Capsular gene distribution and RAPD typing of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from pregnant women

Streptococcus agalactiae has different virulence factors, from which the capsule has the most significant role in the pathogenesis of this organism. We aimed to investigate the distribution of more prevalent capsular genes among different Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) types of S. agalactiae isolated from pregnant women. A total of 106 isolates were collected from 420 vaginal and rectal swabs obtained from pregnant women. The specimens were transferred using Todd Hewitt Broth and were cultured on a blood agar containing antibiotics. The S. agalactiae isolates were identified by the standard microbiological and biochemical tests. The genomic DNAs of S. agalactiae isolates were extracted using an extraction kit. Then, the PCR method was used to detection of the capsular genes. Moreover, The RAPD PCR was used to genotyping of the isolates. The colonization rate of the pregnant women was 25.23%, and there was a statistically significant correlation between the weeks of gestation and the probability of colonization (p-value < 0.05). Also, 31 (29.24%) and 18 (16.98%) pregnant women had a history of abortion and membrane rupture, respectively. In addition, 20 (18.86%), 32 (30.18%), 4 (3.77%), and 6 (5.66%) isolates carried genes encoding capsular types Ia, Ib, III, and V, respectively. None isolates had the type II capsular gene, and other 44 isolates were non-typeable. Nine clones (clusters) of S. agalactiae were observed in the present study with 70% similarity, and 53 different types were identified among the isolates. Except for capsular types III and V that belonged to clones 3, 5, 7, and 9, other capsular types were detected in different RAPD types. We found that the capsular types Ib and Ia were predominant among pregnant women in this area, indicating their significance for vaccine designation. Also, our isolates showed a lower genotypic diversity in RAPD typing. This may be due to the same sources of most isolates.

Circulating Plasma miR-122 and miR-583 Levels Are Involved in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Pathogenesis and Serve As Novel Diagnostic Biomarkers

Background: MicroRNAs regulate many biological processes and are involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases including chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Moreover, besides investigation of their roles in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, a noninvasive, sensitive, and specific biomarker is essential in the diagnosis of liver diseases. This study was designed to evaluate the role of miR-122, miR-583, and miR-24 in the pathogenesis of CHB both in active chronic hepatitis (ACH) patients and in inactive carriers (IC). Materials and Methods: Plasma samples and all relevant clinical features were collected from 43 patients with CHB (28 ACH and 15 IC) and 43 healthy controls. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to detect the plasma levels of miR-122, miR-583, and miR-24. Results: Results show miR-122 (p = 0.0001) and miR-583 (p = 0.006) but not miR-24 (p = 0.65) were upregulated in patients with CHB versus the control group. Interestingly, there was a significant increase in the plasma expression of miR-583 in IC versus ACH. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined plasma levels of miR-122 (area under the ROC curve [AUC] = 0.89, p < 0.0001, sensitivity: 100%, specificity: 62.5%) and miR-583 (AUC = 0.71, p = 0.0007, sensitivity: 90%, specificity: 47.62%) as sensitive biomarkers to discriminate CHB patients from controls. Conclusion: Our data showed an increase in the plasma levels of miR-583 in IC versus ACH patients. Moreover, we demonstrated that miR-122 and miR-583 may serve as potential biomarkers for CHB diagnosis and activity.

Antibiotic resistance genes and molecular typing of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from pregnant women

BACKGROUND

The antibiotic resistance of genital tract colonizing Streptococcus agalactiae in pregnant women is increasing. We aimed to determine the antibiotic resistance genes of different clonal types of this bacterium in pregnant women.

METHODS

Four hundred twenty non-repeated vaginal and rectal specimens were collected from pregnant women and were transferred to the laboratory using Todd Hewitt Broth. The samples were cultured on a selective medium, and the grown bacteria were identified by standard microbiological and biochemical tests. Antimicrobial resistance pattern and inducible clindamycin resistance of the isolates were determined using the disk agar diffusion method. The genomic DNAs of S. agalactiae strains were extracted using an extraction kit, and the antibiotic resistance genes and RAPD types were detected using the PCR method.

