Specification of Bacteriophage Isolated Against Clinical Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

OBJECTIVES: The emergence of resistant bacteria is being increasingly reported around the world, potentially threatening millions of lives. Amongst resistant bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most challenging to treat. This is due to emergent MRSA strains and less effective traditional antibiotic therapies to Staphylococcal infections. The use of bacteriophages (phages) against MRSA is a new, potential alternate therapy. In this study, morphology, genetic and protein structure of lytic phages against MRSA have been analysed. METHODS: Isolation of livestock and sewage bacteriophages were performed using 0.4 μm membrane filters. Plaque assays were used to determine phage quantification by double layer agar method. Pure plaques were then amplified for further characterization. Sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and random amplification of polymorphic DNA were run for protein evaluation, and genotyping respectively. Transmission electron microscope was also used to detect the structure and taxonomic classification of phage visually. RESULTS: Head and tail morphology of bacteriophages against MRSA were identified by transmission electron microscopy and assigned to the Siphoviridae family and the Caudovirales order. CONCLUSION: Bacteriophages are the most abundant microorganism on Earth and coexist with the bacterial population. They can destroy bacterial cells successfully and effectively. They cannot enter mammalian cells which saves the eukaryotic cells from lytic phage activity. In conclusion, phage therapy may have many potential applications in microbiology and human medicine with no side effect on eukaryotic cells.

Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis among women referring to Shahid Beheshti hospital, Hamadan, Iran

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. The aim of this study was investigate the prevalence of toxoplasmosis among young women who referred to check up for toxoplasmosis attended in Shahid Beheshti hospital, Hamadan during 2013-2014. This study was performed on 2523 pregnant women who referred to laboratory of Shahid Beheshti hospital in Hamadan province [western of Iran] during 2013-2014. Age, level of education and place of residence were recorded in the relevant forms. Antibodies serum levels for all samples were examined by ELISA. IgG titer equals and more than 1:200 was presumed as seropositive. Data were analyzed using by SPSS version 19.0 software. 26.1% of IgG seropositive persons were city residents while 32.3% of them lived at village and suburb of city. 1.4% and 1.1% of at risk persons [based on IgG titration] were city and village residents, respectively. 1.3% and 1.9% of IgM seropositives were city and village residents, respectively. The percentage of at risk persons of city and village [based on IgM titration] were 0.3% and 0.6%, in a row. 29.7% of IgG seropositives did not have academic education while 30.4% of them graduated from high school, at least. The seropositive IgM percentage of non-academic educated persons and graduated/academic ones were 1.7% and 1.4%, respectively. Our funding indicates the association between age of women and their level of education with percentage of contamination and prevalence. IgM seropositive is lesser than IgG. It means that toxoplasmosis is chronic or there is previous contact. To avoid the risk of toxoplasmosis infection particularly in pregnant women should be examined and the necessary preventive measures and training for young women should be presented

Bacteriophage as a novel antibacterial agent in industry and medicine

Bacteriophage is a kind of virus that infect bacteria, and is distinct from the animal and plant viruses that could have either lytic or lysogenic cycle. Lytic phages known as candidates for phage therapy, since they rapidly replicate into their host and lyse them. Theoretically, phages have more than a few benefits over routine antibiotics. They are extremely specific and for their targeted hosts and also are safe for human, because they have no activity against eukaryote cells. Over this time, phages were used to treat various infections. Although, phages have a lot of advantages against antibiotics, their industrial production as a commercial production have been ceased in most of the western European countries. These days, by raising of antibiotics resistance and inefficiency of antibiotic to overcome bacteria biofilm, there is renewed global attention in phage applications as a potentially powerful antibacterial agents. Different published paper through the world indicates bacteriophage could be recruited as suitable agent for therapeutic purposes in medicine and food industry. Therefore, here we tried to review most of these ideas about phage application as a rapid review