Archives of Clinical Infectious Diseases
Volume:16 Issue: 6, Dec 2021

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused by Echinococcus tapeworms. About 60% of patients remain asymptotic until severe stages. Early diagnosis of the infection in high-risk populations is of medical importance.

This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of echinococcosis among first-degree family members of the infected patients who underwent surgical treatment.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to screen the first-degree family members of 96 patients who underwent surgical intervention at Imam Reza hospital, Mashhad, Iran, from September 2016 to March 2017. All family members were invited by phone calls to perform the serologic test, ultrasound examination, and chest X-ray test.

Forty-six (47.9%) patients participated in the study. A total of 114 family members performed the screening tests. Seven participants from five families (6.14%) were found to be infected in ultrasound examination (five females with a mean age of 36 years). There were no significant differences between the infected and non-infected groups concerning age (P = 0.921) and gender (P = 0.457).

Screening the first-degree family members of patients with a confirmed echinococcosis infection results in the early diagnosis of infected patients, which is economically significant, especially in endemic areas.

This study aimed to define risk factors associated with suppurative complications, short-term sequelae, and death in pediatric patients with bacterial meningitis.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on children with bacterial meningitis, aged 0 months to 18 years, who were admitted to the Hospital Infantil João Paulo II, reference in infectious diseases, from 2005 to 2018.

In 178 cases, meningococcal meningitis was the most prevalent disease form (51%), followed by pneumococcal meningitis (31%) andHaemophilus influenzae type Bmeningitis (10%). Themain clinical findings at admission were fever (93.1%), vomiting (67.9%), drowsiness (47.8%), headache (36.5%), irritability (28.3%), and seizures (26.4%). Suppurative complications were recorded in 19% of the patients. The prevalence of neurological sequelae during hospital discharge was 12.4%. Hearing (41%; n = 9) and cognitive (9%) impairments were prominent among the diagnosed sequelae. Incidences of epileptic crises, vestibular disorders, or hydrocephalus were noted in one case each (4.5%), and 12.4% of the patients died.

Streptococcus pneumoniae and H. influenzae type B were associated with the diagnosis of sequelae during hospital discharge, seizures were considered a risk factor for suppurative complications, and gastrointestinal symptoms or signs of clinical severity were associated with death.

Biofilm formation is a vital feature of the pathogenesis in filamentous fungi.

Herein, we investigated in vitro antifungal pattern of biofilm of filamentous species keratitis isolates, and the effect of different concentrations of voriconazole on biofilm morphology changes using scanning electron microscopy.

Here 25 ocular fungal isolates were included (Fusarium solani; (n = 15) and Aspergillus flavus; (n = 10). We determined the biofilm formation of isolates in terms of their susceptibilities to different antifungals on sessile cells. This procedure was performed according to CLSI-M38-3rd. Biofilm morphology changes revealed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Twelve F. solani strains displayed the capacity to form biofilms from patients wearing contact lenses, while 8 A. flavus strains were recovered from cornea scrapings of trauma. Itraconazole, posaconazole and natamycin had the maximum activity against biofilms of all tested filamentous strains (MIC ranging from 0.031 - 0.25 µg/mL, 0.031 - 0.25 µg/mL and 2 - 4 µg/mL), respectively. Three F. solani and one A. flavus strains showed the high MIC values against voriconazole (MIC ≥ 1 µg/mL). Posaconazole revealed the lowest MIC values against biofilms of two strains (MIC ranging from 0.031 - 0.25 µg/mL); however, no significant difference was observed for itraconazole (P > 0.05). The efficacy of 16 µg/mL and 4 µg/mL of voriconazole was confirmed for biofilm of F. solani and A. flavus, respectively. The considerable changes in the morphologies of improved biofilms were seen by SEM.

For the successful treatment of fungal biofilm infections, it was necessary to have knowledge of the mechanism of action, penetration rates, and therapeutic concentrations of drugs.

Coronavirus is one of the major pathogens of the human respiratory system and a major threat to the human health.

This modeling study aimed to project the epidemics trend of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Qom, Iran

This study projected the COVID-19 outbreak in Qom using a modified susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) compartmental model by the end of December 2020. The model was calibrated based on COVID-19 epidemic trend in Qom from 1 January to 11 July. The number of infected, hospitalized, and death cases were projected by 31 December. A Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis was applied to obtain 95% uncertainty interval (UI) around the estimates.

