Infection, Epidemiology And Medicine
Volume:7 Issue: 4, Autumn 2021

This research aimed to estimate the prevalence of extended-spectrum b-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) in stool samples of patients with different types of cancer.

Stool samples or deep rectal swabs were collected from cancer cases from January 2017 to December 2018. After species identification, in order to detect ESBL-PE, double-disk synergy test (DD test) was used. Disk diffusion procedure was conducted to determine the susceptibility of bacteria to antimicrobials. Lastly, antibiotic resistance genes including bla genes were characterized via polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Among 100 patients enrolled in this study, 50 (50%) were ESBL carriers. Escherichia coli was the most prevalent bacterium isolated (85%). Genotyping of EBSL-PE encoding genes using PCR showed that the prevalence rates of blaCTX-M and blaCTX-M-15 genes were 94 (47 of 50) and 90% (45 of 50), respectively, which were higher than those of blaTEM (80%, 40 of 50) and blaSHV genes (34%, 17of 50). There was no significant association between ESBL-PE fecal carriage and age (p= .68), sex (p = .49), time of diagnosis (p= .21), antibiotic therapy for the past three months (p= .77), and history of chemotherapy (p= .49). Finally, it was determined that cancer type was an associated risk factor for ESBL-PE fecal carriage in cancer patients. 

This research emphasizes regular bacterial monitoring, and that antibiotic stewardship plans ought to be performed among cancer patients to prohibit further spread of ESBL-PE with confined therapeutic options.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious and communicable disease and one of the top ten causes of death throughout the world. Monitoring and evaluating TB treatment outcomes provides the required data for taking the necessary measures to control TB. Thus, this study was carried out to find determinants of treatment failure among patients with smear-positive pulmonary TB in Khuzestan province during 2006-2014

This retrospective cohort study was conducted over a 9-year period in Khuzestan province. Predictors of treatment failure were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression

Among 5342 patients, the cumulative incidence of unsuccessful TB treatment was 1.85%. More than half of TB patients (59.2%) enrolled in this study were male, and most of them were living in urban areas (79.8%). Significant predictors of treatment failure were age (p=·001), weight (p= ·039), number of delayed days in diagnosis (p=·01), isoniazid resistance (p≤·001), and number of bacilli in patients` sputum at the beginning of treatment (p≤·001).

In this study, the rate of successful treatment was quite high; nevertheless, new cases of treatment failure could be prevented with special efforts such as prompt diagnosis and precise follow-up under Direct Observation Treatment Short course (DOTS) strategy.

  Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of the most abundant bacteria in human and animal infections. Many virulence genes in E. coli intensify its infectivity. This study explored the presence of two pathogenic genes, including fimH and bfpA, in E. coli strains isolated from pregnant women.

From autumn 2016 to spring 2017, a total of 100 E. coli isolates were collected from clinical samples (116) of pregnant women. The strains were identified using biochemical tests (catalase, Simmons citrate, indole, mobility, H2S, MR, VP, TSI, and urease). The presence of pathogenic genes in these isolates was examined using colony PCR method. Finally, the relationship between the gene and the site of infection was analyzed in SPSS-23 software. 

PCR results indicated that out of 100 E. coli samples, 15 were bfpA positive (15%), and 64 were fimH positive (64%). A significant relationship was found between the presence of bfpA gene and samples taken from urine (p<.001), blood (p=.049), and stool (p<.001). 

None of the urinary strains harbored the bfpA gene, while the strains isolated from stool had a significant relationship with the presence of bfpA gene (OR = 18.667), which confirms that this gene is of great importance for EPEC (enteropathogenic E. coli). There was also a significant relationship between blood-isolated strains and the presence of bfpA gene. A significant relationship was also found between the fimH gene and strains isolated from urine samples (OR=36.733), while no relationship was observed between the presence of fimH gene and blood-isolated strains.

Neonatal sepsis is a clinical syndrome in neonates, which is an uncommon but significant cause of morbidity and mortality in infants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of sepsis caused by Escherichia coli and its antibiotic resistance pattern as well as to assess the potential risk factors in neonates and maternal characteristics in Shiraz.

This retrospective study was performed on infants with sepsis in the first three days of life during February 2019 to March 2021. Patientschr('39') information was obtained using their hospital records and a questionnaire. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS software Ver. 18.0. A p-value <.05 was considered as statistically significant

During this study, a total of 250 positive blood cultures were reported for infants less than 3 days old. Of these, 21(8.4%) E. coli strains were isolated from 14 preterm and 7 term neonates. In all patients, the most effective antibiotic was meropenem, and the highest resistance was observed to cefoxitin.

Base on the present study results, E. coli is the most prevalent Gram-negative bacterium isolated in Shiraz. Premature birth and very low weight are the most important risk factors for developing early-onset sepsis.

Streptomyces is an aerobic filamentous Gram-positive bacterium frequently found in various environments worldwide. Cellulases are a group of glycosyl hydrolase enzymes that are frequently produced by bacteria. Thus, the aim of this study was to detect cellulase-encoding gene (celA) in soil-living Streptomyces strains and evaluate its cloning in Escherichia coli Origami strain.

Soil samples were collected from a depth of 5-10 cm in Tehran, Iran. After identification of Streptomyces isolates by morphological and biochemical tests, genomic DNA was extracted. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was employed to identify Streptomyces strains harboring the cellulase gene. The celA gene was positively transmitted to the host bacterium E. coli via a vector and cloned through the TA technique. Real-time PCR was used to measure the overexpression of this gene. ClustalX and Mega5 software were used to draw the phylogenetic tree.

