Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology

BACKGROUND: Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) isolates cause dysentery in humans. Several virulence factors associated with EIEC pathogenesis have been characterized. Multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) is a PCR-based method that has been used for genotyping bacterial pathogens. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of virulence factor genes in EIEC isolates from patients with diarrhea in Kerman, Iran, as well as the genetic relationships between these isolates...

BACKGROUND: Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) is polymorphic disease that may show various clinical manifestations. OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the determination of genetic variation within the species of Leishmania major isolates from new cases in Chabahar, a port city in Southeast Iran (situated at the Iran-Pakistan border). Migration in this region indicates that leishmaniasis is spreading gradually, and a new micro-habitat focus appears each year...

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the major pathogen of tuberculosis, which affects approximately one-third of the world's population. The 6 kDa early secreted antigenic target (ESAT6) and the 10 kDa culture filtrate protein (CFP10), which are secreted by the ESX-1 system in M. tuberculosis, can contribute to mycobacterial virulence. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to research the effects of M. tuberculosis ESAT6-CFP10 protein on macrophages during a host's was first and second exposures to M...

BACKGROUND: Diarrhea is the most frequent health problem among children in developing countries. Defining the etiology of acute diarrhea is critical to disease therapy and prevention. Some anaerobic bacteria such as Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) strains cause diarrheal disease by production of enterotoxin in children less than 5 years old. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of ETBF among common bacteria and viruses causing diarrhea in children aged less than five years...

BACKGROUND: The endophytes of medicinal plants, such as Justicia adhatoda L., represent a promising and largely underexplored domain that is considered as a repository of biologically active compounds. OBJECTIVES: The aim of present study was isolation, identification, and biological evaluation of endophytic fungi associated with the J. adhatoda L. plant for the production of antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic compounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Endophytic fungi associated with the J...

BACKGROUND: Spinosad (a mixture of spinosyns A and D) is a unique natural pesticide produced by Saccharopolyspora spinosa. With regard to attempts to improve S. spinosa by classical mutagenesis, we propose that the bottleneck of screening out high-spinosad-production strains is probably caused by the fermentation media. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to identify a new medium to extensively investigate the potential of S. spinosa strains to produce spinosad...

INTRODUCTION: The Streptococcus anginosus group of bacteria are low-virulence bacteria existing as commensals in the oral flora and gastrointestinal tracts of humans. S. anginosus may spread to the blood in individuals with poor oral hygiene in cases of oral infections, such as gingivitis and tooth abscesses, that develop following the loss of mucosal unity. This may lead to infections in the whole body, primarily as brain and liver abscesses. CASE PRESENTATION: A 32-year-old male patient presented with complaints of nausea, vomiting, and diffuse abdominal pain...

BACKGROUND: Infections caused by Leishmania are becoming major public health problems on a global scale. Many species of Leishmania around the world are obtaining resistance levels of up to 15 folds, as estimated by the World Health Organization. Leishmania showing resistance is relatively difficult to observe and maintain in laboratory settings. OBJECTIVES: The current study deals with the generation of Leishmania tropica strains that are resistant to amphotericin B (amp B)...

BACKGROUND: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis, otitis media, pneumonia, cellulitis, bacteremia, and septic arthritis in infants and young children. The Hib capsule contains the major virulence factor, and is composed of polyribosyl ribitol phosphate (PRP) that can induce immune system response. Vaccines consisting of Hib capsular polysaccharide (PRP) conjugated to a carrier protein are effective in the prevention of the infections. However, due to costly processes in PRP production, these vaccines are too expensive...

BACKGROUND: Candida glabrata is a pathogenic yeast with several unique biological features and associated with an increased incidence rate of candidiasis. It exhibits a great degree of variation in its pathogenicity and antifungal susceptibility. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro antifungal susceptibilities of the following six antifungal drugs against clinical C. glabrata strains: amphotericin B (AmB), ketoconazole (KTZ), fluconazole (FCZ), itraconazole (ITZ), voriconazole (VCZ), and caspofungin (CASP)...

