Indoor environment assessment of special wards of educational hospitals for the detection of fungal contamination sources: A multi-center study (2019-2021).

Background and Purpose: The hospital environment was reported as a real habitat for different microorganisms, especially mold fungi. On the other hand, these opportunistic fungi were considered hospital-acquired mold infections in patients with weak immune status. Therefore, this multi-center study aimed to evaluate 23 hospitals in 18 provinces of Iran for fungal contamination sources. Materials and Methods: In total, 43 opened Petri plates and 213 surface samples were collected throughout different wards of 23 hospitals. All collected samples were inoculated into Sabouraud Dextrose Agar containing Chloramphenicol (SC), and the plates were then incubated at 27-30ºC for 7-14 days. Results: A total of 210 fungal colonies from equipment (162, 77.1%) and air (48, 22.9%) were identified. The most predominant isolated genus was Aspergillus (47.5%), followed by Rhizopus (14.2%), Mucor (11.7%), and Cladosporium (9.2%). Aspergillus (39.5%), Cladosporium (16.6%), as well as Penicillium and Sterile hyphae (10.4% each), were the most isolates from the air samples. Moreover, intensive care units (38.5%) and operating rooms (21.9%) had the highest number of isolated fungal colonies. Out of 256 collected samples from equipment and air, 163 (63.7%) were positive for fungal growth. The rate of fungal contamination in instrument and air samples was 128/213 (60.1%) and 35/43 (81.2%), respectively. Among the isolated species of Aspergillus, A. flavus complex (38/96, 39.6%), A. niger complex (31/96, 32.3%), and A. fumigatus complex (15/96, 15.6%) were the commonest species. Conclusion: According to our findings, in addition to air, equipment and instrument should be considered among the significant sources of fungal contamination in the indoor environment of hospitals.

The silent presence of Mycoplasma hominis in patients with prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma hominis, an opportunistic pathogen in human genitourinary tract, can cause chronic infection in the prostate. Intracellular survival of M. hominis leads to a prolonged presence in the host cells that can affect the cell's biological cycle. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of M. hominis DNA in prostate tissue of Iranian patients with prostate cancer (PCa) in comparison to a control group with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: This research was a retrospective case-control study using 61 archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks of prostate tissue from patients with PCa and 70 FFPE blocks of patients with BPH. Real-time PCR, targeting two different genes, 16S rRNA and yidC, in the M. hominis genome was performed for all specimens. RESULTS: Out of 61 blocks of prostate biopsy from patients with PCa, eight samples (13%) were positive for M. hominis, while the bacterium was not detected in any of the 70 blocks of patients with BPH (P value, 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of M. hominis in patients with PCa likely shows a hidden role of the organism in prostate cancer during its chronic, apparently silent and asymptomatic colonization in prostate.

Cold Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia due to High-grade non Hodgkin's B cell Lymphoma with Weak Response to Rituximab and Chemotherapy Regimens.

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is characterized by shortening of red blood cell (RBC) survival and the presence of autoantibodies directed against autologous RBCs. Approximately 20% of autoimmune hemolytic anemia cases are associated with cold-reactive antibody. About half of patients with AIHA have no underlying associated disease; these cases are termed primary or idiopathic. Secondary cases are associated with underlying diseases or with certain drugs. We report herein a rare case of cold autoimmiune hemolytic anemia due to high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of B-cell type with weak response to rituximab and chemotherapy regimens. For treatment B cell lymphoma, Due to lack of treatment response, we used chemotherapy regimens including R- CHOP for the first time, and then Hyper CVAD, R- ICE and ESHAP were administered, respectively. For treatment of autoimmune hemolytic anemia, we have used the corticosteroid, rituximab, plasmapheresis and blood transfusion and splenectomy. In spite of all attempts, the patient died of anemia and aggressive lymphoma nine months after diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is a rare report from cold autoimmune hemolytic anemia in combination with high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of B-cell type that is refractory to conventional therapies.