Antimicrobial activity of Zatacin against bacterial diarrheal pathogens

Background: calf diarrhea is an important disease that is caused by different pathogens including bacteria, virus and parasites and is associated with economic losses

Objectives: in this study, we evaluated the antibacterial activities of Zatacin [Z. multiflora aerial part ethanol extract], colistin, co-Trimoxazole and enrofloxacin against clinical isolates of Salmonella sp, E. coli and Campylobacter sp isolated from diarrheic calves

Methods: disc diffusion method and microbroth dilution assay were used for antimicrobial evaluation

Results: in disc diffusion method, the antibacterial activity of Zatacin increased dose dependently. The sensitivity of different isolates of E. coli, Salmonella sp and Campylobacter sp to Zatacin was almost the same. The antibacterial activity of Zatacin was lower than that of enrofloxacin but it was higher than co-Trimoxazole and colistin. The means of MIC values of Zatacin for E.coli were higher than that of Campylobacter sp and Salmonella sp but its means of MBC values for E. coli were lower than that of two other bacteria

Conclusions: Zatacin can be used as an antimicrobial agent in treatment of infectious causes of calf scours instead of antibiotics with undesired adverse effects on animal and humans

[ model for evaluation and validation of different dimensions of accountability in teaching hospitals in Iran: 2012]

Introduction: Monitoring and assessing the quality of health services in relation to accountability is the first step in providing proper services in hospitals which as the most important health organizations entail the need for evaluation. The aim of this study was to validate the ethical, legal, financial, operational, political, structural, cultural and information dimensions of accountability [notification rules of hospital] in teaching hospitals

Method: This was a method validation study. A sample of 580 participants, working in teaching hospitals, was selected by quota random sampling using Krejcie - Morgan formula. An 8 item questionnaire with 34 indicators on the basis of Likert scale was distributed among the staff. The data were analyzed by the Lisrel software using confirmatory factor and path analysis and multiple regressions

Results: The findings showed that comparative fit index of different dimensions of the questionnaire, showing the degree of consistency of the model with real data, was equal to 1. This suggests the strength of the one-dimensional model. Cronbach's alpha for the internal consistency of different dimensions was 0.791 for financial and 0.901 for information aspects

Conclusion: The present study provides a systematic process and model to validate and assess different dimensions and components of accountability for managers. The innovations and special features of this study will help present a new model to identify better dimensions and indicators for improving accountability in health care sector

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Satureja hortensis and Trachyspermum copticum essential oil

The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Satureja hortensis and Trachyspermum copticum essential oils against different kinds of microorganisms in vitro. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by micro broth dilution assay and the chemical composition of essential oils was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Thymol, p-cymene, gamma-terpinene and carvacrol were the main components of S. hortensis oil while thymol, gamma-terpinene, and o-cymene were the major components of T. copticum oil. Two essential oils exhibited strong antimicrobial activity but the antimicrobial activity of T. copticum oil was higher than that of S. hortensis oil. Thymol as a main component of oils plays an important role in antimicrobial activity

[Anti candidal activity of echinophora platyloba against candida albicans and comparison with amphotricin]

Increasing usage of medical plants for medical treatment made for this branch of complementary medicine a unique place. This study evaluated the anti candidal activity of Echinophora platyloba extracts and amphotricin B against Candida albicans by micro broth dilution assay and Disc diffusion method. The synergism between amphotricin B and ethanolic extract of E. platyloba was assessed by micro broth dilution assay. Amphotricin B was diluted at concentration between 16-0.125 micro gram ml [-1]. Each tube contains 0.78 micro gram ml[-1] E. platyloba extract. The MIC and MBC of Amphotricin B was recorded. The MIC and MBC of ethanolic extract of E. platyloba and amphotricin B against C. albicans were 3125, 1560mg ml-1 and 2, 8mg ml-1 respectively. The MIC, MBC of amphotricin B decreased to 1, 2mg ml-1 when 0.78 micro gram ml[-1] of extract was added. Amphotricin B is a potent antifungal agent and MIC and MBC of E. platyloba is 780, 390 times less potent than amphotricin B, but usage the amphotricin B and E. platyloba extract in combination increased the potency of amphotricin B which shows a synergistic effect

[ antimicrobial activity of thyme, sweet marjoram, savory and eucalyptus oils on escherichia coli, salmonella typhimurium, aspergillus niger and aspergillus flavus]

The presence of pathogenic microorganisms in aviculture threatens the health of fowl and humans. Thyme [Zataria multiflora Boiss], sweet marjoram [Origanum majorana], savory [Satureja hortensis] and eucalyptus [Eucalyptus globules] are Iranian herbal medicines that are used in folk medicines. The aims of this study were to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of these oils separately and in combination against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus in vitro condition. The antimicrobial activity of essential oils against different isolates of microorganisms was evaluated by disc diffusion and macro broth dilution assays. The results showed that the antimicrobial activity of thyme, sweet marjoram and savory oils against different bacteria and fungi were more than the eucalyptus oil. When ethanol was used as a solvent in comparison with dimethyl sulfoxide, the antimicrobial activity of oils was increased. The type of solvent creates meaningful discrepancy on effectiveness of oils [p<0.001]. In disc diffusion method, the fungi were sensitive than bacteria and A. niger was more sensitive than A. flavus. The sensitivity of bacteria was dependent to the type of bacteria and essential oil and the oils showed inhibitory effect against fungi and the fungicidal effect of oils were weaker than bactericidal effect. The antimicrobial activities of effective oils were related to thymol and carvacrol components in respect. Due to limitations in usage of chemical compounds in poultry and food industries, the essential oils look to be appropriate alternatives for some disinfectants to control the human and animal diseases in the future

Comparison of antimicrobial activity of Respitol-B with mentofin containing menthol, eucalyptus oil

Some essential oils and their main components have antibacterial activity and used as an antiseptics. Respitol-B [Barijessence, Kashan, Iran] which is similar to Mentofin, an imported antimicrobial agents, contains menthol and eucalyptus oil. Both products are used as disinfectant in poultry farms following vaccination of broilers and pullets. In this study, the antimicrobial activity of Respitol-B and Mentofin, against bacteria, fungi and yeast was investigated. The antimicrobial activities of eucalyptus oil and mentho was also tested separately using disk diffusion test and macrobroth dilution assay. The gram-positive bacteria, yeast and fungi showed more susceptibility to Respitol-B than the gram negative bacteria. Antimicrobial activity of Respitol-B was the same as mentofin. Menthol is more potent than the eucalyptus oil. It enhanced the antimicrobial activity of Respitol-B. However P. aeruginosa, E. coli and S. typhi showed resistance to this compound. Eucalyptus oil had antimicrobial effect against V. chlerae, A. flavus, and S. aureus but had no effect on other tested microorganism. Respitol-B, a compound formulated by Barij Essence shows the same an antiseptic property as Mentofin and can be used for sanitary protocols in poultry farms