ABSTRACT
@#Numerous studies and meta-analyses have been conducted on the role of infectious agents in susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study we aimed to investigate the role of varicella zoster virus (VZV) in susceptibility to MS as an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. After screening and applying eligibility criteria 19 studies were imported for qualitative systematic review and 11 studies were imported for meta-analysis as different subgroups. No significant result was obtained for association of VZV IgG seropositivity with susceptibility to MS. Positive history of VZV infection was significantly associated with susceptibility to MS. Synthesis of IPD showed that presence of VZV DNA was associated with MS(P<0.001) both in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (OR= 22.40 [5.85-85.71]) and in cerebrospinal fluid (OR= 14.42 [5.29-39.29]). In general VZV can be a risk factor for MS; but since VZV infection history is highly prevalent in populations without vaccination and on the other hand MS has low prevalence, this association should not be used as a prognostic or predictive value. The exact mechanism should be investigated in future.
ABSTRACT
The rapid identification of relevant bacterial pathogens is of utmost importance in clinical settings. The aim of this study was to test a rapid identification technique for A. baumannii strains from Tehran Hospitals and to determine the antibiotic resistance profiles of the isolates. A hundred strains of Acinetobacter spp. grown from clinical specimens were identified as A. baumannii by conventional methods. Using PCR a bla OXA-51 -like gene was detected in all A. baumannii isolates but not in other species of acinetobacter. More than half of the isolates proved resistant to a variety of antibiotics by the disk diffusion technique. The rate of resistance to gentamicin, imipenem, ampicillin-sulbactam and amikacin was determined to be 45%, 53%, 62% and 62%, respectively. Moreover, most isolates (more than 90%) showed resistance to cephalosporins. This study shows that the demonstration of the bla OXA-51-like gene is a reliable and rapid way for the presumptive identification of A. baumannii and reveals that the rate of antibiotic resistance is high in Iranian A. baumannii isolates to a variety of antibiotics.
Subject(s)
Acinetobacter baumannii/isolation & purification , Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , beta-Lactamases/genetics , Acinetobacter baumannii/drug effects , Drug Resistance, BacterialABSTRACT
The MICs of imipenem, meropenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, cefotaxime, polymixin B and tigecycline against 80 isolates of Acintobacter baumanii from 6 hospitals were determined. A multiplex-PCR was used to detect the genes encoding carbapenemases. Field Inversion Gel Electrophoresis (FIGE) was then used to investigate the genetic relationships among the carbapenem-resistant isolates. Only 7 isolates were resistant to polymixin B and tigecycline (MIC = 16). All isolates were positive for at least 2 carbapenemase genes. At least 10 distinct clones were detected by FIGE. A dominant pattern designated as pulsotype A consisting of 23 isolates was detected from 4 hospitals. The majority of isolates in this pulsotype had a bla(OXA-51/23-like) and bla(OXA-51/24-like) carbapenemase genes and cultured from the patients at burns and ICU. The pan drug resistant isolates belonged to different FIGE patterns. Nosocomial infections with different clones of Acintobacter baumanii occur at Tehran hospitals. However, inter-hospital transmission with certain pulsotypes is likely.
