Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology
Volume:6 Issue: 5, Jul 2013

Microbial corneal diseases are a serious ocular infection and the major cause of ocular morbidity and blindness in the world. The outcomes of fungal keratitis are unfavorable due to the protracted course of the condition and the diversity of respective clinical presentations. Trauma, contact lens wear, foreign material, and prior corneal surgery, may make the most background for permitting invasion by exogenous fungi by injecting the fungal conidia directly in the corneal stroma. Other risk factors consist of blocked naso-lacrimal duct, and ocular surface disease. More than 105 species of fungi, such as Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., Candida spp., Rhizopus, Mucor, and other fungi have been identified as the etiological agents of fungal keratitis.The first step of diagnosis begins with clinical suspicion, followed by corneal scrapings or biopsy for direct smear and culture confirming the etiological agent. Slit lamp biomicroscope is used for careful examination of the infected eye and pictorial documents like the ulcer size, site, depth, extent of infiltration, abscess formation, and any perforation are evaluated. Direct smears are prepared by potassium hydroxide wet mount, or Gram’s staining. To identify the isolates, a lactophenol cotton blue wet mount is prepared, and diagnosis is based on morphology of the culture media and details of microscopic examination.The results are highly specific but have suboptimal sensitivity varying in different studies. Molecular assays are valuable for the diagnosis of fungal keratitis in patients. Various advantages and limitations are reported for such methods. Overall, PCR is a sensitive and promising tool for the diagnosis of fungal keratitis but the expertise required and the lack of sophisticated facilities renders it inferior to the smear techniques in routine laboratory procedures and is not recommended accordingly.Rapid diagnosis and proper treatment are essential for fungal keratitis, and many patients require several months of therapy until the infiltrate is resolved and epithelial stroma are healed. Patients not responsive to antifungal therapy usually require corneal transplantation..

One of the most common nasocomial bacteria is methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Today, herbal extracts like Zataria multiflora from the Lamiaceae family are increasingly used.. In this study, the antibacterial effect of Z. multiflora on 75 strains of was evaluated.. The strains of Staphylococcus aureus were examined for isolation of strains. 75 out of 232 strains were diagnosed as by oxacillin 6µg /mL screening method. The extracts of Z. multiflora were prepared from dried leaves using a maceration method. The antibacterial activity of the extract with initial concentration of 200 µg /mL was determined by the micro broth dilution method.. The obtained results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) varied from 2 to 16µg /mL for strains. It inhibited the growth of S. epidermidis, S. saprophyticus and methicillin sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) by about 8-16 µg/mL. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extract that could destroy 62.2% strains and the other examined bacteria was 512 µg /mL or more.. In conclusion, it seems that Z. multiflora extracts could inhibit the growth of all of the mentioned bacteria. We noticed that the bactericidal effect of Z. multiflora extracts was less than its bacteriostatic effects..

Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is one of the primary diseases that cause high morbidity and mortality to children especially in developing countries. ARI can come from a number of pathogens, which are not necessarily identical in different regions or groups. As similar symptoms become evident in child ARI without specific particularities, respiratory infectious diseases are most of the time clinically diagnosed and treated less selectively than required, and antibiotics are largely used for non-bacterial respiratory system infections. Therefore, rapid detection of respiratory pathogens is necessary for the correct and appropriate treatment of ARI.. To obtain a general understanding of the pathogenic spectrum of ARI for children and provide basis for clinical infection control and pathogenic detection.. Serum specimens from 4550 child victims with ARI symptoms were collected and detected for IgM antibodies of nine common pathogens using the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA).. Of the 4550 child victims, 3660 were antibody positive (80.4%), with detectable rates of 67.3%, 90.9%, 92.4% and 91.4% for the ≤ 1, 1< y ≤ 3, 3 < y ≤ 6 and > 6 age groups respectively (P < 0.05). Except for Coxiellaburneti (COX), the difference in the detectable rates of other pathogens between the groups was statistically significant. Of the nine pathogens, Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) had the highest detectable rate, followed by influenza B virus (FluB), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), adenovirus (ADV), influenza A virus (FluA), Legionella pneumophila sero group I (LPN-I), Coxiellaburneti (COX) and Chlamydia pneumoniae (CPn); and 718 suffered mixed infections (81.4%), typically of two pathogens (MP + FLuB).. MP, FluB and RSV are the principal contributors to ARI in the Hubei area, with mixed infections, typically of MP and FluB, being the most common pathogens statistically significant between different age groups..

