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Aims: Recently, overuse and misuse of antibiotics have led to the development of multidrug-resistant bacteria and infectious diseases caused by these organisms, increasing morbidity and mortality rate in patients. Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a common Gram-negative pathogen is predominantly responsible for hospital-acquired infections. In this study, the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), and pandrug-resistant (PDR) P. aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical specimens of patients admitted to a teaching hospital in Gorgan, Iran, was determined.
Materials & Methods: Clinical samples of blood, urine, burn wound, eye, and secretions (pleural fluid, tracheal or bronchial aspirates and sputum) were collected from all hospitalized patients during a three-month period from April to June 2019. Using conventional biochemical methods, P. aeruginosa strains were identified, and the antibiotic resistance pattern was determined by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method.
Findings: A total of 40 (25.4%) P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from 377 clinical specimens. Most of the P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from wound (35%) and urine (30%) samples. Most of the P. aeruginosa positive samples were recovered from intensive care unit (32.5%) and burn ward (30%). The highest susceptibility was shown to fosfomycin (100%), and the lowest susceptibility was observed to ceftazidime (87.5%), followed by aztreonam (60%). Based on the results, 52.5 and 20% of the isolates were MDR and XDR, respectively. All of the MDR isolates exhibited susceptibility to colistin. No PDR phenotype was observed.
Conclusion: Continuous monitoring of drug resistant strains among clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa must be done to adopt effective strategies to decrease the threat of antimicrobial resistance.

 

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Background: Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease with significant economic and public health consequences. This study aimed to investigate the seroepidemiological prevalence of human brucellosis in Gorgan and Dasht, Northeastern Iran during one year.
Materials & Methods: In this study, 153 brucellosis-suspected cases who were referred to the health centers of Gorgan and surrounding villages from April 2017 to March 2018, were included. Two serological assays (Wright and 2-mercaptoethanol) were performed on all sera taken from patients. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 23) using Chi-square test and independent t-test. A p-value less than .05 was considered as statistically significant.
Findings: Of 153 suspected cases, 62 cases (40.5%) were positive for brucellosis, among whom 39 cases (62.9%) were men, and 41 cases (66%) were 17-38 years old. The highest prevalence rate of brucellosis was observed in rural men (69.5%) as well as in those consuming raw cheese (35.5%) and being in direct contact with livestock (27.5%). Furthermore, the frequency of the disease was significantly higher in the summer. The incidence rate of the disease was significantly associated with season, history of contact with livestock, and the type of dairy product consumed (p <.05).
Conclusion: The prevalence of brucellosis is higher in rural areas of Gorgan, particularly among farmers and livestock keepers. Providing training and raising awareness of these individuals as well as developing strategic health plans regarding the consumption of unpasteurized dairy products could help reduce the incidence of brucellosis.

 

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Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) cause a wide range of infections in individuals; they are common nosocomial infections that have recently become difficult to treat because of the increased emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The present study aimed to determine and compare the minimum inhibitory concentration of gentamicin alone and in combination with cetirizine against Escherichia coli strains isolated from hospitalized patients with UTI.
Materials & Methods: This study was performed on 76 E. coli strains isolated from a total of 103 samples of patients admitted to three hospitals in Gonbad-e Kavus. Kirby Bauer disk diffusion and broth microdilution tests were used to determine antibiotic susceptibility and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of gentamicin alone and in combination with cetirizine according to CLSI M100-S25 (2015) criteria.
Findings: Evaluation of the minimum inhibitory concentration of gentamicin-cetirizine combination against E. coli isolates showed that none were able to grow at a concentration of 8 µg/mL. The concentration of gentamicin in combination with cetirizine, inhibiting 90% of E. coli isolates (MIC90), was 4 μg/mL, which was 16 times lower than that of gentamicin alone (MIC90= 64 μg/mL) (p=.02).    
Conclusion: Gentamicin in combination with cetirizine was found to be more potent in inhibiting E. coli isolates than gentamicin alone. Therefore, the results of this study could provide a clear perspective for dealing with drug-resistant pathogens.

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Backgrounds: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli is one of the most important etiological agents of UTI. The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on aminoglycoside-resistant E. coli isolates from patients with UTI.
Materials & Methods: After identifying E. coli strains in 100 out of 250 urine samples, antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated against six antibiotic classes (with emphasis on aminoglycosides) by disk diffusion method according to CLSI-2020 guidelines. The presence of aac (6')-Ie-aph (2'') gene in isolates was investigated by PCR. Antibacterial properties and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of zinc oxide nanoparticles were evaluated by agar well diffusion and broth microdilution assays, respectively.
Findings: Among 100 E. coli isolates, the highest and lowest antibiotic resistance rates were observed against tetracycline (70%) and ofloxacin (10%), respectively. Of 30 gentamicin-resistant E. coli isolates, 17 (56.5%) isolates harbored the aac (6')-Ie-aph (2'') gene. In agar well diffusion assay, 22 (74%) gentamicin-resistant isolates were eliminated by zinc oxide nanoparticles at a concentration of 150 mg/L, while ZnONPs at 300 mg/L could eliminate all gentamicin-resistant isolates. Furthermore, ZnONPs could inhibit all bacteria at a concentration of 200 μg/mL (MIC₉₀ ≥ 100).
Conclusion: Spread of the aac(6')-Ie-aph(2'') gene could increase gentamicin resistance among E. coli strains causing UTI. Given the favorable antibacterial effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles in vitro, the clinical application of these nanoparticles in the treatment of UTIs caused by multidrug-resistant E. coli could be investigated in future studies.
 

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Debate about Genetically Modified Food (GMF) has received much attention in concurrence with the development of biotechnology. This paper examines consumers’ intentions towards GM food in Iran. Given the potential of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in shaping consumers’ behavior, relationships between CSR, trust, and health concerns with consumer intentions towards GM foods have been investigated rarely. This study used a moderated mediation analysis to understand how health concerns, trust in GM foods, and CSR perceptions affect consumer intentions towards GM foods. A survey study with 389 consumers indicates that health concerns reduce trust in GM foods, but trust exerts a positive influence on consumers’ intentions toward these products, thus playing a mediating role between health concerns and consumers’ intentions. More importantly, CSR perceptions magnify the positive effect of trust in GM foods on consumers’ intentions, thus offering evidence for a moderating role of CSR perceptions.