International Journal of Molecular and Clinical Microbiology
Volume:12 Issue: 1, Winter and Spring 2022

This study was conducted to investigate variations in SarsCoV-2-specific IgG levels over a 5-month period in healthcare workers who received two doses of CoronaVac vaccine.  Blood samples were collected from 122 participants on days 14, 56 and 150 following the second dose of the vaccination. SarsCoV-2 specific IgG antibody titres of the participants were measured using the QuantiCOR ELISA kit. Demographic data of the participants were recorded. Seropositivity on 14th, 56th and 150th days in the previously uninfected group was 44.8%, 50.7% and 32.8%, respectively. In the previously infected group, seropositivity was detected in 87.2%, 92.7% and 43.6% of the participants, respectively. While a statistically significant difference was determined between the two groups in terms of seropositivity on the 14th and 56th days, no statistical difference was found on the 150th day. The data of this study indicated that the CoronaVac vaccine provided sufficient immunity in previously infected individuals, though the duration of immunity was short. It is suggested that CoronaVac vaccine would be more appropriate to use as a booster in order to increase the effectiveness of a vaccine rather than the first vaccination, or to vaccinate people who have been infected before.

Bioaerosols are airborne particles that contain bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Human reactions to bioaerosols are very different. This study attempted to determine indoor and outdoor fungal density in nursery schools in Birjand city and compares the relationship between air fungus density and particulate matter (PM) with mean temperature and relative humidity (RH) in three seasons: Fall, Winter, and Spring. This cross-sectional study was conducted in six nursery schools within a period of 2017-2018. Bioaerosols sampling from the indoor and outdoor air was performed by air-trapping method (28.3 L/min) for 35 min, collected in Sabouraud dextrose agar medium. The air temperature and relative humidity (RH) were measured. The mean temperature of indoor and outdoor was 23.49±4.259 and 20.87±5.57, and the relative humidity of 36.04±12.86 and 22.4±7, respectively. The most isolated fungal species was Penicillium spp. There is a difference between the dispersal of fungi and suspended particles and the humidity of the two environments (p=0.001). Moreover, there is only a difference in the distribution of fungi in fall (p=0.035). Generally, the contamination of indoor is linked to a load of outdoor airborne fungal spores. It can be safely concluded that bioaerosol has outdoor sources and ventilation plays an important role in improving the quality of the indoor air.

Candida species are the second most common cause of vulvovaginitis worldwide. Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) is a common disease affecting more than 75% of all women at least once in their lifetime and 5 to 8% of those individuals also develop recurrent infections. Correct identification of the isolated Candida species is essential to direct the empirical antifungal therapy. The aim of this study were to isolate Candida from VVC patients, show its characterization and in vitro antifungal susceptibility against six antifungal drugs by the broth microdilution method. Vaginal swabs were collected from infected women. One sample was processed for direct microscopic examination and other one was used for culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) and CHROMagar. Isolates was identified by battery of tests and antifungal susceptibility testing of Candida species was done by Microdilution method. A total of 145 isolates of candida species were obtained. Candida albicans was found to be the most frequently isolated species, i.e. 114 (78.6%) of the total isolates, followed by C. glabrata 17 (11.7%), C. krusei 11 (7.5 %), C. parapsilosis 2 (1.3 %), and C. tropicalis 1 (0.68%). All drugs were active against all of the isolates except for Nystatin and Econazole, two (5%) of C. albicans were non-susceptible to it and three (7%) of C. albicans isolates were non-susceptible to Tioconazole. Identification of Candida to species level and their antifungal susceptibility testing should be done to achieve better clinical results.

