Background:Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) with its virulence factors is the most prevalent cause of urinary tract infection (UTI).Objectives;This study aimed to determine the occurrence of fim, pap, sfa, and afa genes among 100 UPEC isolates collected from patients diagnosed with UTI.Materials and MethodsA total of 100 UPEC isolates were obtained from urine samples of patients with UTI. The prevalence of 5 virulence genes encoding type 1 fimbriae (fimH), pili associated with pyelonephritis (pap), S and F1C fimbriae (sfa and foc) and afimbrial adhesins (afa) were determined through PCR method. We also investigated the phylogenetic background of all isolates. In addition, the distribution of adhesin-encoding operons between the phylogroups was assessed.Results:The prevalence of genes encoding for fimbrial adhesive systems was 95% for fim, 57% for pap, 16% for foc, and 81% for sfa. The operons encoding for afa afimbrial adhesins were identified in 12% of isolates. The various combinations of detected genes were designated as virulence patterns. The fim gene, which occurred in strains from all phylogenetic groups (A, B1, B2, and D) was evaluated and no significant differences were found among these groups. Conversely, significant differences were observed in relation to pap, afa, foc, and sfa operons.Conclusions:These results indicate that the PCR method is a powerful genotypic assay for the detection of adhesin-encoding operons. Thus, this assay can be recommended for clinical use to detect virulent urinary E. coli strains, as well as epidemiological studies.

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Background:Today, significant increase in the prevalence and emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a serious public health concern and is likely to have a dramatic negative impact on many current medical practices. Therefore, identification of MRSA strains is important for both clinical and epidemiological implications.Objectives:The present study was carried out to determine the frequency of methicillin resistant; antibiotic susceptibility and plasmid profiles of S. aureus recovered from different types of clinical samples of patients in Zabol, Iran.Material and Methods:Clinical samples from 500 outpatient and hospitalized patients were tested for S. aureus. The susceptibility of 106 S. aureus to 11 antibiotics was evaluated by the disk diffusion method and Etest oxacillin strips. The presence of mecA gene was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The plasmid profile patterns of all isolates were determined by a modified alkaline lysis method.Results:A total of 67 (63.20%) strains were found to be MRSA isolates. Most of MRSA isolates showed high level of resistance to ampicillin, erythromycin, nalidixic acid, penicillin, and tetracycline. Twenty-six percent of MRSA isolates showed high level of resistance to oxacillin (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] ≥ 256 μg/mL). mecA gene was detected among 62 MRSA isolates. Totally, 75 isolates of both strains harbored plasmid.Conclusions:Resistance to oxacillin and other antibiotics was high, and most of the isolates were found to be multi-drug resistance (MDR). Plasmid analysis of representative S. aureus isolates also demonstrates the presence of a wide range of plasmid sizes, with no consistent relationship between plasmid profiles and resistance phenotypes. Regular surveillance of hospital infections and monitoring of their antibiotic sensitivity patterns are required to reduce MRSA prevalence. High prevalence and multi-drug resistance of MRSA isolates in southeast of Iran could be considered as an urgent warning for public health.

Background: Urinary tract infections are a significant health problem, with Escherichia coli as a primary pathogen in approximately 80% of cases. The pathogenesis of E. coli in urinary tract infections is attributed to the production of virulence factors and phylogenetic background groups. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine differences in prevalence of virulence factors of E. coli isolates from phylogenetic groups B2 and D, collected from patients with urinary tract infections. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 E. coli isolates were identified by conventional biochemical tests from patients with urinary tracts infections (UTIs) in teaching hospitals of Zabol, Iran. DNA was extracted using the boiling method. Analysis of phylogenetic groups, along with detection of virulence factor genes was performed by the multiplex-PCR method. Associations were assessed between type 1 fimberiaencoding gene, siderophore receptor encoding genes and hemolysin encoding gene among 55 B2 group E. coli isolates and 22 D group E. coli isolates. Statistical analysis was performed using the Fisher exact test. Results: Phylogenetic analysis showed that 55 and 22 of 100 isolates belonged to the B2 and D phylogenetic groups, respectively. The hlyA, iroN, iucD and fimH genes were present in 29 (52.72%), 22 (40%), 46 (83.63%) and 55 (100%) isolates belonging to the phylogenetic group B2, whereas in 2 (9.09%), 2 (9.09%), 10 (45.45%) and 22 (100%) isolates belonging to the phylogenetic group D, respectively. The comparison showed that there was a significant difference between the presence of hlyA and iroN genes in isolates belonging to the phylogenetic group B2 and D (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: This study determined that strains belonging to group B2 are the most important and abundant E. coli strains causing urinary tract infections.

Objective: Keratoconus (KC) is an eye disorder in which the cornea is swollen, thinned and deformed. Despite extensive studies, the pathophysiological processes and genetic etiology of KC are unknown. The disease incidence is approximately 1 in 2,000, and it is the most common cause of corneal transplantation in the USA. Many genes are involved in the disease, but evidence suggests a major role for VSX1 in the etiology of KC. This study aimed to determine the frequency of mutations in exons 2, 3 and 4 of the VSX1 gene in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province in the southwest of Iran. Study Design: In this experimental study, mutations in 3 exons, namely exons 2, 3 and 4, of VSX1 were investigated in 50 patients with KC and 50 healthy control subjects. DNA was extracted using a standard phenol-chloroform method. PCR-single-strand conformational polymorphism/heteroduplex analysis was performed, followed by DNA sequencing to confirm the identified motility shifts. Results: H244R mutations were found in 1 patient and also in 1 healthy control subject. Furthermore, 12 polymorphisms were identified in patients with KC and 7 in healthy control subjects [rs6138482 and c.546A>G (rs12480307)]. Conclusion: Our investigation showed that KC-related VSX1 mutations were found in a very small proportion of the studied patients from Iran. Further investigations on other genes are needed to clarify their roles in KC pathogenesis.

Objectives: Hepatitis B viral infection is among the most common causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and a frequent viral indication for liver transplant. Cytokine-mediated immunity plays a critical role in introducing and promoting hepatitis B virus outcomes and in graft microenvironment. Interleukin 27 is a heterodimeric cytokine and a member of interleukin-6/interleukin-12 family. Interleukin-27 shows a broad range of pro-and antiinflammatory properties and plays a determining role during immune responses in combating hepatitis B virus. Therefore, in this study, the possible association between expressions of interleukin-27 gene with hepatitis B virus infection was evaluated in liver transplant patients. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study from liver transplant patients with the risk of hepatitis B virus infection who admitted to Namazi Hospital affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, 50 patients were selected and subgrouped to 25 hepatitis B virus-infected and 25 noninfected ones between years 2011 and 2013. The 25 healthy controls also were enrolled in this study. The presence of hepatitis B virus infection was assessed using polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay protocols in liver transplant patients. In addition, the interleukin-27 gene expression level was analyzed using an in-house-SYBER Green real time polymerase chain reaction method. The rate of interleukin-27 gene expression level was statistically analyzed in studied patient groups and controls using the Livak (2-ΔΔCT ) method. Results:The expression level of interleukin-27 gene was increased 10.27-and 2.36-fold in hepatitis B virusinfected and uninfected liver transplanted patients compared with healthy controls. Conclusion: Hepatitis B virus infection can lead to overexpression of interleukin-27 gene in liver transplant patients compared with uninfected ones and controls. However, further studies are needed to characterize the effective antihepatitis B virus effects of interleukin-27 in liver transplant patients.

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