Today, the use of cyclodextrins (CDs) is a major concern in drug formulations to improve solubility and stability of compounds. It has been known that CDs can reduce the antimicrobial effectiveness of preservatives by formation of inclusion complexes.. In this study the interaction between commonly used preservatives, benzalkonium chloride (BZCl) or methyl paraben (MP), with synthetic CDs (HP γ-CD or SBE β-CD) in the presence or absence of ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA), as a preservative potentiator, and fluorometholone was investigated.. The tests were performed during a 4 week period according to the preservative effectiveness test of USP 2010.. The results showed that CDs reduce the effectiveness of BZCl and MP even in the presence of drug molecules. The only exception was HP γ-CD 5% solution with BZCl and EDTA which was effective against tested microorganisms both in the presence and absence of drug molecules.. The solution of HP γ-CD 5% with BZCl 0.02% and EDTA 0.1% was selected as a good carrier for dissolving fluorometholone for use as an eye drop..

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. It colonizes about 50-60% of the world’s population. The estimated prevalence of H. pylori infection is approximately 65% in Iran.. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antimicrobial resistance of H. pylori to metronidazole, clarithromycin and amoxicillin.. A total of 110 biopsy specimens were collected from patients with clinical symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders who were referred to the endoscopy unit at Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. We investigated the frequency of H. pylori resistance to metronidazole, clarithromycin and amoxicillin among 48 positive isolates of H. pylori from the referred patients. After the culture of biopsy specimens and identification of H. pylori strains, susceptibility tests were done using the E test (epsilometer test). The overall rates of resistance to metronidazole, clarithromycin and amoxicillin were 56.3%, 14.6% and 4.2% respectively. In our study, there was a significant correlation between resistance to metronidazole and gender (P < 0.05) but there was no significant correlation between resistance to amoxicillin and clarithromycin and gender (P 0.05).. Information on antibiotic susceptibility profile plays an important role in empiric antibiotic treatment and management of refractive cases. With regards to this study, using metronidazole in the Isfahan region, can lead to eradication failure in clinical therapies due to having the highest rate of resistance but amoxicillin and clarithromycin are prescribed for first and second lines of treatment against H. pylori. Actually, susceptibility testing of H. pylori isolates in different geographical areas is advised because it aids the selection of optimal therapy regimens.

In recent years, the roles of Staphylococcal enterotoxins in the non-gastrointestinal diseases have been reported. The most frequently mentioned was enterotoxin type A. But in many cases there are also high similarity with type P. Accordingly, the differentiation of producing enterotoxin type P strains from type A is essential.. The objective of this study was to assess and characterize Staphylococcus aureus containing entP gene from infectious specimens.. Based on the reference sequence (S. aureus N315 entP gene), pair primers were designed. 350 clinical strains of S. aureus were assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The purified PCR product was sequenced. All isolated S. aureus strains containing the entP gene were tested by Enzyme immunoassay.. The PCR amplification method was optimized for entP gene detection. The used primer pairs were amplified for 213 bp and 700 bp fragment separately. The sequencing results indicate that only 98 (28%) out of the 350 strains of S. aureus contained entP gene. The results of Enzyme immunoassay test for enterotoxins detection revealed that 79 (22.57%) of the strains contained entP gene were which also produced other enterotoxins (such as enterotoxin A to E) and 19 (5.43%) of the strains were carriers of only enterotoxin P gene unable to produce other enterotoxins.. The results revealed, the specific primers that amplified the entE gene were able to amplify the Staphylococcal Enterotoxin-Like Toxin Type P gene. The specific primers for the entP gene were amplified a fragmented gene (700 bp) showed 100% homology with entP reference gene and also 80% homology with entA and entE genes..