Trichophyton rubrum is one of the most important causes of Dermatophytosis. The Fungalysin gene is an important factor in the incidence of dermatophytosis disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of mep1 and mep2-generating Fungalysin genes using the multiplex PCR method. 150 scabs and nails were sampled from patients with symptoms of dermatophytosis. Samples containing Trichophyton rubrum were identified and isolated using a red pigment production test in DTM medium, without urea production, without hair piercing and sorbitol adsorption. Culture slide was performed to identify the microscopic structure. Then DNA extraction was performed and several PCR experiments were performed in these strains using specific primers of Fungalysin gene. Out of 150 samples isolated from patients, 30 Trichophyton strains were isolated based on morphological,biochemical and microbial tests. Among these, 20 strains had mep2 gene and 1 strain had mep1 gene. Results shows that the frequency of mep2 genes is higher than mep1 and this abundance is involved in causing more pathogenicity of Trichophyton rubrum and is one of the major causes of treatment-resistant infections in medical centers. Now, with the help of the Multiplex PCR method, it is possible to detect the presence of pathogenic genes in the shortest time with high characteristics and sensitivity, and with appropriate and timely treatment, prevented the function of treatment resistance strains, recurrence of the disease and prolongation of the treatment period.

Streptococcus agalactiae which is naturally found in the women intestine and vagina, can cause complications leading to the abortion. The aim of this study was molecular detection of Streptococcus agalactiae and its abundant capsular serotypes in vaginal secretions of women with abortion in 2020 in Isfahan. Samples were taken from vaginal secretions of 110 women with abortions referred to different hospitals in Isfahan from April 2019 to March 2020. Patients were asked to fill out a questionnaire containing demographic characteristics. Following isolation, the bacteria were identified by using biochemical tests and PCR. Bacterial capsular polysaccharides were identified by multiplex PCR using specific primers. The results of biochemical and molecular tests showed that among the isolated bacteria from aborted women participating in this study, 20 isolates (18.1%) were Streptococcus agalactiae. The type III capsular serotype had the highest frequency (42.13%). Other serotypes were Ia (18.27%), II (16.73%), V (13.9%), Ib (8.7%), and IX (0.9%). The serotypes VII, VIII, and VIIV were absent in the isolates. The results of this study showed a significant presence of Streptococcus agalactiae in women with abortion with the highest frequent capsular serotype related to the type III. Although this bacterium is a member in the normal flora of women’s vagina, it is one of the most important causes of miscarriage. To better understand the role of this bacterium in the abortion, more investigations, with more efficient methods are needed to be done on the mechanisms of this effect.

Helicobacter pylori is probably the most common chronic bacterial infection in humans and has infected almost half of the world's population. Podophyllotoxin is a lignan compound of plant origin and has great medicinal importance due to its various biological properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the podophyllotoxin as Urease, VacA and cagA inhibitor of Helicobacter pylori. The crystallized structure of podophyllotoxin was received from the Zinc database and used as a ligand. The structure of the ligand was optimized by the mm2 method with Chem3D v20.1.1.125 software. The ligand was evaluated as an inhibitor against the active site of the urease enzyme, VacA, and cagA by AutodackVina software. The output results were analyzed and evaluated by Discovery Studio v16.1.0 software. The best affinity was obtained against VacA = -8.1 kcal/mol. The highest diversity of links was also reported in VacA. Hydrogen bonds established with VacA against tyrosine=729 and threonine=672, indicating the effectiveness of podophyllotoxin against VacA. Podophyllotoxin against cagA and Urease also showed a variety of hydrogen bonds respectively with lysine, serine, and tyrosine - glutamine, arginine, and asparagine. These results demonstrate the excellent inhibition of podophyllotoxin against Helicobacter pylori. Helicobacter pylori plays a key role in the development of gastric cancer. The transplant conformations predicted in this study showed that podophyllotoxin has valuable inhibitory potential. Therefore, podophyllotoxin may be considered as an anti- Helicobacter pylori agent for further research into drug development.

