Research Note: Overview of fowl adenovirus serotype 4: structure, pathogenicity, and progress in vaccine development.

Fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV) is highly pathogenic and lethal to chickens, especially broilers, which has emerged as one of the most important economic losses for the poultry industry in the past few years. Although inactivated vaccines have been widely used to control FAdV diseases, with the passage of time and the advancement of technology, live attenuated vaccines and subunit vaccines have also been developed, which are more attractive and effective vaccine candidates. This is an overview of avian adenoviruses, especially FAdV, which is related to the structure, pathogenicity of adenoviruses in birds, development and strategies used to make and use vaccines using different methods. As well as during this study it was determined that various vaccines against the new FAdV-4 genotype have been developed and many advances have been made in control disease However, many studies conducted in this field need extensive investigation.

Detection and Evaluation of Macrolide Resistance (Erythromycin) in Mycoplasma hominis Isolated from Endocervical Specimens of Patients Referring to Ibn Sina Infertility Treatment Centre, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Mycoplasma hominis (M. hominis) is an important cause of bacterial infections of the genital tract. Macrolides are the first selective agents used to treat mycoplasma infections. However, widespread use of macrolides has led to a rapid and global emergence of macrolide-resistant strains. We evaluated macrolide resistance in M. hominis isolated from endocervical specimens of patients who referred to Ibn Sina Infertility Centre in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, 160 samples of Dacron endocervix swabs (80 infertile patient samples and 80 healthy controls) were collected and transferred to the laboratory. All samples were cultured in liquid pleuropneumonia-like organisms (PPLO) broth and PPLO agar solid media. After culturing and genome extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using specific primers. Then, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was obtained using the broth microdilution method. The MIC was recorded and reported for all samples positive for M. hominis against erythromycin. Results: From the 160 endocervical specimens cultured in PPLO agar medium, 19 cases (23.75%) were positive. A total of 35 cases (42.5%) were positive using specific primers of M. hominis species. MIC results from all samples positive for M. hominis were measured against erythromycin. All of the M. hominis samples were resistant to erythromycin. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that a significant percentage of infertile women were infected with M. hominis. Also, MIC results from the broth microdilution method indicated that all strains positive for M. hominis were also resistant to erythromycin.

The Prevalence of Blastocystis sp. and Its Relationship with Gastrointestinal Disorders and Risk factors.

Background: Blastocystis sp., located in the large intestine, is one of the most common zoonotic parasites. Risk factors affect its prevalence and pathogenicity, and it causes gastrointestinal disorders. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the Blastocystis sp. prevalence and its relationship with gastrointestinal disorders, in patients referred to laboratories, and provide some prevention strategies. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 1,000 stool specimens were collected from patients referred to Ilam, Iran laboratories from 2018-2019. Wet mount method was conducted on samples, and suspected specimens were confirmed using trichrome staining. The demographic and clinical information was recorded in a questionnaire. Finally, the results were analyzed using the SPSS. Results: Blastocystis infection was detected in 81 out of 1,000 patients (8.1%) including 61 (75.3%) males and 20 (24.7%) females. and illiterate people were more at risk. The prevalence in rural was more than urban areas, and it was more in the age group of 31-50 year. Conclusion: There was a significant relationship between Blastocystis sp. and risk factors (age, sex, level of education, and residence) and clinical symptoms (stomach ache and nausea) (P<0.05), but interestingly there was no significant relationship between bloating and diarrhea.

An Overview of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Produced by Plant Extracts for Anti-tuberculosis Treatments.

Tuberculosis (TB), induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), is a fatal infectious disease that kills millions of lives worldwide. The emergence of drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant cases is regarded as one of the most challenging threats to TB control due to the low cure rate. Therefore, TB and drug-resistant TB epidemic urge us to explore more effective therapies. The increasing knowledge of nanotechnology has extended the use of some nanomedicines for disease treatment in clinics, which also provide novel possibilities for nano-based medicines for TB treatment. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have gained increasing attention for anti-bacterial uses based on their strong ability to induce reactive oxidative species (ROS) and release bactericidal Zinc ions (Zn2+), which are expected to act as novel strategies for TB and drug-resistant TB treatment. Some plant extracts, always from active herbal medicines, have been widely reported to show attractive anti-bacterial activity for infectious treatment, including TB. Here, we summarize the synthesis of ZnO NPs using plant extracts (green synthesized ZnO NPs), and further discuss their potentials for anti-TB treatments. This is the first review article discussing the anti-TB activity of ZnO NPs produced using plant extracts, which might contribute to the further applications of green synthesized ZnO NPs for anti-TB and drugresistant TB treatment.