Visceral leishmaniasis is the most acute form of leishmaniasis. Instead of administering usual drugs with different side effects, applying a herbal drug can put forward a novel horizon in dealing with this parasite. Artemether is one of the derivatives of artemisinin, a new anti-malarial drug, and can be activated by heme to produce free radicals which, in turn, have toxic effect on the parasite.. In this study we used artemether as a new drug for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.. In the present study, BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania infantum (MHOM/TN/80/IPI1) were treated with the most effective dose of artemether assessed with In Vitro assay. Artemether was given in parenteral and oral forms. Parasite burdens in the spleen and liver were determined by homogenizing and counting the parasite rate and were compared with those in the untreated mice. To evaluate the apoptotic properties of artemether by FACS flowcytometry, annexin-V FLUOS staining was performe.. IC50 of the drug on Leishmania infantum was determined to be 25 μg/mL after 24 h. In Vivo experiments indicated that oral artemether treatment of mice, during 3 days and every 6 h (0.625 mg/kg) was more significant than parenteral (0.625 mg/kg IP) treatment. Artemether exerts its cytotoxic effect on this parasite via apoptosis-related mechanism. Accordingly, parasite burden in the current study decreased in the liver and spleen of mice by oral treatment.. Artemether especially in oral treatment is an effective and simple method and may be used as a new method to treat visceral leishmaniasis..

Fumonisins B1 (FB1) is the main member of the family of fumonisins produced by several Fusarium species in cereals, especially rice.. The purpose of this study was to analyze mycoflora and FB1 contamination of fresh and stored rice grains.. One-hundred and fifty different fresh and stored rice samples were collected from 30 different zones of the Mazandaran province, Iran between August 2010 and November 2011. After sterilization, the grains were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) containing chloramphenicol (100 mg/L) at 27°C for 7 - 10 days. All Fusarium isolates were sub-cultured on PDA, SpeziellerNährstoffarmer agar (SNA) and carnation leaf agar (CLA). FB1 was extracted with acetonitrile: water (50: 50, v/v) solution and detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis using a fluorescence detector (excitation: 229 nm; emission: 442 nm).. Mycoflora profiles of fresh and stored rice grains showed that Aspergillus species (37.3%, 40.7%) were the predominant fungal agents, followed by Fusarium (21.6%, 16.2%), Mucor (19.6%, 16.7%) and Rhizopus (9.8%, 11.1%), respectively. In HPLC analysis, most of the rice samples (96.7%) collected were found to be positive for FB1 with mean levels ranging from not detected to 56.2 mg/kg for fresh samples and from 4.3 to 42.8 mg/kg for stored ones. FB1 levels varied from one zone to another and throughout the storage time, showing a decreasing trend in most zones.. Rice samples with a high prevalence of diverse species of toxigenic fungi, in particular Aspergillus and Fusarium species, and high levels of FB1 in many samples indicate the need for proper surveillance and monitoring exclusively for the prevention of fungi and FB1 in rice produced in Mazandaran province before it reaches the consumer..

Cereals, legumes, and oilseed crops are very important crops as nutrition for human and animals. Phytate (myo inositol hexa kis phosphate) is the main storage form of phosphorus in these crops. These crops are major source of nutrients for humans and animals including fish, poultry and pig. Phytic acid is the nutritional constituent of animal diet but it is not digested by monogastric animals because they do not contain phytase enzyme in their intestines to break the phytic acid and due to this, phytic acid acts as an anti-nutritional chelating agent for various metal ions like Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, and etc., so that reduced the nutritive quality of food.. Phytase is an important enzyme in the food/feed industry; therefore, isolation of phytase producing bacteria and optimization of phytase production on different parameters were performed in this study.. The present study was conducted in Biotechnology laboratory, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. To isolate phytase producing bacteria from different soil samples like cattle shed, pulse crop field, poultry farms, and etc. 0.1 gr of the soil samples were streaked on phytase screening medium. The qualitative screening of the isolates was performed on phytase screening medium plate with 1.5% agar, and phytase activity was determined by using shaking flask method. The best phytase producer was optimized using different parameters of phytase production.. We isolated 32 phytase producing bacteria on phytase screening media. Upon screening of these strains, one of the best strain (DR6) which showed a 39 mm clear zone on phytase specific medium (PSM) was identified as Bacillus subtilis. So this strain was selected for further enzymatic assay and optimization. This strain showed 378U/mL enzymatic activity upon enzymatic assay, the result of optimization of this best strain was performed at different parameters, and this strain showed best results at pH 5.5, Temp 50°C with Glucose + Sucrose as Carbon source and Yeast extract as Nitrogen source.. The present study suggests that the enzyme obtained from strain B. subtilis can be used as feed supplement in animal diet also for reduction of phosphorus pollution problem in areas of livestock production..