BACKGROUND: Intracellular aspartic proteinase A enzyme is expressed by the APR1 gene and is one of the important factors in the development of systemic candidiasis caused by Candida albicans. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of the APR1 gene in C. albicans isolates obtained from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and from controls. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The samples were obtained from 135 MS patients with candidiasis and 100 matched controls of healthy individuals during 2010 - 2011...

INTRODUCTION: Group A β-hemolytic Streptococcus is the most common cause of bacterial pharyngitis among 5 - 15-year-old children, but it is uncommon in children less than three years old and rarely happens in infants less than one year old. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 62-day-old female infant who presented with fever and poor feeding since two days before admission. At the time of admission, the patient was febrile and ill. Upon examination, a rectal temperature of 38...

BACKGROUND: Carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen associated with a variety of infections. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to characterize the antimicrobial susceptibility, analyze the prevalence of oxacillinase and metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) genes and molecular typing of clinical isolates of A. baumannii. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 124 non-repetitive isolates of A. baumannii were collected from various clinical specimens in two teaching hospitals in Ahvaz, south-west of Iran...

BACKGROUND: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients. Prolonged antiviral therapy is a cause of mutation and drug resistance in the HCMV genome. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify resistance to ganciclovir (GCV) in Iranian immunosuppressed patients at two different stages of the disease: early (before GCV is initiated) and late (after six months of GCV therapy). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, 87 specimens from Iranian patients were amplified using nested PCR amplification of the UL97 gene...

BACKGROUND: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an arboviral zoonotic disease transmitted to humans mainly through the bite of blood-sucking Ixodidae ticks and also via contact with the blood and tissues of infected livestock. OBJECTIVES: This study is a retrospective descriptive survey based on data collected from the health center of Khuzestan province, Iran, during 1999 - 2015. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with symptoms of severe headache, high fever, and bleeding were evaluated...

BACKGROUND: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection has high morbidity and mortality rate, especially in children under 5 years of age. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique is the most used method to detect antibodies against H. influenzae. Available commercial ELISA kits are expensive and not always readily available, particularly for epidemiological studies. OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to develop and optimize a homemade ELISA kit for the detection of Hib anti-polyribosylribitol phosphate (PRP) antibodies in children...

BACKGROUND: Pili in Streptococcus pneumoniae have been shown to be one of the adherence factors for epithelial cells in the human upper respiratory tract. Two types of pilus-like structures (pilus islet-1 and pilus islet-2) have been distinguished in S. pneumoniae. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the presence of pilus islet-1 (PI-1) in S. pneumoniae and the correlation between our isolates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 162 S. pneumoniae isolates were collected from clinical specimens, and normal flora were also examined for the distribution of PI-1 using the presence of the rlrA and rrgC genes as markers for this islet and sipA as an indicator of pilus islet-2 (PI-2)...

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is an important pathogen of human gastric mucosa. Antibiotic resistance, especially resistance to clarithromycin is a major factor for treatment failure of H. pylori infections. The main mechanism of clarithromycin resistance in these bacteria is related to point mutations in three different locations of 23S rRNA gene. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to evaluate the resistance rate to clarithromycin among local H. pylori isolates by the E-test method and to determine the profile of point mutation in 23S rRNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method...

BACKGROUND: Drug design against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase through its mechanistic study is of great interest in the area in biological research. The main obstacle in this area is the absence of the full-length crystal structure for HIV-1 integrase to be used as a model. A complete structure, similar to HIV-1 of a prototype foamy virus integrase in complex with DNA, including all conservative residues, is available and has been extensively used in recent investigations...

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori cause chronic gastritis and subsequent diseases like gastric and duodenal ulcers and gastric adenocarcinoma. Current methods for detecting H. pylori have several disadvantages and it is of utmost importance to develop a simple, quick, accurate, and cost-effective diagnostic test. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to set up and evaluate a diagnostic value of loop- mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for detecting H. pylori...