Avicenna Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infection
Volume:10 Issue: 2, Jun 2023

 Diarrhea is a life-threatening cause of high mortality, especially among children living in areas with poor sanitation. Enterobacteriaceae is one of the serious causes of bacterial diarrhea in children and adults. In this family, infection with diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) pathotypes in children is associated with extensive health risks and is of particular importance. In this study, we compared the distribution of pathotypes, epidemiological patterns, and antibiotic resistance of DEC in two diarrheal and non-diarrheal groups among children less than 5 years.

 In this study, 303 stool samples were collected from patients admitted to Golestan hospitals in Ahvaz and Dr. Ganjavian in Dezful, Khuzestan. To this end, 201 samples from children with diarrhea (case group) and 102 samples from healthy children (control group) were examined. DEC was characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for each stool sample, and DEC isolates were tested with antibiotic resistance tests against different antibiotic agents to identify the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains in both groups.

 DEC was found in 24% (48 out of 200) of the children with diarrhea and 3.8% (4 out of 103) of the healthy children. Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) was the DEC most frequently associated with diarrhea (32 out of 48, 66.6%), which was followed by enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) 22.9% (11 out of 48, 22.9%), and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) (5 out of 48, 10.4%) from children with diarrhea. Four DEC isolates were identified in healthy children: EAEC (2 out of 4, 50%) and EPEC (2 out of 4, 50%) in the healthy group, but no enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) or enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) strains were found in both groups in this study group. In general, DEC isolates exhibited high resistance to ceftriaxone and cefotaxime, and 33 (63.4%) isolates of DEC were MDR.

 A high prevalence of DEC strains was observed in the group of children with diarrhea and healthy children. Accordingly, further attention should be paid to continuous monitoring of the prevalence and pattern of antibiotic resistance of diarrheal bacterial isolates among children and the whole community.

 Human brucellosis is present on all inhabited continents with high prevalence in many areas of the world, including Kuwait and the Middle East. To implement proper control measures, the identification and characterization of Brucella species and genotypes are required through a reliable and rapid subtyping method. In previous studies, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has shown its potential as an epidemiological typing tool. Using WGS data, this study aimed to identify the species, phage sequences, putative antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors, and genotypes of Brucella melitensis strains isolated from patients in Kuwait and other countries.

 Five B. melitensis isolates of Kuwaiti origin and 31 other isolates of B. melitensis originating from 28 countries were analyzed using whole genome-based approaches for genotypic identification and typing. In-silico techniques were used to identify the sequences for phages, antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors, and genotypes using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism (wgSNP).

 The analysis of WGS data demonstrated that all five Kuwaiti isolates belonged to the non-vaccine strains of B. melitensis. Furthermore, the data represented the presence of two phage sequences, two antibiotic resistance genes, and 51 virulence factors in Kuwaiti isolates. Eventually, the genotypes of all isolates were identified based on MLST and wgSNP analysis, and wgSNP analysis suggested the possible areas/countries of origin of Kuwaiti isolates.

 WGS data can be used to characterize Brucella isolates, and molecular techniques can be applied in-silico to rapidly identify and classify Brucella into species and genotypes and trace the possible origin of the isolates.

 The spread of nosocomial infections may be caused by contact between the patient’s body and textile materials used in medical practices. Therefore, it is necessary to use effective antimicrobial textiles to prevent the transmission of pathogenic bacteria and the occurrence of infections.

 In this research, chitosan was utilized to bind nisin to the surface of cotton fabric. The binding properties of nisin on the fabric were explored using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The antibacterial effectiveness of fabrics against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Enterococcus faecalis was measured. The durability of the antimicrobial properties of these fabrics was checked after 10 washing cycles. Additionally, the toxicity of this fabric on fibroblast cells was determined using the MTT colorimetry after 7 days.

 Chitosan-nisin formed a homogeneous and colorless layer on the cotton fabric. Antibacterial results showed that nisin improved the antibacterial effect of coated fabrics against all tested bacteria. The antimicrobial properties of the fabric coated with chitosan-nisin were maintained at approximately 100%, 17.26%, 8.55%, 2.98%, 1.38%, and 17.4% efficacy against B. cereus, S. aureus, E. faecalis, L. monocytogenes, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa, respectively. Furthermore, the chitosan-nisin coating demonstrated no significant toxic effect on fibroblast cells even after 1 week.

 The results suggest that the chitosan-nisin coating could be utilized in the production of medical textiles and underwear. Moreover, it offers an innovative solution to protect human health and the environment.

Nowadays, there is increasing attention to the discovery of new bioactive substances from marine sources. This research aimed to characterize the phytochemical composition as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Tunisian Ruppia cirrhosa extracts (RCEs) using two different extraction methods.

