Exploring the diversity of uncommon oral yeast species and associated risk factors among substance abusers in southwestern Iran.

Yeast species are a group of coexistent microorganisms in the oral cavity that can cause opportunistic infections in vulnerable individuals, including addicts. This study aimed to identify the yeast species profile responsible for oral yeast colonization (OYC) and the associated risk factors in patients with substance use disorder (SUD) in Ahvaz, Iran. Oral samples were collected from drug users hospitalized in 12 addiction treatment centers, and the related clinical information was mined. Oral yeast species were identified using 21-plex PCR and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2). A total of 244 yeast strains were identified from 245 individuals with substance abuse. Candida albicans was the most common species (37.7%) and non-albicans Candida was responsible for 57.7% of OYC, primarily C. dubliniensis (33.2%) and C. glabrata (11.9%). Moreover, uncommon oral yeasts constituted 5.3% of species, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Clavispora lusitaniae, Pichia kluyveri, Geotrichum candidum, Magnusiomyces capitatus, Hanseniospora opuntiae, Wickerhamomyces subpelliculosus, Trichosporon asahii, and Aureobasidium pullulans. Importantly, OYC exhibited associations with such factors as duration of drug use, daily drug consumption rate, opioid utilization, oral drug administration, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) score. The present study is the pioneering investigation revealing the prevalence and diversity of oral yeast species, along with associated risk factors, in individuals with SUD in southwestern Iran. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of developing efficient and cost-effective diagnostic methods tailored for resource-constrained settings.

Aspergillus welwitschiae; an otomycosis predominant agent, new epidemiological and antifungal susceptibility data from Iran.

BACKGROUND: Black aspergilli (section Nigri) are predominate etiologic agents of otomycosis, however, there is controversy in the exact differentiation of species. For several decades Aspergillus niger is considered the main otomycosis etiologic agent. Recently calmodulin gene has been accepted as a more suitable gene for the accurate assignment of Aspergillus species. Therefore, it is found that A. welwitschiae and A. tubingensis are the main otomycosis agents based on calmodulin gene sequencing. AIMS: The objective of the study was to isolate and identify black aspergilli from otomycosis using the calmodulin gene and their susceptibility was evaluated against several antifungals. METHODS: 134 clinically confirmed patients with otomycosis were sampled and specimens were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) at ambient temperature. Black aspergilli were screened based on colony morphology on SDA and microscopy features and then subjected to sequencing using calmodulin primers. Moreover, antifungal susceptibility for isolates was applied based on CLSI M38 3rd edition. RESULTS: 132 (98.5%) of patients had positive cultures for different species of molds or yeasts. Most of the patients (30.3%) ranged from 31 to 40 years, and 56.1% of them were female. Aspergillus section Nigri was the most prevalent fungal pathogen and of 86 isolates, 60.5% isolates were identified as A. welwitschiae, A. tubingensis, 31 (36.0%), A. niger (sensu stricto), 2 (2.3%), and A. neoniger 1 (1.2%). According to the maximum likelihood method, all isolates of A. tubingensis and one isolate of A. neoniger were included in the A. tubingensis clade. On the other hand, the clade of A. niger/A. welwitschiae contains, all isolates of A. welwitschiae, two A. niger (sensu stricto) isolates, and 36 isolates from other countries. Aspergillus welwitschiae was more sensitive to luliconazole, voriconazole, and amphotericin B compared to A. tubingensis. 78.8% of A. welwitschiae strains were classified as non-wild type to nystatin compared to 35.5% of A. tubingensis. Moreover, 3.2% of A. tubingensis strains were non-wild type against amphotericin B. The isolates of A. tubingensis were more sensitive to itraconazole than A. welwitschiae. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that in contrast, to the previous study A. welwitschiae from section Nigri is the most causative agent of otomycosis followed by A. tubingensis. In addition, the isolates of A. welwitschiae were more sensitive to luliconazole, voriconazole, and amphotericin B compared to A. tubingensis. Whereas, the isolates of A. tubingensis were more sensitive to itraconazole than A. welwitschiae. On the other hand, 78.8% and 35.5% of A. welwitschiae and A. tubingensis strains were classified as a non-wild type against nystatin. Also, 3.2% of A. tubingensis strains were non-wild type against amphotericin B. All A. welwitschiae were included in the A. niger/A. welwitschiae clade, associated with different clinical and environmental species from different countries.

