Background & aim: About 40% of women and 12% of men experience a urinary tract infection at least once in their lifetime. Aminoglycosides are very effective antimicrobial agents. The emergence and ...spread of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli (E. coli) is becoming a global public health concern. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of ant(2'')-Ia and ant(4')-IIa genes in E. coli strains isolated from urinary tract infections. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 187 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from urine specimens of patients referred to Amir Al-Momenin Ali Hospital in Gerash city (Fars province) from June 2020 to June 2021. The pattern of antibiotic resistance to tobramycin, gentamicin, kanamycin and amikacin by disk diffusion method was investigated. PCR method was used to evaluate the presence of ant(2'')-Ia and ant(4')-IIa genes. Chi-square test was used for data analysis. Result: Out of 187 strains studied, 62 strains (33.15%) were resistant to aminoglycosides. The highest and lowest aminoglycoside resistance was observed against tobramycin (79.03%) and amikacin (11.29%), respectively. Two strains (3.22%) were resistant to all aminoglycosides. ant(2'')-Ia and ant(4')-IIa genes were identified in 17 strains (27.41%) and 11 strains (17.74%), respectively. Conclusion: The results of the present study show that Escherichia coli strains isolated from urinary tract infections have relatively low resistance to common aminoglycosides. For the initial treatment of urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli in Gerash city, the use of amikacin and kanamycin antibiotics is recommended.
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has had a devastating impact on the global population, with an estimated 650 million people infected and more than 6.6 million lives lost. ...Asymptomatic individuals have been shown to play a significant role in the transmission of the virus. Therefore, this study aims to investigate and compare the prevalence of asymptomatic individuals across three waves associated with the Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants of the virus.
This retrospective study was conducted between December 2020 and March 2022. The study population consisted of passengers on international flights who were referred to the Gerash Clinical and Molecular Diagnosis Laboratory. Real-time PCR was employed for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2.
Out of a total of 8592 foreign travelers referred to our laboratory, 139 (1.16 %) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection and were asymptomatic. During the Beta surge, 35 (1.49 %) out of 2335 passengers tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. In the Delta surge, 31 (0.6 %) out of 5127 passengers tested positive. However, during the Omicron surge, a significantly higher number of passengers, specifically 73 (6.46 %) out of 1130, had a positive result for the SARS-CoV-2 test.
Considering the significant role of asymptomatic transmission in the spread of COVID-19, it is imperative to reconsider health policies when dealing with future surges of the Omicron subvariants. Additionally, we strongly recommend that the World Health Organization prioritize the development and distribution of second-generation vaccines that target not only disease but also infection prevention.
Controlling the wound exudates accompanied by microbial wound infections has still remained as one the most challenging clinical issues. Herein, a chitosan/gelatin/polyvinyl alcohol xerogel film ...containing Thymus pubescens essential oil is fabricated for antimicrobial wound dressing application. The chemical and physical characteristics of the devised formulation is characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope, and tensile tests. Moreover, swelling capability, water vapour transmission rate, water contact angle, solubility, moisture content, and release properties are also studied. The antimicrobial and antibiofilm tests are performed using the broth microdilution and XTT assay, respectively. The produced formulation shows excellent antimicrobial efficacy against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida species. It is also demonstrated that the obtained film can reduce (∼80 %) Candida albicans biofilm formation, and its biocompatibility is confirmed with MTT (∼100 %) and hemolysis tests. The antimicrobial activity can be correlated to the microbial membrane attraction for Candida albicans cells, illustrated by flow cytometry. This proposed film with appropriate mechanical strength, high swelling capacity in different pH values (∼200–700 %), controlled release property, and antimicrobial and antioxidant activities as well as biocompatibility can be used as a promising candidate for antimicrobial wound dressing applications.
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Candida
onychomycosis is a common fungal infection affecting the nails, primarily caused by
Candida
(
C
.) species. Regarding the increasing trend of
Candida
onychomycosis and the antifungal ...resistant phenomenon in recent years, this study aims to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of
Candida
onychomycosis, the distribution of emerging species, and the antifungal susceptibility profiles of isolates. Onychomycosis caused by yeast species was confirmed through direct examination and culture of nail scraping among all individuals suspected to have onychomycosis and referred to a medical mycology laboratory between June 2019 and March 2022. Species of yeast isolates were identified using the multiplex PCR and PCR-RFLP methods. The antifungal susceptibility of isolates to common antifungal agents and imidazole drugs was evaluated according to the M-27-A3 CLSI protocol. Among 101 yeast strains isolated from onychomycosis,
Candida parapsilosis
complex (50.49%) was the most common species, followed by
C. albicans
(20.79%) and
C. tropicalis
(10.89%). Rare species of yeasts such as
C. guilliermondii
and
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
were also identified by molecular methods. Results obtained from antifungal susceptibility testing showed significant differences in MIC values of isoconazole, fenticonazole, and sertaconazole among different species. Overall, a fluconazole-resistant rate of 3% was found among
Candida
species. Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference in MICs of fenticonazole and clotrimazole between the two most prevalent causative species,
C. parapsilosis
complex and
C. albicans
. Correct identification of the causative agents of onychomycosis and performing susceptibility testing could be helpful in choosing the most appropriate antifungal therapy.