RESULTS

The average age of the participants was 30.74 ± 5.25 years. There was a significant relationship between the weeks of pregnancy and the number of positive bacterial cultures (P-value < 0.05). Moreover, 31 pregnant women had a history of abortion, and 18 had a history of membrane rupture. Among 420 specimens, 106 S. agalactiae isolates were detected. The highest antibiotic resistance rate was found against tetracycline (94.33%), and all isolates were susceptible to linezolid. Moreover, 15, 15, 42, and 7 isolates showed an iMLS_B, M-, cMLS_B, and L-phenotype. The ermB was the most prevalent resistance gene in the present study, while 38 (35.84%), 8 (7.54%), 79 (74.52%), 37 (34.9%), and 20 (18.86%) isolates were contained the ermTR, mefA/E, tetM, tetO, and aphA3 gene, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The high-level antibiotic resistance and prevalence of resistance genes may be due to the arbitrarily use, livestock industry consumption, and the preventive use of antibiotics in pregnant women. Thus, the need to re-considering this problem seems to be necessary.

Development and evaluation of a semi-nested PCR technique for amplification and determination of different surface gene variation patterns in patients with chronic HBV infection: development of an amplification method for HBV S gene

Aim

Development of an amplification method for further investigation of HBV S gene variation patterns.

Background

Pre-S/S variants in patients with chronic HBV infection may contribute to the progression of liver damage and Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

This study was performed on ten patients with chronic HBV infection. Viral DNA was extracted from patient's plasma, primer design was performed, and a semi-nested PCR method was set up to amplify the pre-S/S region of HBV genome. Subsequently, sequencing was performed to analyze the variants of this region.

Results

In the current study, the semi-nested PCR method was successfully set up, and types of variation in the studied samples were investigated.

Conclusion

Pre-S/S variants should be routinely determined in HBV carriers to help identify individuals who may be at a high risk of less favorable liver disease progression. This study showed that the technique could accurately amplify the pre-S/S region, and the product can be successfully used for variation detection by direct sequencing.

Heterologous Prime-Boost Vaccination Using Adenovirus and Albumin Nanoparticles as Carriers for Human Papillomavirus 16 E7 Epitope

Background:

Nanocarriers are these days considered an attractive approach in cancer immunotherapy owing to their ability to deliver antigens to antigen-presenting cells (APCs) for stimulating robust immune cells against the tumor.

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to construct nanocomplexes using two nanocarriers with negative surface charge, adenovirus (Ad) and human serum albumin nanoparticle (HSA-NP), and coat their surface with a modified and positively-charged HPV16 E7 MHC-I specific epitope to assess their anti-tumor effects in a TC-1 mouse model.

Methods:

After the construction of Ad and HSA-NP, their complexes with HPV16 E7 MHC-I specific epitope were characterized by zeta potential and dynamic light scattering. Then, the cellular immunity and CTL responses in immunized mice were assessed by measuring of the levels of IL-10 and IFN-γ and the expression of CD107a, a marker of CTL response, as well as tumor inhibition.

Results:

The zeta potential and dynamic light scattering results showed that incubation of the oppositely-charged nanocarriers and MHC-I specific epitope led to the formation of nanocomplexes in which the surface charge of nanocarriers was changed from negative to positive with minimal changes in the particle size. We demonstrated that the nanocomplex platforms in heterologous prime-boost regimens generate significantly higher E7-specific IL-10, IFN-γ, and CTL responses. Moreover, the heterologous nanocomplex regimens, Alb/Pep-Ad/Pep and Ad/Pep-Alb/Pep, significantly suppressed the growth of TC-1 tumors in vivo compared with mice receiving homologous regimens and naked nanocarriers.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the heterologous nanocomplexes might serve as an effective vaccine strategy against HPV-induced cervical cancer.

Isolation and identification of keratinolytic probiotic Bucillus licheniformis bacteria from the soil below poultry slaughterhouse waste