Population structure, susceptibility profile, phenotypic and mating properties of Candida tropicalis isolated from pediatric patients.

BACKGROUND: Candida tropicalis is one of the most frequently isolated species and is commonly associated with nosocomial infections, hematological malignancy, neutropenia, and urinary tract infections. AIMS: This study aims to genotype C. tropicalis strains isolated from pediatric patients admitted to two hospitals in Ahvaz, Iran. We provide a vision of the genotypes, mating types, enzymatic activity, phenotypes, and antifungal susceptibility profile of these isolates. METHODS: Candida tropicalis isolates were collected from various clinical (Oral, urine, wound, and bronchoalveolar lavage) and environmental sources between November 2020 and November 2021. Primitively, samples were cultured on CHROMagar Candida. All isolates were identified by sequencing the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region for precise identification. Isolates were genotyped by six microsatellite markers specific for C. tropicalis. Antifungal susceptibility profiles were determined against eight antifungal agents according to CLSI M27 standards. The phenotype of each C. tropicalis isolate was assessed using yeast peptone dextrose agar supplemented with phloxine B. Mating types of C. tropicalis isolates were determined using MTLa1 and MTL2 specific primers. RESULTS: Species identification revealed 46 C. tropicalis strains. Among them, 39 different genotypes were detected that have split into 34 singletons and five clusters. Twenty isolates were the non-wild type for itraconazole and posaconazole. Four isolates were multidrug-resistant. The activity of hemolysin and esterase enzyme was very strong among all isolates. Mating type and phenotype were not significantly correlated with genotypes (p = 0.721 and p = 0.135, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: To conclude, tested populations were moderately differentiated with high gene flow. One cluster of isolates among different hospitals was identified, and three clusters were from different cities.

Genotypic diversity of Iranian Cryptococcus neoformans using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and susceptibility to antifungals.

Cryptococcus species is an opportunistic yeast pathogen and classified into different molecular types according to typing techniques including multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The study aimed to investigate the genotypes of environmental Cryptococcus isolates using MLST and the relationship between the in vitro antifungal susceptibility and sequence types of isolates. Genotyping Cryptococcus isolates was performed by the MLST method at seven nuclear loci. Antifungal susceptibility was determined by using CLSI broth micro-dilution method for amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, flucytosine, and luliconazole. Seven sequence types (ST) were detected using MLST analysis, with the most frequent (50%) ST77, followed by ST4 (16.7%) among 30 C. neoformans isolates. All antifungals demonstrated excellent activity against isolates, except for itraconazole and amphotericin B that were non-wild type against 53.3% and 10% of isolates, respectively. Although seven sequence types belonging to C. neoformans isolates were detected, ST77 was the main sequence type in Ahvaz. Also, non-wild type isolates were only found against itraconazole and amphotericin B.

Genotyping, antifungal susceptibility, enzymatic activity, and phenotypic variation in Candida albicans from esophageal candidiasis.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal candidiasis is the most frequent form of esophagitis. The pathogenicity of Candida spp. is related to a combination of microbial factors, hydrolytic enzyme secretion and phenotypic switching. This study was designed to investigate esophageal candidiasis, antifungal activity, enzymatic activity patterns, phenotyping, and genotyping profiles of Candida albicans species. METHODS: Nine hundred thirty-three visited patients were evaluated, and esophageal biopsies from patients were included in this study during 2019-2020. Direct smear, Gram staining, and culture on CHROMagar were performed for each sample. Isolated species were identified with conventional procedures and PCR-RFLP. Susceptibility to antifungals was determined according to CLSI guidelines. ABC typing, phenotype switching, hemolysin, proteinase, phospholipase, and esterase activity were also determined with the appropriate protocols. RESULTS: Twenty-three (2.5%) patients (mean age 55.2 years) were diagnosed with esophageal candidiasis. The species isolated were 19(82.6%) C. albicans, 3(13.1%) C. glabrata, and 1(4.3%) C. tropicalis. Genotype A (57.9%) was the predominant type in C. albicans isolates. 50% of C. albicans isolates exhibited a white phenotype. A high level of phospholipase (47.4%), hemolysin (68.4%), and proteinase activity (36.8%) was observed in the C. albicans isolates. Only three C. glabrata isolates displayed non-wild type susceptibility to voriconazole and itraconazole. CONCLUSION: This study shows that C. albicans are still the most frequent isolates from patients with esophageal candidiasis. The predominance of genotype A, the white phenotype, and strong hemolysin activity may indicate a high prevalence of pathogenicity in these isolates. Sensitivity to antifungal drugs was greatest for amphotericin and fluconazole.

