Prevalence of Clinically Isolated Metallo-beta-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Coding Genes, and Possible Risk Factors in Iran

Background & Objective: The spread of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a global concern. Metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) enzymes cause extensive drug resistance among Gram-negative bacteria. The current study aimed at determining the prevalence of MBL-producing P. aeruginosa in Iran. Data extraction: A total of 43 studies were found out of which 36 were adopted. Data were collected from Google, Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Sciverse. The terms “Pseudomonas aeruginosa”, “metallo-beta-lactamase”, “prevalence”, “carbapenems”, and “Iran” were searched. Data from the isolates not producing MBLs were excluded from the study. Data were analyzed with Graph Pad Prism 6, meta-analysis section. Results: According to the results of the current study, 36 surveys indicated that 55% of the clinically isolated P. aeruginosa in Iran were resistant to imipenem and meropenem, among which 37.72% were the MBL producers. Among genes encoding MBLs, blaVIM and blaIMP were predominant with the prevalence of 12.91%±11.01% and 12.50%±23.56%, respectively. No report of harboring blaNDM1 and blaSPM1 by P. aeruginosa was found, similar to most of the other countries in Asia. The prevalence of blaVIM and blaIMP from burn settings were 11.50%±3.5% and 24.65%±23%, respectively. Furthermore, the prevalence of these genes was not significantly different among burn and non-burn isolates (P=0.942 and P=0.597, respectively). Moreover, no relationship was observed between the MBL production and patients’ age range. Conclusion: Approximately half of P. aeruginosa isolates were carbapenem-resistant in Iran, and approximately half were the MBL producers. The blaVIM and blaIMP were the predominant MBLs among P. aeruginosa strains, while other genes were not found in P. aeruginosa. Moreover, there was no significant difference between blaVIM and blaIMP among burn and non-burn isolates. Due to the multiple drug resistance conferred by MBLs, detection and control of their spread alongside proper therapeutic regimens in hospitals and community settings are essential to prevent infection acquisition. © 2017, IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY

Antimicrobial Features of Cerastoderma and Didacna Double Basins Peptides

Background: In recent years, high attention has been given to the biological activities of natural compounds and their potential antimicrobial properties. Objective: In this study, the antibacterial properties of the extracts from tissue and peptides of Cerastoderma and Didacna were studied. Materials and Methods: samples of Cerastoderma and Didacna were collected and washed. Then, the soft tissues were cut and powdered, and concentrations of 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 and 0.5 of chloroform, ethanol and methanol, and in addition extract of enzymatic hydrolysis were prepared, and their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella paratyphi were investigated. The disc diffusion method was used for the evaluation of strains susceptibility. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were investigated for bacterial growth inhibition. Results: Methanolic and ethanolic extracts from Cerastoderma demonstrated higher growth inhibitory effects compared to those from Didacna on E. coli and S. paratyphi and exhibited similar activities against S. aureus at concentrations 16 and 8 ug/mL. In addition, chloroform extracts of Cerastoderma and Didacna displayed similar inhibitory effects on S. paratyphi and S. aureus at concentrations 16 and 8 ug/mL which was a suitable effect, and the extract from Cerastoderma was more effective. MIC and MBC of methanolic extracts were at the lowest level, especially against S. aureus. Conclusion: It was revealed that Cerastoderma and Didacna extracts were effective as antibacterial compounds on S. aureus, E. coli and S. paratyphi species as natural agents

