There is little information on human Q fever in Iran and other Middle East countries. The aim of this study was to determine apparent Q fever seropositivity among febrile patients with suspected brucellosis in southeast Iran. Coxiella burnetii phases I and II specific IgG antibodies were measured by a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in sera from 75 febrile patients. Phase I antibodies were detected in 18 subjects (24%) and phase II antibodies in 27 subjects (36%). This is the first report of human Q fever seropositivity in Iran after 3 decades and demonstrated a high prevalence of C. burnetii exposure in the sampled febrile patients.
The result supports the hypothesis of high prevalence and endemic pattern of Q fever in Iran. This investigation highlights the importance of further studies on Q fever in Iran.
Background: Enterococci are a natural part of the genito-intestinal and gastrointestinal normal flora in humans and are widely distributed in the environment and are one of the most important causes of nosocomial infections. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify Enterococcus spp. from vaginal samples of pregnant women and measure their antibiotic resistance patterns. Methods: This descriptive study was performed on 602 strains. Vaginal swabs were cultured for Enterococcus spp. from pregnant women at 35 -37 weeks of pregnancy in Kerman city, Iran, during April 2013 to March 2014 or in labor samples transported to the laboratory using Amies transport medium. Swabs were cultivated in Todd Hewitt broth medium and subsequently plated on blood agar plates containing gentamicin and nalidixic acid. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed for enterococci by disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). Results: Vaginal colonization of Enterococcus genus was 8.14%. Parameters of age, parity, history of abortion, history of ruptured membranes, vaginal discharge and other vaginal signs (itching and so on) had no influence on vaginal colonization of Enterococcus spp. The predominant species were respectively E. faecalis 89.8%, E. faecium 6.1% and other Enterococcus spp. 4.1%. All samples were sus-
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