The high efficacy of luliconazole against environmental and otomycosis Aspergillus flavus strains.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Luliconazole is currently confirmed for the topical therapy of dermatophytosis. Moreover, it is found that luliconazole has in vitro activity against some molds and yeast species. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of luliconazole in comparison to routine used antifungals on clinical and environmental isolates of Aspergillus flavus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty eight isolates of A. flavus (18 environmental and 20 clinical isolates) were detected based on morphological and microscopic features and also PCR-sequencing of ß-tubulin ribosomal DNA gene. All the isolates were tested against luliconazole, voriconazole, amphotericin B and caspofungin. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), MIC50, MIC90 and MIC Geometric (GM) were calculated using CLSI M38-A2 protocol for both environmental and clinical isolates. RESULTS: Luliconazole with extremely low MIC range, 0.00049-0.00781 µg/mL and MICGM 0.00288 µg/mL showed very strong activity against both clinical and environmental A. flavus isolates. Moreover, voriconazole inhibited 100% of isolates at defined epidemiological cutoff values (ECV ≤ 2 µg/ml). 50% and 27.8% of clinical and environmental isolates of A. flavus, were resistant to caspofungin, respectively. Whereas, all the isolates were found to be resistant to amphotericin B. CONCLUSION: The analysis of our data clearly indicated that luliconazole (with MICGM 0.00244 µg/ml for clinical and 0.00336 µg/ml for environmental isolates) had the highest in vitro activity against A. flavus strains.

The effect of curcumin-based and clotrimazole vaginal cream in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis.

BACKGROUND: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is the second most common infection of the lower female genital among women passing through their productive age. Furthermore, Candida albicans is the most common VVC agents followed by, non-albicans Candida species. Nowadays, extensive studies are being conducted on alternative therapies and the use of herbal medicines. OBJECTIVES: The present study was conducted to compare the effect of curcumin and clotrimazole vaginal cream in the treatment of VVC. METHODS: The present randomized controlled trial study was performed on 94 women passing through their productive age after their being diagnosed with VVC. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups, with one receiving curcumin-based vaginal 10% cream and the other receiving clotrimazole vaginal 1% cream. The treatment period was 1 week and a full 5 g applicator was used every night. Required follow-up was implemented 4-7 days after the end of treatment. RESULTS: The results showed no significant differences between the two groups in terms of vaginal discharge, itching, vulvovaginal irritation, and vulvovaginal erythema (P > 0.05); however, the number of negative cultures in the group receiving curcumin was significantly lower in comparison with the other group, which received clotrimazole (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: It seems that although curcumin could be effective in the treatment of clinical symptoms of VVC, it, quite similar to clotrimazole vaginal cream, did not affect vaginal culture.

Microsatellite Typing and Antifungal Susceptibility of Candida glabrata Strains Isolated From Patients With Candida Vaginitis.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a yeast infection with a global reach and millions of dollars are spent annually for its diagnosis and treatment. Recently, Candida glabrata with different degrees of antifungal resistance has been considered as the second most common cause of vaginal infections. The aim of the present study is to determine the antifungal susceptibility and molecular epidemiology profiles of C. glabrata isolates from patients with VVC. Sixty-one C. glabrata isolates were examined for antifungal susceptibility using the EUCAST broth microdilution method. Moreover, microsatellite length polymorphism (MLP) was used for typing the C. glabrata isolates using six microsatellite markers. Overall, 13, 3.3, and 0% of the isolates were non-wild types to itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole, respectively. Sixty (98.4%) isolates were an intermediate phenotype to fluconazole and only one isolate was fluconazole resistant. Microsatellite length polymorphism with a discriminatory power of 0.964 identified 35 distinct types and 24 singleton genotypes. The assessment of the population genetic structure revealed that the non-wild-type population had a moderate genetic differentiation compared to the wild type population (FST = 0.1457). It was also found that the most common genotypes were G27 (eight strains), G12 (six strains), and G4 (five strains). We found that eight strains were resistant/a non-wild phenotype to itraconazole. Five out of eight (62.5%) resistant/non-wild phenotype strains correlated to a predominant genotype (GT27) and the rest belonged to GT11 (12.5%), GT29 (12.5%), and GT28 (12.5%). The current study is the first molecular epidemiology study in the southwest of Iran and demonstrates the antifungal susceptibility profiles of C. glabrata in it. This study shows a wide range of the genetic diversity of C. glabrata (35 different genotypes) from VVC in the southwest of Iran. The majority of the non-wild isolates had a dominant genotype or genotypes related to this dominant genotype (clonal cluster one).

