Hymenolepis Diminuta (Rodolphi, 1819) Infection in a Child from Iran

Hymenolepis diminuta is a cestode frequently found in rodents and humans. Species of flour moths of the genus Pyralis and beetles in the genus Tribolium are common intermediate hosts. Humans can be accidentally infected through the ingestion of the insects, including larvae in precooked cereals, dried fruits or other food items, and directly by ingesting the insects from the environment. This tapeworm, while infrequently encountered, has been reported from many parts of the world. In this paper we report the first case of infection with H.diminuta in Iran since 1972

Phenotypic and genotypic determinants of mupirocin resistance among Staphylococcus aureus isolates recovered from clinical samples of children: an Iranian hospital-based study

Shima Mahmoudi,1 Setareh Mamishi,1,2 Mohsen Mohammadi,2 Maryam Banar,1 Mohammad Taghi Haghi Ashtiani,3 Masoumeh Mahzari,2 Abbas Bahador,4 Babak Pourakbari1 1Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Department of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Backgrounds: The aim of this study was to evaluate both phenotypic and genotypic determinants of mupirocin resistance among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strains recovered from different clinical samples of children who were admitted to the Children’s Medical Center (CMC) Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Materials and methods: A total of 120 clinical isolates of S. aureus were collected from the microbiology laboratory of CMC Hospital. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates to different antimicrobial agents was determined by disk diffusion method. The methicillin resistance phenotype (MRSA) was identified using a 30 µg cefoxitin disk. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of mupirocin was determined by broth microdilution method. Strains with mupirocin MIC between 8 and 256 µg/mL were considered as low-level mupirocin resistant (LLMR), and strains with an MIC≥512 µg/mL were considered as high-level mupirocin resistant (HLMR). The presence of genes encoding HLMR (ie, mupA and mupB genes) was evaluated by PCR method. Results: Four out of 120 isolates (3%) had mupirocin MIC≥512 µg/mL and were HLMR; however, no LLMR isolate was detected. Fifty-two isolates (43%) were MRSA, and there were no differences in the distribution of mupirocin resistance among MRSA and MSSA isolates (P>0.05). The PCR method identified mupA gene in two out of four HLMR isolates, and mupB gene was not detected in any HLMR isolates. Conclusion: Because of discrepancies between the phenotypic and genotypic patterns of mupirocin resistance and due to the avoidance of false-negative results, it is better to determine the mupirocin resistance by both antibiotic susceptibility tests and PCR method. Considering the increasing need of mupirocin for the control of S. aureus infections, continuous checking of its susceptibility status is necessary. Keywords: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, mupirocin, PCR, childre

The Study of Total IgE Reference Range in Healthy Adults in Tehran, Iran

"nBackground: IgE is an antibody class that regarded as an important factor in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases, asthma, im­mune responses to parasitic infection and it could be responsible for the late- phase allergic response. The objective of this study was to evaluate total IgE in healthy Iranian adults, establishment of reference range of total IgE and assess helpful­ness of this value in clinical diagnosis atopic and allergic diseases."nMethod: Three hundred sixty six healthy adults from blood transfusion volunteers (18 to 60 years) were selected in this study. A specific questionnaire (including demographic factors, smoking status and ...) was filled out for each person. Also, we evaluated effect of race and education on total IgE. These adults had no history of allergic disease. The total serum IgE level using a commercial enzyme immunoassay and CBC (Eosinophil count) was determined in them."nResults: Mean of age was 37.32± 10.93 yrs and 219 cases were males and 147 females. The geometric mean of total IgE was 20.84 IU/ml (2-373 IU/ml) (95% percentile= 250) (95% confidence interval=46.27-62.70). No differences was observed between mean of IgE log in males and females (P= NS) but mean of total IgE log in females is more than males."nConclusion: Normal range of serum total IgE obtained in this study could be helpful for diagnosis of IgE-dependent allergic dis­ease, as reference ranges in Iranian healthy adults

Atypical Yersinia virulence markers isolated from children with diarrhea

Background and Objective: Yersinia is a gram-negative bacillus that cause diarrhea through consumption of contaminated food and water.  This study was performed to identify the atypical Yersinia virulence markers isolated from children with diarrhea. Methods: This descriptive cross -sectional study was done on 384 fecal samples of 0- 14 years old children admitted at children medical center from August 2011 to August of 2012. Fecal samples, for the enrichment, after 21 days of incubation in alkaline buffer with pH=7.2 at 4degree C, on days 7, 14 and 21 samples were cultured on CIN agar and Mac agar and then confirm the differentiation atypical Yersinia from other typical Yersinia species from fermentation of different sugars. Isolates were tested for marker of virulence including calcium dependence, auto agglutination, Congo red uptake and binding of crystal violet. Results: Out of 384 stool samples, 4 (1.04%) were infected with Yersinia (Yersinia frederikseni, Yersinia kristensenii and Yersinia enterocolitica). Out of these three, only two samples in association was positive with virulence markers. Conclusion: Phenotypic markers can be used to study the properties of phenotypic strains of Yersinia