The high UV radiation and scarcity of liquid water in desert areas make these regions among the most challenging environments for life. Here we studied the multi-tolerant microbial communities of deserts in Iran. Three bacterial strains were isolated and identified as Microbacterium phyllosphaerae MG3, Kocuria flava MG5 and Exiguobacterium acetylicum MG7. UV resistance and desiccation tolerance in MG7 and MG5 strains were comparable to multi-resistant Deinococcus radiodurans. Also, resistance to mitomycin C and hydrogen peroxide in all isolated strains were significant. The strain MG3 showed moderate to poor salt tolerance but strains MG5 and MG7 showed high NaCl tolerance.
Background: Retroviruses of human T-lymphotropic viruses (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2) have been demonstrated to be endemic in the north-eastern region of Iran. This study was aimed to determine the HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 prevalence among healthy individuals in Neyshabur City during 2010-2014. Methods: A total of 8054 blood samples were collected from healthy participants in Neyshabur, North-Eastern Iran. The blood samples were screened for the presence of specific antibodies against HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 by using ELISA according to the manufacturer's instructions. Results: The overall seropositivity rate for HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 was found to be 6.55% (528 out of 8054) among participants. Conclusion: Both HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 were demonstrated to be at a high rate in healthy individuals. However, a smaller number of asymptomatic carriers were found in this study, as compared to those identified in previous investigations in the city.
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