conclusion: The prevalence of nasal colonization of S. aureus was more than 85% among preschool children. Most of the isolates were resistant to β-lactam antibiotics.

Introduction: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is among the primary cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs). This study was conducted to determine the antibiotic resistance pattern of E. coli isolates from UTIs in Kermanshah. Methods: In this study, 180 midstream urine samples were collected from outpatients for five months. Based on differential biochemical tests such as oxidase, Indole, and movement, one hundred E. coli isolates were obtained. In order to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of the E. coli isolates, Kirby-Bauer method on the Mü ller Hinton Agar (Merck, Germany) was performed according to the CLSI instruction, using nalidixic acid (30 mcg), gentamicin (10 mcg), cefalotin (30 mcg), co-trimoxazole (10 mcg), and co-amoxiclav (20 mcg) disks provided by a commercial company (Padtan Teb, Iran). Results: The mean age of the patients was 43. 69 years. Out of 100 E. coli-infected patients, 74 were women with an average age of 42. 77 years and 26 men with an average age of 45. 88 years. The highest rate of UTI was in women aged 61-70 years and the lowest in men aged 71-80 years. The youngest patient was a one-year-old boy, and the oldest was a 95-year-old woman. The highest resistance was found to cefalotin (82%), and only one sample was resistant to gentamicin (1%). Conclusion: Gentamicin and co-amoxiclav are still effective drugs for the empirical treatment of urinary tract infections in Kermanshah. In contrast, cephalothin and possibly the first-generation cephalosporins are not recommended in this province.

Introduction: Diffusion of antibiotic resistance genes by horizontal gene transfer has led to the fast emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR) among bacteria. Multiple classes of integrons are effective genetic elements which play a significant role in the acquisition and nosocomial dissemination of resistance factors in strains of Gram-negative bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Methods: In this study, 110 sputum samples were collected from hospitalized patients with tract infections. Identification of the isolates was performed by standard biochemical tests. The most frequent Gram-negative isolates were 25 Enterobacteriaceae (62. 5%), (9 Enterobacter spp, 11 Citrobacter spp, and 5 Escherichia coli), 6 P. aeruginosa (15%) and 9 Acinetobacter spp (22. 5%). Susceptibility of the isolates to antibiotics was carried out by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method according to CLSI guidelines, and finally, the class 1 integrons were detected by PCR. Results: Maximum resistance rate among Gram-negative isolates was observed to ceftazidime, co-trimoxazole, and cefotaxime with 89%, 87%, and 82%, respectively. A low-level resistance was recognized for imipenem 32% and gentamicin 34%, while an intermediate level resistance was found against the norfloxacin 40% and ciprofloxacin 44%. Out of 6 P. aeruginosa and 9 A. baumannii isolates, 2 (33. 3%) and 3 isolates (33. 3%) were positive for class 1 Integrons, respectively, while all Enterobacteriaceae isolates (100%) were negative for class 1 Integrons. Class 1 integrons were detected among of MDR isolates. Conclusion: Our results showed that monitoring MDR isolates and detection of class 1 integrons in these isolates is necessary for promotion of antibacterial stewardship.

Introduction: Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a fatal tick-borne viral zoonosis with a case fatality rate of 5% to 30%. CCHF has been documented as the most frequent tick-borne viral infection in Iran with more than 50 cases annually. Kerman Province in the south of Iran is one of the CCHF-endemic areas of the country, but no data on infection of ticks with this virus from this area is available. This study aimed to investigate the CCHFV infection among ticks collected from 4 different counties in this province. Methods: In 2011, a total of 203 hard ticks were collected from Kerman, Jiroft, Sirjan, and Kuhbanan counties in Kerman Province, southeast of Iran. Infection of ticks with CCHFV was investigated using RT-PCR targeting the small segment of the viral genome. Results: Out of 203 ticks, Dermacentor (50. 24%) was the most frequent genus followed by Hyalomma (39. 39%), Haemaphysalis (9. 85%) and Rhipicephalus (0. 49%). Our results showed no CCHFV infection of ticks. Conclusion: Our finding indicates no circulation of CCHFV in ticks from Kerman Province. However, as Kerman Province is an endemic region for CCHF, further investigations are needed to have a better understanding of the CCHFV vectors in this region.

Introduction: Urinary tract infection is a common nosocomial infection that has recently become difficult to treat because of the increased emergence of multi-drug resistant strains. This study aims to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration, and molecular pattern of resistance to fosfomycin in Escherichia coli isolates originated from patients hospitalized with urinary tract infection in the intensive care unit (ICU) and coronary care unit (CCU). Methods: Urine samples were obtained from 106 patients in three hospitals of Gorgan, northeast of Iran. After isolation and identification of E. coli isolates, the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test was performed to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of isolates to fosfomycin were determined using the agar dilution method over a concentration range of 0. 5-1024 μ g/mL. Also, the presence of murA and glpT genes were investigated using polymerase chain reaction with specific primers. Results: Frequency of E. coli isolates was 62. 3%, most of which originated from ICU patients (56. 5%). The rate of susceptibility to fosfomycin was 85%. Moreover, the MIC of 80. 3% of the isolates was less than or equal to 64 μ g/mL. We also detected the murA and glpT genes in 77. 8% and 22. 2% of fosfomycin-resistant isolates, respectively. Conclusion: Our results indicated a high bactericidal activity of fosfomycin against uropathogenic E. coli isolates. In agreement with similar studies, we concluded that the presence of murA is significantly associated with the development of resistance to fosfomycin.