Co-infection of malara and crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever

Southeast of Iran is an endemic areas for Malaria and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever [CCHF]. In 1999, we faced with an outbreak of CCHF in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, in the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The most cases of Malaria in Iran are also reported from this area. This article presents a 17-year-old woman who admitted to our hospital because of acute fever, headache, epistaxis, hemorrhagic lesions on the skin and vaginal bleeding. Finally, she was recognized as a case that was co - infected with CCHF and malaria

[Prevalence of hepatitis C among diabetes mellitus patients in Zahedan]

Several clinical studies have recently claimed that HCV infection could trigger the onset of diabetes mellitus [DM]. In order to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus [HCV] among patients with type 1, 2 diabetes mellitus [DM] and investigate the influence of several epidemiological factors on HCV infection, we conducted this study. In this case-control study we evaluated 505 diabetic patients [135 male, 370 female with the mean age of 54.5 years] who had referred to Diabetic clinic in Boo-Ali hospital [a teaching hospital in south east of Iran] in 2004. Serologic testing for anti- HCV was done using a third-generation commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay [ELISA] and Real-time-PCR [HCV RNA] in order to confirm the anti-HCV positive samples. Diabetic patients [were divided in two groups according to their HCV antibody status and were analyzed for the following variables: age, sex, type of diabetes, duration of disease, mode of therapy, late diabetic complication, previous blood transfusions, intravenous drug addiction, hospital admissions and major surgical procedures. Then results were compared with the findings from blood donors. HCV infection was detected in one patient who had history of hospitalization and blood transfusion. However, a higher prevalence of HCV infection was not observed in diabetic patients in comparison with blood donors [P=0.46]. There was no correlation between HCV and diabetic type, duration, age, sex [P>0.05]. Upon the results of our study, we conclude that HCV infection is not a trigger factor for DM; therefore it should not be listed among the various extrahepatic manifestations of this viral infection. Although, further studies, possibly multicentre, are needed to estimate prevalence of HCV in diabetic patients

[Epidemiology of extra pulmonary tuberculosis in Zahedan]

Tuberculosis canses a broad range of clinical illnesses caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis [or less commonly mycobaterium bovis]. It is the most frequent cause of death worldwide. Tuberculosis can affect virtually every organ, most importantly the lungs. Extra pulmonary tuberculosis [EPTB] may develop simultaneously in the course of pulmonary tuberculosis or it may appear years after the primary pulmonary infection. In recent years, because of AIDS epidemic and an increase in the number of immigrants from countries where tuberculosis remains endemic and an improvement in invasive diagnostic procedures have contributed to an increase in the occurrence of extra pulmonary tuberculosis. Because of the variations and dispersion of extra pulmonary tuberculosis observed between the developed and developing countries we were tempted to evaluate the entire cases of extra pulmonary tuberculosis in Zahedan between 1998-2003. In the survey, extra pulmonary tuberculosis formed 23.19% of all tuberculosis cases. A total of 417 patients [62.11% female and 37.89% male] were evaluated. Female between 15-24 years and male >65 years appeared to be predisposed to developing extra pulmonary tuberculosis. Tuberculosis lymphadenitis was the prevalent form of extra pulmonary tuberculosis [34.05%], fallowed by tuberculosis of pleural [12.23%], Tuberculosis of the bone [11.99%] in the order. Extra pulmonary tuberculosis comprises one-fourth of all cases of TB. This figure is consistent with that of WHO. Tuberculosis lymphadenitis is the most common form of extra pulmonary among women and young individuals