Inhibitory Effects of Carvacrol on Biofilm Formation in Colistin Heteroresistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates.

BACKGROUND: The ability of bacteria to form biofilm is an essential strategy for creating stable infections. This issue is more critical in Acinetobacter bauamannii as a hospital pathogen. Today, the control of biofilm formation and solutions to prevent or remove biofilm is being developed. Carvacrol has been considered an anti-biofilm compound in significant bacteria. This study investigated the anti-biofilm effect of Carvacrol on biofilm formation in clinical colistin heteroresistant isolates of A. baumannii. METHODS: 22 clinical strains of A. baumannii were collected from Motahari Hospital in Tehran, Iran, in 2019. Biochemical and genotypic methods confirmed these isolates. Colistin heteroresistance was determined by the Standard PAP method. Carvacrol's antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity was determined according to the standard protocol. RESULTS: About 12 isolates were considered strong biofilm producers and were used for analysis. Six isolates had hetero-resistance to colistin. Carvacrol at a 512 g/ml concentration showed the best antibacterial activity against all isolates. The sub-MIC of Carvacrol (256 g/ml) reduced the biofilm formation capacity, which was statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that sub-MIC of Carvacrol has anti-biofilm effects in clinical A.baumannii colistin hetero-resistance isolates.

In vitro anti-biofilm properties of the peel of fruite wall of acorn against Streptococcus mutans.

Dental caries is a multi-factorial infectious disease. The primary cause is dental plaque, a complex of biofilm. It was postulated that the ethanolic extract of fruite wall of acorn may represent a new substance to prevent caries. Hence, the study was performed to evaluate the effect of ethanolic extract of fruite wall of acorn against biofilm formation by Streptococcus mutans, which is associated with dental plaque. The cytotoxicity of the ethanolic extract was determined against Vero cells resulting in an inhibitory concentration of 50 (IC50) of 55 µg/ml. After bacterial collection, different concentrations under the IC50 from the extract were evaluated against biofilm formation of S. mutans. 3 µg/ml of the extract inhibited the biofilm formation of S. mutans, and 1 to 3 µg/ml caused a decrease in gtfB and brpA biofilm-production genes. This study showed the potency of the ethanolic extract of fruite wall of acorn against biofilm formation by S. mutans.

abkBA toxin-antitoxin system may act as antipersister modules in Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates.

Aim: Persistence cells comprise a subpopulation of bacteria that is resistant to treatment. In this study, the role of the toxin-antitoxin (TA) system in the formation of persistence cells of Acinetobacter baumannii isolates was investigated. Methods: After confirming all isolates, TA systems abkBA, mqsRA and higBA were identified. Persister cells were confirmed using the standard method. Real-time PCR was used to compare the expression of TA systems in isolates in persistence and normal states. Results: The abkAB system was present in all isolates; 4% of isolates formed persister cells. The expression level of the abkB gene in persistent isolates showed a sevenfold increase compared with nonpersistent isolates. Conclusion: The abkBA system is proposed as an antipersistence target in A. baumannii isolates.

Effect of alcohol consumption on breast cancer: probabilistic bias analysis for adjustment of exposure misclassification bias and confounders.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of alcohol consumption on breast cancer, adjusting for alcohol consumption misclassification bias and confounders. METHODS: This was a case-control study of 932 women with breast cancer and 1000 healthy control. Using probabilistic bias analysis method, the association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer was adjusted for the misclassification bias of alcohol consumption as well as a minimally sufficient set of adjustment of confounders derived from a causal directed acyclic graph. Population attributable fraction was estimated using the Miettinen's Formula. RESULTS: Based on the conventional logistic regression model, the odds ratio estimate between alcohol consumption and breast cancer was 1.05 (95% CI: 0.57, 1.91). However, the adjusted estimates of odds ratio based on the probabilistic bias analysis ranged from 1.82 to 2.29 for non-differential and from 1.93 to 5.67 for differential misclassification. Population attributable fraction ranged from 1.51 to 2.57% using non-differential bias analysis and 1.54-3.56% based on differential bias analysis. CONCLUSION: A marked measurement error was in self-reported alcohol consumption so after correcting misclassification bias, no evidence against independence between alcohol consumption and breast cancer changed to a substantial positive association.

