Effect of myrrh and thyme on Trichinella spiralis enteral and parenteral phases with inducible nitric oxide expression in mice

Trichinellosis is a serious disease with no satisfactory treatment. We aimed to assess the effect of myrrh (Commiphora molmol

Viren als Erreger unterer Atemwegsinfektionen

Infections of the lower respiratory tract (LRTI) cause significant morbidity at Assiut University Hospitals, Egypt, among both children and adults. Determining the contribution of viruses as causative agents to these LRTIs was the aim of this study. The present study is the first one using both conventional and molecular methods for detection and characterization of the main respiratory viruses at Assiut University Hospitals. A total of 520 patients were enrolled in the study, 70 of them (13.5%) were children and 450 (86.5%) were adults. From these patients, 812 samples were obtained during three consecutive winter-spring seasons from 2005 until 2008. The research was conducted over a two-year period from 2007 to 2009 at the National Reference Center for Influenza (Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany). Detection of the corresponding viruses was performed first by real-time PCR. Seventy nine patients (104 samples) were diagnosed positive for one or more of the main respiratory viruses with a viral infection rate of 15.2%. Infected children were 32 in number (46% of the children group) and infected adults were 47 (10.4% of adults). Of the 79 virus-positive patients, 22 were infected with influenza viruses, 21 with human Metapneumovirus (hMPV), 20 with adenoviruses, and 16 with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The age group 0-4 years was the most affected by respiratory viruses (30 out of 79 cases, which accounted for 38% of the total number of positive cases). Most of the influenza viruses were detected in the middle age group (35-60), while RSV and hMPV were mostly identified in young children (0-4 years). Adenoviruses were more or less equally distributed among different age groups. Pneumonia was the most common diagnosis, accounting for 27.85% of the total number of positive cases. Isolation of respiratory viruses on tissue culture cells turned out to be very difficult especially for viruses like hMPV and RSV. Only eight viruses (six influenza viruses and two adenoviruses) out of the 104 positive samples diagnosed by real-time PCR could be isolated on tissue culture cells. Nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the detected respiratory viruses were compared with sequences from Germany and those deposited at GenBank. It could be concluded that viral isolation on tissue culture cells should not be used as the primary method for diagnostic purposes as it is time-consuming and not as sensitive as polymerase chain reaction. The phylogenetic characterization of the detected viruses revealed that they were similar to those reported from other parts of the world during the same period. This indicates a worldwide spread of these viruses during winter-spring seasons. Diagnostic tests for respiratory viruses should be incorporated in the routine diagnostic study of patients with lower respiratory tract infection, and further active respiratory viral surveillance will be required in the future.Infektionen der unteren Atemwege verursachen erhebliche Morbidität an den Assiut-Universitäts-krankenhäusern, (Ägypten), sowohl bei Kindern als auch bei Erwachsenen. Die Rolle von Viren als Erreger unterer Atemwegsinfektionen an den Assiut Universitätskrankenhäusernzu bestimmen war das Ziel dieses Forschungsprojekts. Diese Studie ist die erste, die sowohl konventionelle als auch molekularbiologische Methoden zum Nachweis und zur Charakterisierung der wichtigsten Atemwegsviren verwendet hat. Insgesamt, wurden 520 Patienten in die Studie aufgenommen; 70 von ihnen (13,5%) waren Kinder und 450 (86,5%) waren Erwachsene. Von den Patienten, wurden 812 Proben während dreier aufeinander folgender Influenza-Saisons (2005 bis 2008) gewonnen. Die Untersuchung wurde über einen Zeitraum von zwei Jahren (2007 bis 2009) am Nationalen Referenzzentrum für Influenza (Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin, Deutschland) durchgeführt. Der Nachweis der entsprechenden Viren wurde zunächst mittels Real-Time-PCR durchgeführt. Dabei wurden 79 Patienten (104 Proben) positiv für einen oder mehrere der wichtigsten Atemwegsviren getestet (15,2%). In der Gruppe der Kinder waren 32 (46%) und bei den Erwachsenen 47 (10,4%) im PCR-Nachweis positiv. Von den 79 positiven Patienten waren 22 mit Influenzaviren, 21 mit Metapneumoviren (HMPV), 20 mit Adenoviren und 16 mit Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infiziert. Die Altersgruppe 0-4 Jahre war die am stärksten von respiratorischen Viren betroffene Gruppe (30 von 79 Fällen, entspricht 38% der Gesamtzahl der positiven Fälle). Die meisten Influenzaviren wurden in der mittleren Altersgruppe (35-60) festgestellt, während RSV und HMPV zumeist bei kleinen Kindern (0-4 Jahre) identifiziert wurden. Pneumonie war die häufigste klinische Diagnose mit einem Anteil von 27,9% an der Gesamtzahl der positiven Fälle. Die Virusanzucht als weiteres unabhängiges Verfahren erwies sich als sehr viel schwieriger. Nur acht Viren (sechs Influenza-Viren und zwei Adenoviren) konnten aus den 104-positiven Proben isoliert werden. Nukleotid-und Aminosäure-Sequenzen der Viren wurden mit bekannten Sequenzen aus Deutschland und in GenBank hinterlegten verglichen. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die PCR gegenüber der Virusanzucht zu bevorzugen ist, da sie sensitiver und weniger zeitaufwändig ist. Die phylogenetische Charakterisierung der Viren ergab, dass sie denen aus anderen Teilen der Welt im gleichen Zeitraum ähnlich sind. Diagnostische Tests für den respiratorische Viren sollten in Assiut in der Routinediagnostik bei Patienten mit Infektion der unteren Atemwege aufgenommen werden. Eine weitere aktive Überwachung respiratorischer Viren wird auch in Zukunft erforderlich sein