RCEs were obtained by two different extraction

maceration and successive extraction. The determination of polyphenolic contents and antioxidant activity was made by calorimetric assay, and the effect of RCE was observed against pathogenic bacteria and fungi using the solid diffusion method.

The successive extraction of R. cirrhosa extract relatively showed higher total phenol (38.1 mg GAE/g) and condensed tannin (18.07 mg CE/g) contents than the maceration extraction (35.43 mg EAG/g and 12.99 mg CE/g, respectively). However, the total flavonoid amount of RCE was higher in the maceration extraction (33.09 mg CE/g) than in the successive extraction (21.27 mg CE/g). The total antioxidant capacity of RCE indicated a decrease in this activity after fractionation. Indeed, the activity of RCE decreased from 47.8 to 37.83 mg GAE/g, and RCE obtained by the two extraction methods showed moderate antioxidant activity using reducing power (IC50=380-490 µg/mL) and β-carotene bleaching (IC50=110-310 μg/mL) assays. Furthermore, RCEs obtained by maceration had the greatest antibacterial activity against all tested strains (IZ=3.33-9.33 mm) except Salmonella typhimurium (IZ=2 mm), Enterococcus faecalis (IZ=6 mm), and Streptococcus aureus (3.67 mm) as compared to those obtained by successive extraction. The strains of Candida had a sensitivity for R. cirrhosa extracts obtained by maceration. Indeed, R. cirrhosa extracts obtained by successive extraction had higher inhibitory activity against Candida krusei deduced through an inhibition diameter of 6 mm.

It can be concluded that R. cirrhosa extract is rich in bioactive molecules, and it has an extremely promising biological potential.

 Diabetes has been one of the most prevalent medical illnesses, and diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) infections are the main causes of hospitalization in diabetics. The present study aimed to investigate the factors contributing to DFUs in patients referred to Taleghani Hospital in Abadan.

 In this study, the data of 316 diabetic patients with DFUs referred to Taleghani Hospital in Abadan from March 21, 2019, to March 19, 2020, were analyzed by SPSS version 22.0.

 The study revealed that out of the 316 patients, 212 (67.1%) were male and 104 (32.9%) were female. Additionally, 64.3% of them had type 2 diabetes. Most of the patients had third-degree ulcers (60.4%) and 26.9% had amputations. Staphylococcus aureus (34.5%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (30.4%) were the most prevalent bacteria isolated from DFUs. The highest frequency of antibiotic resistance was reported for Cotrimoxazole (33%) and Tetracycline (28.2%).

 In conclusion, Gram-positive bacteria had a higher prevalence compared to gram-negative bacteria. It is essential to conduct periodic examinations to reduce the risk of health-threatening complications in diabetic patients.

 Hydatid cyst is a global infectious disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. The annual incidence of human cystic echinococcosis (CE) in Iran varies from 0 to 61 in 100,000 cases, depending on geographical conditions, epidemiological factors, and diagnostic methods. Studies showed that E. granulosus infection is one of the most important health problems in most parts of the country.

 This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 cases referring to Shahid Ghodoosi and Shahid Alimoradi hospital laboratories in Nahavand, Hamadan, Western Iran. IgG antibodies against hydatid cysts were evaluated by the commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, and socio-demographic data were collected using a questionnaire. Then, data were statistically analyzed by SPSS software.

 Out of 400 subjects in this study, five (1.25%) were positive for CE IgG antibodies by the ELISA method. Two (40%) females and three (60%) males were reported positive for CE IgG via the ELISA Hydatid test. Rural residents consisted of the majority of positive cases (80%). Nearly all of the hydatid-infected subjects were categorized in the age group above 50. Moreover, housewives and self-employed businesses were identified as the two occupations with the highest antibody titers against E. granulosus. In addition, no significant statistical difference was observed in variables.

 Although the frequency of hydatid cyst infection in Nahavand is lower than the average proportion confirmed by previous studies in the country, due to the numerous records of hydatid cyst disease in the region, the establishment of health programs is regarded essential to control this parasitic infection.

Herbal plants contain a medicinal source with antimicrobial properties that offer a safer and more cost-effective method to treat human pathogens. Scientists in the field are performing research on plants to discover their potential antimicrobial compounds. This study aimed to conduct a review of the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and investigate particular herbal plants with medicinal activities in the north and east of Syria. Considering that some herbal plants, including Cuminum cyminum, Mentha piperita, Allium cepa, Majorana hortensis, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Thymus capitatus, Achillea millefolium, Malva parviflor, and Capparis spinose, have antifungal, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities, the products obtained from these plants may be used to control the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, this study focused on the chemical compounds, including p-cymene, kaempferol, quercetin, capsaicin, 1,8-cineole, flavonoids, gallic acid, and alkaloids, which play a role in inhibiting microbial growth. Based on the results obtained from this review study, using these herbal plants can control human infectious, pathogenic, cancerous, and antioxidant diseases.