Pathogenic Bacteria and their Susceptibility to Antimicrobial Agents at Abouzar Children Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran

Background: Antibiotic-resistant Gram negative bacteria are increasingly emerging as serious causes of infections than ever before. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study examined the pattern of pathogenic bacterial isolates and their susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents at Abouzar Children Hospital, Ahavz-Iran, between Jan and July 2005. Results: Of the 216 bacterial isolates from 193 patients, 156 (72.3%) were from urine, 25 (11.6%) from blood, 10 (4.7%) from stool, 14 (6.4%) from cerebrospinal fluid, 5 (2.3%) from wound and 6 (2.7%) from sputum. The organisms included E. coli 121 (56%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 30 (13.9%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 20 (9.3%), S. aureus 16 (7.4%), Shigella spp 7 (3.3%), S. typhi 7 (3.2%), Enterobacter spp 4 (1.8%), Heamophillus influenza 6 (2.8%), Pneumococcus 3 (1.4%), Citrobacter spp 1 (0.5%), Neisseria spp 1 (0.5%). Of the 121 E. coli isolated, 73.8 % and 73.6 % were resistant to Nalidixic acid and Nitroforantoin, respectively; another 69.6% these isolates were resistant to Co-trimaxazole. Similarly, 66 % and 44 % of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were resistant to Co-trimaxazole. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of urinary tract infections and high incidence of multi-drug resistant bacteria, particularly gram negative bacteria, at Abouzar children hospital. Keywords: Bacteria, resistance, children > African Journal of Paediatric Surgery Vol. 3 (2) 2006: pp. 54-5

Distribution of rotavirus genotypes circulating in Ahvaz, Iran in 2016

PubMedID: 28915725Background: Group A rotavirus (RVA) mainly causes acute gastroenteritis, exclusively in young children in developing countries. The prevalence and determination of the molecular epidemiology of rotavirus genotypes will determine the dominant rotavirus genotypes in the region and will provide a strategy for the development of appropriate vaccines. Methods: A total of 100 fecal samples were collected from children below five years with acute gastroenteritis who referred to Aboozar Children’s Hospital of Ahvaz city during October 2015 to March 2016. All samples were screened by latex agglutination for the presence of rotavirus antigen. Rotavirus-positive samples were further analyzed by the semi-multiplex RT-PCR, and the sequencing was performed for G/P genotyping. Results: Findings showed that 32% of the specimens were RVA-positive. Among the 32 VP7 genotyped strains, the predominant G genotype was G9 (37.5%), followed by G2 (21.9%), G1 (12.5%), G12 (9.4%), G4 (9.4%), G2G9 (6.3%), and G3 (3.1%). Among the 31 VP4 genotyped strains, P[8] genotype was the dominant (62.5%), followed by P[4] (31.3%) and P[4] P[8] (3.1%). The genotypes for G and P were identified for 31 rotaviruses (96.87%), but only one strain, G9, remained non-typeable for the P genotype. The most prevalent G/P combination was G9P[8] (28.5%), followed by G2P[4] (18.8%), G1P[8] (9.4%), G12P[8] (9.4%), G4P[8] (9.4%), G2G9P[4] (6.3%), G9P[4] P[8] (3.1%), G3P[8] (3.1%), G9P[4] (3.1%), G2P[8] (3.1%), and G9P[non-typeable] (3.1%). Conclusion: A novel rotavirus strain, G12, was detected, for the first time, in patients from the southwest of Iran. Comprehensive investigations are required to evaluate the emergence of this strain. © 2018, Pasteur Institute of Iran. All rights reserved.Canadian Institutes of Health Research Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical SciencesThis work has been a part of Ph.D. thesis by Azarakhsh Azaran with Registration No. OG-94134 and financially supported by Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Centre, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Iran: The dynamics of the epidemic and evidence on two independent introductions

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been rapidly spreading globally since December 2019, triggering a pandemic, soon after its emergence. While Iran was among the first countries confronted with rapid spread of virus in February 2020, no real-time SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome tracking in early phase of outbreak was performed in the country. To address this issue, we provided 50 whole-genome sequences of viral isolates ascertained from different geographical locations in Iran during March�July 2020. The corresponding analysis on origins, transmission dynamics and genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 virus, represented at least two introductions of the virus into the country, constructing two major clusters defined as B.4 and B.1*. The first entry of the virus might have occurred around very late 2019/early 2020, as suggested by the time to the most recent common ancestor, followed by a rapid community transmission that led to dominancy of B.4 lineage in early epidemic till the end of June. Gradually, reduction in dominancy of B.4 occurred possibly as a result of other entries of the virus, followed by surge of B.1* lineages, as of mid-May. Remarkably, variation tracking of the virus indicated the increase in frequency of D614G mutation, along with B.1* lineages, which showed continuity till October 2020. The increase in frequency of D614G mutation and B.1* lineages from mid-May onwards predicts a rapid viral transmission that may push the country into a critical health situation followed by a considerable change in composition of viral lineages circulating in the country. © 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH