Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 4 2018 10 06 208 214 EN Sukanya Sudhaharan Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences Panjagutta, Hyderabad, Telangana, India Padmaja Kanne Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences Panjagutta, Hyderabad, Telangana, India Lakshmi Vemu Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences Panjagutta, Hyderabad, Telangana, India Padmasri Chavali Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences Panjagutta, Hyderabad, Telangana, India Shanker Rao Desmukha Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences Panjagutta, Hyderabad, Telangana, India Bheerappa Nagari Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences Panjagutta, Hyderabad, Telangana, India 2018 01 29 2018 08 16 Background and Objectives: Intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) include a wide spectrum of pathological conditions, ranging from uncomplicated appendicitis to fecal peritonitis .The resulting infections should be diagnosed early and treated based on the organism isolated and its susceptibility. In this study the bacteriological profile and antimicrobial resistance pattern of intra-abdominal infections was analyzed. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of samples received from 119 cases of intra-abdominal infections in our Institute from January 2015 to December 2017 was analyzed. Patients with primary peritonitis from cirrhosis or ascites were not included in the study. The specimens were primarily processed, as per standard methods. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by the Vitek-2 system. Anaerobic culture was performed on 5% sheep blood agar plates and incubated in GEN bag anaerobic pouches. Results: In our study perforative peritonitis 43/119 (36.1%) was predominant IAI followed by acute pancreatitis 14/119 (11.7%) and pancreatic necrosis 12/119 (10%). Microbial growth was observed in 66.3% (79/119) of the cases and combined infections were observed in14/119 (11.7%) of the cases. Escherichia coli was the predominant organism isolated in 58/119 (40.8%), out of which 41/58 (70.6%) were ESBL producers and 16 /58 (27.5%) were multi drug resistant isolates. Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from 11/119 (9.2%) cases out of which 8/11 (72.7%) were ESBL and 3/11 (27.2%) were multidrug resistant isolates. Post-operative complications was observed in 12/119 (10%) patients with mortality in 15/119 (12.6%) patients. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and appropriate management of the infections will help to prevent the morbidity and mortality associated with these infections. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1638 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1638/1060

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 4 2018 10 06 250 253 EN Mahdi Rohani Department of Microbiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran AND National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q Fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar Ahang, Hamadan, Iran Behzad Mohsenpour Zoonosis Research Center, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran Ahmad Ghasemi National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q Fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar Ahang, Hamadan, Iran AND Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Saber Esmaeili National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q Fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar Ahang, Hamadan, Iran AND Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Karimi Centre for Communicable Diseases Control, Deputy of Health, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran Heinrich Neubauer Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Jena, Germany Herbert Tomaso Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Jena, Germany Ehsan Mostafavi National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q Fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar Ahang, Hamadan, Iran AND Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran 2018 07 20 2018 10 06 Tularemia is one of the most contagious bacterial infections. Here, we report a human case of glandular tularemia in Iran following the first report in 1980. The patient was a 6-year-old girl who had consumed a hunted hare in Kurdistan Province in western Iran. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1826 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1826/1056

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 4 2018 10 06 215 219 EN Ashkan Faridi Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran Amir Tavakoli Kareshk Infectious Diseases Reesearch Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran Mehdi Fatahi-Bafghi Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences Yazd, Iran Mahsa Ziasistani Pathology and Stem Cell Research Center, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran Mohammad Reza Kandehkar Ghahraman Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran Seyedeh Zeinab Seyyed-Yousefi Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Noshin Shakeri Shahid Labafi Nejad Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Davood Kalantar-Neyestanaki Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran 2017 12 10 2018 06 06 Background and Objectives: Staphylococcus aureus is the main Gram-positive bacteria isolated from patients with ocular infections. Herein, we describe the pattern of antibiotic resistance, presence of resistance genes including ermA, ermB, ermC, msrA, mecA and the pvl cytotoxin gene in S. aureus isolates collected from patients with external ocular infection. Materials and Methods: In this study, 8 S. aureus isolates were collected from 81 patients that suffered from eye damage. Antibacterial susceptibility of isolates was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Resistance genes including ermA, ermB, ermC, msrA, mecA and the pvl virulence gene were detected by PCR method. Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) in MRSA isolates were detected by the multiplex-PCR method. Results: Three isolates were resistant to cefoxitin which is considered MRSA. The mecA gene was identified in MRSA isolates. SCCmec type IV and the pvl gene were detected in one of the MRSA isolates that was recovered from a diabetic patient. Conclusion: The emergence of S. aureus isolates belonging to SCCmec type IV and pvl gene among patients with ocular infection is very serious; therefore, identify genetic characterization of MRSA isolates for empirical therapy and infection control is very important. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1579 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1579/1061

