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Background: Infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Acinetobacter baumannii are of greatest concern for hospitalized patients, particularly those in intensive care units (ICUs). The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of integrons and biofilm formation among P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii isolates collected from ICU and non-ICU inpatients.
Materials and Methods: A total of 90 P. aeruginosa and 90 A. baumannii isolates were recovered from patients admitted into diverse units of Shahid Mohammadi hospital in Bandar Abbas from January to December 2014. Bacterial identification was carried out by phenotypic methods and PCR. Antibiotic susceptibility was measured by disk diffusion assay. The presence of Class 1, 2, and 3 integrons were evaluated by multiplex-PCR. Biofilm quantification was done by microtiter method.
Results: The highest number of isolates (48%) were recovered from ICU patients. 81% of P. aeruginosa isolateswere sensitive to piperacillin/tazobactam and ticarcillin, while 60% were resistant to third generation of cephalosporins. In case of A. baumannii, all the isolates were sensitive to colistin, but 98% were resistant to other antibiotics (p≤0.05). Susceptibility to ceftazidime, ticarcillin, imipenem, and piperacillin/tazobactam were higher among isolates obtained from non-ICU patients. Class 1 integron was detected in 13.3% of the P. aeruginosa and 40% of the A. baumannii isolates, while Class 2 integron was harbored by 7 and 6.6% of the isolates, respectively. Furthermore, 23% of the A. baumannii and 12% of the P. aeruginosa isolates showed strong biofilm activity.
Conclusion: Class 1 integron-positive isolates were resistant to three classes of antibiotics and predominantly observed in specimens collected from ICU patients showing strong biofilm.

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Background:  Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the main causes of nosocomial infections with a mortality rate up to 40-50%. Resistance to antibiotics is a global challenge in the treatment of infections caused by this bacterium.  The Class A beta-lactamases genes, including bla_SHV, bla_PER, bla_VEB, are the most common causes of resistance in this microorganism. This study was conducted to determine antibiotic resistance pattern and the presence of bla_per, bla_veb, bla_shv and bla_oxa-10 genes in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa isolated from patients in a hospital in Bandar Abbas.
Materials and Methods:  This cross-sectional study was conducted on 72 P. aeruginosa clinical isolates. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by disk diffusion method according to the clinical Laboratory Standard Institute. MIC (Minimum inhibitory concentration) of ceftazidime was performed by E-Test. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to identify bla_shv, bla_veb-1, bla_oxa-10, and bla_per-1 genes.
Results:  Most of the isolates were detected from intensive care unit and urine samples. The highest resistance rate which was observed to sulfamethoxazole and ceftazidime, were 68 (94.44%) and 44 (61.11%), respectively.  27.8% of these isolates were multidrug resistance. Among 44 ceftazidime resistance isolates, 15 isolates (34%) showed MIC ≥32 µg.ml in the E- test. The prevalence rates of genes were 4.16, 12.5, 8.33, and 1.38% for bla_Oxa-10, bla_Shv, bla_Veb-1, and bla_Per-1 genes, respectively.
Conclusion:  The ceftazidime resistance rate and the prevalence rate of resistance genes in the present study were lower than other Iranian studies.  However, isolation of these genes is alarming that excessive use of antibiotics can lead to over expression of resistance genes and bacterial efflux pumps and the emergence of MDR phenotypes.

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Backgrounds: In recent years, Enterococcus species have emerged as a leading cause of nosocomial infections worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the virulence biomarkers and antibiotic resistance profiles of Enterococcus spp. collected from a main tertiary teaching hospital in Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Materials & Methods: A total of 71 Enterococcus were isolated from clinical specimens of patients in different wards of a hospital. Enterococcus spp. were verified by detecting ddl gene using PCR-based method. Virulence-encoding genes including gelE and cylA were detected using PCR. Antibiotic resistance was assessed using the disk diffusion assay, and vancomycin resistance was identified using the E-test method.
Findings: Among Enterococcus isolates, 50 and 21 isolates were identified as E. faecalis and E. faecium, respectively. Most of the Enterococcus species were isolated from urine, followed by wound samples. The most prevalent virulence genes among E. faecalis isolates were cylA (60%) and gelE (30%); also, 19 and 14% of E. faecium isolates were positive for cylA and gelE genes, respectively. Many isolates of E. faecalis (84%) and E. faecium (76%) were resistant to one or more antibiotics and showed high resistance to gentamicin and ciprofloxacin.
Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of ciprofloxacin and gentamicin resistance and a high frequency of virulence genes among E. faecalis isolates. Due to the high prevalence of MDR Enterococcus strains, control measures are necessary to prevent the emergence and transmission of these strains in different hospital wards.
 

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Backgrounds: This study aimed to assess the molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated from community-acquired (CA) and hospital-acquired (HA) infections in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran.
Materials & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 110 S. aureus strains isolated from 59 outpatients and 51 inpatients during 2018-2019. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using disc diffusion method. Epsilometer test was used to measure vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Cefoxitin disc (30 μg) was used to screen MRSA isolates. The presence of mecA gene was examined by PCR method.  Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types were detected in S. aureus isolates using multiplex-PCR. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to analyze the results.
Findings: Out of 110 isolates, 45 (40.9%) isolates carried the mecA gene: 20 (39.2%) isolates from inpatients and 25 (42.4%) isolates from outpatients. MRSA isolates showed the highest resistance to azithromycin (69.8%), tetracycline (60.4%), and clindamycin (32.1%), respectively. Vancomycin MIC against MRSA isolates ranged from 0.75 to 5 μg/mL. SCCmec type I, III, IV, and V were detected in 20 (44.4%), three (6.7%), 16 (35.5%), and six (13.3%) isolates, respectively.
Conclusion: The predominant SCCmec types were type I and type IV, which were detected in CA- and HA-MRSA isolates, respectively. No significant difference in the presence of SCCmec type III and antibiotic resistance was found between CA- and HA-MRSA isolates, indicating the possibility of cross-infection between these isolates. Developing appropriate treatment protocols to prevent the spread of MRSA infections in the community is currently an urgent need.
 

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The aim of this study was an investigation on chemical composition including phenolic profile, mineral and carbohydrate content of the Terfezia claveryi (black truffle) and Tirmania nivea (white truffle). The identification of carbohydrates and individual phenolic compounds was performed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Total protein was determined by Kjeldahl method. Our research showed that Tirmania nivea had higher contents of protein than Terfezia claveryi. Among studied carbohydrates, glucose was detected at higher levels in both truffles. The mineral analysis showed that potassium and iron concentrations were found at high levels compared with other minerals. Higher contents of the examined phenolic compounds were determined in extracts of Terfezia claveryi compared to those of Tirmania nivea. Overall, these results support further examination of biochemical characteristics and verification of nutritional value of both the truffles.