gholamreza irajian

Helicobacter pylori causes several gastrointestinal diseases, including asymptomatic gastritis, chronic peptic ulcer, duodenal ulcer, lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), and gastric adenocarcinoma. In recent years, failure to eradicate H. pylori infections has become an alarming problem for physicians. It is now clear that the current treatment strategies may become ineffective, necessitating the development of innovative antimicrobial compounds as alternative treatments.

In this experimental study, a cell-penetrating peptide-conjugated peptide nucleic acid (CPP-PNA) was used to target the cagA expression. cagA expression was evaluated using RT-qPCR assay after treatment by the CPP-PNA in cell culture and animal model. Additionally, immunogenicity and toxicity of the CPP-PNA were assessed in both cell culture and animal models.

Our analysis showed that cagA mRNA levels reduced in H. pylori-infected HT29 cells after treatment with CPP-PNA in a dose-dependent manner. Also, cagA expression in bacterial RNA extracted from stomach tissue of mice treated with PNA was reduced compared to that of untreated mice. The expression of inflammatory cytokines also decreased in cells and tissue of H. pylori-infected mice after PNA treatment. The tested CPP-PNA showed no significant adverse effects on cell proliferation of cultured cells and no detectable toxicity and immunogenicity were observed in mice.

These results suggest the effectiveness of CPP-PNA in targeting CagA for various research and therapeutic purposes, offering a potential antisense therapy against H. pylori infections.

The relationship between rheumatoid arthritis and poor oral hygiene has longbeen proven. Colonization of Porphyromonas gingivalis in the oral cavity can play an important role in rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between rheumatoid arthritis disease and the presence of P. gingivalis.
sixty patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 75 controls with matched age, sex and smoking and oral health status were selected. Provided samples from dental plaque were assessed for the presence of P. gingivalis by using bacterial culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Results of bacterial culture and PCR showed no significant difference between rheumatoid arthritis patients and control group in terms of the presence of P. gingivalis (P = 0.9 and P = 0.1, respectively). There was also no relationship between the number of bacterial copies and the activities of rheumatoid arthritis.
Findings showed that there was no significant relationship between the presence of P. gingivalis in dental plaque and rheumatoid arthritis.

Listeria monocytogenes, a gram positive, facultative, intracellular bacterium is the causative agent of listeriosis that is transmitted to human through raw and ready-to-eat foods. The aim of the present study was to determine dominant serovars of L. monocytogenes isolated from spontaneous abortion using phenotypic and genotypic methods.

In present study, 258 clinical specimens including placental secretions, vaginal swabs and blood samples from 123 patients with abortion were selected in sterile condition then bacteriological, serological and molecular tests were conducted; dominant serotypes were identified by Multiplex PCR.

Out of 28 (%18.8) isolates of L. monocytogenes 21 (%17.7), 5 (%5.7) and 2 (%3.37) were isolated from placental secretions, vaginal swabs and blood respectively. Maximum and minimum isolated of bacteria related to placental secretions and vaginal swabs with 21 and 2 isolates respectively, of which 14 (%50) 1/2a, 10 (%35.7) 4b and 4 (%14.6) 2c serovars were reported for the first time. All of serovars played a key role in the spontaneous abortion as dominant and common serotypes in Iran. All of the isolates 28 (%22.76) showed hlyA gene and 24 isolates (%19.57) were positive for iap gene and compaired with control group there was significant different between the two groups (P<0.0002).

The present study showed the isolation dominant and common serotypes of L. monocytogenes from spontaneous abortion and demonstrated that the presence of hlyA and iap were effective genes in increasing aggressive and pathogenicity. Serotypes that lacked the iap gene have less pathogenicity and influenced the pathogenesis in mice. It was also concluded that in the absence of access to molecular tests, performing PI-PLC, Congored and in vivo pathogenicity can be effective in detecting pathogenic serotypes from non-pathogenic L. monocytogenes.

The aim was to determine the role of dominant serovars of Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) in spontaneous abortions, using isolation methods and polymerase change reaction (PCR). A total of 258 samples comprising of placental tissue, vaginal swabs and blood were collected from 123 patients with spontaneous abortion. L. monocytogenes was identified and confirmed by culture, biochemical reactions, serological tests, API system, CAMP (Christie, Atkins, Munch and Petersen) test, and hemolysis on sheep blood agar. Phosphatidyl inositol specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) assay, followed by multiplex PCR was applied for detection of serotypes 1/2a and 4b. Out of 258 samples, 28 isolates of L. monocytogenes were identified   by different methods. All of the isolates were confirmed by PCR. Of 28 isolated strains, 14(50%) belonged to serovar 1/2a, 10(35.7%) to serovar 4b and 4(14.3%) to other serovars. Based on our study, serovars 1/2a and 4b are dominant serovars as causative agents of human spontaneous abortion due to L. monocytogenes in pregnant women.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic pathogen, is a common cause of healthcare-associated infections in immunocompromised individuals. The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant strains has made P. aeruginosa infections progressively difficult to treat. In this study we evaluated the effect of a chimeric protein containing a P. aeruginosa PilQ fragment and the PilA disulfide loop (PilA-DSL) on the humoral immune response in BALB/c mice.
A chimeric gene encoding an immunogenic region of PilQ and the PilA-DSL was synthesized. Following bacterial expression and purification, the protein was administered to mice and the humoral immune response analyzed. The resulting antibodies were analyzed using an opsonophagocytic killing assay.
The anti-recombinant protein antibody titer was significantly greater in immunized mice than in controls. In addition, antibody titers were significantly increased after booster immunizations, and the immunizations induced opsonophagocytosis of P. aeruginosa PAO1.
These results suggest that an anti-adhesion-based vaccination may be effective in preventing P. aeruginosa infections. Further studies are needed to evaluate the abilities of such bivalent proteins to induce strong immune responses.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogenic bacteria causing the infection listeriosis, which possibly affects all people, particularly immunocompromised persons and pregnant women. This microorganism can be found in several processed foods, dairy products, raw milk, meat and fish products, seafoods, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. This review discusses about the epidemiological significance, incidence, contamination routes of L. monocytogenes in different products and current data about listeriosis in the Iran.
For accessing to relevant articles and studies, a search was done in main databases and also, almost all Iranian published articles were studied in this field.
Outbreaks of listeriosis have been reported in many parts of the worldwide, however there is scanty data about the prevalence of listeriosis in Iran. Accordingly, as a result of high incidence of L. monocytogenes in women with bad obstetric history or history of abortions, diagnosis procedures for detection of L. monocytogenes and timely treatment was suggested.
In spite of low incidence of infection in the past, increased interest for lightly preserved and/or ready-to-eat (RTE) food products has recently led to increasing of L. monocytogenes prevalence which has become a public health concern. Subsequently, further researches about the prevalence of L. monocytogenes and also antibiotic susceptibility testing is needed to enable the detection of the contaminated foods, as well as ensures the effective treatment.

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) is an important nosocomial pathogen which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in high-risk populations. Aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AMEs) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) methylation are two important mechanisms of resistance to aminoglycosides. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of 16S rRNA methylase (armA, rmtA, rmtB, rmtC, and rmtD), and the AME genes [aac(6′)-Ib, aac(3)-I, ant(3′′)-I, aph(3′)-I and aac(6')-Id], among clinical isolates of A. baumannii in Tehran, Iran.
Between November 2015 to July 2016, a total of 110 clinical strains of A. baumannii were isolated from patients in two teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. The presence of genes encoding the AMEs and16S rRNA methylases responsible for resis­tance was investigated by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.
The results showed that colistin was an effective antibiotic and could be used as a last-resort treatment of infections caused by MDR-AB. The resistance rate to aminoglycosides were 100%, 96.36% and 90.9% for tobramycin, gentamicin and amikacin, respectively. In this study, AME genes of aac(6′)-Ib, aac(3)-I and ant(3′′)-I were most prevalent among the isolated strains.
Conclusion Markedly high resistance to tobramycin, gentamicin and amikacin was noted in current study. Our results suggested that modifying enzyme genes in conjunction with methylation of 16S rRNA might contribute to aminoglycoside resistance induced in vivo in A. baumannii.Further studies are required to determine the prevalence of the aminoglycoside resistance genes in other hospitals of Iran.

