International Journal of Enteric Pathogens
Volume:10 Issue: 2, May 2022

 Listeria monocytogenes can grow in a variety of foods that are stored in refrigerators. This bacterium can adhere to various surfaces and form biofilms. Given that refrigerator temperature can support bacterial growth and proliferation, increasing the number of bacteria in refrigerator spaces endangers the consumer’s health.

 The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of L. monocytogenes and the sanitary conditions of commercial refrigerators used in food supply centers in Khuzestan province, southwest Iran.

 Overall, 204 swap samples were collected from the inner surfaces of various industrial refrigerators in five different zones. The samples were enriched in Listeria enrichment broth and cultured on PALCAM agar plates. Suspected colonies were identified by biochemical tests and the polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, the sanitary condition of the refrigerator, method and duration of refrigerator cleaning, last washing date, and type of the applied detergent were recorded, and the antibacterial susceptibility of the isolates was tested as well.

 The results demonstrated that four refrigerators (1.96%) located in Ahvaz (center) and Ramhormoz (east) were contaminated with L. monocytogenes. The internal temperatures of 67% of the refrigerators were above 5 °C, and most operators used a mixture of water and a dishwasher or water alone to clean their refrigerators. In addition, 31.9% of the refrigerators were in an unfavorable cleaning condition, and 32.8% of the refrigerators were not sealed properly. The isolates were resistant to streptomycin and represented intermediate resistance to tetracycline and penicillin.

 The contamination of industrial refrigerators with antibiotic-resistant L. monocytogenes may pose a threat to public health. Authorities should increase the monitoring of industrial refrigerators and provide the necessary training for refrigerator users.

Toxocara infection is one of the most neglected tropical diseases that has remained undiagnosed in developing countries. The disease leads to many signs and symptoms such as fever, coughing or wheezing, belly pain, hepatomegaly, loss of appetite, rash, lymphadenopathy, red and painful eyes, strabismus, blurred or cloudy vision, and the like.

The present study aimed at investigating the seroprevalence and other demographic parameters of toxocariasis among hospitalized patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) in Karaj district, Alborz province, Iran.

This study was undertaken between March and September 2021. Ninety-two sera samples obtained from COVID-19 patients and 56 seemingly healthy individuals were tested for anti-Toxocara immunoglobulin G via an immunological assay (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA). The demographic characteristics of the participants were collected through a questionnaire.

The findings indicated that during the study period, the seroprevalence of toxocariasis in the case group was significantly higher than in the control group (15.2% vs. 3.6%). Among the 92 seropositive COVID-19 patients, 35.7% (5/14) were males and 64.3% (9/14) were females. No deaths were observed in the Toxocara-positive individuals with COVID-19.

Toxocariasis is a worldwide zoonotic parasitic infection in developing countries. The findings of the present study revealed the importance of Toxocara spp. infection screening in COVID-19 patients, and simple empirical treatment can be life-saving in such positive cases.

 Leishmania infection is a serious worldwide health concern that is caused by various types of Leishmania parasite genus. Current therapies for this disease, including pentavalent antimonial complexes, are not safe and do not have enough efficacy. The Artemisia aucheri spring leaf extract has been reported to have antimicrobial effects on a variety of pathogens.

 This study aimed to find how a spring leaf extract of A. aucheri affects Leishmania tropica and infantum.

 After culturing macrophages and L. tropica and infantum in enriched the Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 culture medium with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), the impacts of different dosages of A. aucheri spring extracts on L. tropica, as well as L. infantum promastigotes were evaluated in vitro. In addition, 2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide was used to assess the cytotoxicity of the extract on parasites and macrophages. Eventually, flow cytometry with annexin staining was performed to evaluate the potential of apoptosis induction in L. tropica/infantum.

 The flow cytometry test results showed the amount of apoptosis was 22.28% for L. tropica and L. infantum parasites. The spring leaf extract of A. aucheri inhibitory concentration was 15.17 and 9.13 for L. tropica and L. infantum, respectively.

 Overall, A. aucheri spring extracts revealed a good in-vitro anti-leishmania effect on L. tropica and L. infantum promastigotes.

 Disorders in the burning and making of fatty acids in the liver under the influence of one or more environmental or genetic stimuli lead to inflammation and the destruction of liver cells.

