[Emerging and pandemic of influenza A[H1N1]]

Influenza is one of the known viral infectious diseases, which has killed millions of peoples during pandemics, epidemics and sporadic forms. One of the most remarkable features of influenza virus is the frequency of changes in antigenicity. Alteration of the antigen structure of the virus leads to infection with variants to which little or no resistance is present in the population at risk. Pandemics of influenza type A, result from the emergence of a new virus which the population contains no or limited immunity to it. The interval between pandemics is 10-30 years. But Influenza virus has been causing epidemics of febrile respiratory disease every 1 to 3 years. Pandemic [H1N1] 2009 is a new virus that has not circulated among human population before. This virus is different from previous or current human seasonal influenza viruses. Influenza type A[H1N1] virus is transmitted by inhaling infected droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing or by touching contaminated hands or surfaces as the same as the normal seasonal flu. The symptoms and signs of A[H1N1] influenza are as similar as seasonal influenza and include fever, coughing, runny nose and sore throat. Some people have also reported, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. People with existing cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer are at higher risk of serious complications. Asthma and other respiratory disease are other underlying conditions associated with severe disease. Pregnant women are at higher risk for more severe disease and obesity may be another risk factor for severe disease. To prevent spread, people should cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, stay at home when they are unwell, clean their hands regularly, and avoid crowded areas if possible. The pandemic virus is currently susceptible to neuraminidase inhibitors; Oseltamivir and Zanamivir but resistant to Amantadine and Rimantadine. Ministry of health and medical education, Center for Infectious Diseases Management in Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for control and management of novel influenza A[H1N1]

[Evaluation of antibiogram pattern of propionibacterium acnes obtained from skin of patients with acne vulgaris]

Antibiotics play an important role in treatment of acne. Physicians usually choose the best antibiotics based on their effectiveness, economical impacts, side effects and sometimes drug resistance surveys. In recent years, the latter issue [bacterial resistance] has faced the treatment of acne with some serious problems. This study was designed to illustrate the drug-resistance pattern of Propionibacterium acnes [P.acnes] obtained from patients with Acne vulgaris. In the present study, we tried to illustrate the resistance of P.acnes to common antibiotics used in treatment of acne, applying E-tests antibiogram method. After sampling, culturing and purifying P.acnae, MIC measures were obtained for eight cases of common antibiotics used for each individual patient, by the use of E-test quantitative method. From the total of 88 patients, 25.6% were males and 74.4% were females. The average age was 28.8 years old. According to the results of this survey, 13% of P.acnes strains were resistant to erythromycin, whereas 10.7% were resistant to Clindamycin and 7.1% were to Co-trimoxazole. There was no resistance to other tested antibiotics [Cephalexin, Ampicillin, Minocycline, Doxycyline and Tetracycline]. In general, mono-drug resistance was observed in 8.1% of cases and multi-drug resistance was found in 10.5% of strains. However, these rates are much lower compared to those mentioned in literature. The results of this study is more indicative of the fact that improper use of antibiotics plays an important role in failure of acnae treatment in Iran