@article{ author = {Bimi, Langbong and Anto, Francis and Tetteh, Ato Kwame}, title = {Ghana is Free from the Guinea Worm after a 33-Year Eradication Program}, abstract ={For several generations, people from some parts of Ghana have suffered in the hands of a yard-long "spaghetti-thin" worm, known as Dracunculus medinensis, which infects humans and leads to a disease known as Dracunculiasis, literally meaning "afflictions with little dragons." The disease, also commonly known as Guinea Worm Disease, Dracuntiasis, or Dracunculosis, is a 3000-year-old known parasitic infection that rarely made headlines before the mid-1980s. Guinea Worm Disease, a plague so ancient that it is believed to be the "fiery serpent torturing the Israelites in the desert," as described in the Old Testament. This paper reviews local and global efforts and strategies at eradicating the disease in Ghana and further diagnoses the problems that hindered the early realization of the desired results of these strategies. This article did not evaluate Ghana's performance in the program. It is equally arduous to unearth all the reasons contributing to the somewhat uneasy road to eradication over three decades of efforts. This review analyzes time-trends, program documents, technical and non-technical reports, and research documents that reveal that Ghana's program ended a decade of disappointing stagnation following the disruptive ethnic conflicts in the early 1990s in its most disease-endemic areas. Despite substantial reductions in the number of guinea worm cases during the mid-1980s, efforts to break the transmission chain in Ghana remained a daunting task. The efforts required continued international and political commitment, active surveillance, strengthening of interventions, and honesty of documenters at all levels.}, Keywords = {Dracunculiasis, Ghana, Carter Center, Drinking water, Eradication}, volume = {9}, Number = {2}, pages = {55-61}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.52547/JoMMID.9.2.55}, url = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-359-en.html}, eprint = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-359-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases}, issn = {2345-5349}, eissn = {2345-5330}, year = {2021} } @article{ author = {Akbari, Elahe and Ajdari, Soheila and MirabzadehArdakani, Esmat and Agi, Elnaz and Khalaj, Vahid and Bolhassani, Azam}, title = {Expression of a Novel HIV-1 Gag-Pol-Env-Nef-Rev Multi-Epitope Construct in Escherichia coli}, abstract ={Introduction: Recombinant subunit vaccines have been explored against various human pathogens, however, developing an effective therapeutic toward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been challenging. So far, several recombinant HIV-1 antigens have been produced and examined for activation of desired immune responses. This study aimed to express an HIV-1 multiepitope protein as an antigen candidate to develop a vaccine.  Methods: In this study, the codon-optimized encoding sequence of the designed multi-epitope construct (Gag-Pol-Env-Nef-Rev) was synthesized and subcloned into the pET-24a (+) expression vector. Then, expression of the target antigen was evaluated in E. coli BL21 (DE3) and Rosetta strains under different conditions (temperature, optical density/ OD600, isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) concentration, and time). Finally, the expression of the Gag-Pol-Env-Nef-Rev multi-epitope protein was confirmed using SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis.  Results: The highly conserved and immunodominant T-cell epitopes of HIV-1 Gag, Pol, Env, Nef, and Rev proteins were used to prepare a novel Gag-Pol-Env-Nef-Rev multi-epitope construct. The gag-pol-env-nef-rev gene was successfully sub-cloned in pET-24a (+) vector and subsequently expressed in BL21 (DE3) E. coli strain under optimized conditions (1 mM IPTG, 16 h post-induction, OD 600= 0.6, and 37ºC). A clear band of ~ 35 kDa was detected by western blotting using an anti-His antibody, indicating the successful expression of our target multi-epitope protein. Conclusion: Expression of the recombinant HIV-1 multi-epitope protein was optimized in a bacterial system. The expressed protein will be purified to use as a multi-epitope protein vaccine candidate in the future.