Background and Objective: Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) affect millions of women annually. Candida albicans is the most common cause of VVC. Secreted aspartyl proteinases (SAPs) are among the most ...important virulence factors in Candida species. The SAP3 enzyme is effective in the initial development of VVC infection due to its role in the adhesion of Candida albicans. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of SAP3 gene in Candida albicans strains isolated from patients with Vulvovaginal Candidiasis. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, vaginal secretion samples were collected from 268 vaginitis patients referred to Amiralmomenin Hospital of Gerash city, Fars province, Iran from March to August 2018. After direct microscopic examination, all samples were cultured on sabouraud dextrose agar medium with chloramphenicol (50mg/L). Candida strains were identified using standard phenotypic and sugar assimilation tests (API20C). Genomic DNA extraction and the presence of SAP3 gene were performed using chloroform-phenol-isoamyl alcohol and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods, respectively. Results: Out of 268 samples, 79 (29.47%) cases were positive for Candida species under direct microscopy and culture results. 48 (60.75%) and 31(39.24%) Candida albicans strains and Non-albicans candida species were isolated, respectively. The results of PCR showed the presence of SAP3 gene in 47 (97.91%) Candida albicans strains. Conclusion: It can be concluded that Candida albicans were more likely to cause Vulvovaginal than other Candida species. The explanation for this is the presence of the SAP3 gene in most Candida albicans strains.
Introduction.
Otomycosis is a superficial fungal infection that is responsible for approximately 9–27 % of otitis externa. However, fungal communities in otomycosis are varied, but
Aspergillus
spp. ...and
Candida
spp. are the most common causes of this infection.
Hypothesis Statement.
The multiplex PCR assay is postulated to be able to directly detect more than one fungal genus in cerumen specimens.
Aim.
This study aimed to develop and evaluate the role of the multiplex PCR assay in detecting the most common genus of fungi that cause otomycosis directly from the cerumen specimens.
Methodology.
To detect
Candida
and
Aspergillus
/
Penicillium
genera, three pairs of primers, including pan-fungal, pan-
Candida
, and pan-
Aspergillus/Penicillium
, were used in a multiplex PCR. In order to evaluate the performance and reproducibility of the multiplex PCR. the cerumen of 140 patients suspected of otomycosis were investigated.
Results.
Pan-
Candida
and pan-
Aspergillus/Penicillium
primers were designed to amplify the ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 region and the β-tubulin gene, respectively. In the multiplex PCR assay, 64 (47.40 %) and 118 (87.40 %) specimens were positive with pan-
Candida
and pan-
Aspergillus/Penicillium
primers, respectively. Double amplicon bands of
Candida
and
Aspergillus
were obtained in 51 (37.77 %) specimens. In the culture method, yeast (
n
=18, 13.33 %) and mould (
n
=117, 86.66 %) were isolated from 135 cerumen specimens. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the multiplex PCR assays using culture method results as the gold standard were determined to be 94, 33, 97, and 22 %, respectively.
Conclusion.
In our study, multiplex PCR assays enabled simultaneous detection of two common genera of the causative agent of otomycosis in a cerumen specimen. Regarding the high sensitivity of the first step of the multiplex PCR assay, this assay may be used for the direct detection of
Candida
and
Aspergillus
genera in other clinical specimens.
Introduction
Fungal co-infections are considered an important complication in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 that can be attributed to disease aggravation, increased mortality, and poor ...outcomes. This study was conducted to determine the species distribution and antifungal susceptibility patterns of
Candida
isolates from hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Shiraz, Iran, in addition to associated risk factors and outcomes of co-infections with
Candida
species.
Materials and Methods
In this single-center study, a total of 106 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were evaluated for clinical characteristics and outcomes. Species identification was performed by ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 gene sequencing. Antifungal susceptibility testing to fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, caspofungin, amphotericin B, and nystatin was determined according to the M27-A3/S4 CLSI protocol.
Results
Candida
species were recovered from 48% (51/106) of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Statistical analysis showed that patients who had heart failure, bacterial co-infection, and were receiving empirical antifungal therapy had a higher risk of developing
Candida
co-infection. In total, 71
Candida
isolates were recovered, of which
C. albicans
(69%) was the most prevalent isolate. The majority of the
Candida
isolates were susceptible to all classes of tested antifungal drugs.
Discussion
Our results elucidate a high rate of
Candida
co-infections among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Comorbidities such as heart failure, HTN, COPD, bacterial infections as well as therapeutic interventions including catheterization, mechanical ventilation, and ICU admission increased the risk of
Candida
spp. isolation from the bloodstream, respiratory tract and urine samples, which led to a higher in-hospital mortality rate. Additionally, obtained data clarified that empirical antifungal therapy was not as successful as anticipated.
Introduction Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is an infection caused by Candida species that affects millions of women every year. Due to increased drug resistance, selection of appropriate drugs has ...an effective role in controlling and improving the infection. The present study aimed to determine the frequency and drug susceptibility pattern in Candida species isolated from VVC in Gerash city. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on vaginal samples of 268 patients referred to Amir-al-momenin Ali hospital in Gerash city, for six months from September 2018 to September 2019. All samples were examined direct microscopic and cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar medium with chloramphenicol (50mg/L). Candida species were identified using standard phenotypic tests and sugar assimilation tests (API20C). The drug susceptibility pattern was investigated by the Kirby-Bauer method. The Chi-square test was used for data analysis. Results Out of 268 vaginal samples, 79 cases (29.47%) were positive for Candida species, among them 48 candida albicans strains (60.75%) and 31 Non-albicans candida species (24.39%) were isolated. Itching (51.89%) was the most common clinical symptom. The most and the least drug resistance in candida species was observed to Fluconazole (64.55%) and Amphotericin B (6.32%), respectively. Conclusion The VVC caused by Candida albicans is more common in comparison with Non-albicans candida species. For the initial treatment of Vulvovaginal candidiasis, the use of Amphotericin B and Caspofungin drugs is recommended.
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