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 4 2018 10 06 220 226 EN Fargol Abdali Nutrition Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Saeid Hosseinzadeh Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran Enayat Berizi Nutrition Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Siamak Shams Department of Environmental Health Ward, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran 2018 04 19 2018 09 15 Background and objectives: Q fever is a worldwide disease which is common between human and livestock. This disease is created by an obligate intracellular Rickettsia called Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii). Cattle, goats and sheep are among the main reservoirs of the disease in humans. The most common routs of transmitting the infection to humans are inhalation of contaminated aerosols and drinking milk and non-pasteurized dairy products. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of C. burnetii in non-pasteurized dairy products in Shiraz. Materials and Methods: In this study (from summer 2016 to winter 2016), 238 non-pasteurized dairy products, (48 raw milk, 48 yogurt, 46 cheeses, 48 dough and 48 ice cream samples) were collected from the retail market and analyzed using a nested PCR assay. Results: This study showed that 20 samples (8.4%) of 238 non-pasteurized dairy products were reported positive for C. burnetii (13 of 48 (27.08%) raw milk, 3 of 48 (6.25%) yogurt, 2 of 46 (4.35%) cheese, 2 of 48 (4.16%) dough and 0 of 48 ice cream samples). Conclusions: The present study suggests that non-pasteurized dairy as main sources of C. burnetii in Shiraz, Southern Iran; thus, the consumption of pasteurized milk and dairy products is a valuable method to prevent the disease in human. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1715 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1715/1052

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 4 2018 10 06 227 232 EN Arun Sachu Department of Microbiology, Government TD Medical College, Alappuzha, Kerala, India Anitha Madhavan Department of Microbiology, Government TD Medical College, Alappuzha, Kerala, India Anu Vasudevan Department of Biostatistics, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kochi, Kerala, India Jayalakshmi Vasudevapanicker Department of Microbiology, Government TD Medical College, Alappuzha, Kerala, India 2018 05 11 2018 09 07 Background and Objectives: Dengue and Leptospirosis were often discussed separately with rash being more common in dengue and jaundice in leptospirosis. But with increasing reports of co-infection, the situation has become worse. The main objective of this study was to look for the presence of both Dengue and Leptospira IgM antibodies in serum samples of patients, presenting with acute febrile illness. Medical records of the co-infected patients were examined to analyse the clinical features and laboratory findings. Materials and Methods: Serum samples of patients presenting with acute febrile illness were screened for the presence of Dengue IgM antibodies and Leptospira antibodies. Clinical features and laboratory parameters of patients with co-infection were compared with patients having dengue alone. Rainfall data was obtained to look for an association between rainfall and Dengue, leptospirosis and co-infected cases. Results: Co-infection was seen in 33 (3.4%) samples. There was a statistically significant association between clinical features like rashes, bleeding gums and co-infection. There was a statistically significant association between various laboratory parameters like thrombocytopenia and co-infection. There was positive correlation between rainfall and development of dengue, leptospirosis, and co-infection but it was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of co-infection was 3.4%. This study re-emphasizes the fact that dengue and leptospirosis are widely prevalent in south India and clinicians should be aware that co-infection with dengue and leptospirosis is not uncommon. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1734 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1734/1049 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1734/1053

