A 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 the presence of plasmid mediated verotoxin gene (VT1 and VT2) in non-O157 E. coli. Among the 137 E. coli isolates, 49 isolates were non-O157 E. coli while 29 (59.1%) isolates were verotoxin producing non-O157 serotypes and 26 non-O157 VTEC isolates possessed plasmids. Certain isolates harboured single sized plasmid while others had multiple plasmids with different size varied from 1.8kb to 7.6kb. A plasmid containing all (100%) the isolates was multidrug-resistant. Eight isolates changed their susceptibility patterns while three isolates were found to lose plasmid after post plasmid curing treatment and the rest of the isolates (15) remained constant. Different PCR sets characterized 3 plasmid-mediated verotoxins producing non-O157 E. coli. This current study demonstrated the occurrence of plasmid mediated verotoxin gene in non-O157 E. coli. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the global literature on plasmid-mediated verotoxin gene in non-O157 E. coli. Timely diagnosis and surveillance of VTEC infections should prioritize to stop or slow down the virulence gene for dissemination by plasmid-mediated gene transfer amongst the same bacteria or other species.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuro-inflammatory disorder in which the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is proposed to have a pathogenic role. Therefore, a case-control study was performed (93 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 113 healthy controls (HC) to analyze the prevalence and viral load of EBV infection using real time-polymerase chain reaction. Prevalence of EBV infection was lower in patients compared to HC but the difference was not significant (12.9 vs. 21.2%; probability [p] = 0.187). EBV-positive MS cases were more common in females than in males (83.3 vs. 16.7%), while an opposite distribution was observed in HC (37.5 vs. 62.5%), and the difference was significant (p = 0.041). Blood group O frequency was higher in EBV-p
... Show MoreBackground: The demographic characteristics of Iraqi patients with the metabolic syndrome (MS) and presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has been scarcely studied before.
Aim of the study To study the socio-demographic characteristics of a group of Iraqi patients with MS presenting with ACS.
Patients and Methods: A convenience sample of 150 cases presenting with ACS and admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) of Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in Baghdad from mid-January through July 2011 were included in the current cross-sectional study. The data needed for the study was collected through a direct interview to fill a questionnaire by all cases carried out by a consu
... Show MoreThis study aims to characterize traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) neurophysiologically using an intramuscular fine-wire electromyography (EMG) electrode pair. EMG data were collected from an agonist-antagonist pair of tail muscles of Macaca fasicularis, pre- and post-lesion, and for a treatment and control group. The EMG signals were decomposed into multi-resolution subsets using wavelet transforms (WT), then the relative power (RP) was calculated for each individual reconstructed EMG sub-band. Linear mixed models were developed to test three hypotheses: (i) asymmetrical volitional activity of left and right side tail muscles (ii) the effect of the experimental TSCI on the frequency content of the EMG signal, (iii) and the effect
... Show MoreBackground: P. aeruginosa remains a important cause of life threatening bloodstream infection in immunocompromised patients, particularly those with hematologic malignancies complicated by neutropeni.
Fluconazole was used to test the susceptibility of Candida albicans isolated from different clinical samples, and to detect mutations in ERG11 gene, and their relationship to fluconazole resistance. Forty-eight isolates of Candida albicans were tested for susceptibility using the disc diffusion method (M-44). ERG11 genes of six isolates were amplified (four resistant, two susceptible) and sequenced. The sequenced genes were analyzed to detect the mutations. Out of 48 isolates of Candida albicans, 4 (8%) were resistant to fluconazole. Sixteen-point mutations were detected included 13 silent mutations, and three missense mutations. The mutations of A945C (E266D) and G1609A (V488I) were found only in susceptible Candida albicans isolates, whil
... Show MoreSamples of the root nodules were collected to isolate different species of the genus Rhizobium from several leguminous plants; Trigonella foenum-graecum, Medicago sativa, Lens culinaris, Vigna mungo, Vicia faba, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Cicer arietinum, and based on their morphological, cultural, and biochemical characteristics, in addition to the identification of each isolate at the species level by amplified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and using the sequencing of the nitrogenous bases of the 16S rRNA gene, it was identified as Sinrhizobium meliloti, Sinrhizobium meliloti, Bradyrhizobium elkanii, Rhizobium leguminosarium biovar viciae, Rhizobium leguminosarium biovar phaseoli and Mesorh
... Show MoreBackground: Bacteriocin is a peptidic toxin has many advantages to bacteria in their ecological niche and has strong antibacterial activity. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluation of bacteriocin using Streptococcus sanguinis isolated from human dental caries.
Subjects and Methods: Thirty five streptococcus isolates were diagnosed and tested for their production of bacteriocin, and then the optimal conditions for production of bacteriocin were determined. After that, the purification of bacteriocin was made partially by ammonium sulfate at 95% saturation levels, followed by and gel filtration chromatography
... Show MoreThis study includes collection of 70 swabs samples of burns from patients were
admitted in three hospitals (Baghdad, Al- Numaan and burns injuries Hospital). All
swabs samples were cultured on blood and MacConkey agar media to isolate and
identify pathogenic bacteria according to their morphological , biochemical and
growth characters. Growth of bacteria on selective media showed the following
results: Pseudomonas aeroginosa 44.28% , Klebsiella pneumonia 30% ,
Staphylococcu saureus 8.57% , Escherichia coli 4.28% , Proteus vulgaris 4.28 % ,
Enterobacter spp. 5.71% , Acinetobacter baumanni 2.89 %. Different concentrations
were prepared from leaves ethanolic crude extract of Catharanthus roseus , then the
anti-bac
In this study, A 320 clinical specimens were collected
fromIntensiveCareUnits, Surgery and burn units in educational Ramadi
hospital. The enrichment and isolation of A. baumannii from collected
specimens led to isolate 30 bacterial strains from 337 bacterial isolates with
rate (8.9%), which similar in morphology for that standard strains. The rate
of A. baumannii isolated from burn specimens was 80%, the wound specimens (13.33%), and sputum (6.67% The study detect resistance of A.
baumanniifor different antibiotics, All isolates showed multidrug resistant,
the isolates was 100% resistant for Ampicillin, Cefazolin, Cefotaxime,
Cloxacillin, Colistin and Trimethoprim, as showed high resistance to
carbapenems reach