International Journal of Infection
Volume:3 Issue: 3, Jul 2016

Context: Schistosomiasis is a waterborne parasitic disease and the second most prevalent tropical disease after malaria infection. World health organization (WHO) considers it as a neglected tropical disease. Here, we aimed to research the epidemiology of schistosomiasis in Iran from the past to the elimination time..
Evidence Acquisition: For this study, we searched medical databases (PubMed, ISI, Scopus, Iran Medex, and Magiran) from January 1949 to the end of 2012. Keywords were epidemiology, schistosomiasis, Iran, and parasitic infection..
On the basis of our results, using a national program for schistosomiasis control based on active and passive case finding, snail control programs, education of people, conducting training courses for health workers, and improvement of water supply for people living in endemic areas, the infection is now eliminated from Iran..
Schistosomiasis is one of the major tropical and communicable diseases in the eastern Mediterranean region (EMR). However, today it is eliminated in Iran by schistosomiasis control practices..

Recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) due to vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is common in Iraq. Endoscopic treatment of VUR is used with advantages over antibiotic prophylaxis and ureteral reimplantation..
This study was performed to assess the efficacy of a new agent, Dexell, for treating patients with VUR and its ability to manage recurrent UTI..
This research was a prospective study recruiting 156 patients with VUR treated by endoscopic subureteric injection of Dexell..
VUR were unilateral in 87 cases and bilateral in 69 cases. VUR grades II-V were 18.7%, 28%, 32%, and 21.3%, respectively. The success rates were 64% after the first injection, 82.7% after second injection, and 93.3% after third injection. All patients with grades II and III were resolved completely while the success rates in higher grades were 91.7% for grade IV and 87.5% for grade V. No significant difference was noted between males and females regarding the success rate of endoscopic treatment (92% vs 91.6%, P > 0.05). Recurrent UTI did not occur throughout the study period after the operation..
Cystoscopic injection of Dexell is an effective method for treating patients with VUR. It is a safe day case procedure that can prevent recurrent UTI in patients with VUR..

The hepatitis delta virus (HDV) was first discovered by Rizzetto in 1977 in a patient with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In 1980, it was shown that HDV was an infectious agent responsible for exacerbation of liver disease in patients with hepatitis..
The aim of this study was to determine the seroreactivity of, and to molecularly detect, HDV among hemodialysis patients and blood donors in Khartoum state, Sudan, during the period January 2012 to July 2013..
Patients and Two hundred and seventy-six plasma samples were collected from hepatitis B surface antigen-positive (HBsAg) patients in Khartoum state. Of these patients, 98 (64 males and 34 females) were hemodialysis patients, and 178 (178 males) were from blood donors. The sera were screened for HBsAg to confirm positivity for HBV, HDV IgG and IgM antibodies using commercial ELISA and HDV RNA using semi-nested RT-PCR..
The results showed that 16.0% (16/100) had antibodies against HDV IgG, while only 13.0% (13/100) had HDV IgM antibodies among hemodialysis patients, while 4.5% (8/178) had antibodies against IgG, and 2.8% (5/178) had IgM antibodies among blood donors. HDV RNA was detected in 13.2% (13/98) of hemodialysis patients; of these 12.2% (7) were male, and 17.6% (6) were female..
The high prevalence of HDV in Khartoum State was documented through detection of HDV-specific antibodies and viral RNA. Further studies using various diagnostic methods should be considered to determine the incidence and the common genotype of HDV disease at the country level..

Tuberculosis (TB) is not only considered as a community acquired disease, but also as an occupational infection. Health care workers (HCWs) in several countries show an increasing pattern for TB..
The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of positive tuberculin skin test (TST) among HCWs in a highly endemic area for TB in Iran, namely Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan province, located in Southeast of Iran, near the border of Afghanistan..
Patients and In a cross sectional study in 2009, 328 HCWs from all five teaching hospitals in Zahedan were recruited. Inclusion criteria were lack of history of TB in family, receiving BCG vaccination within the first six month after the birth without later booster dose. Age, gender, job, working experience, history of exposure to a known patient with TB and TB vaccine scar were registered. The outcome was positive results during two TSTs (induration > 10 mm). A logistic regression was implemented to determine the predictors of positive TST result..
TST was positive in 198 (60.4%) health care workers out of 328. Likelihood of positive TST among HCWs increased in nurses (OR = 4.617, 95% CI = 1.181-18.054, P = 0.028), increasing working experience (OR = 1.178, 95% CI = 1.131 - 1.226, P 0.05)..
The prevalence of positive TST in HCWs in teaching hospitals in Zahedan is so high. Tuberculosis prevention programs should be implemented for HCWs and personnel of hospitals in Zahedan..