Resistance to antibiotics is a clinical problem. Cyanobacteria have many more antibiotic productions. Nowadays, combinations of antimicrobial compounds are used.. The current research studied antimicrobial properties of Leptolyngbya.. Chloroform extracts of Leptolyngbya sp. were prepared. Antimicrobial effects of these extracts were evaluated singly and in combination with antibiotics against various microorganisms. Growth optimization, antimicrobial activity and their correlations were studied.. C. leptolyngbya had antimicrobial activity individually and in synergy with antibiotics against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The highest activity of the chloroform extract was on gram positive strains and its effects on fungi were moderate, but it had a little effect against gram negative ones. Phosphate salt was the most important factor for growth and antibacterial activity in C. leptolyngbya.. Optimization of medium composition and synergistic antimicrobial activity on the cyanobacteria could lead to production of effective antimicrobials..

Although it is life-saving, blood transfusion therapy has resulted in risk for transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) in the majority of sickle cell anemia being patients.. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of HBV, HCV and different genotypes of HCV among sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients in Ahvaz city, South-western Iran.. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 56 SCA patients who referred to the Hemoglobinopathy and Thalassemia research centre during January 2009 to February 2010. Patients` sera were tested for HBsAg and anti-HCV using ELISA and confirmed by PCR (HBV) and RT-PCR (HCV). HCV genotypes were determined with HCV genotype specific primers using HCV genotyping kit.. The overall prevalence rate of HBsAg and anti-HCV were 1.8% (95% CI: 0-5.26) and 12.5% (95% CI: 3.8 - 21.1), respectively. Five of the anti-HCV patients (71.4%) were also HCV RNA positive. The predominant HCV genotype in the patients was 1a (60%), though genotype 1b was found in 40% of the subjects.. It seems that stringent donor selection procedures reduce HCV infection in multi-transfused patients, but there is still serious risk for these patients..

We investigated the potential relationships between biofilm formation and prevalence of virulence genes (asa1, esp, cylA, and gelE/sprE), and antimicrobial resistance genes (aac (6’)/aph (2”) in Enterococcus faecalis isolated from patients with urinary tract infection..Patients and In this survey 95 E. faecalis isolates from patients with urinary tract infections staying at Shahid Beheshti hospital in Kashan, Iran, between 2007 and 2008 were studied. We analyzed the prevalence of genes encoding virulence factors (asa1, esp, cylA and gelE/ sprE), and antimicrobial resistance genes [(aac (6’)/aph (2”)] by PCR. In addition, the production of biofilm and extracellular enzymes, hemolysin (Hln) and Gelatinase were examined.. The asa1,(aac (6’)/aph (2”), esp, cylA, and gelE/sprE were detected in 94.7%, 68.4%, 61.1%, 50.5% and 21.1% of E. faecalis isolates, respectively. The hemolysin production and gelatinase activity were seen in 44.2% and 20% of isolates, respectively. 16.8% of E. faecalis isolates showed strong and 83.2% exhibited weak biofilm formation. The percentages of genes encoding virulence factors in E. faecalis which had the ability of strong biofilm formation were as follows: gelE/sprE 25%, esp22.4%, (aac (6’)/aph (2”) 18.5%, asa1 16.7% and cylA 14.6%. The presence of both aac (6’)/aph (2”) and esp positive act as a risk factor for biofilm formation (P value < 0.001).. There was a significant relationship between biofilm formation and possession of esp and aac (6’)/aph (2”) genes. There was no evidence between biofilm formation and presence of any other gene. Enterococcal infections associated with biofilm formation have been a serious problem in recent years..