High prevalence of mental disorders: a population-based cross-sectional study in the city of Ilam, Iran.

Aim: To determine the age- and sex-standardized prevalence and risk factors of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in the city of Ilam. Method: In this population-based cross-sectional study, 1,350 people were invited using a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were measured using the DASS-21 standard questionnaire. For data analysis, multiple ordinal logistic regression was used in Stata version 12 software. A significance level of 5% was considered. Results: The data of 1,431 people were analyzed. The age- and sex-standardized prevalence (95% CI) of severe depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms was 19.90% (17.64 to 22.16), 25.95% (23.48 to 28.43), and 15.75% (13.69 to 17.81), respectively. There was a positive association among depression symptoms with female sex (OR: 1.52; p < 0.003), Kurdish ethnicity (OR: 2.15; p < 0.004), low educational level (OR: 1.37; p < 0.031), job losing history (OR: 1.64; p < 0.001), mental disorders history (OR: 2.17; p < 0.001), hopelessness for the future (OR: 5.38; p < 0.001), and history of other diseases (OR: 1.67; p < 0.001). There was a positive association among anxiety symptoms with female sex (OR: 1.72; p < 0.001), job losing history (OR: 1.53; p < 0.003), mental disorders history (OR: 2.11; p < 0.001), hopelessness to future (OR: 3.33; p < 0.001) and history of other diseases (OR: 1.97; p < 0.001). Hopelessness for the future and a history of other diseases were the most effective variables for anxiety symptoms and stress symptoms. Conclusion: A significant proportion of Ilam's urban population suffers from mental disorders. Increasing people's awareness, establishing counseling centers, and improving infrastructure should be considered by mental health policymakers who work in the province.

Worldwide Prevalence of Colistin Resistance among Enterobacteriaceae: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present meta-analysis is to estimate the prevalence of colistin resistance among the Enterobacteriaceae family. METHODS: Articles from various databases (Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase) examining colistin resistance among Enterobacteriaceae in human, animal, and environmental specimens were searched from 2016 to 2021 using related keywords. The Cochran's Q-test and I2 were applied to evaluate heterogeneity and a random-effects model was used to assess the pooled prevalence. The meta-regression method was applied to determine heterogeneity among the studies. RESULTS: Of 5,145 articles, 60 articles with a sample size of 404,856 was included. The pooled estimate for prevalence of bacterial resistance were 9.13% (95% CI: 6.96 to 11.56; I-squared = 99.4%) in total, 8.34% (95% CI: 5.87 to 11.16; I-squared = 99.3%) for Klebsiella spp. subgroup and 3.44% (95% CI: 2.46 to 4.57; I-squared = 98.4%) for E. coli subgroup. The pooled prevalence for human and animal settings were 9.07% (95% CI: 6.77 to 11.67; I-squared = 99.3%) and 9.73% (95% CI: 484 to 16.02; I-squared = 99.4%), respectively. The continent (coefficient: 3.51; 95% CI: 0.08 to 6.94, p: 0.045) and bacterial type (coefficient: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.05 p: 0.042) had significant effects on heterogeneity among studies. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that the prevalence of colistin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae was similar between animals and humans, with the highest colistin resistance found in Klebsiella strains.

Environmental Surface Contamination with SARS-CoV-2: Toilets as the Most Contaminated Surfaces in COVID-19 Referral Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: The possibility of surface transmission in hospitals with high density of COVID- 19 patients is unneglectable. The aim of this study is to determine the extent of surface contamination in coronavirus central hospital of Ilam province in western Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, 205 samples were taken from environmental surfaces in hospital. SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected by Real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: 121 out of 205 (50.02%) samples were positive. The most contaminated objects were toilet sites (5/5,100% ICU; 5/5, 100% isolation wards). CONCLUSION: High surface contamination with SARS-CoV-2 proposes the surface as a potential route of transmission.