Feathers make up 7% of the total weight of adult chickens and keratin protein makes up 85% of the feathers. Today, the keratinase enzymes of some Bacillus strains are used to degrade and process raw keratin waste for animal and poultry feed. According to various studies, the probiotic properties of some spore-shaped Bacillus have also been proven. The study aimed to isolation of the keratinolytic Bacillus bacteria that they have probiotic properties for using in the livestock and poultry feed industry. We were able to isolate 8 strains of Bacillus licheniformis with kreatin degrading properties from the soil of Baharan chicken slaughterhouse (Qom city, Iran) applying heat shock, alcohol- and keratin-rich culture medium, and after microscopic and biochemical analysis, 16S rDNA gene was isolated. The measurement results of keratinase activity showed that the three strains of Bacillus licheniformis pvkr6, pvkr 15, and pvkr41 had the highest activity with 124.08, 101.1, and 100.18 U/ml. The results of probiotic properties evaluation also revealed that among all the isolates, only Bacillus licheniformis pvkr15 and Bacillus licheniformis PTCC 1595 (positive control) were γ-hemolytic strains. The percentage of surface hydrophobicity of the strains was obtained from 3.27 to 30.57. It was also shown that, on average, all the strains had acceptable susceptibility to the tested antibiotics except penicillin G. Bacillus licheniformis pvkr15 with highest keratinase activity (101.1U/ml) was considered an optional probiotics due to its abilities such as (biofilm formation, being safe cause of γ-hemolytic activity, high susceptibility to antibiotics such as streptomycin, gentamicin, cefixime, amoxicillin, tetracycline, vancomycin, erythromycin and having a moderate hydrophilic (hydrophobicity: 19.09%), high survivability in pH 2, 2.5 and 3, strong resistance to bile salts and moderate antagonistic activity against pathogenic bacterium like Proteus mirabilis and the ability to grow under anaerobic conditions). By using this strain, after hydrolysis of keratin protein in the feather structure, to replace part of the protein of livestock and poultry feed, not only is no need to separate bacteria from the feed, but also the strain play role of an useful and effective additive in animal growth.

Antibacterial Properties of Ag-Cu Alloy Nanoparticles Against Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Through Inhibition of Quorum Sensing Pathway and Virulence-Related Genes

Objective: To evaluate the application of Ag-Cu NPs as quorum sensing (QS) inhibitors and attenuate virulence expression to overcome the global crisis of multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa. Methods: Ag-Cu NPs were synthesized by co-reduction of silver-nitrate and copper-nitrate (Ag:Cu = 1:1 0.75 μM). In this cross-sectional study, a total of eighty clinical strains of P. aeruginosa were collected from patients with burns. The antibacterial and resistance pattern of the clinical isolated was determined using the microdilution and Kirby Bauer disk methods. The effect of sub-MIC of Ag-Cu NPs on the expression of lasI, exoS and toxA in five clinical isolates of imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa was performed using qRT-PCR. Results: The characterization methods confirm the formation of the Ag-Cu alloy NPs with agglomerated spherical morphology and particle sizes of about 30-40 nm. We observed that the MIC and MBC of Ag-Cu alloy NPs against MDR P. aeruginosa was found to be 2.5 and 5 μg ml^-1, respectively. The effects of a sub-inhibitory concentration of Ag-Cu NPs on MDR P. aeruginosa QS and virulence-related genes showed that the expression level of QS regulatory and virulence genes significantly decreased in both MDR P. aeruginosa and reference strain under Ag-Cu sub-MIC treatment. Conclusion: Ag-Cu NPs could be potentially used as a promising QS inhibitor and anti-virulence compound against P. aeruginosa.

Study on antibiotic resistance and phylogenetic comparison of avian-pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) and uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) isolates

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) and uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) can cause vast infections in humans and poultry. The present study was conducted to compare the isolates of the APEC and UPEC pathotypes on the basis phenotypic and genotypic features of antibiotic resistance and phylogenetic differences. Total number of 70 identified E. coli strains, including 35 APEC and 35 UPEC isolates, were isolated from avian colibacillosis and human urinary tract infection (UTI), and were subjected to the antimicrobial susceptibility testing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of the resistance genes, phylogenetic grouping and DNA fingerprinting with enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR (ERIC - PCR) to survey the variability of the isolates. The most resistance rates among all E. coli isolates were, respectively, obtained for Ampicillin (84.20%) and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (65.70%). The APEC and UPEC isolates showed the most susceptibility to imipenem and gentamycin, respectively. Among 70 APEC and UPEC isolates 34.20%, 32.80%, 20.00%, and 12.80% belonged to the A, B2, D, and B1 phylogenetic groups, respectively. Analysis of the DNA fingerprinting phylogenetic tree showed 10 specific clusters of APEC and UPEC isolates. According to the results, the most effective antibiotics and the phenotypic and genotypic predominant resistance patterns of the APEC and UPEC isolates were different. Moreover, APECs and UPECs showed various dominant phylogenetic groups. With all descriptions, the APEC isolates still are potential candidates for carrying important resistance genes and can be one of the possible strains related to human infections.