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 4 2018 10 06 233 241 EN Mohammad Amin Behzadi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Mohammad Ali Davarpanah HIV Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Mandana Namayandeh Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Bahman Pourabbas Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Soheyla Allahyari HIV Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Mazyar Ziyaeyan Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran 2017 10 04 2018 08 04 Background and Objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women are usually at a higher risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than others. The objective of this study was to characterize the prevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and associated risk factors among HIV-infected women in Fars province, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, cervical swab samples were collected from 71 HIV-infected women, aged 17-45 years (mean ± standard deviation: 31.11 ± 6.58 years), and tested for HPV, HSV, CT, and NG using PCR assays. Results: Overall, 77.5% of patients were positive for the tested STIs with the following distribution: 36 (50.7%) HPV, 7 (9.9%) HSV, 4 (5.6%) NG, and 27 (38%) CT. From those, 39 (55%) were positive for only one infection, while 16 (22.5%) were positive for multiple infections. We observed that the prevalence of all tested STIs increased by age, except for HSV which showed a slight decrease, although not statistically significant. Socio-economic factors such as low educational level, multiple sex partners, and being a sex worker significantly correlated with higher positive prevalence of STIs in the studied population. Conclusion: A high prevalence of STIs was observed among HIV-infected women in this region. These data might prompSciences and Technology, Mashhad, Iran Masoumeh Bahreini Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Mohammad Reza Sharifmoghadam Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran 2018 04 19 2018 11 23 Background and Objectives: Traditional culture methods for detection of food-borne pathogens, a major public health problem, are simple, easily adaptable and very practical, but they can be laborious and time consuming. In this study, we eliminated culturing steps by developing a new separation method and therefore, decreased the detection time of food-borne pathogens (Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes) to a few hours. Materials and Methods: We used alkaline water and different alkaline buffers to elute bacteria from the lettuce surface as a model for ready-to-eat vegetables. Buffers used were as follows: 1) 0.05 M glycine; 2) 0.05 M glycine -100 mM Tris base -1% (w/v) beef extract; 3) buffer peptone water; 4) buffer phosphate saline. Buffers were adjusted to pH of 9, 9.5 and 10. In order to elute the bacteria, the lettuce pieces were suspended into buffers and shacked for 30, 45 and 60 min. Moreover, a multiplex PCR method for the simultaneous detection of food-borne pathogens was performed. Results: The results showed that buffer peptone water at pH 9.5 for 45 min have high ability to elute bacteria from the lettuce surface and the bacteria can be detected using multiplex PCR. Conclusion: We developed a new rapid and efficient method for simultaneous separation of food-borne pathogens. This method eliminates culturing stages and permits the detection and identification of target pathogens in a few hours. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1714 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1714/1086

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 6 2019 02 10 394 399 EN Mansour Miran Department of Pharmacognosy and Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran Mohammad Mehdi Feizabadi Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran AND Thoracis Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Hossein Kazemian Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Jalil Kardan-Yamchi Department of Pathobiology, Division of Microbiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Hamid Reza Monsef-Esfahani Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Samad Nejad Ebrahimi Department of Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran 2018 07 17 2019 01 18 Background and Objectives: Essential oils are used for controlling and preventing human diseases and the application of those can often be quite safe and effective with no side effect. The essential oils have been found to have antiparasitic, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant and especially antibacterial activity including antibacterial activity against tuberculosis. In this study the chemical composition and anti-TB activity of essential oil extracted from Levisticum officinale has been evaluated. Materials and Methods: The essential oil of L. officinale was obtained by the hydro distillation method and the oil was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS techniques. The antibacterial activity of essential oil was evaluated through Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) assay using micro broth dilution method against multidrug-resistant Maycobacterium tuberculosis. The molecular modeling of major compounds was evaluated through molecular docking using Auto Dock Vina against-2-trans-enoyl-ACP reductase (InhA) as key enzyme in M. tuberclosis cell wall biosynthesis. Results: The hydrodistillation on aerial parts of L. officinale yielded 2.5% v/w of essential oil. The major compounds of essential oil were identified as α-terpinenyl acetate (52.85%), β- phellandrene (10.26%) and neocnidilide (10.12%). The essential oil showed relatively good anti-MDR M. tuberculosis with MIC = 252 μg/ml. The results of Molecular Docking showed that affinity of major compounds was comparable to isoniazid. Conclusion: The essential oil of aerial parts extracted from L. officinale was relatively active against MDR M. tuberculosis, and molecular docking showed the major compounds had high affinity to inhibit 2-trans-enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (InhA) as an important enzyme in M. tuberculosis cell wall biosynthesis. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1823 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1823/1101