Acinetobacter baumannii plays a significant role in nosocomial infections. Multidrug-resistant A. baumannii is recognized to be among the most difficult antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacilli to be controlled and treated. For this reason we examined the efficacy of nanosilver material with strong disinfectant properties against different types of bacteria.. The purpose of this study was to examine the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles and compare them with some antibiotics against clinically isolated A. baumannii bacteria.. 60 A. baumannii strains were isolated from clinical specimens of university hospitals in Tehran province of Iran. The susceptibility test against 18 different Antibiotics was investigated by disk diffusion methods. Colloidal nanosilver with about 6-34 nm particle size was prepared by chemical method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) effect of nanosilver on A. baumannii were assessed at serially diluted nanosilver concentrations and compared to different antibiotics.. The findings showed a 100% resistance of A. baumannii to different antibiotics, including piperacillin, cefixime, ceftazidime, ceftizoxime, cephepim and clavulanat, and more than 90% resistance against imipenem, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin and cotrimoxazole and lower resistance was seen against nitrofurantoin (62.8%), gatifloxacin (56.85%), levofloxacin (55.18%), gentamycin (29.32%), piperacillin/tazobactam (13.34%), meropenem (13.16%) and amikacin (12.07%). MIC and MBC mean value of nanosilver dilutions were determined as 27.34 ppm and 54.68 ppm, respectively. All isolates (100%) were susceptible to more than MIC of nanosilver in contrast showed high resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics.. We conclude that nanosilver is a strong bactericidal agent to Multidrug resistant A. baumannii bacteria, so it can be useful to prevent a variety of nosocomial infections..

Candida albicans is one of the important microorganism which can be isolated from normal flora in the mouth. The resistance of C. albicans against disinfectants like ozone can reduce success rate of root canal treatments.. The current study aimed to investigate the antifungal efficacy of aqueous and gaseous ozone in human root canals infected by C. albicans.. Fifty single-root mandibular premolar teeth were selected. The teeth were prepared and sterilized. C. albicans were incubated in root canals and kept at 37°C for 24 h. The teeth were divided into one positive, one negative control, and three experimental groups (n = 10). Group 1, saline (positive control); Group 2, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) (negative control); Group 3, aqueous ozone with manual technique (4 mg/L); Group 4, aqueous ozone with ultrasonic technique (4 mg/L) and Group 5, gaseous ozone. Disinfection procedures were performed during 300 s to ensure standardization among all the working groups. Paper points, placed in the root canals before and after disinfection procedures, were transferred in Eppendorf tubes containing 0.5 ml of brain heart infusion broth. Then 50-μL suspension was inoculated onto Sabouraud dextrose agar. Microbial colonies were counted and data were evaluated statistically using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s tests.. A statistically significant difference was found between antifungal activities of gaseous ozone group and NaOCl group (P < 0.05). Additionally, although no statistically significant differences were found among aqueous ozone groups (manual and ultrasonic techniques) and the NaOCl group (P > 0.05), few fungi were found in the aqueous ozone with manual technique group.. When gaseous ozone was used alone in root canals, its antifungal effect was not sufficient. However, applying aqueous ozone with ultrasonic technique showed stronger antifungal effects than aqueous ozone with manual technique in root canals..

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of infections especially in patients with weakened immune systems. This pathogen is intrinsically resistant to many antibacterial agents.. The aim of this study was to survey the antibiotic resistance pattern and frequency of bla OXA10 gene in Carbapenemase Producing P. aeruginosa isolated from patients in Isfahan hospitals.. Total of 100 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa from different samples were collected. Antibiotic susceptibility for antimicrobial agents was carried out according to the clinical and laboratory standards institute (CLSI) guidelines, and the frequency of the gene encoding bla OXA10 was studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).. The resistance rate of the isolated strains to certain antibiotics wasas following: ciprofloxacin (56%), gentamicin (59%), tobramycin (61%), amikacin (65%), imipenem (55%), cefepime (55%), ceftazidime (57%), ceftriaxone (60%), cefotaxime (62%), oxacillin (100%), and piperacillin (48%), respectively. P. aeruginosa demonstrated the highest resistance rate to oxacillin (100 %), and 55% of isolates were resistant to imipenem and cefepime, whereas 63% were multidrug-resistant (resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics). A MDR phenotype occurred frequently in P. aeruginosa. PCR was performed for all the resistant strains, where the frequency of blaOXA10 gene was 40 (64%).. Our results showed that the prevalence of MDR and extended-spectrum β lactamases producing P. aeruginosa in Isfahan was very high and proper infection control practices are essential to prevent the spreading of ESBL-producing P. aeruginosa in hospitals..