Phylogenetic relationship, virulence factors, and biofilm formation ability of human, pet animals, and raw milk Staphylococcus aureus isolates

BACKGROUND

Identification of genotypic characteristics and pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus isolates is very important in the epidemiological study of its related diseases.

AIMS

The present study was done to compare the S. aureus isolates from different sources on the basis of virulence gene properties, biofilm production ability, and phylogenetic variations.

METHODS

Seventy S. aureus isolates (including 25 human, 25 raw milk, and 20 pet animal isolates) were subjected to slime production ability testing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of 14 different virulence genes, and DNA fingerprinting using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of coa gene PCR products.

RESULTS

Among 70 S. aureus, 64 (91.4%) isolates were slime producers on Congo red agar (CRA) medium. The spa and icaD virulence genes were present in all isolates and the seD and etaA genes were not detected in any of the isolates. In total, 22 different virulence gene patterns and nine distinct clusters of coa-PCR-RFLP were identified among isolates.

CONCLUSION

According to the results, S. aureus strains of human origin showed a significant association with specific virulence gene profiles and genotypes. seB and seC were the most responsible genes for S. aureus enterotoxin among human and animal isolates, respectively. Coa-RFLP showed partially appropriate results in the classification and source detection of S. aureus isolates.

Phylogenetic relationship and virulence gene profiles of avian pathogenic and uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from avian colibacillosis and human urinary tract infections (UTIs)

Background

There is evidence representing the possible relationship between avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) and other extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) strains such as human uropathogenic isolates.

Aims ‏‏

The present study was conducted to evaluate virulence and phylogenetic relationship between a total of 70 APEC and UPEC isolates (35 APEC and 35 UPEC isolates) obtained from the north of Iran which is one of the core areas of the country's poultry industry.

Methods

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and random amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD) analyses were conducted using specific primers, and data was analyzed using BioNumerics and SPSS softwares.

Results

The most prevalent gene was fliC (70.6%) followed by fimH (67.1%), but APEC and UPEC isolates showed inordinate and obvious differences in the presence of some virulence genes such as fliC, hlyD, and sfa1 and predominant phylogenetic groups in DNA fingerprinting methods.

Conclusion

The results showed obvious differences existed between isolates of APEC and UPEC in terms of phylogenetics and pattern of virulence gene; however, despite having virulence genes such as papC, ibeA, and iss, APEC isolates can have a high potential for causing disease in humans and may generate dangerous outbreaks in communities with low levels of hygiene in public and the poultry industry.

Antibiotic resistance and phylogenetic comparison of human, pet animals and raw milk Staphylococcus aureus isolates

The present study was conducted to compare the S. aureus isolates from different sources in the basis of resistance phenotypic and genotypic features and phylogenetic differences. Total of 70 S. aureus isolates (including 25 human, 25 raw milk and 20 pet animal isolates) were subjected to the antimicrobial susceptibility testing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of the resistance genes and DNA fingerprinting using random amplification of polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR) to survey the variability of the isolates. Among 70 S. aureus, 55 (78.5%) isolates were MRSA. The isolates showed the highest antibiotic resistance to methicillin, ampicillin and penicillin (78.5%) and showed the lowest resistance to ciprofloxacin (12.8%). ErmB and tetM resistance genes were present in all isolates and the vanA gene was not detected in any of the isolates. Thirteen distinct clusters were identified in RAPD-PCR fingerprinting. Statistical analysis showed that the isolates without resistance to antibiotics were significantly in associated with raw milk origin (P < 0.05). According to the results of the study, S. aureus strains with pets and raw milk origin are significant sources of antibiotic-resistant isolates such as MRSA. They are also carriers of resistance genes that can be transmit to human isolates and cause drug resistance in human infections. Identifying the source of these infections is possible with a reliable genotyping method such as RAPD-PCR.

Prevalence of non Helicobacter pylori gastric Helicobacters in Iranian dyspeptic patients

Background

Non Helicobacter pylori gastric Helicobacters (NHPGHs) are associated with a range of upper gastrointestinal symptoms, histologic and endoscopic findings. For the first time in Iran, we performed a cross-sectional study in order to determine the prevalence of five species of NHPGHs in patients presenting with dyspepsia.