Medium Optimization for Synaptobrevin Production Using Statistical Methods

Background: Botulinum toxin, the most potent biological toxin, has become a powerful therapeutic tool for a growing number of clinical applications. Molecular studies have identified a family of synaptic vesicle-associated membrane proteins (VAMPs, also known as synaptobrevins) which have been implicated in synaptic vesicle docking and fusion with plasma membrane proteins.Materials and Methods: Using the synaptobrevin as a substrate for in vitro assay is the method to detect BoNT activity. We have been working on optimizations of bacterial expression conditions and media for high-level production of synaptobrevin peptide. Statistics-based experimental design was used to investigate the effect of medium components (E. coli strain, peptone, IPTG, yeast extract, ampicillin, and temperature) on synaptobrevin production by E. coli.Results: A 24 fractional factorial design with center points revealed that IPTG and temperature were the most significant factors, whereas the other factors were not important within the levels tested. This purpose was followed by a central composite design to develop a response surface for medium optimization. The optimum medium composition for synaptobrevin production was found to be: IPTG 29 mM, peptone 10 g/L, yeast extract 5 g/L, temperature 23°C and ampicillin 100 mg/L. This medium was projected to produce, theoretically, 115 mg/Lsynaptobrevin.Conclusion: The optimum medium composition synaptobrevin production was found to be: BL21 (E.coli strain), LB medium (peptone 10 g/L, Yeast 5 g/L), Ampicillin (100 mg/L), IPTG (0.29 mg/L) and temperature (23°C)

The Anthrax Disease in Iran From 2000 to 2016: The Predominance of Cutaneous and Gastrointestinal Form

Context: Anthrax is a zoonotic and occupational disease caused by bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The agent produces spores which persist in the environment for years. This review assessed previous reports on anthrax disease in Iran from 2000 to 2016. Evidence acquisition: The reports of anthrax from 2000 to 2016 were reviewed. The keywords "Bacillus anthracis", "Anthrax", "clinical signs", "Iran" and "zoonosis" were investigated in the searching databases such as "Google Scholar", "Google", "PubMed" and other sites. The reports of soil isolation and spores from environments were excluded. However, the clinical outcome of the cases, history of animal exposure, wool contaminations and meat in slaughterhouses were included. Results of Persian reports were also included in this review. Data were analyzed using Excel and GraphPad Prism version 6.1. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was used for data analysis.. Overall, 768 cases of anthrax were found in human, sheep, goats and cattle. Six hundred of the human cases aged between 2.5 and 71 years old were included. Four-hundred ten (68.33%) patients were male (mean age=28.1 ± 1.5) and 190 (31.66%) patients were female (mean age = 17±1.5). Clinical manifestations in patients were mostly in 2 cutaneous (56.6%) and gastrointestinal (42.83%) forms. Sporadic anthrax outbreaks occurred in the country in 2007, 2008 and 2011. No molecular typing has been performed for B. anthracis strains countrywide. The virulence factors encoded by the genes located on plasmids pXO1 and pXO2 were detected in various areas with high prevalence. Conclusion: Cutaneous and gastrointestinal anthrax are 2 main manifestations of the disease in Iran. Male patients were significantly more infected. Although rare, anthrax continues to be a dreadful consequence of herds or soil exposure and consumption of undercooked meat of infected animals. Education plans and proper animal vaccination plans with the consideration of virulence factors are helpful for the prevention of the disease

The Relationship Between Class I and II Integrons and Antibiotic Resistance Among Escherichia coli Isolates From Urinary Tract Infections

Objective: the aim of this study was determination of antibiotic resistance profile, investigation of class I and II integrons among Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates from urinary tract infections. This study was conducted for the investigation of the prevalence of class I and II Integrons among E. coli Isolates from urinary tract infections. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 E. coli clinical isolates were collected from urinary tract infections in Borujerd city, Iran, from… to …. All the isolates were identified with standard laboratory procedures as described everywhere. The antibiotic susceptibility profile was conducted against adopted antibiotic disks following CLSI 2016 guidelines. All the isolates were enrolled in the PCR technique for the presence of class I and II integrons. Results: the highest resistance was against amoxicillin (72%), ciprofloxacin (69%), nalidixic acid (55%) and tetracycline (51%). The prevalence of class I and II integrons was 31% and 21%, respectively. A significant relation was observed between resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (p<0.001), nalidixic acid (p<0.01) and tetracycline (p<0.005) with the presence of class I integron. The rate of class I integron in the E. coli isolates was high, possibly playing a role in the spread of multidrug resistant isolates. Conclusion: considering the significant relation observed between the presence of class I integron among multidrug-resistant isolates, establishment implementation of proper procedures to control and suitable treatment strategies in hospitals seems essential for the prevention of more spread of these isolates

