Study of Helicobacter pylori genotype status in cows, sheep, goats and human beings

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is one of the most controversial bacteria in the world causing diverse gastrointestinal diseases. The transmission way of this bacterium still remains unknown. The possibility of zoonotic transmission of H. pylori has been suggested, but is not proven in nonprimate reservoirs. In the current survey, we investigate the presence of H. pylori in cow, sheep and goat stomach, determine the bacterium virulence factors and finally compare the human H. pylori virulence factors and animals in order to examine whether H. pylori might be transmitted from these animals to human beings. METHODS: This cross- sectional study was performed on 800 gastric biopsy specimens of cows, sheep, goats and human beings. The PCR assays was performed to detection of H. pylori, vacA and cagA genes. The PCR products of Ruminant’s samples with positive H. pylori were subjected to DNA sequencing analysis. Statistical tests were applied for data analysis. RESULTS: Overall 6 (3%) cows, 32 (16%) sheep and 164 (82%) human beings specimens were confirmed to be H. pylori positive; however we were not able to detect this bacterium in all 200 goat samples. The vacA s1a/m1a was the predominant H. pylori genotype in all three kinds of studied population. There was 3.4–8.4% variability and 92.9-98.5% homology between sheep and human samples. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the high sequence homology among DNA of H. pylori isolated from sheep and human, our data suggest that sheep may act as a reservoir for H. pylori and in the some extent share the ancestral host for the bacteria with human

Bacillus cereus

This study was carried out in order to investigate the presences of Bacillus cereus and its enterotoxigenic genes in infant foods in Isfahan, Iran. Overall 200 infant foods with various based were collected and immediately transferred to the laboratory. All samples were culture and the genomic DNA was extracted from colonies with typical characters of Bacillus cereus. The presences of enterotoxigenic genes were investigated using the PCR technique. Eighty-four of two hundred samples (42%) were found to be contaminated with B. cereus with a ranges of 3 × 101–9.3 × 101 spore per gram sample. Totally, entFM had the highest (61.90%) incidences of enterotoxigenic genes while hblA had the lowest (13.09%) incidences of enterotoxigenic genes. Overall, 6.7% of B. cereus isolates had all studied enetrotoxigenic genes while 25.5% of B. cereus strains had all studied enetrotoxigenic genes expectance bceT gene. Thisstudyisthe first prevalence report of B. cereus and its enterotoxigenic genes in infant foods in Iran. Results showed that the infant food is one of the main sources of enterotoxigenic genes of B. cereus in Iran. Therefore, the accurate food inspection causes to reducing outbreak of diseases

Serogroups, virulence genes and antibiotic resistance in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from diarrheic and non-diarrheic pediatric patients in Iran

Background: From a clinical perspective, it is important to know which serogroups, virulence genes and antibiotic resistance patterns are present in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains in pediatric patients suffering from diarrheic and non-diarrheic infections. This is the first study in Iran that has comprehensively investigated the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli -related infection characteristics in diarrheic and non-diarrheic pediatric patients of 0-60 months of age. Methods. Two-hundred and twenty four diarrheic and 84 non-diarrheic stool specimens were collected from the Baqiyatallah hospital of Tehran, Iran. The stool samples were cultured immediately and those that were E. coli-positive were analyzed for the presence of antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial virulence factors using PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using disk diffusion method. Results: One-hundred and fifty four out of 224 (68.75%) diarrheic stools and 31 out of 84 (36.90%) non-diarrheic stools harbored E. coli. In addition, children in 13-24 month-old age group had the highest incidence of infection with this bacterium (77.63%). A significant difference was found between the frequency of Attaching and Effacing Escherichia coli and Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (P =0.045). The genes encoding Shiga toxins and intimin were the most commonly detected virulence factors. Among all serogroups studied, O26 (27.04%) and O111 (18.85%) had the highest incidences in the diarrheic and non-diarrheic patients. The incidence of genes encoding resistance against sulfonamide (sul1), gentamicin (aac(3)-IV), trimethoprim (aadA1), cephalothin (blaSHV) and tetracycline (tetA) were 82.78%, 68.03%, 60.65%, 56.55% and 51.63%, respectively. High resistance levels against penicillin (100%), tetracycline (86.88%), gentamicin (62.29%) and streptomycin (54.91%) were observed. Marked seasonality in the serogroup distributions was evident, while STEC infections were more common in summer (P =0.041). Conclusions: Our findings should raise awareness about antibiotic resistance in diarrheic pediatric patients in Iran. Clinicians should exercise caution when prescribing antibiotics, especially during the warmer months of the year

Evaluating the microbial contamination of some Iranian dried medicinal plants and distillates