Foodborne diseases are one of the serious problems in the world. Every year, more than 100 million people are affected by foodborne and waterborne diseases particularly immunocompromised diseases.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate bacterial load and antibiotic resistance pattern in bacterial isolates from food samples of meat, dairy, and pastry products from west of Tehran, Iran, during April 2007 to March 2008.
A total of 1625 different food samples including dairy products, meat and pastries were collected randomly from different parts of the west of Tehran. All samples were kept at 4°C. The samples were first cultured according to the standard bacteriological methods and then Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli isolates were identified using standard bacteriological tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed by disk diffusion method according to Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines.
During 2007 and 2008, 2.8% and 3% of the food samples were contaminated with S. aureus. Similarly, 3.5% and 6.4% of the food samples were contaminated with E. coli. E. coli isolates were highly resistant to amikacin and cephotaxime and this resistance was increased in 2008. Similarly S. aureus isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, cephotaxime, gentamicin, and tetracyclin. There was no significant difference during 2007-2008.
The rate of contamination during 2007 was 2.8% and during 2008 was 3% for S. aureus. This strain was isolated from the food samples.
Further studies should be done to determine the changes of bacterial resistance pattern for various food samples. Thus, the baseline for comparison with future prospective studies should be established, enabling the determination of trends over time.

One of the major problems for the isolation and detection of S. pneumoniae from clinical specimens, high sensitivity, rapid autolysis and thus the inability to hold isolates of pneumococcus. So, it is essential to use specific techniques for the preservation of the organism. In this study several different cultures for S. pneumoniae isolates were compared and evaluated.
In 2014, 2 ATCC standard , 30 clinical, and 30 normal flora pneumococcal available isolates were selected from a previous study. Dorset egg medium was prepared for midterm preservation, three storage environments, including Skim milk-Tryptone-Glucose-Glycerin (STGG), nutrient broth enriched and Todd Hewitt Broth (THB) was constructed to long-term preservation, and their performance on maintenance pneumococcal isolates was assessed.
Results and 95% of the isolates cultured on Dorset after 70 days and 80% after four months later had the ability to grow. All three long-term storage environment, had a good performance for one year but enriched nutrient broth could keep bacteria with but better-quality up to 2 years. There is no difference between isolates from the patients and isolates from normal flora to survive in the environment. Also aggressive origin of iclinical isolates had no effect on their survival rate. Dorset egg (DE) medium can be considered as a simple, low cost and efficient, medium for midterm preservation and enriched nutrient broth for long term storage of pneumococcal isolates in clinical laboratories.

With increase Staphylococcus epidermidis infections, discrimination between invasive and non-invasive S. epidermidis strains and determination of drug resistance, for diagnosis and treatment is important.
From August 2014 to March 2015, 123 strains isolated from patients and medical instruments from Ali Asghar and Hazrat Rasoul hospitals were used to discriminate invasive and contaminating S. epidermidis strains by ica, atlE, agrA, sarA, and mecA genes by Multiplex PCR method. Also, according to the CLSI standards, resistance to cefoxitin, linzeolid, clindamycin, erythromycin and tetracycline were tested by disk diffusion method and vancomycin E-test method.
prevalence of ica and mecA genes were 85% and 75% in invasive strains and 20% and 51% in contaminating strains, respectively. The resistance level to cefoxitin, tetracycline, clindamycin and erythromycin antibiotics in invasive strains were: 75℅, 35℅, 37℅, 76℅ and in contaminating strains were; 51℅, 40℅, 30℅, 64℅, respectively. Resistance to vancomycin and linezolid was not observed in this study.
This study shown that ica gene can be used as a suitable marker for discrimination between invasive and contaminating isolates. Also, vancomycin is a better choice for the treatment of resistant patients to methicillin.