The potency of luliconazole against clinical and environmental Aspergillus nigri complex.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Black Aspergillus strains including, Aspergillus niger and A. tubingensis, are the most cause of otomycosis with worldwide distribution. Although, amphotericin B was a Gold standard for the treatment of invasive fungal infection for several decades, it gradually replaced by fluconazole and /or voriconazole. Moreover, luliconazole, appears to offer the best potential for in vitro activity against black Aspergillus strains. The aim of the present study was to compare the in vitro activity luliconazole, with commonly used antifungals against clinical and environmental strains of black Aspergillus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty seven (37 clinical and 30 environmental) strains of black Aspergillus were identified using morphological and molecular technique (ß-Tubulin gene). In addition, antifungal susceptibility test was applied according to CLSI M38 A2. The results were reported as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) or minimum effective concentration (MEC) range, MIC50 or MEC50, MIC90 or MEC90 and MIC geometric (GM) or MECGM. RESULTS: Aspergillus niger was the common isolate followed by, A. tubingensis in both clinical and environmental strains. The lowest MIC range, MIC50, MIC90, and MICGM was attributed to luliconazole in clinical strains. The highest resistant rate was found in amphotericin B for both clinical (86.5%) and environmental (96.7%) strains whereas 54.1% of clinical and 30% of environmental isolates were resistant to caspofungin. Clinical strains of Aspergillus were more sensitive to voriconazole (86.7%) than environmental strains (70.3%). On the other hand, 83.8% of clinical and 70% of environmental isolates were resistant to posaconazole. CONCLUSION: Luliconazole versus amphotericin B, voriconazole, posaconazole and caspofungin is a potent antifungal for Aspergillus Nigri complex. The in vitro extremely antifungal efficacy against black Aspergillus strains of luliconazole, is different from those of other used antifungals.

Candiduria; a review article with specific data from Iran.

Although, several categories of nosocomial infections are presented during the recent years, urinary tract infections (UTIs) considered as one of the most important systemic infections. The presence of Candida species in the urinary tract system (Candiduria) is seen in only 10-15% of the cases with UTI, however candiduria has been considered as more problematic infection for patients, laboratory workers and physicians. Due to increasing numbers of several predisposing factors, such as antibacterial agents, urinary tract instrumentation, diabetes mellitus, invasive therapies, and prolonged hospital stay, candiduria develops among the hospitalized patients, especially hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). According to the epidemiological studies, Candida albicans is the most common isolated species from candiduric patients. However, during the recent years, due to increasing resistance to antifungal drugs, non-albicans Candida species including, C. glabrata, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis have been also implicated. We found that the mean prevalence of candiduria among Iranian patients was lower (16.5%) than worldwide ratio and also males were more frequently affected than females (M:F, 1.2:1). Similar to other countries, C. albicans was most common infectious agent followed by non-albicans Candida species including, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis and C. krusei.

Association between TPO Asn698Thr and Thr725Pro gene polymorphisms and serum anti-TPO levels in Iranian patients with subclinical hypothyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is defined as high levels of TSH in the presence of normal levels of serum FT4. Since thyroid peroxidase (TPO) plays a key role in thyroid hormone synthesis, variations in the TPO gene can change the enzyme structure and result in the production of anti-TPO antibodies. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the Asn698Thr (A2095C) and Thr725Pro (A2173C) polymorphisms of the TPO gene and anti-TPO levels in patients with SCH. DESIGN: In this study, 150 individuals (75 cases and 75 controls), aged 19-75 years, were selected randomly by a clinician. The thyroid function tests included were FT3, FT4, TSH and anti-TPO antibodies using ELISA. The TPO gene polymorphisms were examined by PCR-RFLP. RESULTS: Anti-TPO levels in the experimental group was significantly increased (P=0.020). The A2095C genotype frequency in the experimental and control groups were 37.3% vs 34.7% for the AA healthy genotype, 20% vs 46.7% for AC and 42.7% vs 18.6% for CC, respectively (P=0.001). The A2173C genotype frequency in the experimental and control groups were 22.6% vs 68% for healthy AA, 40% vs 25.3% for AC and 37.4% vs 6.7% for CC, respectively (P <0.001). The increased anti-TPO antibodies were significantly associated with the A2173C polymorphism (P=0.035). The findings showed that the chance (odds ratio) of developing subclinical hypothyroidism in individuals who had C alleles was 1.5 and 5.6-fold higher than in individuals without these alleles in the A2095C and A2173C regions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Determination of anti-TPO antibody levels and exon 12 TPO gene polymorphisms in patients with SCH can be helpful for prediction of overt hypothyroidism.

