OBJECTIVE: To determine the presence of common bacterial agents of otitis media with effusion (OME), together with investigation these agent in the adenoid tissue and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of isolated bacteria in Iranian children with OME. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bacterial culture methods were used for detection and isolation of Alloicoccus otitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis and Haemophilus influenzae in 63 middle ear fluid samples and 48 adenoid tissues from 48 OME patients. Fifteen patients were bilaterally affected. Antimicrobial susceptibility of all bacterial isolates were determined by disk agar diffusion (DAD) method. RESULTS: Bacteria were isolated from 47%(n=30) of the middle ear fluid samples and 79%(n=38) of the adenoid tissue specimens in OME patients. A. otitidis was the most common bacterial isolated from the middle ear fluid 23.8% by culture and 36.5% by PCR method. S. pneumoniae was the most prevalent pathogen (35.5% and 31.2% by culture and PCR) in the adenoid tissues. In 10 patients the same organisms were isolated from the middle ear fluid and adenoid tissue. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern showed taht most isolates of bacteria were sensitive to ampicillin, Amoxicillin/Clavulanate and fluoroquinolones. CONCLUSION: The present study, being the first report on the isolation of A. otitidis by culture method in Iran and Asian countries, shows that A. otitidis is the most frequently isolated bacterium in Iranian children having otitis media with effusion. In this study A. otitidis, S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis are the major bacterial pathogens in patients with OME and we found that ampicillin and Amoxicillin/Clavulanate have the excellent activity against bacterial agents in Iranian children with OME.

Zataria multiflora Boiss. is a traditional and popular spice in Iran. The effects of 3 ecotypes (ECTPs) of Z. multiflora essential oils (EOs) against most common causes of food-borne and nosocomial infections were evaluated. The antimicrobial activities of the EOs were examined by broth microdilution method as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The chemical compositions of the EOs from 3 ECTPs of Z. multiflora have been analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Analysis of the EOs indicated that 3 chemotypes were present in Z. multiflora, including carvacrol, thymol-carvacrol, and linalool, whereas previous studies have only found carvacrol and thymol. Inhibition studies showed that the tested EOs entirely inhibited the growth of yeasts at concentrations of less than 1 μL/mL. Moreover, the oils exhibited significant bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria at concentrations ranging from 0.12 to 8 μL/mL. These results suggest that the EOs from Z. multiflora should be investigated further for possible use in antimicrobial products and food preservatives.

The aim of the study was to assess the reliability of human blood agar media (HuBA) in identifying Streptococcus pyogenes by hemolysis analysis. We analyze several factors that might affect the accuracy of HuBA media for microbial analysis, including incubation time, blood group, Rh factor and presence of antistreptolysin-o.

HASH(0x2b1bb2e60490)

Purpose: To assess the pattern of antimicrobial susceptibility profile of Helicobacter pylori isolates from patients with gastritis, duodenal ulcer (DU) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) residing in Shiraz, Iran. Methods: One hundred and six H. pylori isolates from patients with gastritis, DU and GERD undergoing endoscopy at our university hospitals and clinics were analysed for their antimicrobial susceptibility to metronidazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin, co-amoxiclav, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and furazolidone. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined by agar dilution method. Results: Overall H. pylori resistance rate was 72.6% to metronidazole, 9.4% to clarithromycin and furazolidone, 20.8% to amoxicillin and 4.7% to tetracycline and ciprofloxacin. No resistance to co-amoxiclav was detected among H. pylori isolates. No significant differences between antimicrobial resistance and clinical outcome were detected. Conclusions: With regard to the increasing resistance of H. pylori isolates to various antibiotics, susceptibility testing of H. pylori isolates prior to the treatment of infection must be performed to achieve better eradication and to reduce the risk of selection of H. pylori resistant strains.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in the immune related genes are important in the clinical outcome of Helicobacter pylori infection. Myeloperoxidase -463 G/A polymorphism has been shown to reduce enzyme expression and activity. OBJECTIVE: the aim of the present study is to investigate the association of myeloperoxidase G-463A polymorphism with clinical outcome of Helicobacter pylori infection. METHODS: two hundred and eighty five patients with positive culture of Helicobacter pylori from their gastric biopsies are included in this study. Human leukocyte DNA was extracted using salting out method and myeloperoxidase G-463A polymorphism was investigated by PCR-RFLP. All clinicopathological data were collected from individual records. RESULTS: When the patients were categorized according to the high (GG) and low + intermediate (AG+AA) genotypes of myeloperoxidase producers, there was a significant association between myeloperoxidase G-463A genotypes and clinical outcome of Helicobacter pylori infection (p=0.006). In search for combined effect of cagA status and myeloperoxidase genotypes on clinical presentations, only in cagA- Helicobacter pylori infected patients a significant association between myeloperoxidase genotypes and clinical outcome was found (p=0.0001). Also this association was found only in patients infected with vacA s1m1 genotype (p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the myeloperoxidase G-463A polymorphism is a host genetic factor which determines the clinical outcome of Helicobacter pylori infection. Moreover, the combination of host and bacterial genetics could provide a better understanding of clinical outcome after infection with Helicobacter pylori.

AIM: To find out if a functional promoter polymorphism in the IL-8 gene along with cagA status and polymorphisms in vacA gene influence the type of diseases in Iranian patients infected by H pylori. METHODS: IL-8 -251 A/T polymorphism was genotyped by oligonucleotide allele specific PCR (ASO-PCR) in a sample of 233 patients with H pylori infection undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The presence of cagA gene and polymorphisms in vacA gene was also determined by PCR. Association of these genetic polymorphisms with the development of gastritis, peptic ulcers as well as gastric cancer was tested. RESULTS: When the patients with different clinical manifestations were compared according to the presence of cagA gene or various vacA genotypes, only the vacA genotypes were significantly different among gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer patients (c2 = 17.8; P = 0.001). Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the frequency of IL-8 -251 A/T genotypes between patients with gastric cancer and benign diseases (c2 = 10.47; P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: The IL-8 -251 A/T polymorphism and the polymorphisms in H pylori vacA gene are involved in limiting the infection outcome to gastritis and peptic ulcer or in favoring cancer onset in Iranian patients.