For further confirmation of the previous in-house real-time PCR and CYP 141 target as a rapid and cheap diagnostic technique and a new target for direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we evaluated and compared the results of smear, culture and real-time PCR in sputa that were collected from 2 health centers. Moreover we tried to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of phenotypical methods for detection of tuberculosis that have been applied in two health centers of Iran.
Thirty two sputa (including 15 smear positive and 17 smear negative) and 53 Sputa (29 smear and culture positive and 24 smear and culture negative specimens) were collected from tuberculosis suspected patients from health center No. 1 and 2 respectively. A Taqman probe was used for direct detection of M. tuberculosis using the specific primers.
Because of the results, data of health center No. 1 was not reliable. The average number of bacteria that was detected in health center No. 2 by real time PCR was 1.2E퍍7.3퍎; 1.4E퍎1.29퍎 and 8.27E퍎1.07퍎 for one to three plus smear result groups, respectively. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of real-time PCR were 96.5% (28/29), 95.8% (23/24), (96.6%) and (96%), respectively.
Compared with the results of previous studies and being a good correlation between real-time PCR and phenotypic methods, emphasize that CYP141 is a good target for quantification of M. tuberculosis in sputa and real-time PCR can be a good method for evaluation of smear microscopy. Moreover, further surveillance is needed to evaluate the phenotypical methods and final decisions that are taken in health centers of Iran that can be observed and evaluated by the cheap molecular methods like in-house methods.

Anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 is important and single nucleotide polymorphisms in the interleukin-10 gene promoter is associated with HBV infection. Especially single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter region of the gene IL10, at position -1082, -819, -592 is associated with production of IL10. Therefore, the present study was to determine the effect of IL-10 -819 polymorphism with chronic HBV infection in Iranian patients.
A total of 200 subjects (100 chronically infected hepatitis B patients and 100 blood donors) with an age range of 18-59 years were included in this study randomly.The study in 1392 on samples of patients referred to clinical laboratory blood transfusion was performed. Genomic DNA was extracted from Buffy coat layer with using of salting out procedure.Allele Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction Method was used for determining polymorphisms -819 (C/T) in the IL-10 gene promoter.Electrophoresis was performed on a arose gel 1.5 per cent for the detection of PCR products. Data were analyzed using Chi Square analysis
The frequency of Homozygote genotype IL-10 -819 (TT, TC, CC) was in patients with HBV 84%,12% and 4% and 89%,10% and 1% in healthy individuals respectively and no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of genotype (P =0.8). Variant of C allele frequency was in patients with HBV 10% and 6% in healthy individuals. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P=.0.6).
Our results showed that there was no correlation between polymorphism IL-10-819(T/C) in control group and chronic Hepatitis B infection.

Due to the increased growth of bacteria producing ESBL, among the members of the Enterobacteriaceae family, monitoring and treatment of nosocomial infections are important, especially caused by ESBL-producing clinical isolates belonging to this family. The aim of this study is to evaluate a rapid method, using new colorimetric culture was made at the University of Al-Zahra (Tehran, Iran).The used method to detect ESBLs, according to disk diffusion method based on CLSI on colorimetric culture and the results of it, compared with the Müller-Hinton agar for disk diffusion method.
In this study, the clinically isolated samples belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae family which was evaluated in both Müller-Hinton agar medium and colorimetric culture using ceftazidime (CAZ), ceftazidime clavulanate (CZA), cefotaxime clavulanate (CTC) and Cefotaxime (CTX) discs.
Results & Because of the metabolic activity of bacteria, a color change occurred from red to yellow in colorimetric culture after 5-6 hours and red inhibitory zone created around the disc. The obtained results from the colorimetric method are same with the results of Müller-Hinton agar method for disk diffusion after a day.