Molecular Epidemiology and Recycling of Staphylococcus aureus Resistant to Methicillin Among the Staff, Patients, and Surfaces in University Hospital in West Iran, Ilam.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is a human pathogen causing nosocomial infections and increased hospitalization and mortality among human communities. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains are considered a severe threat in nosocomial infections and cause complications in the remedy process of bacterial infections. In this study, 137 samples were collected from different departments, staff, and patients in Ilam hospital. METHODS: Eighty-eight samples of these strains were examined to test antibiotic resistance and diffusion. MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) were performed on the samples resistant to oxacillin. 36 (40.9%) strains were MRSA, and 52 (59.1%) isolates were MSSA. 44.4% of MRSA strains with IV SCCmec type. RESULTS: Fourteen different spa types were found using spa typing, of which the most abundant types were t037, t030, and t701, and three new types, including t15471, t15474, and t17470, were identified among the strains. The molecular analysis by MLST showed that the strains are classified into 11 different sequence types. Sequence type 239 and clonal complexes of 329 and 22 were dominant. ST239- spat037-SCCmec III was also identified as the most frequent clone of MRSA. The most identified clones were MRSA ST239-spa t037-SCCmec III. CONCLUSION: The results show the spa-type distribution between samples of patients, personnel, and surfaces, demonstrating MRSA circulation between patients and the environment. The results show the need to control environmental health.

In silico Study of the Proteins Involved in the Persistence of Brucella spp.

BACKGROUND: One of the major problems with Brucella infections is its tendency to become chronic and recurrent, providing a hindrance to the management of this infection. It has been proposed that chronicity is greatly affected by a phenomenon called persistence in bacteria. Several mechanisms are involved in bacterial persistence, including the type II toxin-antitoxin system, the SOS and oxidative and stringent responses. METHODS: In this in silico study, these persistence mechanisms in Brucella spp. were investigated. RESULTS: The structure and the interactions between modules involved in these systems were designed, and novel peptides that can interfere with some of these important mechanisms were developed. CONCLUSION: Since peptide-based therapeutics are a new and evolving field due to their ease of production, we hope that peptides developed in this study, as well as the information about the structure and interactions of modules of persistence mechanisms, can further be used to design drugs against Brucella persister cells in the hope of restraining the chronic nature of Brucellosis.

COVID-19 Mass Vaccination and Flu Season: Concern for Decreased Public Health Measures and Worsening the Influenza Situation.

Reports show that other ordinary childhood infections like measles or influenza are likely to reemerge. The re-emergence of infectious diseases may happen due to the direct impact of the pandemic on the community because of decreased access to health and medical services, interrupted transport systems, weaknesses in the supply chain, flight restrictions, closings of the border, and international trade problems. The most prevalent cause (60.9%) for low vaccine uptake and coverage during the current pandemic was fear of exposure to the COVID-19 virus outside the home. The expectation and hope that the pattern of reduction in transmission and number of influenza cases will continue over the next flu season depend on continued adherence to nonpharmaceutical interventions and their long-term application. But there is always the fear and threat of increasing the spread of influenza by reducing the movement restrictions and low adherence to protective health measures due to vaccination. So far, not much information has been published about the interaction between different infectious diseases in the background of the coronavirus pandemic and related interventions. The purpose of this article is to examine the general effects of the COVID-19 vaccination on the spread of influenza in the coming seasons.

Docosahexaenoic acid-loaded chitosan/alginate membrane reduces biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa and promotes MSC-mediated burn wound healing.