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been recognized as the cause of thrombocytopenia (defined as a platelet count of The aim was to study the prevalence of thrombocytopenia in HCV patients without cirrhosis and splenomegaly..
Patients and A cross-sectional study was carried out in the gastrointestinal out patient department (G.I. OPD) of the Sindh institute of urology and transplantation (SIUT) from September-November 2013. 30 patients aged between 18 - 60 years with a positive anti-HCV result were included. Patients with enlarged spleen, liver cirrhosis on an ultrasound of the abdomen, and thrombocytopenia related to other causes were excluded from the study..
A total of 30 patients satisfying the inclusion criteria were selected for study. The mean age of the patients was 42.2 ± 11.4 (16 - 60), and they included 21 females and 7 males. The majority of patients had normal liver function tests with normal spleen size. On the CBC, 13 had platelets of less than 150,000/µL and 17 patients had a platelet count in the normal range, i.e., 150,000 - 400,000/µL. The prevalence of thrombocytopenia was found to be 43.3% among those with hepatitis C..
The conducted study showed moderate frequency of hepatitis C-induced thrombocytopenia in patients without hepatic fibrosis and splenomegaly among the Pakistani population.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) regularly face the risk of exposure to sharp injuries and splashes as an occupational hazard, which presents a major risk for acquiring blood-borne infectious agents..
This study aimed to determine the occurrence of needlestick injuries (NSIs) and other high-risk occupational exposures to blood and body fluids (BBFs) among HCWs in three teaching hospitals affiliated with the Zahedan University of Medical Sciences..
Patients and A cross-sectional study was carried out from March 2013 to December 2014. Information on self-reported incidents, circumstances surrounding occupational exposure, and post-exposure management were collected from an ongoing surveillance system. Descriptive statistics and chi square tests were used for data analysis..
A total of 236 incidents of occupational exposure were registered during the study period. Nurses (82, 34.7%) were most frequently exposed to BBFs, followed by physicians (57, 24.2%). Two hundred and nineteen (92.8%) of the personnel sustained NSIs, and 17 (7.2%) had splashes to mucus membranes. The incidents were most frequently reported from the internal medicine ward (19.1%) followed by the operating theater (17.1%). Subjects with splashes to mucus membranes were more likely to postpone seeking medical advice following exposure, as compared with needlestick cases (23.5% versus 5%, P The relatively high prevalence of percutaneous injuries and splashes in this study emphasized the importance of improved prevention strategies, better hospital surveillance for occupational exposure, and enhanced training of healthcare workers..

World health organization (WHO) recommends the use of line probe assays (LiPAs) for rapid drug susceptibility testing (DST). However, only a limited number of studies from Pakistan have documented the performance characteristics of line probe assays in testing multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)..
The objective of this work is to evaluate the diagnostic plausibility of the LiPA tests MTBDRplus and MTBDRsl on MDR MTB isolates from Pakistan..
Patients and This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Indus hospital, Karachi. LiPA testing was performed on 196 smear-positive samples using BACTEC MGIT 960 as a gold standard..
The sensitivity of MTBDRplus for isoniazid and rifampicin was found to be 88.8% and 90.2%, respectively, while sensitivity of MTBDRsl for fluoroquinolones, amikacin/capreomycin, and ethambutol was found to be 72.9%, 81.8%, and 56.6%, respectively..
The MTBDRplus and MTBDRsl genotypic testing can serve as useful additional tools for DST in a high-burden country like Pakistan provided it is used in combination with phenotypic testing..

Osteochondritis is a joint condition in which bone underneath the cartilage of a joint destroys due to lack of blood flow. Then bone and cartilage can break, causing pain and sometimes affecting joint motion and skin around the involved joint might be swollen and tender. Osteochondritis occurs most commonly in the knee, but also occurs in elbows, ankles and other joints. Decreased blood flow to the end of the affected bone due to trauma is the main cause, but there might be a genetic component, making some persons more susceptible to get this disorder. Some infections such as brucellosis can lead to osteochondritis. Bone and joint complications are common in brucellosis, but osteochondritis of sternoclavicular joint is a rare presentation..
Here, we presented a 34-year-old woman referred to our hospital for fever, chills and arthralgia in the sternoclavicular joint, which has been started two months before admission. Finally, with more evaluations, we found that she had sternoclavicular osteochondritis due to brucellosis..
Although, brucellosis can cause arthritis more in knee, elbow and hip and causes spondylodiscitis, osteochondritis of sternoclavicular joint is very rare in brucella infection..