Cases of tinea capitis as encountered in a private practice laboratory from Jordan.

Tinea capitis is of health concern in many Middle Eastern countries. This study reports on the etiologic agents as well as certain demographic factors of tinea capitis cases encountered in a medical laboratory. Over a period of 6 years, a total of 39 patients were referred to the Medical Diagnostic Laboratories for the diagnosis of tinea capitis. Hair and scalp scales were collected and examined microscopically using 10% KOH wet mount and by culture using Sabouraud dextrose agar. Twenty-five (64.1%) cases were positive for fungal elements by direct microscopy, whereas 30 cases (76.9%) were positive for dermatophytes by culture. Age of patients with positive cultures varied from 4 to 18 years, with the majority of cases (86.7%) occurring in children below 14 years. The isolated etiologic agents were T. violaceum (14), M. canis (eight), T. verrucosum (three), T. tonsurans (three) and T. schoenleinii (two). However, this communication clearly demonstrates that mycological work in medical laboratories in Jordan is very limited; it provides an idea about certain epidemiological aspects of tinea capitis in the country. It also emphasizes the need for prospective investigations at a national level to determine the true incidence of tinea capitis.

Experimental infection of goats with an unusual strain of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri isolated in Jordan.

Goats were infected experimentally with a mycoplasma (the "Irbid" strain) isolated previously from a goat with contagious agalactia in northern Jordan. The strain was unusual in that, although it had been identified by molecular methods as Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC/Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri, it showed no inhibition of growth by any of the hyperimmune rabbit antisera conventionally used to speciate members of the Mycoplasma mycoides cluster. Animals were infected either intratracheally or by aerosol and placed "in-contact" with other goats. After 2 weeks, those infected intratracheally became febrile, showing a nasal discharge and slight conjunctivitis, followed a week later by respiratory distress and polyarthritis; lesions seen at necropsy included coagulative necrotic pneumonia, fibrinous pleurisy with pleural exudate, and inflammatory exudates, necrosis and fibrosis in the joints. Animals infected by aerosol showed much milder clinical signs, including nasal discharge and occasional swollen joints. In the "in-contact" goats, seroconversion was first seen after 7 weeks, accompanied by coughing and laboured respiration; lesions in this group consisted of fibrinous pneumonia with focal areas of necrosis and abundant pleural exudate.

In vitro antimycoplasmal activity of six Jordanian medicinal plants against three Mycoplasma species.

The in vitro effect of six Jordanian traditional medicine plant methanolic extracts were tested against 32 isolates of Mycoplasma species; Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC (6), Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum (8) and M. putrefaciens (18), all isolated from either nasal swabs or milk, from sheep and goats in different regions in Jordan. All Mycoplasma species showed susceptibility to Artemisia herba-alba and Artemisia arborescens with MIC ranges from 3.125-12.5 mg/ml. Allium sativum and Punica grantum showed limited activity against some Mycoplasma isolates. Olea europea and Citrullus colocynthis showed no in vitro activity against any of the Mycoplasma species tested. Artemisia herba-alba and Artemisia arborescens may therefore be useful for the treatment of mycoplasma infections.

In vitro susceptibilities of Mycoplasma putrefaciens field isolates.

MICs were determined for 15 antimicrobial agents against 37 Mycoplasma putrefaciens isolates. The most effective antimicrobial drug classes were the fluoroquinolones, the tetracyclines, the lincosamide lincomycin, and the macrolides. The susceptibility profile of the isolates correlated with the geographic origin. This is the first report of decreased susceptibility to the macrolides, lincomycin, and the tetracyclines in M. putrefaciens strains.

The in vitro effect of six antimicrobials against Mycoplasma putrefaciens, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC and Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum isolated from sheep and goats in Jordan.

Respiratory disease in sheep and goats is a major problem in Jordan and is often associated with Mycoplasma species. Without effective vaccines, control is mainly by chemotherapy, but the uncontrolled use of antimicrobials has led to concerns about the potential development of antimicrobial resistance. The in vitro effect of chloramphenicol, florfenicol, enrofloxacin, tylosin, erythromycin and oxytetracycline was determined against 32 isolates of Mycoplasma species-M. mycoides subsp. mycoides LC (6), M. capricolum subsp. capricolum (8) and M. putrefaciens (18), all isolated from either nasal swabs or milk, from sheep and goats in different regions of Jordan. The antimicrobial susceptibility showed some Mycoplasma species-specific differences, with M. capricolum subsp. capricolum being more susceptible to tylosin and erythromycin. Chloramphenicol and florfenicol were the least effective for all three Mycoplasma species. No trends or significant differences in antimicrobial susceptibilities were observed between sheep and goat isolates, between milk or nasal swab isolates, or between isolates from different regions of Jordan. Some isolates of M. capricolum subsp. capricolum and M. putrefaciens showed higher MIC levels with oxytetracycline, as did two isolates of M. mycoides subsp. mycoides LC with tylosin, possibly indicating signs of development of antimicrobial resistance.