Persian Walnut Composition and its Importance in Human Health

Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) is a nutritionally rich and also popular nut which is largely consumed throughout the world. In addition to dry fruits (nuts), green walnuts, kernels, shells, green walnut husks (epicarp), barks and leaves have been applied in both cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Since ancient times, it has been used in folk medicine for treatment of several diseases and disorders such as diabetes, cancer, skin disease and infections, rheumatoid arthritis. In recent decades, many experimental researches have been done on the composition and characteristics of different parts of Persian walnut tree. These researches showed that walnut has many nutritious components such as phenolic component, unsaturated fatty acids and minerals essential for human health. Using walnut in folk medicine and identification of beneficial components of this fruit prompted many scientists to investigate properties that have traditionally been attributed to this fruit and the researches done in this area showed that walnut has effective antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumor and anti-inflammatory properties that make it a promising drug for associated diseases

Role of Enterotoxin-Producing Staphylococci in Zoonotic Infections in Iran

Context: Staphylococci spp, are enterotoxin-producing zoonotic agents causing a variety of infections such as mastitis in animals and wound bite infections in humans. This review was conducted to determine the prevalence of Staphylococci infections especially to uncover enterotoxin-producing species in Iran. Evidence acquisition: for this review, words of "Staphylococcus", "zoonotic", "prevalence", "animals", "human" and "Iran" were searched in the internet engines such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Google, Science Direct and so on. Patients with no history of contact with animals were also included in the study for comparison aims. Both veterinary and human coagulase positive isolates were included. Data was analyzed with Graph Pad Prism 6, meta-analysis section. A total of 20 previous studies (450 clinical samples) were found. S. intermedius was the predominant isolate identified in veterinary sources. Other coagulase positive spp such as S. hycus and S. simulans were isolated with lower prevalence, but S. delphini has not been detected. Conclusion: S. intermedius was the most isolate identified in veterinary sources with potential of causing infections in humans. Other coagulase positive spp such as S. hycus and S. simulans were isolated with lower prevalence, but S. delphini was not detected

Improvement of Large-scale PRP production by Haemophilus influenzae typeb, using modified CY medium

Background and Objective: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a gram negative bacterium and one of the most common causative agents of acute meningitis in infants and less than 5 years old children worldwide. The production of Hib capsular polysaccharide; polyribosyl ribitolphosphate (PRP) is important for the production of conjugate vaccines against Hib infections. The aim of this study is the improvement of Large-scale PRP production by Hib. Materials and Methods: Haemophilus influenzae type b standard strain ATCC10211 was cultivated in 2L fermentors contain 1.5L CY (casaminoacid yeast extract) medium with normal or modified concentrations of glucose, yeast extract, hemin and NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). Seed culture of two fermentors was inoculated to 50 L fermentor, separately and range of PRP production and Dry cell weight (DCW) were studied. Results: Cultivation of Hib in 50L fermentor contained modified CY medium with 6gl-1 Glucose, 2.5 gl-1 Yeast extract, 0.03 gl-1 Hemin and 0.015 gl-1 NAD , with controlled pH at 7.3 and 30% Dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) resulted to about 5.1 gl-1 DCW and 1.16 gl-1 PRP , that was significantly higher than normal CY medium. Conclusion: In conclusion, by modification in some medium components of CY medium, control of Dissolved oxygen tension and pH, the Large-scale production of PRP is improved. Improvement of PRP production leads to reduce the final cost of Hib conjugate vaccines