Avicenna Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infection
Year:2020 | Volume:7 | Issue:1|Papers Count:7

Background and Objective: Acinetobacter baumannii is considered as a main opportunistic pathogen in hospitals and exhibit high resistance against most antibiotic groups. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of some antibiotics and essential oils against this bacterium, in vitro. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and one clinical samples were collected from the Children’ s Hospital of Damascus. The polymerase chain reaction was conducted to identify the genus and type of bacteria. Finally, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of several antibiotics and essential oils, including Thymus syriacus, Origanum syriacum, Citrus aurantium, Cinnamomum verum, Syzygium aromaticum, Cupressus macrocarpa, Myristica fragrans, Biota orientalis, and Zingiber officinale, were investigated on Luria-Bertani broth agar. Results: Fifty-nine isolates of A. baumannii were identified and the results showed that the DNA fragments of 16S rRNA and the blaOXA-51 _ like gene were approximately equal to 280 bp and 350 bp, respectively. In addition, most effective antibiotics against 50% of bacteria in each isolate of A. baumannii were rifampicin, linezolid, and levofloxacin whereas most effective essential oils included Cupressus macrocarpa, Citrus aurantium, Myristica fragrans, and Biota orientalis.

Background: Natural products derived from medicinal plants are a major source of drug preparation and the main basis for the development of pharmaceutical leads. We have aimed at investigating in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant activity of various extracts of Citrus medica L. against a number of human pathogenic bacteria. Methods: The plant samples of C. medica L were collected from Ramsar province, Iran. The gram-positive bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Micrococcus luteus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as the gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Shigella boydii, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes and Klebsiella pneumoniae were prepared from Bu Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran. Agar diffusion assay was applied, and the antioxidant properties of extracts were determined by DPPH assay. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as some compounds such as alkaloids, saponin, and tannin were further analyzed. Results: Results indicated that C. medica extracts possessed antibacterial activity, and that root, seed, and leaf exhibited the highest activities against human pathogens, especially M. luteus. Roots contained the highest total phenolics (106. 1 mgGA/g), while leaves contained the highest total flavonoids (3. 24 mgQ/g). Leaf methanol extract also contained alkaloids, saponins, and tannins. Conclusions: The antibacterial activities of C. medica extracts could be explained by synthesizing such compounds. Moreover, seed and root extracts of C. medica showed strong radical scavenging activities.

Background: New antimicrobial agents must be designed and synthesized for treating infectious diseases. In this study, antibacterial and antifungal activities of 6 potassium dithiocarbamates including three newly synthesized products were assessed on 10 bacterial and 3 fungal pathogens. Methods: To this end, some benzhydrazine derivatives were reacted with carbon disulfide to afford dithiocarbamates, followed by applying diethyl ether and potassium hydroxide as solvent and base. Then, antimicrobial susceptibility tests were used to determine minimum inhibitory concentration, the minimum bactericidal concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration values. Results: The chemical structure of all synthesized dithiocarbamates were characterized with 1H-, 13C-NMR (hydrogen-1 and 13-carbon nuclear magnetic resonance) and Fourier-transform infrared spectra. A variety of inhibitory effects was observed by the synthesized salts. Most synthetic dithiocarbamates affected bacterial strains and could efficiently block the proliferation of pathogenic fungi. Conclusions: In general, prepared dithiocarbamates as potent chelating agents are able to interact with cell wall sulfur-containing compounds and the essential enzymes of microorganisms. In addition, the design of new hydrazine-based ligands and their corresponding complexes in future research can improve therapeutic properties. The evaluation of the cytotoxic effects of synthesized dithiocarbamates can also help their antimicrobial usages. Thus, these sulfur-rich and water-soluble salts are potential agents for combating plant pests.

Background: Neosporosis is considered as a ubiquitous disease in Iran and other countries. This research was expected to determine the prevalence and related risk factors of Neospora caninum in household dogs in Hamadan Municipality, Iran. Methods: A total of 184 whole blood was evaluated for the presence of antibodies to N. caninum by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All seropositive animals were affirmed by molecular techniques. Results: Based on serology and molecular methods, N. caninum infection was detected in 4. 9% (95% CI = 4. 9 ± 3. 1%) of animals. In addition, the highest infection rate was significantly recognized in female dogs (57. 1%) with under 6 months old (54. 4%). Additionally, the clinical signs of neosporosis were observed in 2 out of 4 positive dogs (P < 0. 0001, odds ratio [OR] = 24. 71). Finally, the infection had no significant connection (P > 0. 05) with breeding, food regime, housing, and direct contact with infected animals. Conclusions: In general, the serological and molecular outcomes were parallel together. It was concluded that this is a universal assessment of risk factors related to N. caninum in Iranian house dogs for the first time.

Background: Money is one of the most commonly used microbial carriers. Parasites are no exception to this rule. Thus, this study aimed at investigating the presence of parasitic species in paper money collected from various sources in Fars Province and suggesting ways to improve community health. Methods: In this study, banknotes were randomly collected from people from different rural and urban areas of Fars province between March 2018 and November 2019. In addition, these banknotes were gathered from various sources including butchers, bakers, supermarkets, gas stations, and vegetable shops and stored at Diluted Water (DW). Then, they were extracted from the water and the solution was centrifuged at 3000 rpm. The surface water was drained and expanded from the remaining materials, stained with Giemsa color, and finally, observed under a microscope. Results: In the urban areas, 2 (3. 7%), 22 (40. 7%), 8 (14. 8%), 4 (7. 4%), 4 (7. 4%), 12 (22. 3%), and 2 (3. 7%) contaminations were related to Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana, Ascaris lumbricoides, Hookworm, unknown larvae, and Hymenolepis nana, respectively. In the rural areas, 4 (11. 7%), 8 (23. 5%), 6 (17. 6%), 2 (5. 8%), 4 (11. 7%), and 10 (29. 4%) infections were related to Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana, Ascaris lumbricoides, Hookworm, and to unknown larvae, respectively. Conclusions: According to the results, hand hygiene is important for promoting community health since hands are largely in contact with money.

Background and aim: Hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV) infections are considered as major global public health concerns. Chronic infections may lead to liver cirrhosis, hepatic failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HBV and HCV infections in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and on regular hemodialysis in Duhok located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Duhok, Iraq between January 2019 and October 2019. During this period, a total of 143 patients within the age range of 9-72 years old with ESKD visited the Duhok dialysis center for regular hemodialysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to test HBV and HCV positivity and then HBV viral load was tested by the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR). Finally, HCV positivity was confirmed by the Xpert HCV quantification assay. Results: Among the recruited samples, 5 out of 143 (3. 49%) patients were positive for HBV while HBV viral load for those patients was undetected. On the other hand, 3/143 (2. 1%) patients tested positive for HCV Ab. All these 3 patients were also confirmed positive by the RT-PCR. Conclusions: ESKD patients on regular analysis showed a low prevalence of HBV and HCV in the Duhok dialysis center. An effective infection control program, vaccination, and treatment of HCV make the elimination of HBV and HCV feasible in such a group.

Social distancing is important to decrease the interactions between people in the society. As a set of measures, social distancing is taken to reduce infections transmitted by droplets. To achieve its aim, social distancing should include the cancellation of funerals and weddings, the closure of schools and universities, and the cancellation of mass gatherings (1). . . .