}, Keywords = {Human immunodeficiency virus, Molecular cloning, Protein expression}, volume = {9}, Number = {2}, pages = {62-70}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.52547/JoMMID.9.2.62}, url = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-365-en.html}, eprint = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-365-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases}, issn = {2345-5349}, eissn = {2345-5330}, year = {2021} } @article{ author = {ValentineN, Unegbu and NdubuisiO, Nwachukwu and CharityN, Obum-Nnadi and NgozikaF, Okey-ndeche}, title = {Prevalence and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Isolates in Diabetes Patients with Foot Ulcers}, abstract ={Introduction: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is common among diabetes patients with foot ulcers. This study aimed to determine MRSA isolates prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility profile in diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) patients. Methods: A total of 204 patients with diabetic foot ulcers admitted to a tertiary hospital in Abia State, Nigeria, were included in the assay. Specimens were obtained by scraping the ulcer base or the deep portion of the wound edge using a sterile curette and were promptly sent to the laboratory for culture, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility test.  Results: The MRSA prevalence in DFU patients was 22.1% (n=45). Male patients with DFU were more infected with MRSA (n= 26, 12.7%) than females (n=19, 9.3 %), but the difference was not statistically significant (P < 0.14). The age group 41-60 years had the highest prevalence (n=27, 13.2%), statistically significant (P < 0.02). Farmers had the highest prevalence of 9.8% (n=20) while the least (0.5%) was seen in housewives (n=1) with no statistical significance (P < 0.07). The antibiotics sensitivity pattern of MRSA showed 100% sensitivity to vancomycin and chloramphenicol but 100% resistance to penicillin, ceftriaxone, and oxacillin. The multidrug-resistant index was all > 0.2. Conclusions: The prevalence of MRSA in DFU patients in a tertiary hospital in Abia State was very high, with an alarming rate of drug-resistant bacteria due to the possibility of misuse and abuse of antibiotics among the populace, which requires collaborations from all stakeholders to prevent drug resistance in the study settings.}, Keywords = {Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, Diabetic foot ulcers, Abia State, Nigeria}, volume = {9}, Number = {2}, pages = {71-75}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.52547/JoMMID.9.2.71}, url = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-305-en.html}, eprint = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-305-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases}, issn = {2345-5349}, eissn = {2345-5330}, year = {2021} } @article{ author = {Jahanshiri, Zahra and Nejatbakhsh, Sepideh}, title = {The Effects of Dehydrozingerone on Growth, Biofilm Formation, and Ergosterol Biosynthesis of Candida albicans}, abstract ={Introduction: Candida albicans can cause various diseases, which might lead to various cases of life-threatening diseases. Biofilm is a specific feature of C. albicans formed on mucosal surfaces and medical devices. Moreover, biofilm protects Candida cells from antifungals and makes the treatment challenging. Here, we studied the effects of dehydrozingerone on C. albicans growth, ergosterol biosynthesis, biofilm formation, and the expression of an essential gene involved in yeast-hypha transition. Methods: C. albicans cells were treated with serial two-fold concentrations of dehydrozingerone (0.125-2 mg/ml) for 48 h at 35 °C. The weights of the fungal cells were estimated as a sign of fungal growth. Biofilm formation was evaluated by a tetrazolium salt (XTT) reduction assay. The expression of the HWP1 gene was assayed by real-time PCR. Results: Dehydrozingerone inhibited C. albicans growth in the range of 3.57% to 84.28%, dose-dependently. The ergosterol content of yeast cells was reduced by 50% in the highest concentration. The biofilm formation was also inhibited by more than 50% at the highest concentration. The expression of the HWP1 gene was suppressed by dehydrozingerone at different concentrations. Conclusion: Our results indicate that dehydrozingerone displayed effective activity against growth, biofilm formation, and ergosterol biosynthesis in C. albicans in vitro.