International Journal of Enteric Pathogens
Volume:9 Issue: 1, Feb 2021

Norwalk virus is one of the most common causes of viral gastroenteritis. The aquatic products are potential sources of contamination with this virus.

The main objective of the study was to investigate the presence of the Norwalk virus in different aquatic animals in Khuzestan provinces, Iran.

A total of 40 pieces of fish (silver carp, common carp, big head, and grass carp species) and 10 pieces of shrimps were caught from ponds, and the samples were transferred to the laboratory in ice bags. After the separation of the intestine, the content of the intestine was extracted using two sterile filters. Then, the supernatant was used for reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using Calicivirus-specific primers (p289/ p290). Then, Norwalk virus-specific primers (NVp36/NVp35) were detected in Calicivirus positive samples.

The results showed 8% (4 samples) and 6% (3 samples) of the samples were infected with Calicivirus (p289/p290 genes) and Norwalk virus (NVp36/NVp35 genes), respectively. Calicivirus positive samples included 2 common carp, 1 silver carp, and 1 shrimp. Norwalk virus-positive samples included 2 common carp and 1 shrimp. In other words, the highest prevalence of virus was observed in aquatic fish feeding from the bottom of the pool. Due to the fact that this species is bred with other species and considering that this virus lives in the gastrointestinal tract, the ingestion of feces of other infected organisms can lead to the increase of this virus in the digestive system of carp.

Therefore, due to the importance of Norwalk as a zoonotic agent and the possibility of human infection through consumption of aquatic products, preventive measures such as not using animal manure for fertilization and preventing the growth of phytoplankton in aquaculture ponds and cooking meat properly are suggested

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is considered as one of the most common causes of infectious diarrhea in calves, infecting animals during the first week of age. The secretory diarrhea is attributed to the virulence factors of ETEC strains mainly including heat stable toxin (STa), as well as F5 (K99) and F41 fimbriae.

The present study was undertaken to investigate ETEC infection in neonatal calves of industrial dairy farms of Hamedan, Iran. Additionally, it was undertaken to investigate the genotypic screening of virulence genes in enterotoxigenic E. coli isolated from from dairy farms calves of Hamedan county.

A total of 120 rectal swab samples were collected from healthy and diarrheic calves at one week of age belonging to eight farms. Conventional bacteriological methods, multiplex PCR, and antibiotic susceptibility test of the ETEC isolates were performed.

Nine E. coli isolates were found to be ETEC strains, carrying STa enterotoxin along with F5 and/or F41 fimbriae as the indicators of ETEC cells. Additionally, antibiotic susceptibility test of the ETEC isolates revealed that all of them were sensitive to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and enrofloxacin, whereas complete resistance was observed against amoxicillin- clavulanic acid (100%) and polymyxin B (100%). The present study, conducted for the first time in Hamedan, indicated a prevalence of 7.5% for Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in the examined animals.

Regarding economic losses of the infection in claves as well as the zoonotic nature of ETEC cells, it is recommended that measures should be taken, such as immunization of pregnant cows prior to the delivery, feeding of adequate colostrum to newborn calves at the right time, and adherence to hygiene practices on the farms to prevent and/or reduce the incidence of diarrhea cases caused by infection with these bacteri

There is no current and broad consensus about the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection in gastric ulcer and indigestion diseases.

This study aimed to compare three regimens based on clarithromycin, furazolidone, and levofloxacin in patients with HP infection.

This study was a randomized clinical trial examining 102 patients with gastrointestinal diseases. They were randomly assigned to three equal groups. In the first group, basic medication (i.e., a combination of esomeprazole 40 mg and amoxicillin 1000 mg) with clarithromycin 1000 mg was prescribed. The second group was treated with basic medication regimen along with furazolidone 400 mg. And the third group was given the basic medication with levofloxacin 500 mg. Eradication rates of the HP infection and incidence rates of drug side- effects in the three groups were compared after two-week and the obtained data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods.

According to our study results, the HP infection eradication rates revealed by the per- protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses for the levofloxacin group were 91.2% and 93.8%, respectively, which were significantly different from those found for the furazolidone group by PP analysis and for the clarithromycin group by PP and ITT analyses ( P < 0.05). Moreover, there were no significant differences among the three groups regarding the side effects (P > 0.05).

It was concluded that two-week regimen of levofloxacin together with a single-dose of esomeprazole and amoxicillin was desirable (90%-95%) and more effective than furazolidone and clarithromycin in eradicating

F Escherichia albertii is generally recognized as a human pathogen with a limited number of strains. It has also been identified as a cause of mortality among birds. The clinical significance and prevalence of E. albertii are somewhat unknown.