Aims: Chitosan, like docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), is used in medicine as a wound healing accelerator. Thus, in this study, chitosan-alginate (CA) membranes containing DHA and MSCs were produced, and their antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against burn infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated.Methods: Physicochemical properties were assessed by SEM, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Porosity, cytocompatibility, and antibacterial and antibiofilm activities were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. The viability and apoptosis of MSCs were studied using flow cytometry. Wound healing effects were analyzed based on histopathological features, the wound contraction rate (WCR) ratio, and bacterial clearance.Results: The CA membranes showed antibiofilm activity both in vivo and in vitro, accompanied by reduced lasI and rhlI expressions and pyocyanin production. The membranes were highly porous and biocompatible and showed favorable physicochemical properties. Docosahexaenoic acid incorporation to CA membranes improved their antibacterial and antibiofilm activities, as well as MSCs' viability by reducing crystallinity and increasing porosity (p = .008). Treatment with CA-DHA-MSC accelerated burn wound healing (with complete healing being observed after 14 days, WCR = 85%) and augmented antibacterial and antibiofilm activities in vivo compared to CA-DHA and CA-MSC. The CA-DHA-MSC group delivered a significantly higher WCR and lower inflammation than the CA-MSC group (p = .0001).Conclusion: In combination with DHA-loaded CA membranes, MSCs reduced the healing time of burn wounds, offering a viable option for designing effective wound dressings.

Development of innovative multi-epitope mRNA vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa using in silico approaches.

The rising issue of antibiotic resistance has made treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections increasingly challenging. Therefore, vaccines have emerged as a viable alternative to antibiotics for preventing P. aeruginosa infections in susceptible individuals. With its superior accuracy, high efficiency in stimulating cellular and humoral immune responses, and low cost, mRNA vaccine technology is quickly replacing traditional methods. This study aimed to design a novel mRNA vaccine by using in silico approaches against P. aeruginosa. The research team identified five surface and antigenic proteins and selected their appropriate epitopes with immunoinformatic tools. These epitopes were then examined for toxicity, allergenicity and homology. The researchers also checked their presentation and identification by major histocompatibility complex cells and other immune cells through valuable tools like molecular docking. They subsequently modeled a multi-epitope protein and optimized it. The mRNA was analyzed in terms of structure and stability, after which the immune system's response against the new vaccine was simulated. The results indicated that the designed mRNA construct could be an effective and promising vaccine that requires laboratory and clinical trials.

Prevalence of Pediculosis Among Primary School-Aged Students in Iran: an Updated Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

In this study, a systematic investigation was performed to estimate the prevalence of head lice infestation, and to determine the factors affecting the prevalence of heterogeneity among primary school-aged children in Iran. A comprehensive search was fulfilled in international databases, including MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase, to identify the articles on the prevalence of pediculosis. So, all the cross-sectional epidemiological studies evaluating the prevalence of pediculosis were covered without any restrictions. A random-effects model was used to assess the pooled prevalence. A meta-regression method was applied to determine the factors affecting the heterogeneity among the studied population. An analysis was performed on 67 studies with a total sample size of 358,053. The total pooled estimate for the prevalence of pediculosis in boys and girls was 7.52% (95% CI: 6.15-9.03), 1.99% (95% CI: 1.25-2.89), and 8.97% (95% CI: 721-10.91), respectively. The highest and lowest pooled prevalence was in Hormozgan (southern Iran) (29.21%; 95% CI: 8.89-55.34) and Isfahan (Central Iran) (0.69%; 95% CI: 0.59-0.80), respectively. Based on the results of the univariate meta-regression, gender and father's job showed a significant direct association with the prevalence of pediculosis, but the sample size had significant inverse relations with the prevalence of pediculosis. This study demonstrated that pediculosis is a common public health problem affecting school-aged children with a relatively high prevalence in Iran, especially among girls.

In Vitro and In Silico Investigation of some Type II TA Genes in H. Pylori.