According to the results, the reduced contact rate and increased isolation rate were effective in reducing the size of the epidemic in all scenarios. By reducing the contact rate from eight to six, the number of new cases on the peak day, as well as the total number of cases admitted to the hospital by the end of the period (31 December), decreased. For example, in Scenario A, compared to Scenario E, with a decrease in contact rate from eight to six, the number of new cases on peak days decreased from 15,700 to 1,100. The largest decrease in the number of new cases on peak days was related to Scenario F with 270 cases. Also, the total number of cases decreased from 948,000 to 222,000 between the scenarios, and the largest decrease in this regard was related to Scenario F, with 188,000 cases.

The parameters of contact rate and isolation rate can reduce the number of infected cases and prevent the outbreak, or at least delay the onset of the peak. This can help health policymakers and community leaders to upgrade their health care systems.

Streptococcus pneumoniae remains a major cause of invasive streptococcal diseases among all age groups, particularly infants and the elderly.

This study aimed to recognize and determine S. pneumoniae serotypes isolated from clinical specimens by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

A total of 105 pneumococcal strains were collected from nonvaccinated cases within the age range of 10 days to 92 years from five provinces of Iran within June 2017 to August 2019. The strains were cultured on blood agar. Biochemical analyses and molecular tests were performed for the primary identification of bacterial isolates. Capsular typing was carried out by multiplex PCR assay. Primers that target the capsular polysaccharide site were used in this study.

Out of 130 studied clinical specimens, 105 isolates of S. pneumoniae were detected and identified. The most frequently isolated capsular types were 6B, 14, 19A, and 1. Serotype distribution consisted of 83.5% of vaccine serotype and 16.5% of nonvaccine serotype. The serotype 6B was significantly more frequent (P < 0.05) among the invasive clinical isolates (75%) compared to that among their noninvasive counterparts (25%). The distribution of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) serotypes in invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and non-IPD revealed 83% and 84% of the isolated serotypes, respectively. Moreover, 83.5% of all the serotypes identified in the study were covered by PCV-13 serotypes.

The common serotypes of invasive and noninvasive groups in Iran are covered by PCV-13

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-Cov-2, has affected the care of patients with hemophilia, indicating the necessity of their vaccination. Nevertheless, there are concerns about using anti-SARS-Cov-2 virus vaccines for hemophilic patients, particularly concerning bleeding adverse events.

Following a cross-sectional design, all adult hemophilic patients who received two doses of Sinopharm anti-SARS-Cov-2 virus vaccine in Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman, Iran, during May and June 2021 were recruited. The participants were followed for two weeks after receiving each dose of vaccine.

Fifty-one patients with a mean age of 37.07 ± 11.45 years were included, of whom 27 (61.4 %) patients experienced at least one adverse reaction. Pain was the most frequent local adverse event (occurred in 20 (39.2%) and 15 (29.4%) cases after 1st and 2nd doses, respectively). Menometrorrhagia and epistaxis were reported by two and one patients, respectively.

Overall Sinopharm anti-SARS-Cov-2 virus vaccine seems to be safe for patients with hemophilia in the short term

Acute cholecystitis needs to be treated due to its high prevalence and mortality rate worldwide and high consumption of antibiotics before and after surgery for this disease.

This study investigated the microbiology of bile samples and their antibiogram in patients with acute cholecystitis referred to the Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran, in 2019 - 2020.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 97 patients with acute cholecystitis. A surgeon collected bile samples before cholecystectomy. Then, the samples were examined for culture and antibiogram. The results were analyzed using SPSS 16 statistical software.

Among the measured variables, only the relationship between the age category and culture result was statistically significant (P < 0.032). Also, the culture result was negative in 67% of the patients, and in the positive culture of the samples, organisms grown mainly were Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas, and Enterococcus. Among the organisms, 53.1% were susceptible, and in resistant cases, the most resistant mechanism was extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL). Moreover, the relationship between different organisms with the sex of patients (P < 0.032) and having gallstones (P < 0.011) was significant.

According to studies, 30 - 50% of cholecystitis cultures of bile samples were positive, the most common organisms growing in these cultures include Ecoli, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Enterococcus and Salmonella species. Also, the most common mechanisms of antibiotic resistance are ESBL, CRE, and AmpC types, respectively. More research needs to be carried out on the prevalence of microbes in cholecystitis and other diseases and the selection of appropriate antibiotic regimens and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.