Seroprevalence of Brucellosis,Leptospirosis, and Q Fever among Butchers and Slaughterhouse Workers in South-Eastern Iran

Zoonotic diseases can be occupational hazards to people who work in close contact with animals or their carcasses. In this cross-sectional study, 190 sera were collected from butchers and slaughterhouse workers in different regions of the Sistan va Baluchestan province, in Iran in 2011. A questionnaire was filled for each participant to document personal and behavioural information. The sera were tested for detection of specific IgG antibodies against brucellosis, leptospirosis, and Q fever (phase I and II) using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The seroprevalence of brucellosis was 7.9%, leptospirosis 23.4%, and phase I and II of Q fever were 18.1% and 14.4%, respectively. The seroprevalence of Q fever and leptospirosis, but not brucellosis, varied among regions within the province (p = 0.01). Additionally, a significant relationship was found between seropositivity of Q fever and camel slaughtering (p = 0.04). Reduced seropositivity rate of brucellosis was associated with use of personal protective equipment (PPE) (p = 0.004). This study shows that brucellosis, leptospirosis and Q fever occur among butchers and slaughterhouse workers in this area.     

Particulate matter and bacteria characteristics of the Middle East Dust (MED) storms over Ahvaz,Iran

The Middle East Dust storms have greatly affected the south and west parts of Iran during the last decade. The main purpose of this study was to examine and compare culturable airborne bacteria concentration in particulate matter (PM) during normal, semi-dust, and dust event days in different places and seasons in Ahvaz from November 2011 to May 2012. Sampling was performed every 6 days and on dust event days at different sampling stations. The overall mean concentrations of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and PM₁ for the entire study period were 598.92, 114.8, and 34.5 μg/m³, respectively. The PM concentrations during the dust event days were much higher than normal and semi-dust event days. The highest mean PM concentrations were observed in March 2011. The low PM_2.5/PM₁₀ ratios indicate that these PM are mostly originating from natural sources such as dust storms. The overall mean concentration of total bacteria during the study period was 620.6 CFU/m³. The greatest bacterial concentrations were observed during dust event days and at areas with high traffic and more human activities compared with normal days and greener areas. The percentage of gram-positive bacteria was significantly higher than that during the study period (89 vs 11 %). During this study, 26 genera of culturable bacteria were identified from all the sampling stations. The most dominant genera in all sampling stations were Streptomyces, Bacillus, Kocuria, Corynebacterium, and Paenibacillus. The results also showed that there were positive correlations between PM and bacterial concentrations during the study period (p < 0.05).     

Prevalence of Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacterial Infections among Tuberculosis Suspects in Iran: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction

The infections due to Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacteria (NTM) are becoming an important health problem in many countries in the world. Globally, an increase in NTM infections has been reported from many countries around the world. However, limited information is available about the prevalence of NTM infections in Iran.

Material and Methods

The data of the prevalence of NTM infections were collected from databases such as PubMed, Web of science, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, Iranmedex, and Scientific Information Database. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (V2.0, Biostat) software was used to analyze the data.

Results

The meta-analyses showed that the prevalence of NTM infections was 10.2% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 6.3-15.9) among culture-positive cases of tuberculosis (TB) in Iran. The further stratified analyses indicated that the prevalence of NTM was higher in studies that were done after year 2000. Additionally, M. simiae (43.3% [95% CI 36.8-50.0]), M. intracellucar (27.3% [95% CI 0.7-95.5]) and M. fortuitum (22.7% [95% CI 16.1-30.9]) were the most prevalent NTM species, respectively.

Discussion

The relatively high prevalence of NTM infections (10.2%) among culture positive cases for TB underlines the need for greater enforcement of infection control strategies. Establishment of appropriate diagnostic criteria and management guidelines for NTM diseases and expanding the number and quality of regional reference laboratories may facilitate more accurate action for prevention and control of NTM infections in Iran.     

Stress tolerance in flax plants inoculated with Bacillus and Azotobacter species under deficit irrigation

Drought stress affects not only crop growth but also its morpho-physiological and biochemical traits to reduce crop productivity. The study reported in this article was designed and implemented to determine the effects of deficit irrigation and bacterial inoculation on flax plants. For this purpose, seeds were inoculated with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (B₁), Bacillus sp. Strain1 (B₂), and Azotobacter chroococcum (A) as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). The individual inoculated plants were then grown under field conditions in 2015, while individually and in combination in pots in 2016. The irrigation regimes in either experiments included 50, 75 and 100% crop water requirement. Bacterial cultures were observed to produce ammonia (except B₂), indole acetic acid and siderophores. Results showed that the PGPRs significantly mitigated the effects of water deficit. Compared with the control plants, the bacterially-inoculated plants had an enhanced relative water content, plant height, water-soluble carbohydrate and proline contents and antioxidant enzyme activities, but a decreased malondialdehyde content. B₁ exhibited greater effects on most of the traits investigated under the field conditions rather than those with moderate and severe drought stress, while application of the triple bacteria in pots had greater effects on relative water content, carbohydrate and proline contents as well as malondialdehyde. The significant differences in abiotic stress indicators in PGPR-treated plants suggest that these bacteria could be used as biofertilizers to assist plant growth and to reduce the adverse effects of deficit irrigation.