Detection of icaAD gene and biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from wound infections

Wound infections are a common cause of staphylococcal infections. An ability of S.aureus is to adhere and form biofilm on host surfaces. Biofilm is an exopolysaccharide, a slime matrix around multiple layers of cells and is mediated by expression of the icaADBC operon. The present study evaluated the biofilm forming capacity and the presence of icaAD gene among S.aureus isolated from wound infections. Slime production assay was performed by cultivation on Congo Red Agar plate. In addition, Quantitative biofilm formation determined by microtiter plate assay PCR method used for detection of icaAD gene. Fifty strains were identified, 54 of the isolates produced black colonies on CRA plate, 52 were positive biofilm forming, and all strains carried the icaAD gene. Regarding the ability of Saureus to form biofifms helps the bacterium to survive hostile environments within the host, suggests that biofilm production is a risk factor for infection. It is important in rapid diagnosis and treatment biofilm forming strains, because biofilm formation may lead to increased antimicrobial resistance and create a significant impediment to wound healing

Prevalence of anti-toxoplasma gondii antibodies in young Iranians: The Caspian III study

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide neglected tropical and sub-tropical infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). Most of the previous studies on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in Iran have been done at provincial level and on specific populations, including pregnant females. Socioeconomic parameters are associated with the prevalence of this disease. In this study, the authors evaluated the presence of anti-T. gondii antibodies and the related risk factors in Iranian adolescents. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on serum samples from the third Iranian national school-based survey (the CASPIAN III study), which included 10- to 18-year-old students. Participants were selected by multistage sampling from 27 Iranian provinces. In this study, serum samples of 882 adolescents from 16 provinces were randomly selected and examined for IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondiiby theEnzymeLinked Fluorescent Assay (ELFA).Demographicandsocioeconomic factors related to T. gondii infection were gathered using the global school-based health survey (GSHS) questionnaire. Results: The overall T. gondii IgGandIgMseropositivitywas56.3 (95 CI: 53.4 to 59.2)and3.7 (95CI: 2.7 to 4.9), respectively. In multivariate logistic regression model, family size was statistically associated with seroprevalence of anti T. gondii IgG. Living in crowded households (households with more than 4 people vs. households with less than 4 people) increased the risk of seropositivity of T. gondii (OR: 1.40, 95 CI: 1.10 to 1.99). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that about 40 of Iranian adolescents have not had contact with the T. gondii, thus the risk of congenital toxoplasmosis might be high in young females. Also, household size was the main factor associated with T. gondii infection. Preventive strategies and health education in Iranian adolescents are recommended. © 2017, Pediartric Infections Research Center

Comparative performance of imagicides on Anopheles stephensi, main malaria vector in a malarious area, southern Iran

Abstract Background & objectives: Jiroft district has subtropical climate and prone to seasonal malaria transmission with annual parasite index (API) 4.2 per 1000 in 2006. Anopheles stephensi Liston is a dominant malaria vector. The monitoring of insecticide susceptibility and irritability was conducted using discriminative dose as described by WHO

Molecular identification of Palearctic members of Anopheles maculipennis in northern Iran

BACKGROUND: Members of Anopheles maculipennis complex are effective malaria vectors in Europe and the Caspian Sea region in northern Iran, where malaria has been re-introduced since 1994. The current study has been designed in order to provide further evidence on the status of species composition and to identify more accurately the members of the maculipennis complex in northern Iran. METHODS: The second internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA (rDNA-ITS2) was sequenced in 28 out of 235 specimens that were collected in the five provinces of East Azerbayjan, Ardebil, Guilan, Mazandaran and Khorassan in Iran. RESULTS: The length of the ITS2 ranged from 283 to 302 bp with a GC content of 49.33 – 54.76%. No intra-specific variations were observed. Construction of phylogenetic tree based on the ITS2 sequence revealed that the six Iranian members of the maculipennis complex could be easily clustered into three groups: the An. atroparvus – Anopheles labranchiae group; the paraphyletic group of An. maculipennis, An. messeae, An. persiensis; and An. sacharovi as the third group. CONCLUSION: Detection of three species of the An. maculipennis complex including An. atroparvus, An. messae and An. labranchiae, as shown as new records in northern Iran, is somehow alarming. A better understanding of the epidemiology of malaria on both sides of the Caspian Sea may be provided by applying the molecular techniques to the correct identification of species complexes, to the detection of Plasmodium composition in Anopheles vectors and to the status of insecticide resistance by looking to related genes