Candida albicans is an aggressive pathogen and the main etiologic agent in the genus Candida, accounting for 42.5% of infections. The existence of hyphal form along with adherence is critical to colonize mucosal surfaces and cause infection. Adherence of C. albicans to host tissue is crucial to colonize cells; therefore, these microorganisms use proteins named adhesins. HWP1, a protein associated with adhesins, serves as a substrate for mammalian transglutaminases and plays an important role in adherence to epithelial cells. Due to the emergence of antifungal drug resistance, the present study aimed at determining the effect of propolis ethanolic extract (a natural product with antifungal properties) on the HWP1 gene expression in clinically isolated C. albicans strains. The HWP1 gene expression was analyzed using real-time PCR, and HWP1 expression was normalized against the ACT1 housekeeping gene. After the treatment of clinical samples with propolis ethanolic extract, the relative level of HWP1 gene expression was 0.88, 0.53, 0.21, and 0.66% for the standard strain, and those isolated from the oral cavity, nail, and vaginal cavity, respectively. The decrease in HWP1 expression might affect C. albicans virulence, and propolis ethanolic extract might be used as an alternative remedy for antifungal drugs

Urinary tract infection is one of the most common bacterial infections affecting human health. Since Enterobacteriaceae bacteria are common causes of urinary tract infections, this study aimed to determine the frequency and pattern of Enterobacteriaceae antibiotic resistance in patients with urinary tract infections to prevent increased antibiotic resistance of these bacteria and prevent increased treatment costs. This cross-sectional analytical study was performed on 3 different age groups of Clienteles referred to Valiasr Clinic Laboratory in Mashhad. Detection of bacterial species was performed using conventional microbiological methods and biochemical tests, and according to the instructions of the Institute of Clinical and Laboratory Standard 2021, the pattern of antibiotic resistance of isolates was evaluated by the disk diffusion method. Out of 438 urine cultures with positive results in terms of Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli with a prevalence of 76.7%, Klebsiella 14.4%, Enterobacter 4.3%, Proteus 3%, and other bacterial species with a prevalence of 1.6% Were observed. Bacterial isolates showed the lowest antibiotic resistance against Piperacillin-Tazobactam (13%) and Amikacin (17.2%), and also had the highest antibiotic resistance against Cefazolin (81.5%) and Co-trimoxazole (62.5%). Due to the frequency of urinary tract infections and to prevent their serious complications, it is necessary to study the pattern of regional antibiotic resistance in medical centers for effective and timely treatment. Therefore, it is recommended that Amikacin and Piperacillin-Tazobactam antibiotics be considered for the experimental treatment of urinary tract infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae.

Mentha is a genus from the family Lamiaceae, whose essential oils has long been used in different forms. This herbal plant has traditionally been used as an alternative medicine to treat candidiasis. So, it seems crucial to find new antimicrobials that have fewer side effects. In this study, we investigated the antifungal effects of Mentha aquatica L essential oil on pathogenic Candida spp. This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 137 Candida spp isolated from vulvovaginal candidiasis. These yeasts were confirmed by Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Mentha aquatica L essential oil was prepared by water distillation and Clevenger apparatus. The antifungal activity of Mentha aquatica L essential oil and fluconazole versus Candida spp was determined by microbroth dilution method using CLSI guidelines. The most common species were identified that Candida albicans (63.5%), Candida glabrata (28.5%) and Candida krusei (8%), respectively. MIC50, MIC90 and geometric mean (GM) of fluconazole were 0.5 µg/ml, 4 µg/ml and 0.573 µg/ml and for Mentha aquatica L essential oil 1 µg/ml, 4 µg/ml and 0.931 µg/ml, respectively. The antifungal effect of fluconazole on Candida spp was higher than that of essential oil of plant. It seems that the inhibitory effect of essential oil of Mentha aquatica L has shown that this plant can be considered as a potential candidate for the development of antifungal drug in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Recently, the applications of a high number of available products containing nanoparticles, especially metallic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), have significantly increased worldwide. In this review, an attempt is made to critically explain methods of AgNPs production, including chemical, physical, microemulsion, UV-initiated photoreduction, photoinduced reduction, electrochemical, microwave-assisted, irradiation, and green synthetic methods. Different methods are used for the detection of synthetized Ag NPs. The most common methods are UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray energy dispersive spectrophotometer (EDAX). Also, the applications of AgNPs in different fields of medicine, including the treatment of infections caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses, as well as fatal human diseases such as cancer and nervous diseases, are discussed. In addition to the studies that are discussed in this review, it is necessary to conduct further studies on the toxicity of AgNPs in relation to vital organisms.