Brucellosis is an endemic zoonotic disease in the Middle East. This study intended to design a uniplex PCR assay for the detection and differentiation of Brucella at the species level and determining the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Brucella in Iran.
Sixty-eight Brucella specimens (38 animal and 30 human specimens) were analyzed using PCR (using one pair of primers). Antibiotic susceptibility patterns were evaluated and compared using the E-Test and disk diffusion susceptibility test. Tigecycline susceptibility pattern was compared with other antibiotics.
Thirty six isolates of B. melitensis, 2 isolates of B. abortus and 1 isolate of B. suis from the 38 animal specimens, 24 isolates of B. melitensis and 6 isolates of B. abortus from the 30 human specimens were differentiated. The MIC50 values of doxycycline for human and animal specimens were 125 and 10 μg/ml, respectively, tigecycline 0.064 μg/ml for human specimens and 0.125μg/ml for animal specimens, and trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin 0.065 and 0.125μg/ml, respectively, for both human and animal specimens. The highest MIC50 value of streptomycin in the human specimens was 0.5μg/ml and 1μg/ml for the animal specimens. The greatest resistance shown was to tetracycline and gentamicin, respectively.
Uniplex PCR for the detection and differentiation of Brucella at the strain level is faster and less expensive than multiplex PCR, and the antibiotics doxycycline, rifampin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and ofloxacin are the most effective antibiotics for treating brucellosis. Resistance to tigecycline is increasing, and we recommend that it be used in a combination regimen.

Pili in Streptococcus pneumoniae have been shown to be one of the adherence factors for epithelial cells in the human upper respiratory tract. Two types of pilus-like structures (pilus islet-1 and pilus islet-2) have been distinguished in S. pneumoniae.
To investigate the presence of pilus islet-1 (PI-1) in S. pneumoniae and the correlation between our isolates.
In this study, 162 S. pneumoniae isolates were collected from clinical specimens, and normal flora were also examined for the distribution of PI-1 using the presence of the rlrA and rrgC genes as markers for this islet and sipA as an indicator of pilus islet-2 (PI-2). BOX-PCR analyses were performed to determine the genetic relationship between isolates.
The results confirmed the presence of rlrA and rrgC genes in both clinical (n = 39) and normal flora (n = 26) isolates. The minimal inhibitory concentration results revealed that the rate of resistance of these isolates to the three antibiotics tested ranged from 26% for penicillin to 46% for erythromycin and tetracycline. Furthermore, 12% of the isolates were resistant to all three antibiotics. Strain typing using repetitive element BOX-PCR analysis among the 65 isolates identified 8 different band patterns.
Our results indicated that the dissemination of PI-1 was widespread in S. pneumoniae isolates, although no PI-2 isolates were detected. Furthermore, the frequency of rlrA and rrgC of clinical isolates was significantly more than that of normal flora isolates.

In most cases, prostatitis can be caused by a bacterial agent such as Ureaplasma urealyticum. Considering to the cumbersome of the culture method for the detection of Ureaplasma species in clinical samples such as prostate; PCR method that is faster and more appropriate than the cultivation methods, can be utilized for the detection of U. urealyticum and U. parvum. PCR-RFLP method can differentiate both biovars and assist in studies of the clinical diagnosis, epidemiology and pathology of this species in human. The aim of this study was to molecular detection of U. urealyticumin in prostate tissue samples based on PCR- RFLP.
Two hundred prostate tissue samples were collected from patient suffering from prostatitis. The PCR assay was used to amplify a 559 bp fragment of 16S-23SRNA interspace region of Ureaplasma. After sequencing, PCR products from positive samples were digested with TaqI restriction enzyme.
Seven cases (3.5%) out of 200 prostate tissue samples were positive for U. urealyticum. Results of PCR products sequencing demonstrated that all isolates were U. parvum biovar. PCR-RFLP results shown that there was not any differentiation in pattern of enzymatic digestion, in addition, all isolates were U. parvum, serovar 3.
U. urealyticum can be one of the causing agents of prostatitis. Using PCR-RFLP with specific primer and restriction enzyme is a rapid and cost-effect method for detection and differentiation of Ureaplasma from clinical samples.

Pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains produce polar pili has required for motility, adhesion, and invasion. The main aims of the present study are to identify, clone, express and purify the recombinant pilin protein of P. aeruginosa in the prokaryotic host.
Material and The recombinant pilin gene (pilA) was isolated from P. aeruginosa PAO1 strain by PCR and cloned into pET-22b vector. The recombinant plasmid was subsequently verified by restriction analysis, and DNA sequencing. The recombinant vector was transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3) strain, then the recombinant pilin overexpressed and affinity purified by Ni-NTA agarose-affinity chromatography.Western blot analysis was performed using anti-6His tag antibody.
The PCR and enzymatic digestion results showed the accuracy of the pilA gene cloning. The protein electrophoresis showed that the molecular weight of recombinant pilin is about 19 kDa. Western blot analysis also confirmed the production of recombinant protein. The amount of produced protein was measured by the direct spectrophotometery method, which was 2/58 mg/mL.
Western blot and ELISA results along with that of sequencing ensure accurate production of recombinant pilin, retaining its partial epitopes.

Due to the importance of finding of new antibacterial agents, the antibacterial properties of Prosopis cineraria aerial parts were investigated using a bioassay guided fractionation scheme.
The organic extract was prepared via maceration in methanol, followed by the fractionation using n-hexane and ethyl acetate. The MICs of fractions were determined against some human pathogenic bacteria using broth micro-dilution assay. The primary characterization and identification of bioactive substance(s) was based on a bio-autograph- ical method using HPTLC and flash chromatography in parallel with agar overlay assays. Finally the exact mass of effective compound(s) was determined by LC-MS.
The best antibacterial activities were related to the ethyl acetate fraction. The effective antibacterial compound of the plant were 2 substances with molecular weight of 348 and 184 Dalton that inhibited the growth of assessed Gram positive bacteria with MIC values lower than 125 to 62.5 µg/ml synergistically.
Further analysis using nuclear magnetic resonance could reveal the exact structure of these two antibacterial substances. These 2 effective antibacterial compounds could be applied as lead compound for synthesis of new antibacterial agents.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen and a serious threat to the public health in the world. Consumption of traditional foods such as dairy and meat products can be a major reason for relative abundance and isolation of these bacteria.. The purpose of this study was to determine the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of L. monocytogenes strains isolated from dairy and meat products.. A total of 317 dairy products and meat-processed samples were collected. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed on each sample by the disk diffusion method (Kirby Bauer). Five reference loci were used for typing of L. monocytogenes strains by MLVA (Multiple Locus VNTR Analysis) Technique.. A total of 24 L. monocytogenes isolates were collected from the dairy and meat products. Resistance of isolated L. monocytogenes strains to penicillin G were 54.54% (from dairy products) and 46.15% (from processed meat). Genetic relatedness of isolates were assessed by MLVA. Out of 13 different types, type 2 with 6 strains and type 3 with 4 strains, were the most common types.. MLVA analysis showed that samples obtained from different sources could have similar genetic profile. As a result, administration of penicillin in patients with listeriosis (especially pregnant women) and antibiotic susceptibility test are recommended. The fast and accurate methods such as MLVA for tracking of pollution sources of L. monocytogenes are recommended during outbreaks..

