Infection, Epidemiology And Medicine
Volume:7 Issue: 2, Spring 2021

This study aimed to assess antibacterial properties of Artemisia scoparia, Titanium dioxide nanoparticles, and their synergistic effect on clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumonia.

In this experimental study, 30 isolates of K. pneumonia were collected from patients’ sputum in the microbiology lab of Masih Daneshvari hospital during 3 months. Then biochemical tests were performed for strain confirming. Moreover, genomic DNA was extracted from all the isolates, and hly gene was detected in the isolates via PCR method. The susceptibility of the isolates to 10 antibiotics was evaluated by the disk diffusion method. Then minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of all components (Artemisia extract, TiO2, and their combination) was assessed using the microdilution method against the isolates.

The results indicated that simultaneous use of hydro-alcoholic extract of A. scoparia and titanium dioxide nanoparticles exhibited a significant synergistic antibacterial effect on 25 clinical isolates in comparison with the use of extract or nanoparticles alone.

It seems that simultaneous use of Artemisia herbal extracts and nanoparticles is beneficial in increasing their antibacterial effect and may decrease antibiotics consumption.

Nowadays, the need for replacement of new drug structures is felt more than ever due to the spread of microbial resistance. S-triazoles are significant five-membered heterocyclic scaffolds due to their wide range of biological activities.

A new series of Schiff bases (5a-f) were synthesized by the reaction of 4-amino-S-triazoles (3a-c) with furan and benzaldehyde 4(d-e). Then a novel series of triazole thioglycosides (7a-f) were synthesized by the reaction of Schiff bases (5a-f) and T-O-acetyle-α-D-glucopyranosyle-Br in the presence of potassium carbonate as a weak base in acetone. The structure of the products was confirmed by FT-IR, H-NMR, and C-NMR assays. The antimicrobial properties of the newly synthesized compounds were studied against four bacterial strains, including Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli, and two fungal strains, including Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans.

The synthesized compounds exhibited better antifungal activity than antibacterial activity, espetially 7d. Among all the compounds, the compound 7d was found to have the highest activity against C. albicans with IZ=18±0.7 mm, MIC=250 mg/mL, and MFC= 250 mg/mL.

The present study results indicated that compounds containing S-triazole had the potential to be used in a wide variety of new antifungal formulations.

A novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has now spread to all countries of the world, including Iran. Although anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies may be identified in patients using immunological methods with sufficient sensitivity and specificity, the conclusive diagnosis of the disease is made using the molecular RT-PCR method. A population-based seroepidemiological survey was conducted to quantify the proportion of the exposed population with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and evaluate whether the antibodies are a marker of total or partial immunity compared to the population that remains susceptible to the virus.

This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of COVID-19 in Valiasr, Sajad, and Ghaem hospitals in Tehran, the capital of Iran, from April to the end of October 2020. Clotted and heparinized blood specimens (2mL) were collected from the patients. The serum and plasma were separated and stored at −80 °C until use. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies were examined in the serum samples of 1375 in-patients admitted to the hospitals using ELISA kits. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software Ver.22.0 by employing statistical tests such as Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. A p-value <.05 was considered as significant.

In total, 1375 participants were enrolled in this study, and SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies were detected in 291 patients using IgM‐IgG antibody assay. Among the seropositive patients studied, 187 were male (64.3%), and 104 were female (35.7%) (p<.05). The mean age of the patients was 49±8.4 years; the majority of whom (27%) were in the age group of 31-40 years. Also, the lowest frequency of infected cases was related to the age group of 1-10 years (p <.05). The seroprevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 IgM or IgG antibodies was determined to be 21.2%. Diabetes mellitus was the most common underlying disease among SARS‐CoV‐2 patients [p=.05; Odd Ratio=1.61(0.90-2.91)].

