Congenital rubella syndrome in infants of women vaccinated during or just before pregnancy with measles-rubella vaccine.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Measles and Rubella Control Campaign was conducted in Iran in December 2003 targeting both males and females 5 to 25 yr old using measles-rubella vaccine. During the campaign, some pregnant women received vaccine during the first trimester of pregnancy or some others became pregnant shortly thereafter. The goal of this study was to evaluate the risk of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) among the infants born to the vaccinated mothers. METHODS: A total of 106 pregnant women, who had received vaccine during the first trimester of pregnancy or become pregnant less than three months after vaccination were included in the study for comparison 40 pregnant women without rubella vaccine were also included. The mothers' blood samples at the time of delivery, infants' cord blood and blood samples at the end of the second month of birth of sixty children whose parents agreed about blood sampling, were tested for rubella IgM and IgG antibodies using ELISA method. RESULTS: There were 107 live births in the exposed group and 42 in the control group. Serological study showed no IgM rubella antibody in the maternal and infant cord blood; it was not found in the second blood specimens of 60 infants tested at 8 wk of age. IgG rubella antibody was positive in all infants' cord blood but it decreased in the second blood specimens of the infants. None of the children exhibited signs of congenital rubella syndrome. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Finding of our study showed that none of the infants born to mothers vaccinated by MR vaccine during the first trimester of pregnancy or had become pregnant within three months after vaccination, had CRS.

Prevalence of primary drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Mashhad, Iran.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has been a cause of concern in both developed and developing countries. Surveillance data on primary drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis are important to design tuberculosis control programmes. There is a paucity of information about primary drug resistance in mycobacterium in Iran. We undertook this hospital-based study to assess the prevalence of primary of drug resistant in M. tuberculosis in Mashhad, Iran. METHODS: A total of 105 M. tuberculosis isolates from cases with pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis, who did not have prior history of anti-tuberculosis treatment, were tested for the drug susceptibility by indirect proportion susceptibility test as per the standard guidelines. RESULTS: Of the 105 isolate tested, 93 were from pulmonary specimens; and the remaining were extrapulmonary. 79.6 per cent of pulmonary and 50 per cent of extrapulmonary specimens were smear positive. Resistance to at least one drug was shown by 29.5 per cent, while 2.9 per cent were resistant to more than one drug. MDR-TB was found at 1 per cent of strains. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: Our study showed a high level of resistance to streptomycin and very low resistance to other drugs. To achieve the higher cure rate, replacement of streptomycin by ethambutol and strict implementation of DOTs may be considered.