Dermatomycoses are a major public health problem. Tinea cruris is a form of Dermatomycoses.Tinea cruris is a common infection in the groin area, genitals, pubic area, perineum and perianal skin.The purpose of thisstudywas to investigate the cutaneous fungal infections among students in a school dormitory.
The study was performed on 110 male students dormitory aged between 18 to 28 years.From the specimens obtained, direct preparations were made using %10 potassium hydroxide and cultured on sabouraud dextrose agar containing 0.05 mg/ml chloramphenicoland 0.5 mg/ml cycloheximide (Scc). Identification of fungi was performed according to morphologic and microscopic growth of the colonies and using slide culture method.
17 people out of 110 individuals were diagnosed with cutaneous fungal infections. Six people were diagnosed with dermatophytosis. All cases of dermatophytosis were Tinea cruris. Epidermophyton floccosum, the anthropophilic species, was only isolated dermatophyte.The prevalence of Tinea cruris was 5.5% and the Prevalence of Pityriasis versicolor was 4.5%.
The most important source of transmission of anthropophilic dermatophyte species was by men to men.The results of this study is similar to most other studies in Iran and other countries. In addition to treatment, other necessary steps should be applied in order to prevent infection and reduce the risk of pathogens.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) cause morbidity and mortality in infants and younger children. Because of high prevalence of penicillin resistance, rapid and reliable diagnostic techniques for penicillin non-susceptible S. pneumoniae (PNSSP) are important for prevention and treatment. We investigated the association of the restriction length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns for pbp2b to distinguish between penicillin susceptible and resistant S. pneumoniae isolates. In this study, a total of 70 pneumococcal isolates were collected from different clinical sources. MIC of these isolates was determined and pbp2b gene was amplified by PCR and they were digested by HaeІІІ enzyme. Of the 70 isolates, 86% (60) and 14% (10) pneumococcal isolates were found to be PNSSP (penicillin intermediate S. pneumoniae (PISP) and penicillin resistant S. pneumoniae (PRSP)) and penicillin susceptible S. pneumoniae (PSSP). In addition, 10 RFLP patterns (A-J)which were based on the HaeІІІ digestion of pbp2b gene were observed. All PSSP isolates showed that they belonged to pattern D, whereas, all PNSSP showed 10 different patterns. In general, the present study suggests that RFLP can be a powerful tool in differentiation between the penicillin resistant and susceptible strains.

Streptococcus pyogenes is one of the most important causes of bacterial pharyngitis. Asymptomatic carriage of this organism especially among schoolchildren is a common issue. Study of the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the flora strains, as clinical indicators, are useful for treatment of streptococcal infections. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and resistance pattern of S. pyogenes isolates detected from throat of healthy children in Tehran. After filling a questionnaire including general information, from preschoolers, primary school students and school age children referring to the follow up center of the Ali-Asghar hospital of pediatrics, throat samples were collected from 5-15 year old eligible children by a sterile cotton swab. Then the samples were immediately seeded onto %5 sheep blood agar media. The plates were streaked and incubated appropriately after transferring to the laboratory. Biochemical and serological identification of isolates were done and then Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of all identified isolates was determined by the disk diffusion method. Finally, Penicillin, Erythromycin and clindamycin MICs were determined by the E-test method for all isolates.The total number of 423 sample swabs were collected during a period of 6 months, showing the carriage rate of %5.7(n=24).Using chisquare test showed that there were no significant differences in carriage rates between the age sub groups (p=0.095). All isolates were sensitive to Penicillin, Cefotaxime, Erythromycin, Vancomycin, Azithromycin and Clindamycin. The rate of intermediate sensitivity and resistance to Tetracycline was 25 and 12.5%, respectively. Two isolates had intermediate sensitivity to each of the agents Oflxacin and Chloramphenicol. The MIC level of Penicillin for all isolates were ≤0.016 μg/ml, and MIC level of clindamycin and erythromycin for all isolates were ≤0.25 μg/ml, which were in sensitive range.It is concluded that in contrast to thepublished reports about rising penicillin MIC and resistance to erythromycin, Penicillin remains the first choice of drug for streptococcal infections and also macrolides and lincosamides can be considered as the alternative choice of drug in allergic patients.