BACKGROUND: In addition to antibiotic resistance, the entry of Helicobacter pylori into the persistence phase leads to recurrent and chronic infections, as well as the development of antibiotic resistance in persister cells. METHODS: In this study, after genetic confirmation of H. pylori in 20 biopsy specimens, the prevalence of the type II TA systems mazEF, relEB, yafQ/dinJ was investigated. Also, the most common system observed in the study in terms of structure, evolution, and molecular interaction was evaluated by bioinformatics tools. RESULTS: The results of the PCR test on 20 biopsy samples were positive for ureA and glmM genes. Moreover, yafQ/ dinJ was the only module positive in half of the samples (10 samples) in the PCR technique. The toxin residues and their interactions with the cognate antitoxin residues are revealed by docking analysis results. Furthermore, the multiple sequence alignment (MSA) of the YafQ toxin showed that this toxin has a low polymorphism among H. pylori species. The evolutionary study showed that the yafQ toxin had the highest sequence similarity among the bacteria Helicobacter cetorm (60% similarity) and Muricauda olearia (57.35 % similarity). CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the data of the present study indicate that the YafQ/DinJ is the dominant type II TA system and has the highest frequency among the studied systems in H. pylori, and further studies are required to elucidate its exact role in this bacterium.

The prevalence of gonococcal and non-gonococcal infections in women referred to obstetrics and gynecology clinics.

Bacterial vaginosis is a condition caused by changes in the vaginal microbial ecosystem and increases the risk of preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes, endometritis, and weight loss of the baby. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of gonococcal and non-gonococcal genital infections in women referred to clinics in Ilam, Iran. Two swab samples were taken from each patient using a sterile swab, one swab was placed in a THB medium for the culture of Streptococcus agalactiae and the other in PBS buffer for PCR. PCR method was conducted for the identification of the other bacterial agents such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, and also S. agalactiae. Sampling was performed on 169 women with symptomatic vaginosis. The frequency of S. agalactiae by culture and PCR methods was 4.7% (8 samples) and 13.6% (23 samples) respectively. Also, 6.5% (11 samples), 3.5% (6 samples), 4.1% (7 samples), 1.2% (2 samples), and 0% of the samples were positive for N. gonorrhoeae, M. genitalium, M. hominis, U. urealyticum and C. trachomatis by PCR method. Except for a significant association between S. agalactiae colonization and abortion, there was no significant correlation between the prevalence of these bacteria and the patient's age, age of marriage, number of deliveries, and number of abortions. Overall, the prevalence of gonococcal and non-gonococcal infection in women referred to clinics in Ilam is similar to the other parts of Iran.

Inhibitory Effects of Carvacrol on Biofilm Formation and Expression of Biofilm Related Genes in Clinical Isolates of Enterococcus faecalis.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, novel antimicrobial strategies are being developed which focus on debilitating, rather than killing the microorganisms. In this regard, anti-biofilm therapy is one of the important ways to combat bacterial infections. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the anti-biofilm activity of Carvacrol against E. faecalis by means of its effects on biofilm formation as well as on the gene expression levels of the two biofilm related genes, Epa and Esp. METHODS: A total of 40 clinical strains of E. faecalis were collected from three hospitals in Tehran, Iran during 2020. These isolates were confirmed by biochemical and genotypic methods. Antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity of Carvacrol essence were determined according the standard protocol. Finally, expression level of the biofilm related genes (Epa and Esp) were evaluated before and after the treatment with Carvacrol. RESULTS: A total of 14 isolates were considered as strong biofilm producers and were used for analysis. Carvacrol essence showed the best antibacterial activity at 2,500 µg/mL concentration against all the isolates, the biofilm formation capacity was decreased by Carvacrol essence, and it was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Expression levels of the Esp gene were decreased in 5 isolates while increased in 3 isolates following the Carvacrol treatment. Ex-pression levels of the EpaI gene was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in 4 isolates following the Carvacrol treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the results presented in this study suggest that carvacrol extract exhibits significant antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties against E. faecalis, even against vancomycin resistant isolates.

COVID-19 Vaccination, Peltzman Effect and Possible Increase in Highrisk Behaviors: A Growing Concern Related to Risk Compensation and Reduced Compliance to Public Health Protective Measures after Vaccines Rollout.