The use of conventional serological assays, such as the enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), for detecting specific IgM and IgG antibodies in SARS‐CoV‐2 patients has a high-throughput advantage while minimizing false-negative results obtained using the RT-PCR method. In this study, the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was determined to be 21%. Control of diabetes, among other influential factors, plays an important role in the management and control of COVID-19.

Currently, clinical details of immunosuppressed patients suffering from COVID-19 are limited. Some studies have shown no more severe diseases among them, but others have highlighted that immunosuppressed patients may have high levels of viral load and impaired immune responses. Herein, this study aimed to specifically address the symptoms, prognosis, laboratory tests, clinical course, and the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infected immunocompromised patients at a tertiary referral center.

Clinical and laboratory information of 75 non-congenital immunosuppressed patients with COVID-19 disease was obtained at a referral center for immunodeficiency diseases and infectious disorders in Tehran, Iran. Three groups of immunocompromised patients were evaluated, including patients with a history of organ transplantation, autoimmune patients receiving medical therapy, and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Among 75 immune-deficient patients with COVID-19, there were 32 patients with a kidney transplant, 23 patients with malignancies, and 19 patients with autoimmune disorders. One patient had both malignancy and multiple sclerosis. The mean length of hospitalization was 10.82 days. By the end of the study, 24 (32%) patients were dead, and 51 (68%) patients were discharged. Dyspnea was the most common (64%) symptom. Low levels of O2 saturation and lymphopenia at admission time significantly affected the mortality rate of patients.

This study showed that mortality rate among immunocompromised patients was 32%. It seems that COVID-19 has a worse outcome and a more severe clinical course in immunocompromised patients regardless of age, gender, and underlying diseases.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is considered as a global health challenge, and Iran is among the top ten countries with the highest mortality rate. This study aimed to analyze epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory features of hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and identify the risk factors of mortality among them to facilitate the prioritization of resources and vaccine allocation in the population using data available in a large university hospital in Tehran, Iran.

From February 20 to May 14, 2020, a total of 684 COVID-19 confirmed cases were admitted to Imam Hossein University hospital in Tehran and enrolled in this retrospective observational study.

The mean age of the participants was 59.48±16.65 years, and 55.8% were male. Compared to survivors, non-survivors (n=127, 18.57%) were older (69.09±14.16 vs. 57.29±16.40), had higher average number of comorbidities, and more frequently suffered from dyspnea, convulsion, loss of consciousness (LOC), tachycardia, tachypnea, and hypoxia. They also had higher levels of leukocytes, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein (CRP), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), international normalized ratio (INR), prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), urea, and serum creatinine (p<.05). Serum potassium (K), lymphocyte count, hemoglobin, HCO3, and serum sodium (Na) were significantly lower in non-survivors. Multivariable logistic regression analysis results revealed that nine variables were positively associated with mortality.

Among COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital, having more than two or three comorbidities, loss of consciousness, SpO2 < 90%, increased CRP, CPK, urea, and serum potassium, were associated with mortality.

Parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection is mainly manifested as erythema infectiosum in children. Primary B19V infection during pregnancy is accompanied by a 30% risk of fetal infection, especially in epidemic conditions. Given the important impact of parvovirus B19 infection on maternal and neonate health, this study assessed parvovirus B19 susceptibility among women of childbearing age in Mashhad, northeast Iran.

Serum samples were collected from 185 women aged 20-35 years living in Mashhad. Cluster sampling was performed in different health centers located in the city to cover the main city area. A commercial ELISA kit was used to measure IgG antibodies against B19V. This study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards mentioned in the declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was taken from all participants. A questionnaire was filled by each participant. SPSS software Version 11.5 was used for statistical analyses.

Anti-B19 IgG was observed in about 31% of women. Seroprevalence of anti- B19 antibodies among different age groups (with 5-year intervals) was not significantly different (p=.839). Also, there was no significant difference among different city areas of Mashhad in terms of anti-B19 IgG seropositivity (.39, p>.05).