Burden of bacterial exacerbation in bronchial asthma in Assiut University Hospitals, Egypt

Background Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases. Despite advances in asthma management, acute exacerbations continue to occur and impose considerable morbidity and mortality on patients and constitute a major burden on healthcare resources. Objective This study aimed to determine the associations between bacterial infections and adult asthma exacerbations, together with detection of antibiotic resistance patterns in clinical practice. Patients and methods Sputa were collected from 60 adult asthmatic patients recruited from both Internal Medicine Department and Chest Disease Department and their critical care units during exacerbation attacks. Patients underwent thorough clinical examination, laboratory investigations, and pulmonary function tests. Bacterial isolates were identified using the standard diagnostic methods. Susceptibilities of the isolated bacterial strains were determined using disk diffusion method. Results Significant bacterial growth was detected in 47 (78%) patients. Single etiological agent was detected among 44 (73%) patients, whereas mixed infection was found in three (5%) patients. A total of 52 bacterial strains were isolated from our asthmatic patients. The predominant bacterial strains were as follows in decreasing order: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Gram-negative bacilli constituted 52% (27 isolates) of the total bacterial isolates during the exacerbation attacks. Non-multidrug-resistant bacteria were 15 (30%) in number, 22 (44%) bacterial isolates were multidrug resistant, six (12%) bacterial isolates were extensively drug resistant, and seven (14%) isolates were pandrug resistant. Conclusion Acute exacerbation of asthma was associated with infection in most patients. Gram-negative bacteria and S. pneumoniae form a relevant part of the microbial pattern of exacerbation of asthma. Antibiotic resistance among bacterial strains remains a challenge for the management of asthma exacerbations in clinical settings

Molecular Analysis of Human Metapneumovirus Detected in Patients with Lower Respiratory Tract Infection in Upper Egypt

Introduction: Since 2001, when Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) was isolated in the Netherlands, the virus has been detected in several continents. Although reports have confirmed the prevalence of HMPV worldwide, data from Egypt remain limited. HMPV plays an important role in respiratory tract infections in individuals of all ages particularly in children. This study was aimed at estimating the prevalence of HMPV in patients with community-acquired lower respiratory infection in Upper Egypt and characterizing the circulating Egyptian HMPV strains for the first time. Materials and Methods: From 2005 to 2008, respiratory samples from 520 patients were analyzed for the presence of HMPV by real-time RT-PCR. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses were performed on partial fusion gene sequences of HMPV-positive patients. Results: HMPV-positive patients were detected in 2007-2008. The overall infection rate was 4%, while 57% of the patients were children. Sequence analysis demonstrated circulation of subgroup B viruses with predominance of lineage B2. Nucleotide sequence identity within lineage B1 was 98.8%–99.7% and higher than that in lineage B2 (94.3%–100%). Three new amino acid substitutions (T223N, R229K, and D280N) of lineage B2 were observed. Conclusion: HMPV is a major viral pathogen in the Egyptian population especially in children. During 2007-2008, predominantly HMPV B2 circulated in Upper Egypt

Effect of myrrh and thyme on Trichinella spiralisenteral and parenteral phases with inducible nitric oxide expression in mice

Trichinellosis is a serious disease with no satisfactory treatment. We aimed to assess the effect of myrrh (Commiphora molmol) and, for the first time, thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) against enteral and encysted (parenteral) phases of Trichinella spiralis in mice compared with albendazole, and detect their effect on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. Oral administration of 500 mg/kg of myrrh and thyme led to adult reduction (90.9%, 79.4%), while 1,000 mg/kg led to larvae reduction (79.6%, 71.3%), respectively. Administration of 50 mg/kg of albendazole resulted in adult and larvae reduction (94.2%, 90.9%). Positive immunostaining of inflammatory cells infiltrating intestinal mucosa and submucosa of all treated groups was detected. Myrrh-treated mice showed the highest iNOS expression followed by albendazole, then thyme. On the other hand, both myrrh and thyme-treated groups showed stronger iNOS expression of inflammatory cells infiltrating and surrounding encapsulated T. spiralis larvae than albendazole treated group. In conclusion, myrrh and thyme extracts are highly effective against both phases of T. spiralis and showed strong iNOS expressions, especially myrrh which could be a promising alternative drug. This experiment provides a basis for further exploration of this plant by isolation and retesting the active principles of both extracts against different stages of T. spiralis