Background and aims: In Iran herbal water and dried herb are as traditional medicinal and are consumed widely. Therefore, microbial evaluation of these products in term of public health is important. The aim of the present study was to study the contamination of some dried medical plants and distillates in the groceries of Shahrekord city. Methods: In this descriptive study, 35 samples of herbal waters and 35 samples of 7 species (lavender, lemon balm, valerian, savory, borage, mint and thyme) dried medicinal plant (total samples=70) distributed in Shahrekord during spring to summer of 2012 were purchased and transferred to laboratory. Then, microbial tests such as total aerobic bacterial count mold and yeast count, total coliforms, and detection were evaluated based on national standard of Iran. Results: Contamination to mesophilic bacteria and yeast was observed in the 100 of distilled samples, based on the national standard of Iran. Additionally, none of the medicinal dried plant was contaminated according to the national standard of Iran. Conclusion: According to contamination of all distilled, It is proposed that producers of herbal distillates consider the hygiene conditions, using correct and suitable pasteurization, considering the structural condition of workshop and also appropriate packaging in order to reduce the secondary contamination and increase the quality of the finished product

Pomegranate peel extract inhibits internalization and replication of the influenza virus: An in vitro study

Objective: Influenza virus, which is associated with high level of morbidity and mortality, has been recently considered a public health concern; however, the methods of choice to control and treat it are limited. Our previous study showed anti-influenza virus activity of pomegranate peel extract (PPE). In this study, the mechanism through which PPE acts against influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1; PR8) was investigated. Materials and Methods: Ethyl alcohol extract of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel was prepared, and the action mechanism of PPE in inhibiting influenza replication was studied by time-ofdrug-addition assay, virucidal activity, RNA replication, hemagglutination inhibition assay, viral mRNA expression, and western blot analysis. Results: PPE inhibited viral polymerase activity, viral RNA replication, and viral protein expression but could not affect hemagglutination inhibition and virucidal activity. According to time-of-drug-addition assay results, PPE inhibited the virus adsorption and early steps of influenza replication. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the antiviral effect of PPE on influenza virus is most probably associated with inhibition of viral adsorption and viral RNA transcription. Keywords: Anti-influenza virus; Pomegranate; Punica granatum L.; Mechanism

Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli in ready-to-eat food staffs: Prevalence and distribution of putative virulence factors

Lack of proper hygiene and using from low quality raw materials cause high presence of food-borne pathogens in ready to eat foods. Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli is one of the most common cause of food-borne diseases in the world. The present research was done to study the prevalence and distribution of virulence factors in the STEC strains isolated from various types of ready to eat food samples. Seven-hundred and twenty food samples were collected and cultured. Isolated E. coli bacteria were approved another time using the 16S rRNA-based PCR amplification. Approved strains were subjected to multiplex PCR for identification of putative virulence factors. Twenty-six out of 720 food samples (5.20%) were positive for E. coli. Salad (15%), candy (12.50%) and barbecue (10%) were the most commonly contaminated. Prevalence of STEC strains was 2.63%. Prevalence of EHEC and AEEC subtypes were 36.84% and 52.63%, respectively. EHEC strains harbored all three stx1, eae and ehly genes. High presence of EHEC strains besides the considerable distribution of multiple virulence factors showed an important public health issue regarding the consumption of ready to eat foods

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli in Iran. Serogroup distributions, virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance properties

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections with global expansion. These infections are predominantly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC).Methods: Totally, 123 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from UTIs patients, using bacterial culture method were subjected to polymerase chain reactions for detection of various O- serogroups, some urovirulence factors, antibiotic resistance genes and resistance to 13 different antibiotics.Results: According to data, the distribution of O1, O2, O6, O7 and O16 serogroups were 2.43%, besides O22, O75 and O83 serogroups were 1.62%. Furthermore, the distribution of O4, O8, O15, O21 and O25 serogroups were 5.69%, 3.25%, 21.13%, 4.06% and 26.01%, respectively. Overall, the fim virulence gene had the highest (86.17%) while the usp virulence gene had the lowest distributions of virulence genes in UPEC strains isolated from UTIs patients. The vat and sen virulence genes were not detected in any UPEC strains. Totally, aadA1 (52.84%), and qnr (46.34%) were the most prevalent antibiotic resistance genes while the distribution of cat1 (15.44%), cmlA (15.44%) and dfrA1 (21.95%) were the least. Resistance to penicillin (100%) and tetracycline (73.98%) had the highest while resistance to nitrofurantoin (5.69%) and trimethoprim (16.26%) had the lowest frequencies.Conclusions: This study indicated that the UPEC strains which harbored the high numbers of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes had the high ability to cause diseases that are resistant to most antibiotics. In the current situation, it seems that the administration of penicillin and tetracycline for the treatment of UTIs is vain

Are older people more vulnerable to long term impacts of disaster?

