Antibiotic resistance patterns and prevalence of class I, II and III Integrons among clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a well-known pathogen and contributes to different types of infection. To investigate the antibiotic resistance profiles and prevalence of class I, II, and III integrons among clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae, a total of 142 non-duplicate clinical isolates were collected. Antibiotic susceptibility was assessed using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used to identify class I, II and III integrons. The isolates were mostly resistant against streptomycin (62 strains, 43.7 %) and ceftriaxone (42 strains, 29.6 %). Twenty-six (18.3%) isolates were found to be multi-drug resistant (MDR). Class I and II integrons were detected in 65 isolates (45.8%) and 1 (0.7%) isolate, respectively. The findings of this study revealed that the prevalence of streptomycin-resistant isolates is high, and its use must be restricted. Also, our results revealed that class I integrons are widely prevalent in clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae and a significant association was observed between resistance against imipenem, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and streptomycin and the presence of integrons, necessitating appropriate infection control programs.

Molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among health care workers at a Referral Hospital in Zabol, Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is known as one of the most important hospital pathogens responsible for a wide range of infections. Limited data concerning the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and its molecular characteristics are available in Zabol province, Iran. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and its molecular characteristics isolated from health care workers (HCWs). METHODS: Totally, 251 nasal swabs were collected from HCWs at a referral hospital, from March to September 2017. Disk diffusion method was used to identify Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (MRSA). PCR amplification method was used for the detection of following genes; sea, seb, sec, sed, see, tst, eta, etb, lukF-PV, lukS-PV and SCCmec types. RESULTS: Of 251 collected swabs, 31 (12.4%) cases were identified as S. aureus carriers, which 14 (14/31; 45.2%) isolates were MRSA. The most prevalent detected genes were sea and tst, with 22.6% and 9.7%, respectively. The most prevalent SCCmec type was SCCmec type IV (28.6%). CONCLUSION: We found that the prevalence of MRSA nasal carriage is at high level and must be considered as a significant health care problem at the investigated hospital. Strict implementation of infection-control policies and rational use of antibiotics are the main pillars for controlling the spread of S. aureus at hospital.

Multidrug Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Iran: A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis.

BACKGROUND: Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDR P. aeruginosa) is known as a serious threat to human health worldwide. Limited information is available concerning the prevalence of MDR P. aeruginosa in Iran. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relative frequency of MDR P. aeruginosa in different parts of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using appropriate keywords and well-known English and Persian database, available data about MDR P. aeruginosa in Iran were retrieved. After applying predefined criteria, relevant studies were selected. RESULTS: By using random-effect models, the pooled incidence of MDR P. aeruginosa was estimated 58% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 0.54-0.61). The highest and lowest prevalence of MDR P. aeruginosa were observed in Tehran (100%) (95% CI; 0.94-1.00) and Zahedan (16%) (95% CI; 0.10-0.24), respectively. The highest resistance rate was against ceftazidime (50%) (95% CI; 0.46-0.54) and amikacin (50%) (95% CI; 0.46-0.54). CONCLUSION: Our findings are of concern since they demonstrate the high prevalence rate of MDR P. aeruginosa in the majority of Iranian hospitals.

The role of diclofenac sodium in the dimorphic transition in Candida albicans.

Diclofenac sodium is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that inhibits filamentation in Candida albicans. Here we examined the effect of diclofenac sodium on hypha formation in C. albicans. The C. albicans cells were treated with various concentrations of diclofenac sodium (50, 100, 200 and 500microg/ml) and incubated at 37 degrees C for 2h. The characteristics of hypha formation were then assessed microscopically in both liquid and solid media. The results indicated that the effect of diclofenac sodium was dependent on the concentration of this compound, and preincubation with 500microg/ml diclofenac sodium completely inhibited hypha formation in both liquid and solid media. RT-qPCR analysis of RNA extracted from C. albicans indicated that the levels of expression of agglutinin-like sequence 3 (ALS3), RAS1, EFG1 mRNA, which are regulated by the cAMP-EFG1 pathway in C. albicans and three hypha-specific genes (ALS1, ECE1 and HWP1), were decreased in diclofenac sodium treated cells compared to the levels in controls. Our results also demonstrated that diclofenac sodium possesses potent anti yeast-hypha transition activity in vitro and it could be useful in combined therapy with conventional antifungal agents in the management of treatment of Candida albicans infections.