Neisseria meningitidis, a life-threatening human pathogen with the potential to cause large epidemics, can be isolated from the nasopharynx of 5–15% of adults. The aim of the current study was to evaluate biophysical and biochemical properties and immunological aspects of chimeric acyl-carrier protein-macrophage infectivity potentiator protein-type IV pilus biogenesis protein antigen (ACP-MIP-PilQ) from N. meningitidis serogroup B strain. Biochemical properties and multiple alignments were predicted by appropriate web servers. Secondary molecular structures were predicted based on Chou and Fasman, Garnier-Osguthorpe-Robson, and Neural Network methods. Tertiary modeling elucidated conformational properties of the chimeric protein. Proteasome cleavage and transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) binding sites, and T- and B-cell antigenic epitopes, were predicted using bioinformatic web servers. Based on our in silico and immunoinformatics analyses, the ACP-MIP-PilQ protein (AMP) can induce high-level cross-strain bactericidal activity. In addition, several immune proteasomal cleavage sites were detected. The 22 epitopes associated with MHC class I and class II (DR) alleles were confirmed in the AMP. Thirty linear B-cell epitopes as antigenic regions were predicted from the full-length protein. All predicted properties of the AMP indicate it could be a good candidate for further immunological in vitro and in vivo studies.

Streptococcus pneumoniae, is one of the most important bacterial pathogens and a member of viridians streptococci group. Accurate identification and differentiation of this form of bacteria from other relative streptococci, is the base of epidemiological study of this type of organism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae in clinical laboratories in Tehran, by using phenotypic and genotypic methods. A total number of 110 isolates, identified as pneumococci by some clinical laboratories in Tehran, were collected between March 2010 to May 2012.After isolating the colonies, biochemical identification tests by optochin susceptibility (Mast) and bile solubility (direct method) methods were performed. After DNA extraction, PCR was performed to define lytA gene as a molecular identification for Streptococcus pneumonia. After re-identifying the isolates, fifty of them were determined as true pneumococci, and other remaining sixty isolates were identified as: three gram negative coccobacilli, seven non alpha hemolytic streptococci, and fifty Viridans streptococci. Most of misidentifications were related to respiratory and eye infecting streptococci. Unlike non pneumococcal isolates, all 50 pneumococcal isolates were positive for lytA gene. There was 55% error in detection of pneumococci in this study. The use of optochin susceptibility test as the sole detection tool and also lack of supplemental tests and proper quality controlling, are the main causes of failure in diagnosing pneumococci in Iran. Misidentifications may result in incorrect epidemiological data gathering, unnecessary treatment, and false increased antibiotic resistance reports for this organism. Regarding the high incidence of inaccuracies in defining this specific type of microorganism, we suggest the presence of a clinical microbiologist in the hospital laboratories to perform the right diagnostic tests and quality controlling would be essential.

The production of carbapenemases especially Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) is the most important mechanism of enzymatic resistance in isolated Enterobacteriaceae such as K. pneumoniae. The purpose of this study was detected of the carbapenemase producer K. pneumoniae strains with phenotypic and genotypic methods. Out of 800 strains, 270 K. pneumoniae strains (33.7%), were obtained. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by disk diffusion method in accordance with CLSI guidelines. Carbapenem resistant strains were identified by the Modified Hodge Test based on CLSI instruction and PCR for surveying the presence of bla-KPC gene. A total 270 K. pneumoniae strains were collected. Antibiotic susceptibility test results showed the highest and lowest resistance was related to piperacillin (60.6%) and carbapenems (14.6%) respectively. 80.5% (33 of 41) isolates were positive by MHT, but all of them (100%) were negative for amplification of the bla-KPC gene in the PCR method. The MHT was an appropriate method for approving carbapenemase production. Moreover, a laboratory could accept the carbapenemase production with PCR method for the bla-KPC gene, which has the additional profit of validating which KPC is present.