 This study aimed to investigate the changes in serum levels of liver enzymes derived from margarine butter and the possible effect of probiotics on this enzyme.

 Rats were randomly divided into four groups: Negative control group receiving normal food, positive control group receiving fatty food, test group 1 receiving fatty food with probiotics, and test group 2 receiving normal food with probiotics. In the positive control group, fatty food was given to the animals for 2 weeks, and in the test group, one intake of probiotics was administered simultaneously with the administration of greasy food lasting for 8 weeks, and then the number of liver enzymes was determined by drawing blood.

 Margarine butter led to an increase in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Taking probiotics with margarine butter caused margarine butter to compensate for the increase in these enzymes. The average count of colonies of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Clostridium in the margarine butter consumer group increased significantly compared with the negative control group, and the prescription of simultaneous probiotics compensated for this increase.

 In general, it was found that the consumption of probiotics along with margarine butter can simultaneously reduce inflammation of the liver due to high levels of ALT and AST. A probiotic prescription with the consumption of margarine butter led to a decreasing number of bacteria E. coli and Clostridium from margarine butter alone.

 Escherichia coli, a gram-negative bacterium, is the causative agent for approximately 80% of urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTI treatment has resulted in the overuse of antibiotics in hospitals and communities, and subsequently the increase of antimicrobial resistance. The emergence of extensively drug resistance (XDR) strains has become a costly and dangerous challenge in the treatment of most bacterial infections and UTIs.

 This study aimed to determine the frequency of XDR isolates and investigate the distribution of common sulfonamide- (sul1, sul2, & sul3) and trimethoprim (dfrA1, dfrA12, & dfrA14)-related resistance genes among E. coli isolates from UTI patients. Furthermore, the isolates were sought for the presence of class 1 and class 2 integrons (Int1 & Int2) among XDR E. coli isolates.

 120 uropathogenic-E. coli isolates recovered from UTI cases in Mashhad were assessed in 2017-2019. Overall, 39 out of 120 isolates were identified as XDR isolates as they were resistant to all classes of tested antibiotics, except for two or fewer comprising quinolones (first and second generation), cephalosporins (first and third generation), penicillins, tetracyclines, and sulfonamide-trimethoprim.

 The antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results determined a substantial resistance rate against cloxacillin (98.3%), oxacillin (98.3%), and cephalexin (94.17%). According to polymerase-chain reaction results, sul1 and dfrA14 genes with the frequency of 35 (89.74%) and 28 (71.79%) were identified as the most prevalent resistant genes among XDR isolates. In addition, int1 and int2 genes were detected among 23 (58.9%) and 8 (20.5%) XDR isolates, respectively. In conclusion, the substantial distribution of sul1 and dfrA14 genes was highlighted among XDR E. coli isolates recovered from UTI.

 Based on the present research findings, class I integrons play a major role in the dissemination of resistance gene cassettes, including sul and dfr in XDR isolates, and should be investigated in the future.

There are frequent epidemiological and experimental proofs to propose that Entamoeba gingivalis and Trichomonas tenax infections are ignored factors for the development of dental and periodontal diseases. For a more comprehensive review, the present study was designed and conducted, including a systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases for retrieving related reports up to December 01, 2019. Finally, 48 studies (a total of 70 datasets), including 30 datasets with case-control designs (1711 patients and 614 controls) and 40 datasets with cross-sectional designs (a total of 7257 participants) met the eligibility criteria. Based on the random-effects model, the pooled prevalence of protozoan infections in dental and periodontal patients was estimated to be 25.2% (95% CI, 21.2-29.8%; 2210/8968). In case-control designed studies, the prevalence of protozoan infections in dental and periodontal patients (35.8%, 614/1711) was found to be significantly higher than in controls (14.4%, 198/1371; OR: 4.15, 95% CI: 2.92-5.92). In addition, E. gingivalis (OR: 3.81, 95% CI: 2.36-6.14) and T. tenax (OR: 5.08, 95% CI: 2.81-9.20) were significantly higher in dental and periodontal patients compared to the controls. Our results demonstrated an apparently significant association between these protozoan infections in dental and periodontal patients. In conclusion, more standardized experimental designs are proposed using the animal model, and longitudinal (cohort) studies support the association between these protozoan infections in dental and periodontal patients to understand whether E. gingivalis and T. tenax infections are a co-factor in the development of dental and periodontal patients.