Background: Despite the growing interest in the study of disasters, there is limited research addressing the elderly population that lead to prejudiced beliefs that older adults are more vulnerable to disasters than younger adults. This study aimed to compare positive mental health between elderly and young earthquake survivors. Method: Data for this study, consisting of 324 earthquake survivors, were obtained from a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted in Iran, 2015. The long-term effect of earthquake was assessed using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form questionnaire. A one-way multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) using SPSS (version 22) was used in data analysis. Results: Older adults scored significantly a higher level of overall positive mental health (mean [M]=34.31, standard deviation [SD]=10.52) than younger age group (M=27.48, SD=10.56, t=-4.41; P<0.001). Results of MANCOVA revealed a statistically significant difference between older and young adults on the combined positive mental health subscales (F(3,317)=6.95; P<0.001), after controlling for marital status, sex, and employment status. Conclusion: The present findings showing a higher level of positive mental health among elderly earthquake survivors compared with their younger counterparts in the wake of natural disasters suggest that advancing age per se does not contribute to increasing vulnerability

Molekularna ispitivanja prevalencije brucella abortus i brucella melitensis u uzorcima krvi i limfnih čvorova žrtvovanih kamila metodom lančane reakcije polimeraze (pcr) u Iranu

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease which is characterized by reduced fertility and abortion in several species of animals, as well as humans. Camel brucellosis is caused by Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis. To overcome the limitations posed by other techniques such as culture and serology, a sensitive technique (PCR) was employed for the detection of brucellosis in 123 camels. Findings from this PCR study indicated a total of 11.38% of blood samples as positive for Brucella spp. and 13.01% of the lymph node samples were positive for Brucella spp. In this study, 5 out of 123 (4.065%) and 3 out of 123 (2.439%) camel blood samples were positive for B. abortus and B. melitensis, respectively. Also, 4 out of 123 (3.252%) and 2 out of 123 (1.626%) camel lymph node samples were positive for B. abortus and B. melitensis, respectively. Young camels were the most commonly infected age group, while adult camels were the less often infected age group. Also, higher prevalence of brucellosis was observed in female camels. These results have indicated that PCR is a sensitive technique which could be used as a confirmatory test for the detection of brucellosis in live camels, at the same timeBruceloza je zoonoza koja se karakteriše smanjenom sposobnošću reprodukcije i abortusima kod nekoliko vrsta životinja i ljudi. Brucelozu kod kamila izazivaju Brucella abortus i Brucella melitensis. Standardne dijagnostičke tehnike kao što su izolacija na hranljivim podlogama i serološke reakcije nisu pouzdane i imaju značajna ograničenja. Da bi se to izbeglo, radi dokazivanja bruceloze kod 123 kamile, uptorebljena je osetljiva dijagnostička molekularna metoda: PCR. Rezultati su pokazali da je 11,38% ispitanih uzoraka krvi i 13,01% uzoraka limfnih čvorova bilo pozitivno na Brucella spp. U studiji, od ukupno 123 uzoraka krvi, 5 uzoraka (4,065%) je bilo pozitivno na B. abortus, a 3 (2,439%) na B. melitensis. Od ukupno 123 uzorka krvi, 4 uzorka (2,252%) su bila pozitivna na B. abortus, a 3 (1,626%) na B. melitensis. Najveća prevalencija je bila u grupi mladih životinja, a starije kamile su retko oboljevale. Veća je prevalencija ustanovljena kod ženki. Rezultati ukazuju da je PCR osetljiva metoda koja može da se koristi kao potvrdni test za dokazivanje bruceloze kod živih životinja uz minimalan rizik od infekcije laboratorijskog osoblja koje obavlja dijagnostiku. Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju da postoji neophodnost defi nisanja programa kontrole i iskorenjivanja bruceloze kamila. Istovremeno, rezultati ukazuju na pouzdanost PCR metode u dokazivanju Brucella spp bakterija, u uzorcima krvi i limfnih čvorova, što čini ovaj metod pogodnim za rutinsku dijagnostiku bruceloze

Endo-cannabinoids system and the toxicity of cannabinoids with a biotechnological approach

Cannabinoids have shown diverse and critical effects on the body systems, which alter the physiological functions. Synthetic cannabinoids are comparatively innovative misuse drugs with respect to their nature of synthesis. Synthetic cannabinoids therapy in healthy, chain smokers, and alcoholic individuals cause damage to the immune and nervous system, eventually leading to intoxication throughout the body. Relevant studies were retrieved using major electronic databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The extensive use of Cannabis Sativa L. (C. Sativa) and its derivatives/analogues such as the nonpsychoactive dimethyl heptyl homolog (CBG-DMH), and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) amongst juveniles and adults have been enhanced in recent years. Cannabinoids play a crucial role in the induction of respiratory, reproductive, immune and carcinogenic effects; however, potential data about mutagenic and developmental effects are still insufficient. The possible toxicity associated with the prolong use of cannabinoids acts as a tumor promoter in animal models and humans. Particular synthetic cannabinoids and analogues have low affinity for CB1 or CB2 receptors, while some synthetic members like Δ9-THC have high affinity towards these receptors. Cannabinoids and their derivatives have a direct or indirect association with acute and long-term toxicity. To reduce/attenuate cannabinoids toxicity, pharmaceutical biotechnology and cloning methods have opened a new window to develop cannabinoids encoding the gene tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) synthase. Plant revolution and regeneration hindered genetic engineering in C. Sativa. The genetic culture suspension of C. Sativa can be transmuted by the use of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to overcome its toxicity. The main aim of the present review was to collect evidence of the endo-cannabinoid system (ECS), cannabinoids toxicity, and the potential biotechnological approach of cannabinoids synthesis