Emergence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cross-infection in children with cystic fibrosis attending an Iranian referral pediatric center

This study was carried out with the objective of determining the genomic variability of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from patients suffering from cystic fibrosis or from environmental cultures collected from different locations in the unit they admitted. A total of 57 clinical and environmental P. aeruginosa isolates were genotyped by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR [ERIC-PCR], and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute method. One predominant ERIC profile [type A] was identified in 46 strains [81% of all typed isolates] which was responsible for thirty-nine of 44 clinical isolates [89%] and 7 of 13 environmental isolates [54%]. All clinical isolates were susceptible to piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftazidime and cefepime followed by ticarcillin, aztreonam, amikacin and tobramycin [96.5%].In our country CF patients are not segregated from other patients, and transmission of bacteria between these patients and other patients might occur in the wards via personal contact or contaminated environment. Future evaluation for policy of patient segregation is necessary and the elimination of contaminated sources and control of environmental spread and recurrent contamination risk is needed.

Seroepidemiology of Varicella Zoster Virus among children, adolescents and medical students in a referral children medical center, Tehran, Iran

Varicella is a benign childhood infection with considerable complication in none immune adults. The aim of this study was to survey Varicella Zoster Virus [VZV] seroepidemiology in children, adolescents and medical students in Children Medical Center, Tehran, Iran. In this cross sectional study, serum sample of children, adolescents 10 to 18 years old and medical students 18 to 25 years old were tested for VZV IgG with a commercial ELISA kit. A total of 412 individuals who were 10 to 25 years of age participated in this study. Overall 269 individuals [65.3%] were seropositive for VZV IgG. Seroprevalence of VZV antibody increased with age of participants, from 59% in 10-11years children to 80% in 20-21 years old young adult students, except in 22-23 and 24-25 years old, whom the frequency of positive results decreased interestingly to 41.7 and 52.8%, respectively. Prevalence of positive VZV antibody between two genders was not statistically different. On-going monitoring of the seroepidemilogy of VZV is necessary to assess trends of infection in the community. A considerable proportion of young medical students in this study were still susceptible to VZV and consequent complications.