Multiple drug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter have become common in hospitals worldwide. The problem becomes more acute with increasing resistance to carbapenems, the last resort in the treatment of hospital acquired Acinetobacter baumannii infections.. The current study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and prevalence of OXA-type carbapenemases, among clinical isolates of A. baumannii, in Tehran hospitals, Iran.. Isolates were identified as A. baumannii by PCR with specific primers for bla OXA-51-like gene. Their susceptibilities to different antibiotics were determined using disk diffusion method. Isolates were then subjected to multiplex-PCR targeting bla oxa-51, bla oxa-24, blaoxa-23 and bla oxa-58 genes.. Results showed that 123 of 131 (93.89%) Acinetobacter species, possessed bla oxa-51-like gene and were identified as A. baumannii. 54.47% of isolates were resistant to amikacin, 67.47% resistant to imipenem and 84.55% resistant to meropenem. All isolates were susceptible to colistin and polymixin B. 43 of 123 A. baumannii isolates (34.95%) were MDR. These isolates were resistant to amikacin, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, cefrazidim. Among 123 isolates, 100(81.3 %) had an acquired oxa-23like carbapenemase 10 (8.1%) possessed oxa-24-like, and 1 (0.81%) possessed oxa-58-like carbapenemase.. The present study showed that bla OXA-23-like was the most frequent carbapenemase identified among carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolated in Tehran hospitals. Evaluation of antibiotic resistance genes in A. baumannii, is necessary to control further dissemination of these antibiotic resistant genes..

Varicella, the primary infection of varicella-zoster virus(VZV), is a highly contagious and vaccine preventable infectious disease. It can cause severe complications in neonates and adults. Herpes zoster results from VZV reactivation later in life.. This study was performed to determine the seroprevalence of VZV by evaluating the specific IgG antibody in 1-15 year-old children in Kashan..Patients and This cross-sectional study was carried out on 558, one through fifteen year-old children among health-care centers in Kashan city during 2011. IgG antibodies against VZV were measured in sera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).. In total, 27.6% of children were seropositive. The seroprevalence of varicella zoster antibodies increased by age (12.7% in 1-5 year-old, 34.4% in 6-10 year-old and 39.6% in 11-15 year-old children). There was no difference in seroprevalence of VZV according to sex and habitation zone. By using multivariate analysis, independent factors associated with seropositivity were the family size being greater than 4 (OR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.35 - 3.29 P = 0.001) and history of varicella (OR = 39.31, 95% CI 22.79-67.79 P < 0.001). The Negative predictive value of varicella history was 91.1% and slightly decreased by age.. In this region, a significant proportion of children are susceptible to VZV, severe varicella and it’s complications at older ages. It is recommended for varicella vaccine to be added to routine childhood vaccination programs and also to be injected to susceptible adolescents. Negative history of varicella would be a predictor of varicella antibody status in children and young adults..

Rosacea is a chronic skin disease affecting the facial area. The causative agents are unknown. Demodex mites can cause rosacea in human beings.. In this article five cases of rosacea due to Demodex folliculorum are reported. The first case was a 26-year-old male wrestler. The second case was a 4-year-old-boy with immunodeficiency syndrome, the third case was a 29-year-old lady, the fourth was a 7-year old boy and the fifth was a 36-year-old female. All patients were suffering from erythema, itching, inflammation and in some cases acne-like pustules in their face. The first case was suffering from lesions on his neck as well. All patients were referred to the Iran-Zamin diagnostic laboratory for fungal examination. Scraping from the lesions and slide preparation in 20% KOH and microscopic examination revealed D. folliculorum. Scotch tape examination of the lesion on the neck of the first patient indicated the tinea versicolor. The patients referred to dermatologists for treatment.. Clinical similarities of rosacea, fungal diseases and demodicosis might cause unsuitable therapy. Pretreatment examination and identification of disease agent lead to the appropriate management and treatment of the patients..