Background: Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is gram-negative bacterium, which causes Legionnaires’ disease as well as Pontiac fever. Objective: To determine the frequency of Legionella pneumophila in pneumonic patients, to determine the clinical utility of diagnosing Legionella pneumonia by urinary antigen testing (LPUAT) in terms of sensitivity and specificity, to compares the results obtained from patients by urinary antigen test with q Real Time PCR (RT PCR) using serum samples and to determine the frequency of serogroup 1 and other serogroups of L. pneumophila. Methods: A total of 100 pneumonic patients (community acquired pneumonia) were enrolled in this study during a period between October 2016 to April 2017; 92 samples were collected from patients attended and admitted to Al-Imamein Al-Kadhimein Medical City and 8 samples from those in the (Center of Kidney Diseases and Transplantation) in the Medical City of Baghdad. All patients were under therapy with antibiotics. Serum and urine specimens were obtained from all patients; urine samples were processed for urinary antigen test (rapid test). Serum samples were collected and submitted to DNA extraction for detection of L. pneumophila mip gene by q RT PCR assay. Results: The percentage of L. pneumophila in two hospitals in Bagdad was 30%. Of these 26% was serogroup 1 detected by urinary antigen testing (UAT). In the other hand, 23% of samples were positive by q RT PCR based mip gene, of these 19 % were serogroup 1 and 4% were another serogroup. The sensitivity of UAT is high (P value < 0.001), which means statistically highly significance than q RT PCR. Conclusion: LPUAT is a rapid tool for early diagnosis of Legionella infection, which highlights the need of using this test in hospitals and health institutions and there is a high prevalence of L. pneumophila in Iraq that refer to the necessity of considering this microorganism point of view in future studies for detection and treatment in pneumonic patients. Keywords: L. pneumophila, mip gene, quantitative real time PCR, urinary antigen. Citation: Gauad SA, Abdulrahman TR, Muhamad AK, Jawad AA, Hassan JS. Clinical utility of urinary antigen test and molecular method for detection of Legionella pneumophila. Iraqi JMS. 2018; 16(2): 207-215. doi: 10.22578/IJMS.16.2.13
PvcABCD are cluster of genes found in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The research was designed to examine the relationship between the pvc genes expression and cupB gene, which plays a crucial role in the development of biofilm, and rhlR, which regulates the expression of biofilm-related genes, and to investigate whether the pvc genes form one or two operons. The aims were achieved by employing qRT-PCR technique to measure the gene expression of genes of interest. It was found that out of 25 clinical isolates, 21 isolates were qualified as P.aeruginosa. Amongst, 18(85.7%) were evaluated as biofilm producers, 10 (47.6%), 5 (23.8%), and 3 (14.2%) were evaluated as strong, moderate and weak producers respectively, while, 3 (14.2%) were considered
... Show MoreThe Present investigation includes the isolation and identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa for different cases of hospital contamination from 1/ 6/2003 to 30/9/2004, the identification of bacteria depended on morphological , cultural and biochemical characters, 37 of isolates were diagnosed from 70 smears from wounds and burns beside 25 isolates were identified from 200 smears taken from operation theater and hospital wards including the floors , walls , sources of light and operation equipment the sensitivity of all isolates to antibiotic were done , which exhibited complete sensitivity to Ciprofloxacin , Ceftraixon, Tobromycin and Gentamysin ,while they were complete resist to Amoxcillin , Tetracyclin , Nitrofurantion , Clindamycin C
... Show MoreThis study detects the presence of cholesterol in an Iraqi plant named Suaeda baccata Forsk of the family Chenopodiacae, wildly and widely grown in Iraq. The absence of any publication concerning the sterol content of this Suaeda specie, and the industrial importance of cholesterol depending on its role as a precursor in the synthesis of some hormones, like progesterone, acquired this study its value. The investigations revealed the presence of cholesterol that was proved by TLC together with the standard compound cholesterol, and anisaldehyde spray reagent using three different solvent systems, then authenticated by HPLC, in which the reten
... Show MoreTillage appearance device is mechanical, electric-electronic design, getting Patent from the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control – Industrial Property Department - Ministry of Planning – The Republic of IRAQ under number Patent 3876 in 20 / 4 / 2014, calculates the number of clods per area by Tillage appearance device, This is done through the generation electrical impulses are sent to the controlled accurate calculates number clods required space and shows the result on the screen in order to see the tillage view per area. Three factor used in these experiment, first factor represents forward speed of tractor three levels (3.5, 4.5, and 5.5 km/h), second factor represent soil moisture content at two levels (14
... Show MoreSteel–concrete–steel (SCS) structural systems have economic and structural advantages over traditional reinforced concrete; thus, they have been widely used. The performance of concrete made from recycled rubber aggregate from scrap tires has been evaluated since the early 1990s. The use of rubberized concrete in structural construction remains necessary because of its high impact resistance, increases ductility, and produces a lightweight concrete; therefore, it adds such important properties to SCS members. In this research, the use of different concrete core materials in SCS was examined. Twelve SCS specimens were subjected to push-out monotonic loading for inspecting their mechanical performance. One specimen was constructed from co
... Show MoreSince June 2020, an explosion in number of new COVID-19 patients has been reported in Iraq with a steady increment in new daily reported cases over the next 3 months. The limited number of PCR kits in the country and the increment in the number of new COVID-19 cases makes the role of CT scan examinations rising and becoming essential in aiding the health institutions in diagnosing and isolating infected patients and those in close contacts. This study will review the spectrum of CT pulmonary changes due to COVID-19 infection and estimate the CT severity score index and its relation to age, sex, and PCR test results
The feline calicivirus (FCV) is a highly contagious and infectious virus that infects cats and causes moderate to stringent respiratory infections and oropharyngeal illness. It is prevalent in shelters and birthplace colonies and frequently infects kitten cats. 50 distinct cats were involved in the research, with samples acquired between October 2020 and January 2021. Swabs were taken from the oropharynx and conjunctiva, conditional on the signs of FCV disease septicity, to inspect viral nucleic acid from collecting samples, then extract the RNA from the swabs and turn it into a cDNA particle, and finally distinguishing the open reading frame nucleic acid gene 2 using a primer special for feline calicivirus, All specimens were taken
... Show MoreA significant increase in the incidence of non-O157 verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) infections have become a serious health issues, and this situation is worsening due to the dissemination of plasmid mediated multidrug-resistant microorganisms worldwide. This study aims to investigate the presence of plasmid-mediated verotoxin gene in non-O157 E. coli. Standard microbiological techniques identified a total of 137 E. coli isolates. The plasmid was detected by Perfectprep Plasmid Mini preparation kit. These isolates were subjected to disk diffusion assay, and plasmid curing with ethidium bromide treatment. The plasmid containing isolates were subjected to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for investigating
... Show More