Multilocus Microsatellite Typing (MLMT) of Strains from Turkey and Cyprus Reveals a Novel Monophyletic L. donovani Sensu Lato Group

In eastern Mediterranean, leishmaniasis represents a major public health problem with considerable impact on morbidity and potential to spread. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by L. major or L. tropica accounts for most cases in this region although visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by L. infantum is also common. New foci of human CL caused by L. donovani complex strains were recently described in Cyprus and Turkey. Herein we analyzed Turkish strains from human CL foci in Çukurova region (north of Cyprus) and a human VL case in Kuşadasi. These were compared to Cypriot strains that were previously typed by Multilocus Enzyme Electrophoresis (MLEE) as L. donovani MON-37. Nevertheless, they were found genetically distinct from MON-37 strains of other regions and therefore their origin remained enigmatic. A population study was performed by Multilocus Microsatellite Typing (MLMT) and the profile of the Turkish strains was compared to previously analyzed L. donovani complex strains. Our results revealed close genetic relationship between Turkish and Cypriot strains, which form a genetically distinct L. infantum monophyletic group, suggesting that Cypriot strains may originate from Turkey. Our analysis indicates that the epidemiology of leishmaniasis in this region is more complicated than originally thought

The dominant Anopheles vectors of human malaria in Africa, Europe and the Middle East: occurrence data, distribution maps and bionomic précis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This is the second in a series of three articles documenting the geographical distribution of 41 dominant vector species (DVS) of human malaria. The first paper addressed the DVS of the Americas and the third will consider those of the Asian Pacific Region. Here, the DVS of Africa, Europe and the Middle East are discussed. The continent of Africa experiences the bulk of the global malaria burden due in part to the presence of the <it>An. gambiae </it>complex. <it>Anopheles gambiae </it>is one of four DVS within the <it>An. gambiae </it>complex, the others being <it>An. arabiensis </it>and the coastal <it>An. merus </it>and <it>An. melas</it>. There are a further three, highly anthropophilic DVS in Africa, <it>An. funestus</it>, <it>An. moucheti </it>and <it>An. nili</it>. Conversely, across Europe and the Middle East, malaria transmission is low and frequently absent, despite the presence of six DVS. To help control malaria in Africa and the Middle East, or to identify the risk of its re-emergence in Europe, the contemporary distribution and bionomics of the relevant DVS are needed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A contemporary database of occurrence data, compiled from the formal literature and other relevant resources, resulted in the collation of information for seven DVS from 44 countries in Africa containing 4234 geo-referenced, independent sites. In Europe and the Middle East, six DVS were identified from 2784 geo-referenced sites across 49 countries. These occurrence data were combined with expert opinion ranges and a suite of environmental and climatic variables of relevance to anopheline ecology to produce predictive distribution maps using the Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) method.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The predicted geographic extent for the following DVS (or species/suspected species complex*) is provided for Africa: <it>Anopheles </it>(<it>Cellia</it>) <it>arabiensis</it>, <it>An. </it>(<it>Cel.</it>) <it>funestus*</it>, <it>An. </it>(<it>Cel.</it>) <it>gambiae</it>, <it>An. </it>(<it>Cel.</it>) <it>melas</it>, <it>An. </it>(<it>Cel.</it>) <it>merus</it>, <it>An. </it>(<it>Cel.</it>) <it>moucheti </it>and <it>An. </it>(<it>Cel.</it>) <it>nili*</it>, and in the European and Middle Eastern Region: <it>An. </it>(<it>Anopheles</it>) <it>atroparvus</it>, <it>An. </it>(<it>Ano.</it>) <it>labranchiae</it>, <it>An. </it>(<it>Ano.</it>) <it>messeae</it>, <it>An. </it>(<it>Ano.</it>) <it>sacharovi</it>, <it>An. </it>(<it>Cel.</it>) <it>sergentii </it>and <it>An. </it>(<it>Cel.</it>) <it>superpictus*</it>. These maps are presented alongside a bionomics summary for each species relevant to its control.</p