Methods

The participants were divided into H. pylori-infected and NHPGH-infected groups, based on the rapid urease test, histological analysis of biopsies, and PCR assay of ureA, ureB, and ureAB genes. The study included 428 gastric biopsies form dyspeptic patients, who did not receive any treatment for H. pylori. The samples were collected and sent to the laboratory within two years. H. pylori was identified in 368 samples, which were excluded from the study. Finally, a total of 60 non-H. pylori samples were studied for NHPGH species.

Results

The overall frequency of NHPGH species was 10 for H. suis (three duodenal ulcer, three gastritis, and four gastric ulcer samples), 10 for H. felis (one gastritis, three duodenal ulcer, and six gastric ulcer samples), 20 for H. salomonis (four duodenal ulcer, five gastritis, and 11 gastric ulcer samples), 13 for H. heilmannii (three gastritis, five duodenal ulcer, and five gastric ulcer samples), and 7 for H. bizzozeronii (zero gastric ulcer, two duodenal ulcer, and five gastritis samples).

Conclusions

Given our evidence about the possibility of involvement of NHPGHs in patients suffering from gastritis and nonexistence of mixed H. pylori infection, bacteriological testing of subjects negative for H. pylori becomes clinically relevant and important. Our findings suggest H. salomonis has the highest rate among the NHPGH species in Iranian dyspeptic patients.

MIRU-VNTR 15 loci capability in diagnosis of Beijing M. Tuberculosis strains in comparison with Real Time PCR

Beijing strain has great importance among Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) genotypes due to their drug resistance and pathogenicity. Determination of MTB genotypes and comparison of MIRU-VNTR 15 loci and real-time PCR methods for Beijing family identification was the main objective in this study. This study was conducted on 92 confirmed MTB isolates, 31 and 61 of which previously were determined by real- time PCR as Beijing and non-Beijing, respectively. Allelic diversity, clustering rate, phylogenetic tree, clonal complexes and molecular genotypes of isolates were determined by MIRU-VNTR 15 loci on its online software. In addition MIRU-VNTR 15 loci were performed for 16 non-tuberculosis isolates. Concordance between MIRU-VNTR 15 loci and real Time PCR in determination of Beijing genotype was 95.6(89.2-98.8). 74 different pattern of MIRU-VNTR were detected in 92 MTB isolates. 69 patterns were unique and 5 clusters were determined. Largest clusters contain 11 and 6 members. The clustering rate was 19.56%. Among 15 loci, Mtub04 and MIRU10 have the highest and MIRU04 had the lowest discriminatory power. In non-Beijing isolates, New1 and Delhi/CAS with 25% and 16.3% were the most prevalent MTB genotypes. None of the non-Tuberculosis isolates had the complete MIRU-VNTR 15 loci pattern. The results of this study showed that MIRU-VNTR 15 loci, in addition to being able to differentiate MTB genotypes, can distinguish non-tuberculosis species from MTB strains, but for the exact differentiation of Beijing MTB genotypes, it may be necessary to increase the patterns known in MIRU-VNTR data base.

Antimicrobial resistances, and molecular typing of Campylobacter jejuni isolates, separated from food-producing animals and diarrhea patients in Iran

The aims of this study were to regain new epidemiology information about frequency, drug resistance rates, and typing of Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) isolates, obtained from some poultry and cattle farms, slaughterhouses, and people with diarrhea. In this regard, Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of several antibiotics and the associated antibiotic resistance genes, including tetO, tetA, cmeB, and bla_OXA-61 were evaluated. The isolates were also typed, using the Fla-RFLP method. Generally, between 233 food animal samples, 80 (34.33%) C. jejuni were isolated. Moreover, 20 out of 74 (27%) human specimens suspected to infectious diarrhea were C. jejuni positive. High frequencies of resistance to tetracycline (100%), ciprofloxacin (95%), and nalidixic acid (86%), and low frequencies of resistance to florfenicol (0%), erythromycin (5%), and gentamicin (8%) were observed. Furthermore, in the tetracycline-resistant isolates, the existences of tetO, tetA, and cmeB were 86%, 23%, and 48%, respectively. There was a significant correlation between the cluster types obtained from Fla-RFLP method and antibiotic resistance pattern. The results suggested that the genomic link between Campylobacter spp. should be always evaluated in each country to provide an insight about the Campylobacter spp., spread in the region, in order to implement the health-controlling programs efficiently.

