Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology
Volume:13 Issue: 3, Mar 2020

 Hepatitis C virus (HCV) belongs to the genus Hepacivirus and family Flaviviridae and is a leading cause of chronic liver diseases including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

 This study aimed to analyze the genetic diversity of HCV genotype 3a based on complete core protein in Peshawar.

 Hepatitis C virus genotype 3a infected patients, belonging to different areas of Peshawar participated in this study. The complete core gene of HCV 3a was amplified and sequenced. The obtained sequences were used for mutational and phylogenetic analysis using CLUSTAL W and MEGA 6 software.

 Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most of the HCV 3a strains prevalent in Peshawar are genetically closer to HCV 3a strains previously reported from Pakistan and India. Analysis of translated amino acids aligned against reference 3a strain (NZL1) demonstrated substitutions in three functional domains (D1, D2, D3) of the core protein. Core protein mutations R70Q (arginine to glutamine) and L/C91M (leucine/cysteine to methionine) were not found among studied isolates. In sequence PK/59 at position 72, glutamic acid was replaced with aspartic acid. Position 182 was occupied by leucine in place of phenylalanine in all sequences. Alanine and serine amino acids at the positions of 189 and 191 were replaced with threonine and cysteine, respectively. In seven of our isolates (PK/59-PK/68) glutamic acid and serine were found mutated to aspartic acid and cysteine, respectively.

 HCV core protein, although a conserved region could be considered a phylogenetic marker for the determination of genetic relatedness among circulating viral strains and tracing the outbreak of an infection. Geographical, regional, and genotypic differences are effective in the prevalence of substitutions in HCV core protein.

 Treatment of ocular infection by fungi has become a problematic issue, particularly in deep lesion cases, because of the limited available antifungals and emerging resistance species.

 The present study was designed for molecular identification and studying the antifungal susceptibility pattern of ocular fungi.

 Fifty-three ocular fungal isolates, including Fusarium spp., Aspergillus spp., yeast spp., and dematiaceous fungi were collected. Initial identification of each sample was performed using routine mycological techniques. ITS1-5.8SrDNA-ITS2 and translation elongation factor (TEF)-1α regions were used for the identification and differentiation of ocular non-Fusarium and Fusarium fungal species, respectively. The antifungal susceptibility of itraconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole was determined according to the CLSI guidelines (CLSI M38 and M60, 3rd ed.) for filamentous and yeast species, respectively.

 Voriconazole and posaconazole showed excellent activity in all tested isolates; however, some of Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Curvularia strains showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥ 2 μg/mL. The itraconazole showed different results in all species, and high MICs (≥ 16 μg/mL) were found.

 Finally, in the present study, we tried to identify species involved in fungal ocular infection using the molecular methods, which highlighted the importance of precise identification of species to choose an appropriate antifungal regime. On the other hand, our findings showed that antifungal susceptibility test is effective to reliably predict the in vivo response to therapy in infections; however, in fungal ocular infection cases, the penetration of antifungals may contribute to predict the outcome.

 Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a significant cause of chronic inflammatory liver diseases. Hepatitis C virus infection is a common disorder worldwide, which has become a significant public health concern. The survival of viruses in host cells is associated with their ability to engage in cellular mechanisms benefitted from.

 This study aimed at evaluating the expression rate of Beclin 1, as a critical protein of autophagy, and its correlation with interferon-alpha (IFN-α) expression in both IFN-ribavirin responder and non-responder groups.

 In this study, a total of 40 samples of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated. Twenty samples were collected from the patients with chronic HCV as non-responders and 20 samples obtained from the patients considered as responders; all samples were collected in the "pretreatment period". The expression level of IFN-α and Beclin 1 mRNA was assessed by Taq-man real-time PCR.

 The mean of HCV load was 4.2 × 106 ± 8.8 × 106 and 1.1 × 107 ± 9.1 × 106 in the responder and non-responder groups, respectively. The expression rate of IFN-α in the responder group was significantly higher, than the non-responders (P < 0.02), whereas the expression rate of the Beclin 1 gene was significantly lower in responders compared with non-responders (P < 0.02).

 In non-responders, the level of Beclin 1 expression and its correlation with IFN-α expression level, along with other genetic and physiological factors of the host, can be considered as influential factors involved in IFN-αexpression, as an antiviral agent.

 Pregnant women with Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections can vertically transmit these microorganisms to their newborns through the birth canal and cause neonatal conjunctivitis secondary to sexually transmitted infections.