Morpho-Molecular Characterization of Soil Inhabitant Dermatophytes from Ahvaz, Southwest of Iran, a High Occurrence of Microsporum fulvum.

Occurrence and diversity of dermatophyte mycoflora in 298 soil samples from Ahvaz, Southwest of Iran was investigated by using the hair-baiting technique. The samples were collected during spring (n = 210) and autumn (n = 88) of 2015, and the fungal isolates were identified based on the macro- and micro-morphology of colonies and with further ITS-rDNA RFLP and sequencing. Totally, 60 soil samples (20.1%) were positive for dermatophyte growth whose pH varied from 7.0 to 7.9. The highest (26.6%) and the lowest (14.3%) recovery rates were from the animal resorts and the streets soils samples, respectively. Seasonally, 16.7% of the spring samples and 28.4% of the autumn samples were positive. Based on molecular identification, three species of two genera were identified viz. M. fulvum (n = 57), M. canis (n = 2) and zoophilic Trichophyton interdigitale (n = 1). As a specific goal in the study, differentiation of the species in Microsporum gypseum complex was established by measuring the mean length and width of macroconidia in some strains of M. gypseum, M. fulvum and M. incurvatum. Mean size for macroconidia length and width in three species showed that M. gypseum and M. incurvatum can morphologically be differentiated from M. fulvum but not from each other. M. fulvum was the most abundant species isolated from the soils of Ahvaz; however, to comprehensively specify the distribution pattern of geophilic dermatophytes in the soils of this city further investigations are needed. Identification based on micro-morphometric is not effective for species distinction in M. gypseum complex, while molecular procedures based on sequencing of certain DNA regions are the most reliable and applicable strategies for this purpose.

Lamisil versus clotrimazole in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Vaginal candidiasis is a common disease in women during their lifetime and occurs in diabetes patients, during pregnancy and oral contraceptives users. Although several antifungals are routinely used for treatment; however, vaginal candidiasis is a challenge for patients and gynecologists. The aim of the present study was to evaluate terbinafine (Lamisil) on Candida vaginitis versus clotrimazole. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study women suspected to have vulvovaginal candidiasis were sampled and disease confirmed using direct smear and culture examination from vaginal discharge. Then, patients were randomly divided into two groups, the first group (32 cases) was treated with clotrimazole and the next (25 cases) with Lamisil. All patients were followed-up to three weeks of treatment and therapeutic effects of both antifungal were compared. RESULTS: Our results shows that 12 (37.5%) patients were completely treated with clotrimazole during two weeks and, 6(18.8%) patients did not respond to drugs and were refereed for fluconazole therapy. Fourteen (43.8%) patients showed moderate response and clotrimazole therapy was extended for one more week. When Lamisil was administrated, 19 (76.0%) patients were completely treated with Lamisil in two weeks, and 1 (4.0%) of the patients did not respond to the drug and was refereed for fluconazole therapy. Five (20.0%) of our patients showed moderate response and Lamisil therapy was extended for one more week. CONCLUSION: Our results show that vaginal cream, 1% Lamisil, could be suggested as a first-line treatment in vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Species assignment and antifungal susceptibilities of black aspergilli recovered from otomycosis cases in Iran.

Black aspergilli are among the main causative agents of otomycosis worldwide. In this study, the species assignment of black aspergilli isolated from otomycosis cases in Iran was carried out using sequence analysis of part of the calmodulin gene. The results indicate that Aspergillus niger is not the only black Aspergillus species involved in otomycosis cases in Iran: Aspergillus awamori and Aspergillus tubingensis are also able to cause ear infections. Antifungal susceptibility tests were carried out against five antifungal drugs including amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole and terbinafine. All isolates were highly susceptible to terbinafine, while they exhibited moderate susceptibilities against amphotericin B, fluconazole and ketoconazole. Aspergillus niger and A. awamori were found to have higher minimal inhibitory concentrations for azoles than A. tubingensis, in accordance with previous findings.