The prevalence of parvovirus B19 infection varies in different parts of the world. Comparing to other reports, the present study revealed a rather low immunity against parvovirus B19 among women in Mashhad. These findings highlight the potential risk of B19 infection in non-immune/susceptible mothers, which may lead to sever outcomes, especially during epidemics.

A potential cross-immunity between SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV could lead to the development of a serodiagnostic test and/or serotherapy against SARS-CoV-2 using dromedary camel anti MERS-CoV serum.

Epidemiological and 66 literature data, of which 35 have been published during 2015-2021, and findings were analysed.

According to the statistical data reported during COVID-19 pandemic, there are less cases and deaths associated with COVID-19 in countries known for dromedary breeding and the circulation of MERS-CoV (another betacoronavirus disease transmitted by dromedary camels) among humans and dromedaries. This observation and the similarity in genome and immunopathogenicity between SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV, suggest that individuals who have been in contact with MERS-CoV infected dromedaries and/or consumed their products (milk, meat, urine) might have acquired an immunity protecting them against SARS-CoV-2. In addition to neutralizing antibodies, this immunity could also be due to complement proteins, chemokines, and especially antimicrobial peptides (AMP), known for their effect on enveloped viruses.

Most research has focused on vaccines as a solution to stop the pandemic, while serotherapy hasn’t significantly aroused the interest of researchers. This potential cross-immunity between SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV could lead to the development of a serodiagnostic test and/or serotherapy against SARS-CoV-2 using dromedary camel anti MERS-CoV serum.

Metallo-β-Lactamase (MBL) enzymes-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains are one of the most important causes of nosocomial infections and are very difficult to treat, leading to high mortality rate. Therefore, control of these cases is very important, especially in burns. This study aimed to systematically review published data on MBL genes prevalence among P. aeruginosa strains isolated from burn patients.

ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched using appropriate key terms as follows: P. aeruginosa, metallo-β-lactamase, burn patients, imipenem resistant, and Iran. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods according to the CLSI guidelines. The MBL producers was evaluated by the combination disk diffusion test (CDDT), and detection of genes such as blaIMP, blaVIM, blaSPM and blaNDM was performed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In this review statistical analyses were performed using STATA statistical software Ver.13.

Out of 410 retrieved articles, 18 articles were eligible to be included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. These studies were carried out in Tehran, Shiraz, Yazd, Zahedan, and other locations. Pooled estimation of all P. aeruginosa strains included in 18 studies showed that the prevalence of MBL-producing P. aeruginosa strains in Iranian population was about 49% (95% CI: 33-65). The present study findings also revealed that in Iranian population, the most prevalent MBL genes were blaIMP with 17% (95% CI) and blaVIM with 13% (95% CI), respectively.

Detection of these bacterial resistance genes should be performed nationally, and strict control measures should be put on the agenda to reduce the incidence of these cases.

This study aimed to determine community-initiated Lassa fever prevention and control strategies in Africa.

Literature search was performed on four databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, African Journal OnLine (AJOL), and BioMed Central, using different combinations of the following search terms. A three-stage methodology was employed to conduct the study. At first, related articles were identified using pre-defined key terms, such as Lassa fever, Lassa fever control, Lassa fever prevention, community engagement and Lassa fever, and community participation and Lassa fever. Thereafter, articles were screened to remove duplicates and articles not relevant to the study objectives.

Community mobilization and sensitization and risk communication were some of the community-directed activities towards Lassa fever prevention and control. Also, stakeholders’ advocacy and engagement, rodent control practices, environmental sanitation, and proper food processing and preservation were practiced to prevent Lassa fever. In addition, a referral mechanism from the community to the health facility was constituted through the engagement of community health workers.

Health program managers should strive to provoke coordinated and sustainable community-initiated efforts to improve rodent preventive and control measures. Strategies should be developed and implemented to promote environmental sanitation and restrict cultural practices facilitating contact with rodents or infected persons.