Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Infectious Disorders) - Volume 21, Issue 1, 2021

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) as alternatives or more often as complementary to the conventional antimicrobials have been developed for the management of infectious conditions for the past two decades. These pharmacotherapeutic strategies are inevitable as the burden of antimicrobial resistance is far-reaching in recent times. MAbs are part of the targeted pharmacotherapy armamentarium with a high degree of specifi Read More

Background: Nowadays, due to the incidence of specific strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and also an increase in the rate of drug resistant-TB, the mortality rate has been increased by this disease. The identification of common strains in the region, as well as the sources of transmission, is essential to control the disease, which is possible by using molecular epidemiology. Objectives: In this survey, the studies utilizing the spo Read More

Background: Toxin-antitoxin systems (TAs) are two-component elements, which are extensive in the bacterial genome and have a regulatory role in many cellular activities including, growth arrest, survival, biofilm formation, and bacterial persistence. Objective: TAs have not well studied in Brucella spp. Methods: We evaluated the presence of different toxin-antitoxin systems, including relE- rhhlike, Fic- Phd, Cog- Rhh, and co Read More

Introduction: Parasitic myositis is caused by some parasites, such as Toxoplasma gondii) T. gondii (and Toxocara canis (T. canis). So, the aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence T. gondii and T. canis in patients with myositis and healthy individuals. Methods: A total of 108 samples were randomly selected as the control (54 healthy individuals) and test (54 myositis patients) groups. IgG and IgM antibodies (Ab) against T. g Read More

Background: Leishmaniasis is one of the major diseases caused by the intracellular parasite of Leishmania. It has become one of the most dangerous health problems today. Our aim of the present study is to compare the effects of Sambucus ebulus leaf and fruit extracts on Leishmania major in vitro. Methods: In this study, we used MTT, promastigote and amastigote assay to evaluate the effect of different concentration Read More

Background: Cotrimoxazole is the main antibiotic used in HIV-infected patients for the prophylaxis of opportunistic infections. This antibiotic is prescribed in patients receiving antiretroviral agents (ART) such as Atazanavir (ATV), a protease inhibitor used with other ART classes. The objective of this study was to compare HIV treatment failure (HIVTF) in HIV-infected patients treated concomitantly with ATV and cotrimoxazole to Read More

Background: It is made clear that salt and pepper retinal lesion (SPRL) has subsequently associated with the infection with Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia). However, little is known regarding the prevalence of SPRL among patients suffered from parasitic infections in the world. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of SPRL among patients with intestinal protozoan infections, for the first time, in Sari, northern Read More

Introduction: Nasal carriers of Staphylococcus aureus are common and play an important role in the transmission of infections. The aim of this study is a phenotypic and molecular investigation of nasal methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus in hospitalized patients. Methods: 202 nasal swabs were collected from patients at Prince Hamzah Hospital, Jordan, through 2016-2017. Swabs were processed according to st Read More

Objective: Nocardiosis is an opportunistic infection in individuals who had organ transplants and in patients with immunosuppressive diseases such as pemphigus Vulgaris (PV), diabetes mellitus, and HIV. Nocardiosis rate has not been assessed in Iranian PV patients, and this was the first study to estimate nocardiosis rate in these patients. Methods: In this study, 103 patients with PV were examined. BAL samples were obtained and Read More

Introduction: The members of the tribe Proteeae, Morganella and Providencia are being increasingly recognized as important pathogens. The spectrum of disease caused by them is wide and in reported cases, the mortality is high. Previously both of these pathogens were considered to be rare pathogens as the potential to cause nosocomial transmission and infection was not much studied. But their phenomenal evolution a Read More

Background: Multidrug Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRPA) is a ubiquitous opportunistic organism that poses threat to the management of infections globally. Objectives: The objectives of the current research were to assess the antibiotic resistance profiles as well as Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) Index of clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa associated with wound infections. Presence of Extended Spectrum Beta Lacta Read More

Introduction: A waterborne outbreak of hepatitis E virus occurred in the Jamshedpur city of Jharkhand from March 2018 to October 2018. The aim of the present study is to study the hepatitis E virus outbreak clinically, serologically and etiologically. Methods: Five hundred and eighty-four clinically and biochemically documented cases were screened for the hepatotropic viral markers (HepatitisA, B, C, and E) by the ELISA. Read More

Purpose: Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen, and is among the most problematic nosocomial infections as well as community-acquired infections. This retrospective study was conducted as an attempt to determine the prevalence of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii (MDRAB) isolates from the north and central Jordan area during 2018. Methods: Patients’ records provided by an accredited central priv Read More

Background: Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women. High-Risk HPV types are known as the main agents involved in genital and cervical malignancies. There may be co pathogens like STIs that are involved in enhancing the susceptibility and progression to cervical neoplasia. This study was conducted to detect C. trachomatis, HSV-2 and M. genitalium using qPCR in women suffering from cervical intraepithelial Read More

Background: Multidrug resistance among ESBL producing isolates has limited the administration of proper antibiotics. It is, therefore, important to monitor the resistance patterns of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates and provide infection control strategies to prevent nosocomial outbreaks. This study was aimed to determine antimicrobial resistance patterns of K. pneumoniae isolates obtained from wound infections of patients in Read More

Introduction: Echinococcosis, as an important zoonotic infection, has a major worldwide distribution. Pediatric echinococcosis has still become health concerning issue in developing countries, particularly, in the Middle East and Iran. The aim of this study was to investigate the human echinococcosis in children in northern Iran. Methods: Patients admitted to the pediatric subspecialty hospital of Amir Kala, Babol, Iran, fr Read More

Background: Chronic urticaria (CU) has a range of clinical demonstrations and causes. Parasitic infections are mentioned as one of the main causes of the CU. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of intestinal parasites in patients with CU (with duration time of more than 6 weeks) compared healthy subjects. Methods: A total of 169 cases and 210 controls were included in this study. Ages ranged from Read More

A molecular method for diagnosis of drug-resistant Tuberculosis is Multiplex allele-specific PCR (MAS-PCR), which is more time-efficient, and its accuracy is studied using DNA sequencing. Also, understanding the role of mutations, when translated to protein, in causing resistance helps in better drug designing. Aim: To study MAS-PCR in the detection of drug resistance in comparison to DNA sequencing in Mycobacterium tu Read More