Blood lead levels in children with neurological disorders: a single centre preliminary study / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Lead poisoning is a potentially devastating problem among young children. Chronic low level lead exposure can lead to learning disabilities and behavior changes such as colic, insomnia, hyperactivity, impaired growth, hearing loss and upper extremity weakness. The purpose of this cross sectional study was to determine the blood lead level in children with neurological disorders in comparison with healthy controls.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Blood lead concentrations were measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry in 100 children aged 1-10 years and suffering from various neurological disorders. One hundred age and sex-matched healthy children served as controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean blood lead concentration was higher in children with neurological disorders than in controls (113.2 + or - 47.5 microg/L vs 84.7 + or - 38.0 microg/L; p<0.01). Overall, 44% of children with neurological disorders and 19% of controls were found to have increased blood lead levels, i.e.>100 microg/L.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>An increase in blood lead level in children might be related to neurological disorders. The measurement of blood lead level might be included in diagnostic eveluation of children with neurological disorders.</p>

Evaluation of fungal and bacterial contaminations of patient-used ocular drops.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of fungal and bacterial contaminations of in-use eye drop products in the teaching department of ophthalmology, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ahvaz. Two hundred and eighty seven eye drop bottles were randomly collected at the end of day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4 and day 7 of use. The eye drop residues, swabs from internal caps and droppers were inoculated onto MacConkey agar, blood agar and Sabouraud's dextrose agar. The identification of the recovered organisms was accomplished using standard microbial identification techniques. The incidence of microbial contamination of in-use eye drop products was 17.8%, with the highest rate (24.6%) and the lowest rate (9.0%) noted with day 1 and day 3 samples, respectively. The most contaminated part of the eye drop products was the caps (45.9%) followed by droppers (41.0%) and residual contents (13.1%). Considering mendicants contents, those with pilocarpine (41.7%) had the highest rate of contamination followed by atropine (31.8%), tropicamide (28.6%) and betamethasone (23.3%). Our study revealed the potential risk of contamination of in-use eye drop products in hospitals, but we did not find a direct relationship between usage duration and contamination rate.

In vitro anti-Candida Activity of Zataria multiflora Boiss.

Zataria multiflora Boiss known as Avishan Shirazi (in Iran) is one of the valuable Iranian medicinal plants. The aim of study was to evaluate anti-Candida activity of Z. multiflora against different species of Candida in vitro. Anti-Candida activity of the aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic maceration extract of the aerial parts of Z. multiflora Boiss was studied in vitro. Anti-Candida activity against Candida species was done using serial dilutions of extracts in Sabouraud's dextrose agar. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the methanolic and ethanolic extracts was 70.7 and 127 mg l(-1), respectively. Aqueous extract showed no remarkable activity against Candida species. We conclude that methanolic extract of the aerial parts of Z. multiflora Boiss has more anti-Candida effect at 70.7 mg l(-1) compared to ethanolic extract 127 mg l(-1). In addition, the isolates of Candida parapsilosis were more susceptible to methanolic extract than other tested species.

First case of Microsporum ferrugineum from Iran.

This is a first case of Microsporum ferrugineum from Iranian patient. A 42 year old man was examined for tinea faciei infection. Direct KOH preparations from skin scraping revealed hyaline septate branching mycelium. Cultures of skin scrapings yielded M. ferrugineum after three weeks. Isolate was identified based on colony morphology on Sabouraud's dextrose agar medium (S), microscopic morphology of slide culture, and biochemical reactions.

A study of dermatophytosis in South West of Iran (Ahwaz).

Two hundred and seventy nine patients suspected of having fungal lesions were examined. Skin scrapping, hair samples and nail clippings were collected from patients. Direct and culture examinations were performed for all samples. About 115 cases of examined subjects had dermatophytosis. Dermatophytosis occurred mainly in adults males (20-29 years). Tinea cruris (24.3%) was the most common type of dermatophytosis followed by tinea pedis (16.5%), tinea corporis (14.8%), tinea ungium (13%), tinea capitis (11.3%), tinea faciei (11.3%), tinea manuum (7%) and tinea barbae (1.7%). Trichophyton mentagrophytes was the most prevalent species followed by Epidermophyton floccosum.