The Epidemiological Investigation of Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis, and Arenavirus Infections in Small Mammals in Northwestern Iran.

Background: The control and prevention of rodent-borne diseases are mainly based on our knowledge of ecology and the infectious status of their reservoir hosts. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Francisella tularensis, Yersinia pestis, and arenavirus infections in small mammals and to assess the potential of disease occurrence in East Azerbaijan, northwest of Iran, in 2017 and 2018. Methods: Spleen and lung samples were obtained from all trapped small mammals. The real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) method was used to detect nucleic acid sequences of F. tularensis, Y. pestis, and arenaviruses. Serum samples were tested for antibodies indicating the host response to F. tularensis and Y. pestis infections using the standard tube agglutination test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Results: A total of 205 rodents, four Eulipotyphla, and one carnivore were captured. The most common rodent species captured (123 of 205 rodents, 60%) belonged to the genus Meriones (mainly Persian jird, Meriones persicus). In total, 317 fleas were removed from trapped animals. Flea species belonged to Xenopsylla buxtoni, Xenopsylla nuttalli, Stenoponia tripectinata, Paraceras melis, Ctenophthalmus rettigi smiti, Rhadinopsylla bivirgis, Paradoxopsyllus grenieri, and Nosopsyllus iranus. Using the qPCR tests, five spleen samples from M. persicus were positive for F. tularensis. The qPCR tests were negative for the detection of Y. pestis and arenaviruses. Finally, all serum samples tested were negative for antibodies against Y. pestis and F. tularensis. Conclusions: F. tularensis was the only zoonotic agent detected in rodents captured in East Azerbaijan. However, the diversity of trapped rodents and fleas provides the potential for the spread of various rodent-borne viral and bacterial diseases in the studied areas.

Zoonotic implications of camel diseases in Iran.

Approximately 60% of all human pathogens and 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic (of animal origin). Camel zoonotic diseases can be encountered in all camel-rearing countries. In this article, all studies carried out on camel zoonotic diseases in Iran are reviewed to show the importance of camels for public health in this country. More than 900 published documents were systematically searched to find relevant studies from 1,890 until late 2018. The collected articles were classified according to the aetiological agents. In this study, 19 important zoonotic diseases were reported among Iranian camels including listeriosis, leptospirosis, plague, Q fever, brucellosis, campylobacteriosis, tuberculosis, pasteurellosis, clostridiosis, salmonellosis, Escherichia coli infections, rabies, camelpox, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, echinococcosis, cryptosporidiosis, toxoplasmosis and dermatophytosis, most of which belong to bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal pathogens, respectively. Results show that camels are one of the most important sources of infections and diseases in human; therefore, continuous monitoring and inspection programs are necessary to prevent the outbreak of zoonotic diseases caused by this animal in humans.

Efficacy of comprehensive ozone therapy in diabetic foot ulcer healing.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot ulcer is one of the common complications of diabetes disease that is costly and difficult to treat. This problem can lead to morbidity and even mortality. Ozone is a gas that can optimize cellular metabolism and, because of its antioxidant and antibacterial effects, can help the better healing of diabetic foot ulcer. METHOD: Two hundred patients, aged 18-85 with diabetic foot ulcers ranging from grade 1 to 4 according to Wagner classification in two groups were studied. Group 1 was treated by full ozone therapy besides the standard regular DFU treatment while group two just was received routine diabetic foot care. Wound size, wound grade, healing time, Fasting blood sugar and inflammatory biomarker before and after treatment were checked. RESULTS: All patients have had complete wound closure in the ozone group. The mean age of the patients included in the results was 59.03 ±â€¯12.593 and 53.5 ±â€¯10.212 for ozone group and control group. The baseline average surface area of ulcers was 13.41 ±â€¯14.092 cm2 (range 1-70 cm2) in ozone group and 12.72 ±â€¯0.911 (range 1_64 cm2) in the control group. Average healing time was 69.44 ±â€¯36.055 days (range 15-180 days), which is significantly lower than the median healing time measured in the control group and some previous studies. CONCLUSION: Our study results support the efficacy of ozone therapy especially in its comprehensive use in DFU healing and reduction in the chances of infection and amputation.