Human papilloma virus prevalence and types among Iranian women attending regular gynecological visits

Introduction: Human papilloma virus prevalence data is scarce in Iran. This study was performed to evaluate type-specific human papilloma virus prevalence and to compare it with Pap smear results among Iranian women attending regular gynecological visits

Patients and methods: A total of 851 women aged 18-65 years, attending regular gynecological visits were retrospectively evaluated. Human papilloma virus detection and genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction technique. Cytological evaluation was performed by Papanicolaou method and the association between cytological results and human papilloma virus profile was analyzed

Results: Nineteen different types of human papilloma virus were detected in 265 of 851 patients [31.1%]. Overall infection as well as infection with high risk human papilloma virus types; were highest in women aged 18-25 years and decreased with age. Type-specific prevalence of human papilloma virus -16 and 18 was 7.3% and 2.8% respectively. There was also an upward trend in the prevalence of high risk human papilloma virus infection as the abnormality in cytology increased. The prevalence of human papilloma virus related events was 29.1% among virus positive patients and declined from low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [18.2%] to high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [3.9%]

Conclusion: Our study indicated that the burden of human papilloma virus infection among Iranian females was higher in comparison with previous estimates reported from Iran. Furthermore, higher prevalence of premalignant changes in Iranian women infected with high risk human papilloma virus types other than vaccine types should be considered in immunization programs and development of population-specific human papilloma virus vaccines

[Seroepidemiology of canine visceral leishmaniasis in Kerman city, 2011]

Visceral leishmaniosis [VL] is a sporadic disease in many provinces of Iran, while it is considered endemic in other parts. This study was designed to assess the seroprevalence of canine VL in the Kerman city. Samples were randomly selected from the referred household dogs to the veterinary hospital of Shahid Bahonar university, Kerman, Iran and stray dogs, euthanized by Kerman municipality. Blood samples were taken after complete clinical examination. All collected sera were tested by a commercial indirect ELISA kit for the presence of anti Leishmania infantum antibodies. In addition, complete blood count tests were performed in all dogs to detect hematological alterations. Collected data were analyzed through SPSS software and using chi[2] and fishers' exact tests. The overall seroprevalence was 7.03%, which was calculated 11.1% in stray dogs. Seroprevalence of disease was significantly higher in dogs over 5 years old in comparison to younger dogs [P<0.01]. Seroprevalence had no significant relationship with sex and hematological alterations. Although the seroprevalence of canine VL in Kerman city was less than that in endemic parts, stray dogs could be a potential risk factor for public health in this area. Further complementary ecological studies on vectors and reservoirs in different areas of Kerman province seem to be necessary

Isolation and characterization of lactococcus garvieae from diseased rainbow trout [Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum] cultured in Iran

A total of 200 moribund rainbow trout with clinical signs of a hyperacute haemorrhagic septicemia were collected from rainbow trout farms in Fars, Kohkiloyeh-Boyer Ahmad and Charmohal-Bakhtiari provinces in the south and southwest of Iran during summer 2002 to winter 2008 for detection of Lactococcus garvieae, the causative agent of lactococcosis. Fish kidney samples were cultured aseptically onto brain heart infusion agar plates and incubated at 25°C for 48 h. Using conventional biochemical tests, L. garvieae was detected from 32 fish [16% of total fish samples]. Additionally, isolates were confirmed as L. garvieae using a specific PCR assay based on 16S rDNA gene by producing a single band of 1107 bp. Partial analysis of 16S rDNA revealed 100% sequence similarity for all Iranian isolates and there was a close genetic relationship among these isolates and those previously reported from mullet in Taiwan [AF352166] and yellowtail in Japan [AB267897] based on GenBank data. Results of antibiogram tests on L. garvieae isolates showed a high susceptibility to erythromycin, enrofloxacin, chloramphenicol and clarithromycin. In pathogenicity tests, immersion of fish in a bacterial suspension of 6x10[5] colony forming unit/ml of L. garvieae in challenge experiments showed 60% mortality during 14 days post-infection. Experimentally, infected fish showed typical blackening of skin haemorrhages, exophthalmia and wide haemorrhages on viscera. The present study provides useful molecular and biochemical information for L. garvieae isolates in Iran compared with those from different hosts and geographic locations

[Prevalence of infraorbital ethmoid air cell on panoramic radiographs]

Presence of Haller cells with or without disease can narrow the ethmoid infundibulum or ostium of maxillary antrum and result in persistent rhinosinusitis, recurrent sinusitis, and other clinical symptoms, so detection of haller cells in common panoramic radiographs can be useful in diagnosis of the origin of these problems. The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of infraorbital ethmoid cells on panoramic radiographs. Panoramic radiographs of 310 patients were evaluated according to the method of Ahmad et al. to detect infraorbital ethmoid cells. A well defined radiolucency was located medial to infraorbital foramen, wherever most of its border was visible and caused lack of cortication in inferior border of the orbit in the superimposition areas, was interpreted as infraorbital ethmoid cell. The radiographs were interpreted by three observers. the data were analyzed by Binary logistic regression test in SPSS software. Data from 310 panoramic radiographs were analyzed. 37% of radiographs were interpreted as to show infraorbital ethmoid cells. Infraorbital ethmoid cell might be considered as a quite common anatomic landmark, visible on panoramic radiographs. From a clinical point of view, this may be of diagnostic importance, because it has been stated that detection of haller cells may lead to detection of the origin of a number of sinus problems