Molecular Detection of Adefg Efflux Pump Genes and their Contribution to Antibiotic Resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates.

BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is one of the most important bacteria causing nosocomial infections worldwide. Over the past few years, several strains of A. baumannii have shown antibiotic resistance, which may be due to the activity of efflux pumps. This study was aimed to detect AdeFG efflux pump genes and their contribution to antibiotic resistance in A. baumannii clinical isolates. METHODS: A total of 200 A. baumannii clinical isolates were collected from clinical specimens of ulcers, pus, sputum, and blood. All isolates were identified using standard biochemical tests. After identifying and cleaving the genome by boiling, PCR was performed on samples using specific primers. The antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined by disk diffusion, with and without CCCP efflux pump inhibitor were determined according to CLSI guidelines. RESULTS: We identified 60 clinical isolates of A. baumannii using biochemical differential tests. Identification of all A. baumannii isolates was confirmed by blaOXA-51-like PCR. According to the results of our study, 98.37% of A. baumannii isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and levofloxacin. PCR results indicated that all 60 A. baumannii isolates contained the AdeF and 76.66% contained AdeG. CONCLUSION: the results of this study demonstrated that most of the A. baumannii isolates contained AdeF and AdeG efflux pump genes, and more than 98% of the isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and levofloxacin. This reflected the significant contribution of efflux pumps to the development of resistance to these antibiotics.

The Prevalence of 23S rRNA Mutations in ML-Resistant M. pneumoniae Isolates to Clarithromycin in Patients with Respiratory Infections.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the widespread causes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Over recent years, the widespread use of macrolides has led to the emergence of macrolide-resistant M.pneumoniae (MRMP) resulted from mutations at specific positions of domain V of the 23S rRNA gene. METHODS: We collected 100 samples of throat swabs from patients with respiratory infections. After extraction of DNA from bacterial cell cultured in PPLO broth media using Roche kit (Germany), the PCR was performed on specific samples of M. pneumoniae using specific primers for 23S rRNA gene.Afterwards, for positive samples, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using the broth microdilution with Clarithromycin. Finally, the PCR product was sequenced to detect mutations related to macrolide resistance in domain V of 23S rRNA . RESULTS: According to the analysis of the sequenced PCR product of M. pneumoniae 23S rRNA gene using Clustalw2 online software, one of the samples were shown to have a mutation at A2431G and G2491A positions. The MIC measurement also revealed that all isolates were sensitive to Clarithromycin, and there was no macrolide resistance to Clarithromycin in all isolates. CONCLUSION: Sequence analysis of the 23S rRNA gene in M. pneumoniae , revealed no macrolide resistance of M. pneumoniae to Clarithromycin. Thus, the use of these antibiotics should be restricted to prevent the development of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae in Iran.

Molecular Detection and Evaluation of MLـ Resistance M. Pneumoniae Associated with Mutation in 23S RNA Gene among Iranian Patients with Respiratory Infections.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia. The global increased resistance of M. pneumoniae strains to macrolide (ML) has become a worrisome health problem. The widespread use of these medications has led to increased rate of reported ML-resistant M. pneumoniae (MRMP) throughout the world. This study was aimed to evaluate the resistance of M. pneumoniae against erythromycin due to mutations in the 23S rRNA gene of patients with respiratory infections in Iran. METHODS: In this study, 100 samples of throat swab from a patient with respiratory problems were collected. After the cultured of all samples in M. pneumonia-specific PPLO medium, PCR technique was performed with specific primers. Afterwards, the broth micro-dilution MIC assay was employed. Finally, the PCR product of the 23S rRNA gene was sequenced to detect mutations of domain V in 23S rRNA gene of MRMP. RESULTS: It was found that 17 cases (17%) were positive for mycoplasma genus and six cases (6%) positive for M. pneumoniae species. Also, analysis of the sequence of 23S rRNA gene, revealed that one of the samples had mutations at positions A2431G and G2491A. All positive samples M. pneumoniae with 23S rRNA gene were sensitive to erythromycin. CONCLUSION: These use of these antibiotics should be limited to prevent the emergence of MRMP in Iran.