Avicenna Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infection
Year:2018 | Volume:5 | Issue:4|Papers Count:6

Dear Editor, Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the 10 leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. It is estimated that 2 billion of world’ s population are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis as asymptomatic (latent TB) during their lives, of whom, 5-10% progress to active TB (1). The immune response influenced host reaction to M. tuberculosis infection; particularly CD4+ T cells that are responsible for resistance to TB infection but there are several questions that remain unanswered about dysregulation of the balance between protection and reactivation of previous TB infection; understanding this process lead to development of monitoring of TB progression in latent-TB infection (LTBI) and appropriate treatment (2, 3)...

Background: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is one of the most common health problems worldwide and has the highest prevalence in societies with low to moderate social class. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis A antibody in the patients admitted to the psychiatric ward of Sina hospital, Hamadan, Iran. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 270 patients hospitalized in the psychiatric ward of Sina hospital were evaluated in 2015. Blood samples were analyzed by ELISA method and the HAV IgG antibody were measured in them. SPSS software version 16. 0 was used to analyze the data. Results: Hepatitis A test result was positive in 70. 4% of the participants. The per capita income, household size, sex, educational level, place of residence, and occupational status were not significantly different between the patients who were seropositive for the hepatitis A antibody and HAV negative patients (P <0. 05). The highest incidence was observed in the people with mood disorders. However, there was no difference in the type of disease between the patients who were seropositive for the IgG antibody and the HAV negative patients. Conclusions: Based on the results, the prevalence of HAV among urban and rural populations was not significantly different. The study patients were seropositive for IgG antibodies for HAV in the rates similar to those of populations with high prevalence of the disease, indicating a low level of health status in the community.

Background: Although tuberculosis is a known disease, still on occasion, the tuberculosis patients remain undiagnosed and hence not treated appropriately. In some cases, the patient is not able to give a proper sputum sample. In some other cases, expert laboratory technician to examine the patient’ s sputum smear is not available. Furthermore, and in most cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, invasive diagnostic procedures such as biopsy might be followed. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of serum level of adenosine deaminase (ADA) in extra pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: In this analytical study, pulmonary tuberculosis patients were compared with two other groups of patients including lung cancer patients and healthy controls, based on national tuberculosis protocol. In each group, 40 patients who almost matched for age and sex were included. Blood samples were taken from the participants to measure serum ADA levels. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 15. 0. Results: Based on the data analyzed in this study, the mean ADA level in the patients with extra pulmonary tuberculosis was 23. 8 IU/L which was significantly higher than that in the other groups (P < 0. 001). Mean ADA levels in lung cancer patients and in healthy subjects were 15. 8 IU/L and 10. 7 IU/L, respectively. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, higher cut-off value for ADA would increase the specificity up to 100%. Moreover, serum ADA level can be a valuable additional index in diagnosis of extra pulmonary tuberculosis.

Background: Healthy diets including fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of chronic diseases. This study was aimed at detecting parasitic contamination caused by consuming raw vegetables sold in Hamadan, west of Iran. Methods: A total of 380 vegetable samples consisting of parsley, coriander, basil, savory, mint, cress, tarragon, leek, radish and spring onion were evaluated microscopically after conducting sedimentation and flotation from April 2017 to March 2018. Results: Parasites were detected in 95 out of 380 of vegetable samples (25%). The organisms identified included Entamoeba coli (8. 15%), Ascaris lumbricoides (7. 1%), Chilomastix mesnili (5%), and Giardia lamblia (1. 5%), Blastocystis hominis (0. 78%), Toxocara canis (0. 26%) and Hymenolepis nana (0. 26%). High level of contamination was obtained for parsley (5. 52%) while radish was the least contaminated (0. 78%). Vegetable contamination was higher in spring and summer (20. 6%) (P < 0. 0001). Samples collected from vegetable fields irrigated by well water supply showed low parasitic contamination (28. 5%) compared to those from farms irrigated by surface or sewage water (91%) (P < 0. 0001). Conclusions: The results emphasize the potential role of raw vegetables consumption in transmission of pathogenic organisms. Besides, it was highlighted that irrigation of vegetables by surface water could be the source of vegetable contamination with human intestinal parasites.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important causes of opportunistic infections. Carbapenems are administrated for the treatment of resistant infections due to this bacterium. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of blaSHV, blaTEM, blaCTX-M and blaOXA-48 beta-lactamase genes in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Methods: In this descriptive study, 96 isolates of P. aeruginosa were obtained from clinical samples in Bandar Abbas. All isolates were identified by biochemical tests. The antibiotic susceptibility was examined by disk diffusion method. The presence of blaCTX-M, blaSHV, blaTEM and blaOXA-48 genes was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction using a specific primer. Results: In this study, 76 isolates of P. aeruginosa (79. 2%) were resistant to at least one carbapenem. The highest bacterial resistance (100%) was obtained to nalidixic acid (30 μ g), followed by tetracycline (30 μ g) and amoxicillin (25 μ g). The frequencies of blaCTX-M, blaSHV, blaTEM and blaOXA-48 genes were 23. 95% (23 isolates), 23. 08% (26 isolates), 57. 29% (55 isolates) and 12. 5% (12 isolate), respectively. Sixty isolates resistant to carbapenems (78. 9%) carried at least one resistant gene (blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX-M and blaOXA-48) and 16 isolates (21. 1%) did not have any of these genes. Conclusions: This study revealed the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant phenotype of P. aeruginosa clinical isolates and the frequency of extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes have increased.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a very important hospital and community-acquired pathogen that is prevalent in burn wounds, so finding the sources of contamination and infection with it are important for its control. The aim of this study was to do SCCmec typing and determine the prevalence of pvl, ACME, sea and seb genes among S. aureus isolates from burn patients. Methods: Fifty S. aureus isolates were sampled from burn patients and were identified. These isolates were typed based on SCCmec typing and detection of mecA and pvl genes using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and also were screened for the presence of ACME, sea and seb genes by PCR. Results: Three isolates were identified as methicillin-resistant strains. The sea gene was identified in 22% of isolates while pvl, ACME and seb genes were not found in the isolates. Multiplex PCR SCCmec typing of 3 methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates showed that 2 isolates belong to SCCmec type II and 1 isolate to type I. Conclusions: The results suggest that methicillin resistant S. aureus isolates are prevalent in burn patients and mecA gene is involved in resistance to methicillin. These strains belonged to SCCmec type II and I which can affect horizontal gene transfer among S. aureus isolates and hence distribution of virulence genes. Therefore, it is necessary to frequently monitor S. aureus isolates through typing and screening virulence genes to control this pathogen.