Out of 12 Streptomyces isolates, 25% were found to carry the celA gene. After cloning the celA gene, the cloned strains were chosen by colony selection (blue/white). The real-time PCR test showed the expression of the celA gene in the transformed strains. Phylogenetic analysis results using the neighbor-joining assay showed that Streptomyces spp. with 81% bootstrap were located in the same clade, indicating their close relatedness.

Soil is one of the high-potential sources of the production of secondary metabolites, which could be used as a valuable source of various biological products such as cellulase.

Evidence indicating the association of cancers and chronic inflammations is increasing. The importance of urinary tract and sexually transmitted infections (UTIs and STIs) in the development of prostate cancer is still unclear. Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is one of the most important causes of UTIs and STIs. Here, a case-control study was performed on the Iranian population to assess the association between C. trachomatis and prostate cancer (PC).

Paraffin-embedded prostate tissue specimens collected from 62 PC and 62 PBH (benign prostate hyperplasia) (as controls) patients were screened to detect C. trachomatis 16srRNA gene using nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR) method. A p-value < .05 was interpreted as a remarkable difference using SPSS statistical software Ver. 16.

There was a significant difference regarding the prevalence of C. trachomatis (p < .001; OR=10.07; 95% CI [2.81-36.001]) between the PC (33.87%) and BPH (4.84%) samples. Furthermore, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were statistically higher (p< .05) in C. trachomatis-positive patients than in patients with negative C. trachomatis.

It could be concluded that patients with a history of C. trachomatis infections are more likely to develope PC. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of C. trachomatis infection may help the prevention of PC. Moreover, nested PCR is a suitable method for C. trachomatis detection in paraffin-embedded prostate tissue specimens.

This study aimed to investigate chemical and microbiological properties of 1260 meat product samples, including sausage, bologna, hotdog, Kebab, and hamburger, in Hamadan, Iran from 2012 to 2015.

All microbial (total viable count as well as Coliform, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, mold, and yeast counts) and chemical (pH as well as salt, phosphate, sodium nitrite, moisture, protein, total fat, starch, nitrite, nitrate, and ash contents) properties were assessed by AOAC method.

Microbial tests on sausage and bologna samples showed that the total count of microorganisms was higher (37.3%) than the national standard limit. In 11.3% of Kebab samples, the number of yeasts and molds was higher than the national standard limits. Also, in 3.5 and 17.07% of hamburger samples, the total count of microorganisms as well as the number of molds and yeasts were higher than the national standard limits, respectively. In 34.6% of bolognas, 15.9% of sausages, 3.8% of hamburgers, and 54.3% of hotdogs, the moisture content was above the national standard. The fat content was above the national standard in 34.7% of sausages, 1.4% of Kebabs, 9.8% of bolognas, 1.2% of hamburgers, and 6.5% of hotdogs.

The present study results showed that the level of contamination of a considerable number of samples was not matched with national standards, which could be a major health risk for consumers.

 Celiac disease (CD) is a common autoimmune disorder caused by intolerance to gliadin protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, which is prevalent among 1% of people in different parts of the world. Thus, in the last decades, the demand for gluten-free products has increased. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the degradation of wheat gluten in laboratory.

Yeast colonies obtained from cloning were assessed for the presence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with protease activity and then inoculated onto MSM (mineral salts medium) with 1% (w/v) gliadin. Aspergillus niger-derived prolyl endoprotease (AN- PEP ) production was also qualitatively examined on gliadin agar plates by determining yeast colony growth.  Zones of clarification of gliadin around yeast colonies were regarded as the evidence of glutenase activity of AN- PEP . The qualitative effects of aspergillopepsin expressed in bakery yeast were studied on yeast gliadin and the rheological properties of wheat flour dough. The rheological properties of the dough were investigated by a rheometer.

 In this survey, gluten was efficiently degraded into short fragments by the AN-PEP enzyme. The results of rheometer test showed that the use of AN-PEP could affect the rheological properties. The quality of dough and the ability of AN-PEP to degrade gluten in dough into smaller fragments were confirmed.

 The current study gives evidence that in the future, the development of novel gluten-free products with high quality and taste is possible by degrading gluten protein into non-toxic peptides using a variety of AN-PEP enzymes.

The fungal infection of tinea capitis is a common mycosis that affects the scalp superficially, especially in children. Oral treatment of this infection remains the preferred treatment process in clinical dermatology. Many antifungals available for dermatophyte treatment lead to treatment failure. Determination of antifungal susceptibility of dermatophytes in-vitro has been reported to be important to curb dermatophyte infections using effective antifungal drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate and determine in vitro minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of amphotericin B, ketoconazole, griseofulvin, terbinafine, and fluconazole against dermatophyte clinical isolates using agar dilution method.

In this study, in vitro susceptibilities of 32 dermatophyte clinical isolates collected from primary school pupils in Sokoto metropolis were investigated to five antifungals (fluconazole, terbinafine, ketoconzole, amphotericin B, and griseofulvin) using the CLSI agar dilution method.

The results obtained revealed that griseofulvin and terbinafine were the most potent antifungal agents among those tested.

Agar dilution method could be an alternative method for MIC-determination of antifungal drugs against dermatophyte species, since it is cost effective and affordable with consistent results, especially in developing countries.