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 6 2019 02 10 400 408 EN Narjes Sanchooli Department of Fisheries of Hamoun International Wetland Research Institute, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran Saeide Saeidi Zabol Medicinal Plant Research Center, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran Hashem Khandan Barani Department of Fisheries of Hamoun International Wetland Research Institute, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran Esmael Sanchooli Department of Chemistry, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran 2017 02 23 2018 06 05 Background and Objectives: The use of plants for the synthesis of nanoparticles has received attention. The present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial effects of silver nanoparticles synthesized by Verbena officinalis leaf extract against Yersinia ruckeri, Vibrio cholerae and Listeria monocytogenes. Materials and Methods: Silver nanoparticles were obtained by reacting silver nitrate solution 2 mM and V. officinalis leaf extract. The AgNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). To determine minimum inhibitory concentration and test antibiogram of nanoparticle synthesized, broth micro dilution and agar well diffusion methods were used, respectively. Results: The zones of bacterial inhibition were 16 ± 0.5 and 9.16 ± 0.28 mm against Y. ruckeri and L. monocytogenes using 10 and 0.62 mg/mL AgNPs, respectively. Among the studied bacterial species, silver nanoparticles were more effective on Y. ruckeri and L. monocytogenes and less effective on V. cholerae. The highest MIC and MBC of AgNPs (2.5 and 5 mg/mL) were observed for V. cholerae. The lowest MIC and MBC of AgNPs (0.32 and 0.62 mg/mL) were observed for Y. ruckeri, respectively. The MIC and MBC of AgNPs were found to be 1.25 and 2.5 mg/mL for L. monocytogenes. Conclusion: The results clearly indicated that V. officinalis AgNPs have potential antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1289 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1289/1088

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 6 2019 02 10 409 416 EN Maryam Kaihanfar Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran AND Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran Madjid Momeni-Moghaddam Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran Mohammad Javad Mehdipour Moghaddam Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran Toktam Hajar Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran Vahab Dast Pak Pharmaceutical Technology Development Center, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Jalal Omrani Bidi Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran 2018 08 11 2018 12 01 Background and Objectives: Larval therapy refers to the use of Lucilia sericata larvae on chronic wounds, which is a successful method of chronic wounds treatment. The secretions of these larvae contain antibacterial compounds and lead to death or inhibition of bacterial growth. Materials and Methods: In this study, we investigated the antibacterial effects of Lucilia sericata larvae secretions which were in sterilized and multi antibiotic-resistant bacteria-treated forms on Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis bacteria and Gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria. In the following, we evaluated changes in gene expression of lucifensin and attacin during treatment with multi antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Investigation of the antibacterial effect was carried out using optical absorption and antibiotic disk diffusion in order to study the expression of the aforementioned genes. Results: The results of this study showed that E. coli-treated larvae were able to inhibit the growth of E. coli and secretions of B. subtilis-treated larvae and were also able to inhibit the growth of B. subtilis. Gene expression of antibacterial peptides in multi antibiotic-resistant bacteria-treated larvae was increased in comparison to non-treated larvae. Conclusion: Due to the significant antibacterial potency of bacteria-treated larvae secretions, the secretions can be a suitable candidate as a drug against antibiotic resistant bacteria, but additional tests are required. Since the antimicrobial peptides of insects have not yet produced any resistance in human pathogenic bacteria, they can be considered as a promising strategy for dealing with resistant infections. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1865 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1865/1089

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 6 2019 02 10 417 423 EN Ghazaleh Shojaei Baghini Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Abbas Akhavan Sepahi Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Robab Rafiei Tabatabaei Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Kambiz Tahvildari Department of Chemistry, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran 2018 05 15 2018 12 01 Background and Objectives: One of the most important antibiotic-resistant bacteria is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) biofilm that has caused significant problems in treating the patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of expression of genes involved in biofilm formation in MRSA (ATCC 33591) while being treated by a combination of Artemisia aucheri and Artemisia oliveriana. Materials and Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ethanolic extract of A. aucheri and A. oliveriana and also the minimum inhibitory concentration of combination of both extracts were 512, 1024 and 256 µg/ml, respectively; then at co