Environmental mycobacteria in areas of high and low tuberculosis prevalence in the Islamic Republic of Iran

This research compared the numbers and types of different Mycobacterium species in soil samples taken from 2 areas of Golestan province, Islamic Republic of Iran, 1 with a high prevalence of tuberculosis and 1 with a low prevalence. From 220 samples, 91 grew positive cultures [41.4%] and 161 different strains were diagnosed. The most common species isolated were Mycobacterium fortuitum, M. flavescens and M. chelonae. The frequencies of environmental Mycobacterium in the low-prevalence area were much higher than in the high-prevalence area, perhaps due to different environmental factors

[ survey of contamination with genital mycoplasma in women with bacterial vaginalis by PCR method]

Genital mycoplasmas can cause infection of the genitourinary tract. These organisms are associated with bacterial vaginosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, cervicitis, Nongonococcal urethritis. Spontaneous abortion, premature birth, neonatal pneumonia and meningitis, and infertility. The aim of this study was to determine the ability of PCR method for diagnosis and identification of genital mycoplasma in culture negative samples taken from women suffering from bacterial vaginosis. 174 genital samples were taken from women suffering from bacterial vaginosis during January until December 2005. Two genital swabs were taken from each patient. One of them was cultured on the mycoplasma specific media for isolation of mycoplasma. The other swab was immersed in PBS buffer and frozen until DNA extraction. To detect the presence of mycoplasma and ureaplasma in genital DNA Samples: a 520-bp fragment of the 16S rRNA was amplified. The specific primers used for this purpose were: MGSO, UGSO, MY- ins. From 174 samples,71 samples [40.8%] were positive by culture for mycoplasma and ureaplasma. From 103 culture negative samples. According to PCR results, 14 samples [13.6%] were positive and 89 Samples [86.4%] were negative for mycoplasma and ureaplasma. This study showed that PCR method is more sensitive than culture for detection genital mycoplasma, Therefore PCR is a rapid, sensitive and easy method to detect genital mycoplasmas in urogenital swabs

[Mycobacterium marinum infection in Caviar fishes and fishermans in Ashorada of Golestan province in north of Iran]

Mycobacterium marinum is the etiologic agent of fish Mycobacteriosis and fish tank granuloma in human in this study our objective was to determine of the fish tank granuloma in Fishermen and Mycobacterium marinum infection in Caviar fishes in Ashorade, in the Golestan province of Iran south east Caspian Sea border. Any suspected lesions in 387 subjects of Fishermen and 113 autopsy samples from gills of fish of Caviar were obtained and cultured in Lowenstein Jensen media. The mycobacterial species were determined by conventional biochemical tests. No fish tank granuloma was proved in human, but 11 [9.73%] strains of Mycobacteria were isolated from Caviar fishes, that only 2 strains [1.76%] belong to M.marinum. This study showed that was low prevalence any cases of fish tank granuloma and infection due to M.marinum in Caviar fish in this Region