The aim of the present study was to isolate and identify E. albertii as a causative agent of respiratory infections in broilers.

During a three-month period (Winter 2018), 200 samples of the air sacs of 100 chickens with suspected colibacillosis were collected. Routine biochemical tests were performed and suspected isolates of E. albertii were selected for polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

A total of 68 suspected samples of E. albertii and Escherichia coli were isolated. Further, E. coli was detected in all the suspected samples using species-specific sequences of E. coli (uidA) and E. albertii (mdh and lysP).

Escherichia albertii was not identified as a cause of respiratory infection in broil

Giardia and Cryptosporidium are common parasitic protozoa that cause acute intestinal infections in children. These two parasites are mostly found in aquatic environments, including raw water, wastewater, and even treated water.

The present study aimed to examine parasitic contamination of drinking water resources by cysts and the oocyst of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in Alborz province, Iran.

Water samples from three rivers and seven randomly-selected wells of Alborz province were examined using Sheather, formol-ether, and immuno-fluorescence assay (IFA) techniques. The prepared slides were examined with optical and fluorescence microscopes.

IFA technique revealed that 28% of the wells were contaminated with both parasites. It was also shown that all rivers’ drainage basins were contaminated with Cryptosporidium parasite, while 66% of rivers’ drainage basins were contaminated with Giardia parasite.

The results showed that water resources of Alborz province containedGiardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts, which required health care officials to pay serious attention to treating drinking water

The re-emergence of gram-negative bacilli (GNB) as the predominant cause of bacteraemia remains a major concern, given the increasing trend of antimicrobial resistance among this group of organisms. Prompt and effective empirical antibiotic treatment is vital for preventing adverse outcomes; therefore, a good knowledge of the local bacteria profile is required.

This study was designed to aid the establishment of local antibiogram and empirical treatment for GNB bacteremia in patients referred to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Nigeria.

A total of 230 blood samples were obtained from inpatients in different units/departments from December 2017 to November 2018. The blood cultures were processed using BACTEC 9060 automated blood culture system, and the isolates were identified using MICROBACT 12E identification kits (Oxoid, UK) at the microbiology laboratory of UPTH. Susceptibility and resistance tests were done according to CLSI guidelines. Relevant information was obtained from the laboratory request forms and patients’ clinical files.

The prevalence of GNB in the study was 28.9% (71/246). The distribution of GNB bacteraemia was as follows: surgical unit (26.8%), special care baby unit (SCBU) (23.9%), intensive care unit (ICU) (21.1%), and paediatric ward (8.5%). The most common source of bacteraemia was pneumonia (35.2%) followed by puerperal sepsis (15.1%) and urinary tract infection (UTI) (15.1%). Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most frequently isolated gram- negative bacillus (26.6%). The overall resistance rate of extended spectrum lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL) producers, carbapenemase producers, and multi-drug resistant (MDR) organisms was 32.4%, with Acinetobacter baumannii (50%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (27.3%) exhibiting the highest level of resistance to carbapenems.

This study showed a high MDR rate among GNB causing bacteraemia in patients at UPTH. An urgent review of the current antimicrobial prescription policy and infection control measures is recommended

Escherichia albertii has been recently isolated from the feces of people with gastroenteritis as a pathogen that causes diarrhea. Due to insufficient information on the phenotypic and biochemical characteristics of E. albertii, it is difficult to distinguish it from other species of the Enterobacteriaceae family and, therefore, it is mistakenly identified asEscherichia coli or even Hafnia alvei.

The present study which was conducted for the first time in Iran aimed to identify E. albertii in samples from individuals afflicted with urinary and gastrointestinal infections by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The required samples were obtained from clinical laboratories in Kermanshah.

Firstly, a total of 60 urinary and 40 fecal samples identified as E. coli in clinical laboratories were re-evaluated in terms of specific phenotypic and biochemical characteristics of E. coli. Then, two lysP and mdh genes were detected for E. albertii, and the uidA gene was found for E. coli by PCR using specific primers pairs.

The results from phenotypic and biochemical tests indicated that all samples shared common characteristics with E. coli. However, PCR findings demonstrated that out of 100 samples, 6 samples (6%) contained specific genes of E. coli while 94 remaining samples (94%) showed the uidA gene. Out of the given 6 samples, 5 samples carried urinary tract infections and only one showed gastrointestinal infection.

Our study findings revealed that E. albertii could have been considered as one of the causes for urinary and gastrointestinal infections in Iran, and that it was mistakenly identified as E. coli in clinical laboratorie