Context: Anthrax is a zoonotic and occupational disease caused by bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The agent produces spores which persist in the environment for years. This review assessed previous reports on anthrax disease in Iran from 2000 to 2016. Evidence acquisition: The reports of anthrax from 2000 to 2016 were reviewed. The keywords “Bacillus anthracis”, “Anthrax”, “clinical signs”, “Iran” and “zoonosis” were investigated in the searching databases such as “Google Scholar”, “Google”, “PubMed” and other sites. The reports of soil isolation and spores from environments were excluded. However, the clinical outcome of the cases, history of animal exposure, wool contaminations and meat in slaughterhouses were included. Results of Persian reports were also included in this review. Data were analyzed using Excel and GraphPad Prism version 6.1. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was used for data analysis.. Overall, 768 cases of anthrax were found in human, sheep, goats and cattle. Six hundred of the human cases aged between 2.5 and 71 years old were included. Four-hundred ten (68.33%) patients were male (mean age=28.1±1.5) and 190 (31.66%) patients were female (mean age=17±1.5). Clinical manifestations in patients were mostly in 2 cutaneous (56.6%) and gastrointestinal (42.83%) forms. Sporadic anthrax outbreaks occurred in the country in 2007, 2008 and 2011. No molecular typing has been performed for B. anthracis strains countrywide. The virulence factors encoded by the genes located on plasmids pXO1 and pXO2 were detected in various areas with high prevalence. Conclusion: Cutaneous and gastrointestinal anthrax are 2 main manifestations of the disease in Iran. Male patients were significantly more infected. Although rare, anthrax continues to be a dreadful consequence of herds or soil exposure and consumption of undercooked meat of infected animals. Education plans and proper animal vaccination plans with the consideration of virulence factors are helpful for the prevention of the disease.

Background: The presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) is increasing worldwide and blaCTX-M1 is the predominant β-lactamase. Objective: This study was conducted to determine the ESBL production and prevalence of blaCTX-M1, blaSHV and blaTEM and AmpC genes and repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) pattern among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in Tehran from 2014 to 2016. Materials and Methods: One hundred eleven isolates were collected during the study period. The PCR was employed to detect the blaCTX-M1, blaSHV, blaTEM and AmpC genes. The genetic relation of isolates was performed using rep-PCR typing method. Results: Eighty-three and 86 isolates showed Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥2 against ceftazidime and cefotaxime, respectively and 80 (72%) isolates exhibited ESBL production. The prevalence of blaCTX-M1, blaSHV, blaTEM and AmpC genes among ESBL producers was 92.5% (n=74), 66.2% (n=53), 56.2% (n=45) and 2.5% (n=2), respectively. The rep-PCR typing pattern of isolates showed a wide diversity, indicating the polyclonal spread of CTX-M type producing isolates. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlighted the emergence and spread of K. pneumoniae isolates producing CTX-M and other ESBL enzymes with diverse genetic backgrounds in a hospital in Tehran.

Background: In recent years, high attention has been given to the biological activities of natural compounds and their potential antimicrobial properties. Objective: In this study, the antibacterial properties of the extracts from tissue and peptides of Cerastoderma and Didacna were studied. Materials and Methods: samples of Cerastoderma and Didacna were collected and washed. Then, the soft tissues were cut and powdered, and concentrations of 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 and 0.5 of chloroform, ethanol and methanol, and in addition extract of enzymatic hydrolysis were prepared, and their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella paratyphi were investigated. The disc diffusion method was used for the evaluation of strains susceptibility. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were investigated for bacterial growth inhibition. Results: Methanolic and ethanolic extracts from Cerastoderma demonstrated higher growth inhibitory effects compared to those from Didacna on E. coli and S. paratyphi and exhibited similar activities against S. aureus at concentrations 16 and 8 ug/mL. In addition, chloroform extracts of Cerastoderma and Didacna displayed similar inhibitory effects on S. paratyphi and S. aureus at concentrations 16 and 8 ug/mL which was a suitable effect, and the extract from Cerastoderma was more effective. MIC and MBC of methanolic extracts were at the lowest level, especially against S. aureus. Conclusion: It was revealed that Cerastoderma and Didacna extracts were effective as antibacterial compounds on S. aureus, E. coli and S. paratyphi species as natural agents.

Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) is a nutritionally rich and also popular nut which is largely consumed throughout the world. In addition to dry fruits (nuts), green walnuts, kernels, shells, green walnut husks (epicarp), barks and leaves have been applied in both cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Since ancient times, it has been used in folk medicine for treatment of several diseases and disorders such as diabetes, cancer, skin disease and infections, rheumatoid arthritis. In recent decades, many experimental researches have been done on the composition and characteristics of different parts of Persian walnut tree. These researches showed that walnut has many nutritious components such as phenolic component, unsaturated fatty acids and minerals essential for human health. Using walnut in folk medicine and identification of beneficial components of this fruit prompted many scientists to investigate properties that have traditionally been attributed to this fruit and the researches done in this area showed that walnut has effective antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumor and anti-inflammatory properties that make it a promising drug for associated diseases.

Context: Staphylococcus spp. are enterotoxin-producing zoonotic agents which cause a variety of infections such as mastitis in animals as well as human wound bite infections. This review was conducted to determine the prevalence of staphylococcal species especially enterotoxinproducing species in Iran. Evidence Acquisition: For this review, words of “Staphylococcus”, “zoonotic”, “prevalence”, “animals”, “human” and “Iran” were searched in the internet search engines such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Google, Science Direct and so on. Patients with no history of contact with animals were also included in the study for comparison. Both animal and human coagulase positive isolates were included. Data was analyzed with Graph Pad Prism 6, meta-analysis section. A total of 20 previous studies (450 clinical samples) were found. Staphylococcus intermedius was the most predominant isolate identified in animals. Other coagulase positive species such as S. hyicus and S. simulans were isolated with lower prevalence, and S. delphini was not detected. Conclusion: Staphylococcus intermedius was the most prevalent isolate identified in animals, with potential of causing infections in humans. Other coagulase positive species such as S. hyicus and S. simulans were isolated with lower prevalence, and S. delphini was not detected.

Background: Escherichia coli develops drug resistance through several mechanisms. Objective: The purpose of this study was the assessment of antibiotic susceptibility profile, and detection of class I and II integrons in E. coli, isolated from urinary tract infections (UTIs). Materials and Methods: A total of 100 E. coli clinical isolates were collected from UTIs in a 1-year period. The antibiotic susceptibility of E. coli isolates was evaluated to 14 antibiotics as advised by CLSI 2016 guidelines. All the isolates were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of class I and II integrons. Results: The highest resistance was observed to amoxicillin (72%), erythromycin (70%), ciprofloxacin (66%), nalidixic acid (57%), and tetracycline (55%). The class I and II integrons were detected in 32% and 21% of isolates, respectively. There were significant relationships between resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (P<0.001), ciprofloxacin (P<0.01), and tetracycline (P<0.005) and the class I integron. The class I integron gene was highly detected in the uropathogenic E. coli, possibly playing a role in the dissemination of drug resistance. Conclusion: Because of the significant association between the presence of class I integron among multidrug-resistant isolates and antibiotic resistance, infection control, and establishment and implementation of appropriate strategies for suitable treatment in hospitals are essential for the prevention of dissemination of these isolates.