ffectiveness of Lawsonia inermis Extract on Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Lesion in BALB/c Mice

Abstract: Background & Aims: Henna (Lawsonia inermis) leaf has long been used for industrial, commercial and medical purposes. The present study was performed to determine the efficacy of henna on cutaneous leishmaniasis lesion in BALB/c mice. Methods: Sufficient amount of henna leaves were prepared, grounded, and dissolved in 80% alcohol and the extract was prepared by percolation method. The dry extract was sterilized and prepared in ointment base at 40, 60, and 80% concentrations. At the same time, 40 mice (BABL/c, 8 weeks old) were infected by Leishmaniasis Major [MRHO/IR/75/ER] through the injection of 0.1 ml promastigotes subcutaneously in their tail base. Then animals were divided into one control group (without receiving any drug) and three experimental groups receiving respectively 40, 60, and 80% concentrates of henna extract every two days and immediately after the appearance of the lesion. Weekly monitoring of weight and lesion diameter was recorded. Data analysis was done through SPSS software. Results: In regard to the mean weight, the groups receiving 40% extract and 60% extract showed significant difference with each other (P=0.000) but not with the group receiving 80% extract. There was also no significant difference between control group and case groups in mean weight. Lesion diameter in 40% extract group had significant difference comparing to the control group and 60% and 80% extract groups. Mean lesion size of the mice receiving 40% henna extract compared with mice receiving 60% extracts showed significant difference (P=0.000). Conclusion: Totally, henna extract reduced the rate of weight decrease but it was not significant. However, the mean lesion size of mice receiving henna extract was significantly reduced as compared with that of control group. Keywords: Cutaneous leishmaniasis, Henna Extract, BALB/c Mice, Treatmen

Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern of Escherichia coli Isolated from Chickens with Colibacillosis in Yazd, Iran

Background: The antibiotic resistance is considered as one of the biggest public health concerns in most countries. The aim of this study was to determine antibiotic resistance pattern of Escherichia coli isolated from chickens with colibacillosis in Yazd, Iran. Methods: A total of 200 carcasses of Ross chickens with colibacillosis were collected from farms located around Yazd, central Iran. After autopsy, specimens were collected from air bags of carcasses using sterile swaps and transferred immediately to the laboratory. After microbiological culture, the isolates were confirmed by the conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay. Antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli isolates were determined by disk diffusion method. Results: Out of 200 specimens, 100 (50%) E. coli isolates were identified and confirmed by PCR method. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility tests showed the highest resistance against nalidixic acid (100%), enrofloxacin (87%), ciprofloxacin (86%), and erythromycin (82%), respectively. Also, the highest susceptibility was seen for colistin (100%), meropenem (94%), and gentamicin (93%), respectively. Conclusion: In this study, multidrug resistance was observed in avian pathogenic E. coli isolates that represents the heavy usage of these drugs in poultry flocks in Yazd, central Iran. Improper or overuse of antibiotics usage for treatment of the poultry diseases could play an important role in spreading of the antimicrobial resistance genes among pathogenic bacteria from human and animals especially through food chain

Genetic diversity and antimicrobial susceptibility of Nocardia species among patients with nocardiosis

The aim of this multicenter study was to determine the genetic diversity and antibiotic susceptibility of clinically isolated Nocardia species. One hundred twenty-seven patients with nocardiosis were randomly selected from 5 provinces of Iran. Molecular diagnosis of Nocardia species was performed using multilocus sequence analysis of gyrase B of the β subunit of DNA topoisomerase (gyrB), and 16S rRNA and subunit A of SecA preproteintranslocase (secA1). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommendations. Thirty-five N. cyriacigeorgica, 30 N. asteroides, 26 N. farcinica, 12 N. otitidiscaviarum, and 10 N. abscessus cultures were studied. All isolates were susceptible to linezolid. All isolates of N. cyriacigeorgica, N. asteroides, N. abscessus, and N. otitidiscaviarum were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, while 8% of N. farcinica isolates were resistant to this drug. All N. otitidiscaviarum isolates were highly resistant to imipenem, but N. cyriacigeorgica, N. asteroides, N. farcinica, and N. abscessus were only moderate resistant. The susceptibility patterns vary with different species of Nocardia. Resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in Iran is low and this drug should be first line therapy, unless drug susceptibility testing shows resistance. Linezolid also covers Nocardia well and could be a second line agent