The world is still faced with widespread dissemination and many unanswered questions related to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Several candidate vaccines have been introduced against COVID-19, mostly requiring the injection of two doses and some with nearly 90-95% efficacy. All strategies against the spread of infection have focused on breaking the chain of virus transmission through protective public health measures and mass vaccination. The current situation emphasizes the global need for carefully designed policies to maximize vaccine access and uptake. The risk compensation theory (Peltzman Effect) states that the decrease in perceived risk through access to preventive measures may lead to increasing frequency of risky behaviors. The current pandemic has exposed people to the sense of risk compensation and behavior change in response to the perceived risk. Risk compensation phenomenon may significantly reverse the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination, especially if the vaccine is not sufficiently effective in real life or among high-risk populations. Recognition and awareness of Peltzman risk compensation are of high importance in counteracting and neutralizing the false complacency of the community, which also lends more weight to public health efforts. The public health messages and practices should be clearly expressed, straightforward, reliable and applicable. It is important to encourage mass vaccination of the population, and other NPIs must be re-established and implemented to ensure education to live with COVID-19 in parallel with daily activities and job tasks.

Effect of Chlorhexidine (CHX) and Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) on the Biofilm Formation of Enterococcus faecalis.

BACKGROUND: Biofilm makes bacteria resistant to antimicrobial agents and facilitates the transmission of infectious diseases in hospitals. Disinfectant compounds are frequently used to control surface contamination. This study was designed to investigate the effect of chlorhexidine (CHX) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on biofilm formation of Enterococcus faecalis. METHODS: This study was performed on 40 E. faecalis clinical isolates. After the determination of MIC, the effect of different concentrations of CHX and H2O2 on the biofilm formation was evaluated. Also, the relative expression level of the studied biofilm genes, following exposure to sublethal concentration of CHX and H2O2, was assessed using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: The frequency of the asa1, efaA, epaI, and esp biofilm genes were 80%, 92.5%, 100%, and 75%, respectively. Various concentrations of CHX increased the biofilm mass in E. faecalis. Also, the combination of CHX and H2O2 at sub-minimal inhibitory concentrations, significantly elevated the expression of asa1, epaI, and esp genes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that the improper use of disinfectants can increase the ability of biofilm formation in E. faecalis and may cause selective pressure leading to the emergence of biocide-resistant microorganisms.

Worldwide prevalence of fungal coinfections among COVID-19 patients: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.

Microbial coinfections can increase the morbidity and mortality rates of viral respiratory diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of fungal coinfections in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, and Embase were searched without language restrictions to identify the related research on COVID-19 patients with fungal coinfections from December 1, 2019, to December 30, 2020. A random-effects model was used for analysis. The sample size included 2,246 patients from 8 studies. The pooled prevalence of fungal coinfections was 12.60%. The frequency of fungal subtype coinfections was 3.71% for Aspergillus, 2.39% for Candida, and 0.39% for other. The World Health Organization's Regional Office for Europe and Regional Office for Southeast Asia had the highest (23.28%) and lowest (4.53%) estimated prevalence of fungal coinfection, respectively. Our findings showed a high prevalence of fungal coinfections in COVID-19 cases, which is a likely contributor to mortality in COVID-19 patients. Early identification of fungal pathogens in the laboratory for COVID-19 patients can lead to timely treatment and prevention of further damage by this hidden infection.

In silico Investigation of Lon Protease as a Promising Therapeutic Target.

Considering the widespread occurrence of antibiotic resistance, the need for new therapeutic strategies is inevitable. Bacterial proteases are a broad set of enzymes that play a vital role in cell survival, stress response, and pathogenicity. This in silico study was aimed to focus on the crucial role of Lon protease in the regulation of toxin-antitoxin systems in E. coli and to design inhibitory peptides against the action of this protease. With the help of relevant servers and softwares, the communication network, the evolutionary history, and the interaction of Lon with the corresponding antitoxins were examined, following which the inhibitory peptides were designed against these interactions. The results showed that Lon protease plays a central role in the control of these systems and is a conserved protein, especially among the Enterobacteriaceae family. The docking results of the designed peptides with the Lon protease were significant. This study showed that Lon protease may have the characteristics of a new therapeutic target.