Antimicrobial susceptibility and genotyping of microorganisms isolated from sputum culture of children with cystic fibrosis in an Iranian referral children's hospital.

BACKGROUND: Chronic bacterial infections of the airways are present in most patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Although most pathogens are acquired from the environment, there is great evidence of patient-to-patient transmission. Therefore, evaluating the genetic variation of strains isolated from CF patients is recommended for the purpose of examining hospital infection. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern and genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from sputum samples of children with CF referred to a single pediatric CF center in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of strains isolated from patients with CF during 1 year were determined. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and S. aureus isolates were genotyped using the random amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction method and were analyzed using GelCompar II software. RESULTS: Of 534 patients with CF, 384 had negative sputum cultures (72%), and 94 strains of P. aeruginosa (18%) and 53 strains of S. aureus (10%) were isolated. The mean age of the patients was 8.22 ± 5.7 years (range, 2 months to 18 years). The P. aeruginosa strains showed high sensitivity to ceftazidime (96%), piperacillin/tazobactam (96%), and imipenem (94%). All strains of S. aureus were susceptible to vancomycin, and 13% of the strains were methicillin-resistant S. aureus. High resistance to penicillin (92%) and erythromycin (88.5%) were reported. The results of P. aeruginosa genotyping revealed that there were six major clusters in this hospital. Also, based on the analysis of genotyping results, S. aureus strains were obtained from five clusters, most of which were located in cluster B1 (34 isolates, 64%). CONCLUSION: The results of this study show the possibility of strains being transferred from one part of the hospital to another (especially from the respiratory ward to other areas). Hence, high attention should be paid to the basic methods of preventing infection.

A multicenter retrospective study of clinical features, laboratory characteristics, and outcomes of 166 hospitalized children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A preliminary report from Iranian Network for Research in Viral Diseases (INRVD).

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to analyze the clinical features and laboratory profiles and risk factors associated with critical illness of children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). METHODS: One hundred and sixty-six coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Iranian pediatric patients were recruited through a collaborative research network between March and May 2020. Demographics, clinical, laboratory, and radiological results were obtained from patient files. RESULTS: Of 166 patients, 102 (61%) and 64 (39%) were males and females, respectively. Ninety-six (57.8%) and 70 (42.2%), had moderate and severe conditions, respectively. Thirty (18%) of patients died. The common symptoms were fever (73%), cough (54%), and shortness of breath, headache decrease in neutrophil and platelet counts; increase values in lactate dehydrogenase, decrease in the blood pH and HCO3 were significantly associated with the disease severity. 54% and 56% of patients showed abnormal radiographic appearance in Chest X-ray and in chest computed tomography scan, respectively. Sixty-one (36.7%) of patients were referred to intensive care unit (ICU). The coexistence of comorbidity was the main factor associated with ICU admission, shock, arrhythmia, acute kidney injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute cardiac injury, and death. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a higher than previously recognized rate of COVID-19 mortality in Iranian pediatric patients. Epidemiological factors, such as the relatively high case fatality rate in the country and the presence of underlying diseases were the main factors for the high death rate.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Genotyping of Bacteria Isolated from Urinary Tract Infection in Children in an Iranian Referral Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections in childhood, and the increasing rate of antibiotic resistance to the commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents against it has become a major concern. The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic resistance and genotyping of bacteria isolated from urine cultures in patients referred to the Children's Medical Center, Tehran, Iran. METHODS: During the 1-year period, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of strains isolated from patients with UTI were determined. Typing of the isolates causing nosocomial infections was performed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, and the results were analyzed by Gelcompar II software. RESULTS: In this study, 203 children (130 girls and 73 boys) were included. The patients' age ranged from 1 day to 16 years (IQR average=4 months to 4 years). The most frequent isolated organisms were Escherichia coli (118 isolates, 58%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (30 isolates, 15%). Sixty-two strains (18 strains of E. coli, 13 strains of K. pneumoniae, 11 strains of Enterococcus faecium, and five strains of Burkholderia cepacia complex) had criteria of nosocomial infection. A high resistance rate to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (69%) and cefotaxime (60%) was reported in E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains showed high sensitivity to amikacin (100%). All E. faecium strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (100%), and 23% of the strains were resistant to vancomycin. The analysis of RAPD-typing revealed the presence of three clusters in E. coli, two clusters in E. faecium, and one clone in K. pneumoniae. Besides, four out of five isolates of B. cepacia complex had more than 90% genetic similarity. CONCLUSION: The most frequent isolated pathogen was E. coli, and an increasing rate of antibiotic resistance to the commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents such as trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and cephalosporins was observed. Moreover, the results of this study showed the presence of clones with ≥80% similarity in E. coli, K. pneumoniae, E. faecium, and B. cepacia complex isolates; therefore, the transmission of nosocomial infections from one patient to another or one ward to another is probable.

Pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): An insight from west of Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of the pediatric patients infected with the new emerging 2019 coronavirus virus (SARS-CoV-2) in Hamadan and Sanandaj, west of Iran. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted in Hamadan and Kurdistan province between March 1 to April 15, 2020. Medical records of the children diagnosed as probable or confirmed cases of COVID-19 disease were extracted and analyzed in this study. We followed the WHO Guideline for the case definition of the patients. RESULTS: Thirty patients admitted to the wards specified for COVID-19 diseases. Nineteen (63%) patients categorized as confirmed by Real-Time Reverse-Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and 11 (37%) patients as probable according to Computed Tomography (CT) findings of the chest. Sixteen (53.3%) cases were female, the youngest patient was one day old, and the oldest patient was 15 years old. 11 (36.7%) cases had a definite history of close contact. The most common symptoms were fever, cough, and dyspnea, and the most common sign was tachypnea. None of our patients presented with a runny nose. Lymphopenia and marked elevation of the C-reactive Protein observed in four (13.3%) and 12 (40%) cases, respectively. There were 10 (33.3%) cases with normal chest X-rays. Ground-Glass Opacities (GGOs) were the most common CT findings (19, 73.1%). All but one of the patients discharged without sequala. An 11-yrs-old girl expired with a fulminant pneumonia. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 is not uncommon in children and could have different presentations. Concomitant use of RT-PCR and chest CT scans in symptomatic cases recommended as a modality of choice to diagnose the disease. Routine laboratory tests, like many other viral infections, may not show significant or specific changes. The superimposed bacterial infection seems not the determinant of clinical outcomes as most patients had a negative evaluation by specific laboratory tests for bacterial infections; got improved dramatically with a short or no antibiotic therapy.