Identification of the classical enterotoxin genes of Staphylococcus aureus in various foods by multiplex PCR assay

BACKGROUND

An annual update of information about the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) genes is required in every geographic area.

AIMS

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of the bacterium and type of associated enterotoxin genes in different food samples, using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay.

METHODS

In order to achieve these goals, 310 samples, divided into three groups (dairy products, meat, and traditional sweets groups), were collected. After determination of the prevalence of S. aureus, the existence of 16s rRNA, sea, seb, sec, sed, and see genes were evaluated using multiplex PCR assay.

RESULTS

Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 103 (33%) samples. Furthermore, the meat category had the most contamination rate of S. aureus. Additionally, the kebab samples (61.5%) were the most contaminated products, followed by hamburger (47.3%), and ice cream (33.8%). Of these 103 S. aureus isolates, 72 isolates (69.9%) harbored at least one type of the classical SEs genes. The prevalence of the type A enterotoxin gene was detected higher than the other SEs genes.

CONCLUSION

The results indicated that inappropriate handling of the samples in the preparation and processing steps, especially for the meat products, can lead to the spread of more bacteria. The relatively high prevalence of some classical enterotoxin genes in the isolates revealed the potential power of this bacterium to produce enterotoxins, which can lead to food-poisoning.

The high prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing strain at an early age and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis cases

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Tuberculosis (TB) is still responsible for a wide range of deaths worldwide. Beijing genotype is one of the most important and virulent strains in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This study was designed for determination Beijing genotypes of M. tuberculosis in Golestan province, north of Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the current descriptive study, 238 clinical MTB isolates, obtained from patients with pulmonary and extra-pulmonary TB in north of Iran, were evaluated. Oligonucleotide primers for the Beijing and non-Beijing genotypes and specific probes for their detection by a real-time PCR method were employed. In addition, an association between the Beijing genotype and possible clinical and demographic factors was evaluated.

RESULTS

The method revealed that 33 cases (13.9%) were the Beijing lineage and 205 (86.1%) the non-Beijing genotype. The mean age of patients infected with the Beijing and non-Beijing strains was 37.27 ± 18.3 and 51 ± 21.2 years, respectively; the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001). In addition, the prevalence of the Beijing strain decreased with age. Patients with a TB infection caused by the Beijing genotype were also more vulnerable to treatment failure. Based on the origin of the samples, the Beijing genotype was more often observed in extra-pulmonary samples compared with Pulmonary ones (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The Beijing genotype of MTB is prevalent in our region especially among young people which could indicate the risk of further expansion in the future.

A Comparative Serological Study of Toxoplasmosis in Pregnant Women by CLIA and ELISA Methods in Chalus City Iran

Background:

Toxoplasmosis is the most common disease in humans and animals (zoonosis) caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The disease is usually appeared as asymptomatic in immunocompromised individuals but its most common symptom is lymphadenopathy. Shortly before or during the first trimester of pregnancy, this disease can be transferred to the fetus and cause serious infection in the fetus. In late pregnancy (third trimester), the complications of this infection is very low or unsigned. Due to the absence of non-specific clinical symptoms or slight infection in pregnant women, prenatal diagnosis is often impossible.

Objectives:

Since no research compared these two methods, we decided to compare these methods and determine which method works better for diagnosis of toxoplasmosis.

Patients and Methods:

In this study, 50 pregnant women who referred to the Chalus Health Center laboratory were included and the blood samples were tested for presence of IgG and IgM antibodies of Toxoplasma gondii by both ELISA and Chemiluminescence methods.

Results:

Of the 50 samples tested by the ELISA method, 26 samples (52%) were positive for IgG . No samples were positive for IgM. Of the 50 samples tested by the Chemiluminescence method, 28 samples (56%) were positive for IgG. No samples were positive for IgM.

Conclusions:

A significant relationship between the age of the youngest child and the infection rate was seen. No significant correlation between age, number of individuals in the household, number of children, location, type of construction, consumption of greens, the way of greens and meat consumption, drug use, history of stillbirth and infection levels was seen.