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Background: Brucellosis is a zoonosis with worldwide distribution, especially in developing countries including Iran. Conventional methods for diagnosis of brucellosis include serologic tests and blood culture and for rapid detection of Brucella, PCR is available. The aim of this study was to compare serologic test, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and BACTEC blood culture methods for detection of Brucella species in clinical specimens.Methods & Materials: In a 15 months period, Between 2013 to 2014, 149 patients with clinical suspected brucellosis were enrolled in this comparative-descriptive study. Clinical specimens were obtained for culture and serologic tests including wright, coombs' wright and 2-Mercaptoethanol (2ME). Then Brucella DNA was extracted from blood specimens and PCR was performed using specific primers set. A questionnaire including demographic, clinical and paraclinical characteristics was completed for each subject.Results: The most common symptoms were fever, malaise, myalgia and sweating. Osteoarticular complications were observed in 106 (71.1%) patients, of which, the most common type was sacroiliitis in 67 patients (45%). Serologic tests including wright, coombs' wright, and 2ME were positive in 88.6%, 87.5% and 88.5%, respectively. Clinical specimen cultures were positive in 38.3%(n=57), that in 91.2% was positive, too. PCR were positive in 83 of 132 patients that 50 of these cases had positive culture that 100% of Brucella isolates were B.melitensis. There are significant correlation between PCR and culture. The sensitivity of PCR method was 96%, with specificity of 77%; the positive and negative serology predictive values were 100% and 78%, respectively.Conclusion: Serologic tests are useful for the diagnosis of brucellosis in most cases. In patients with low titers of antibodies, blood and other clinical specimens' culture are helpful for definitive diagnosis. Those with negative culture and serology can be confirmed by PCR method. The PCR method is a valuable test for rapid diagnosis of brucellosis in clinical specimens.

In covid-19 patients, undetected coinfection may have seriously increased hospitalization, a variety of therapeutic approaches, and mortality; therefore, we examined the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus coinfection among referred cases-patients from November to January 2021 in Hamedan province, Iran. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples were obtained from 14116 individuals with COVID-19 symptoms (2216 inpatient and 11903 outpatient) and they screened for respiratory pathogens (SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus) using multiplex real-time PCR panel assay. Case-patients were with a < = 18, 19–60 and 60 < = age, and 53.56% and 46.44% were male and female, respectively. Among them, 2004 (14.19%) were infected with the influenza virus; 2409 (17.11%) were infected with the SARS-CoV-2, and 191 (1.35%) were co-infected with both viruses. Patients aged 19–60 were more likely to be infected with a coinfection. Also, coinfection 96(50.26) was more common in females than males. The positive and negative cases reported for SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, and coinfection were more observed in Hamedan city. Our result suggests that the circulating influenza virus was during the COVID-19 pandemic during the peak season, but coinfection with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus was not very common.

The prevalence of coinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza virus among referred patients in Hamadan province, Iran, from November 2, 2021, to January 30, 2022, was evaluated. Samples were obtained from 14,116 individuals with COVID-19 symptoms and screened for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses using a multiplex real-time PCR panel assay. Of these patients, 14.19%, 17.11%, and 1.35% were infected with influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2, and both viruses, respectively. The majority of the coinfected patients were female outpatients aged 19–60 years.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has various strains associated with human infections. H. pylori, H. heilmannii, and H. felis are the most common strains in humans. H. pylori is associated with several human diseases such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, mucous membrane lymphoma, and gastric adenocarcinoma. This study aimed to determine the prevalence rates of H. felis and H. heilmannii and the effect of co-infection with H. pylori in gastric biopsy specimens of patients. Methods: Totally, 80 gastric biopsy specimens were taken by a physician from the patients referred to Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Hamadan City, Iran. PCR test was used to confirm the presence of H. pylori in samples that had positive rapid urease tests. Moreover, the ureB gene and ureA and ureB genes were used for H. heilmannii and H. felis, respectively. Results: Of the study patients, 61.5% were females, and 38.5% were males with a mean age of 37.8 years. Of 80 biopsies, 50% were H. pylori-positive, 53.8% were H. heilmannii-positive, but no H. felis was identified in any sample. Results indicate that smoking, having a history of gastrointestinal diseases, and taking certain medications can be risk factors for H. pylori. Conclusion: Any agent contributing to gastric mucosal damage can enhance the susceptibility to bacterial contamination. Overall, the results indicate a low probability of interactions between H. pylori, H. heilmannii, and H. felis.