ABSTRACT

       Background and Objective: Herpes simplex encephalitis is a life-threatening consequence of the central nervous system (CNS) infection with Herpes simplex virus (HSV). Although it is a rare disease, mortality rates reach 70% in the absence of therapy and only a minority of individuals can return to normal function. The aim of this study was to determine possible correlation between HSV infection and the incidence of encephalitis in patients with neurological signs.

        Methods: Overall, 152 CSF samples were tested from patients with neurological signs referred to Mahdieh Clinical Laboratory in Isfahan from 2010 to 2013. After cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection, DNA was extracted and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for HSV detection.

          Results: Of 152 patients tested, 50 were diagnosed with encephalitis. HSV DNA was present in the CSF of 13 patients with encephalitis. HSV was significantly higher (p< 0.05) in patients with encephalitis, which shows the significance of infection as an etiological factor of this disease. About 60% of the encephalitis cases were in age range of 1-24 months.

         Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, Cesarean section is recommended for HSV-positive mothers. A routine real-time PCR test is suggested for HSV detection in patients with encephalitis to avoid unnecessary antiviral treatments.

       

ABSTRACT
       Background and Objective: Escherichia coli is one of the most common causes of hospital-acquired infections. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli strains are resistant to third-generation cephalosporins. The three main genes involved in ESBL production are TEM, SHV and CTX-M. Detection of ESBL-producing E. coli is of importance for infection control, reduction of excessive antibiotic use and epidemiological surveillance. This study aimed to detect ESBL-producing E. coli strains isolated from wound infections using phenotypic and molecular methods.
       Methods: During 2013- early 2015, 86 strains were collected from three hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done using ceftazidime and ceftazidime + clavulanic acid discs. Polymerase chain reaction was used for the detection of the three resistance genes.
      Results: The resistance genes SHV, CTX-M and TEM were detected in 49 isolates (56.9%). In addition, 39 isolates (45%) were ESBL-producing strains. According to the results, 5 (5.8%), 14 (16.2%), 19 (22%) and 11 (12.7%) isolates contained the SHV, CTX-M, TEM and CTX-M + TEM genes, respectively. The frequency of CTX and TEM were significantly higher than that of SHV gene (P <0.05). Most of the isolated bacteria were resistant to cefazolin and sensitive to nitrofurantoin.
       Conclusions: There is a difference between the frequency of ESBL-positive isolates reported in the phenotypic and genotypic methods, which could be due to the lower sensitivity of the phenotypic method and impact of environmental factors on the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
       Keywords: Antibiotic resistance genes, ESBL, TEM, SHV, CTX-M, Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT
          Background and Objective: Prophage sequences are major contributors to interstrain variations within the same bacterial species. Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative bacterium that causes a wide range of nosocomial infections, especially in intensive care unit inpatients. Prophage sequences constitute a considerable proportion of several sequenced complete genomes of A. baumannii. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of prophage sequences in A. baumannii strains isolated from burn patients, and compare the results with other studies.
          Methods: Presence of eight prophage sequences was investigated in the genome of ten multi-drug resistant A. baumannii isolates obtained from burn sites of 10 burn patients in a hospital in Isfahan, Iran. PCR and sequencing were performed to detect the prophage sequences. The presence of the eight prophage sequences in the genome of A. baumannii strains from other studies was investigated by BLAST analysis of whole nucleotide sequence of prophage sequences.
          Results: The isolates in the present study had different prophage sequence profiles. Two isolates did not contain any of the sequences, while two isolates contained three and two of the prophage sequences. Other isolates contained only one sequence. The prophage sequence profiles observed in this study were not found in A. baumannii isolates from other studies.
          Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the prophage sequences profile can be useful for studying the epidemiology of A. baumannii strains.
          Keywords: Acinetobacter baumannii, genome, prophage sequences.

ABSTRACT
             Background and objectives: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infectious diseases caused by bacteria. The primary etiologic agent of UTIs is Escherichia coli. Uropathogenic E.coli (UPEC) strains have a number of specific virulence factors, which can worsen UTIs. This study was performed to detect fim, pap, sfa and afa genes among E.coli strains isolated from UTIs.
             Methods: A total of 100 E. coli isolates from patients with UTI was collected between June and December 2015 from Mosavi and Sayyad Shirazi hospitals in Gorgan, Iran. All bacterial isolates were identified via standard biochemical testing and Gram straining. Presence of the genes was assessed by polymerase chain reaction.
             Results: The frequency of the fim, pap, sfa and afa genes was 100%, 79%, 69% and 8%, respectively. All isolates contained at least one virulence gene. Prevalence of multiple adhesion genes was 6% for all genes and 65% for three genes (fim, pap and sfa) together. In addition, the frequency of the fim gene was significantly higher than that of the other genes (P<0.0001).
             Conclusion: The results of this study indicate the high prevalence of virulence factors that can enhance pathogenicity of E. coli. Therefore, these factors could be used as diagnostic markers or vaccine targets.
             Keywords: Virulence factors, Urinary tract infection, Uropathogenic Escherichia coli.

   Background and objectives: are divided into two species: Salmonella enterica and Salmonella Salmonella bongori. S. enterica has more than 2,500 serotypes. Serovars of S. enterica such as Typhimurium, Enteritidis, Paratyphi B, Paratyphi A and Newport are associated with human infections. Approximately 75% of human Salmonella infections have been associated with contaminated food such as eggs, chicken, beef, pork, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of Salmonella strains isolated from various food sources in Isfahan, Iran.
    Methods: Forty Salmonella strains were isolated from 450 suspected cases referred to the veterinary reference laboratory of Isfahan Province. The isolates were identified by differential and serotyping tests and then confirmed by PCR. A phylogenic tree was constructed with 34 sequences by neighbor-joining method using the MEGA7 software (version 7.1). 
    Results: Overall, 10 Salmonella serovars were isolated from 32 chicken meat, three beef and five egg shell samples. S. enterica serovar Ouakum (20%), S. Enteritidis (17.5%) and S. Typhimurium (17.5%) were the most common serovars, while S. enterica serovar Nitra (2.5%) was found as the least prevalent isolate.
    Conclusion: In this study, S. Typhimurium species is placed in different clusters along with sequences reported from different parts of the world, indicating that the serovars are circulating all over the world.