 In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae infections among pregnant women attending a hospital in Tehran, and also determine the vertical transmission rate of these two organisms to the eyes of newborns after vaginal delivery.

 Endocervical and conjunctival swabs were collected from pregnant women and their newborns within 24 hours after birth. Demographic and clinical data of participants were obtained using a questionnaire and from the hospital records. Then, DNA was extracted and tested by a multiplex PCR assay to detect C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae in specimens.

 Genital infections of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae were detected in 9.6% (11 of 125) and 1.6% (2 of 125) of pregnant women, respectively. Among newborns, ocular infection with C. trachomatis was detected in 2 (1.6%), and no case of N. gonorrhoeae infection was found. Both infected infants were born from asymptomatic infected women. Therefore, the vertical transmission rate of C. trachomatis infection was calculated as 18.1%. Our results also revealed that ocular C. trachomatis infection in neonates is significantly in association with genital C. trachomatis infection in pregnant women (OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.03 - 0.7, P = 0.002).

 Pregnant women with asymptomatic infection of C. trachomatis have a key role in the distribution of chlamydial conjunctivitis in newborns. Since ocular prophylaxis in neonates is not effective for chlamydial conjunctivitis, therefore education and screening of pregnant women, as well as treatment of infected cases, remain as the best approach for controlling the disease.

 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates are important agents of human bacterial infections. The mecA gene as the main cause of resistance against beta-lactams is located in genetic elements which are known as staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec).

 The research aimed to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility pattern and SCCmec typing of MRSA isolates in Kermanshah Province, West of Iran.

 Identification of MRSA isolates were done using phenotypic and genotypic methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined using the disk diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing by agar dilution method. The SCCmec types of isolates were identified using PCR method. The results of the research were analyzed using SPSS.V16 software.

 In this research, of 146 isolates, 126 isolates were confirmed as S. aureus using phenotypic methods and PCR analysis of femB gene. All isolates were sensitive to vancomycin by both

disk agar diffusion and MIC testing by agar dilution method. The highest resistance rate was related to erythromycin (75.4%) and ciprofloxacin (73%). Of 126 S. aureus isolates, 83 cases (65.9%) and 81 cases (64.3%) were MRSA based on the existence of mecA gene and cefoxitin diffusion disk test, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in antibiotic susceptibility pattern of MRSA and methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) isolates for some antibiotics such as gentamicin, amikacin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, and linezolid (P < 0.05). SCCmec types were detected as 20 cases (24.1%) type I, 5 cases (6%) type II, 37 cases (44.6%) were type III (the most prevalent type), 6 cases (7.2%) type IVa, and 3 cases (3.6%) type IV. The prevalence of HA-MRSA (types I, II, and III) and CA-MRSA (types IV and V) in this study were 74.7% and 10.8%, respectively.

 The prevalence of MRSA isolates is high in Kermanshah Province, West of Iran. The cefoxitin diffusion disk testing could be considered a simple, cheap and reliable test for identification of MRSA isolates in all laboratories. The most frequent type of SCCmec is type III. These findings could be due to an increase in antibiotic consumption and insufficient infection control systems.

 Two major complications of Aspergillus sensitization in patients with asthma, including severe asthma with fungal sensitization (SAFS) and asthma associated with fungal sensitization (AAFS), have been recently described.

 In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of SAFS and AAFS in Iranian patients with asthma.

 Two hundred consecutive outpatients aged ≥ 18 years with moderate to severe allergic asthma, referred to a pulmonary subspecialty hospital (Tehran, Iran) for 25 months, were included in the study. Skin prick test (SPT), total IgE (tIgE), and specific IgE (sIgEAf) and IgG against Aspergillus fumigatus (sIgGAf) were determined for all subjects. Comprehensive criteria were applied for the diagnosis of SAFS and AAFS.

 Of 200 included patients, 103 (51.5%) and 97 (48.5%) were with moderate and severe asthma, respectively. Of these patients, 111 (55.5%) were female. The mean (range) of age was 45.8 (18 - 78) years. Of 200 patients, 27 (13.5%), 22 (11.0%), 114 (57.0%), and 131 (65.5%) were positive for Aspergillus SPT, sIgEAf, sIgGAf, and tIgE, respectively. The overall prevalence of SAFS in patients with severe asthma and AASF in patients with moderate asthma were 7.2% (7/97) and 3.9% (4/103), respectively.

 According to the findings, the prevalence of SAFS and AAFS in Iranian patients with severe and moderate allergic asthma was lower than the previously published global data. This low-prevalence reported rate may be due to the fact that we applied strict criteria in the present study.