}, Keywords = {Dehydrozingerone, Candida albicans, Ergosterol, Biofilm, HWP1 gene}, volume = {9}, Number = {2}, pages = {76-81}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.52547/JoMMID.9.2.76}, url = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-357-en.html}, eprint = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-357-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases}, issn = {2345-5349}, eissn = {2345-5330}, year = {2021} } @article{ author = {Heydari, Hossein and Majd, Ahmad and Hamidi-Fard, Mojtaba and Bahramali, Golnaz and Aghasadeghi, Mohammad Rez}, title = {Comparison of PCR with Serology for Detecting Acute Hepatitis A Virus Infection}, abstract ={Introduction: Early detection of acute Hepatitis A virus infection (HAV) allows adopting proper treatment measures, rapid recovery, and avoiding side effects. This study compares PCR assay with serology for diagnosing acute HAV infection. Methods: Twenty samples from patients presenting clinical symptoms of acute hepatitis were tested for anti-HAV IgM antibodies. Genomic RNA was extracted from IgM-positive samples, cDNA was synthesized and examined for genomic HAV using a specific HAV real-time detection kit and a nested PCR. Results: Among 20 sera, 14 were positive for anti-HAV IgM antibodies. The specific real-time PCR and nested PCR showed agreement, and both detected HAV genetic material in 3 out of 14 samples. Conclusion: High levels of anti-HAV IgM antibodies do not necessarily indicate acute HAV infection in people presenting clinical symptoms of the disease.  Measuring IgM antibody levels alongside molecular detection of virus genome by DNA-based methods assay can lead to an accurate, timely, and reliable diagnosis of active HAV infection.}, Keywords = {Molecular diagnostic testing, Serological tests, Hepatitis A viruses}, volume = {9}, Number = {2}, pages = {82-87}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.52547/JoMMID.9.2.82}, url = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-336-en.html}, eprint = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-336-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases}, issn = {2345-5349}, eissn = {2345-5330}, year = {2021} } @article{ author = {Maali, Amirhosein and Teimouri, Hossein and Azad, Mehdi and Amiri, Shahin and Adibzadeh, Setare}, title = {In-silico Immunomodelling of SARS-CoV-2}, abstract ={Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a positive-sense single-strand RNA virus belonging to the Coronaviridae family, responsible for coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) with the rapid transmission. This study aimed to characterize and compare SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV major viral proteins and predict antigen proteasomal cleavage patterns, MHC class I processing and presentation, and B T-cell and anti-inflammatory epitopes. Methods: The amino acid sequences of spike surface (S) glycoprotein, membrane (M) glycoprotein, envelop (E) protein, and nucleocapsid (N) phosphoprotein was obtained from NCBI. The sequences were aligned by MEGA 7.0 and modeled by SWISS-MODEL. The proteasomal cleavage pattern, MHC class I processing, and T-cell epitopes were predicted via IEDB analysis and EPISOFT. The B-cell epitopes were predicted by BepiPred 2.0. Also, the prediction of anti-inflammatory epitopes was performed by AntiInflam. Results: Two major antigen proteins, S glycoprotein and M glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, respectively, showed 26.57% and 20.59% less efficiency in proteasomal cleavage and presentation to MHC class I, comparing SARS-CoV. There were fewer B-cell predicted epitopes in SARS-CoV-2, comparing SARS-CoV. The anti-inflammatory properties of SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein and N protein were higher than SARS-CoV. Conclusion: It seems that the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is on the way to reducing antigen-presenting to MHC class I and escaping cellular immunity. Moreover, the predicted hotspot epitopes potentially can be used to induce adaptive cellular immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Besides, SARS-CoV-2 appears to be less immunopathogenic than SARS-CoV due to its higher anti-inflammatory proteins.}, Keywords = {SARS-CoV-2, Bioinformatics, T cell epitopes, B cell epitopes}, volume = {9}, Number = {2}, pages = {88-96}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.52547/JoMMID.9.2.88}, url = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-326-en.html}, eprint = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-326-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases}, issn = {2345-5349}, eissn = {2345-5330}, year = {2021} } @article{ author = {TajmirRiahy, Mahla and HonarmandJahromi, Sahar and Khaledi, Mansoor and Afkhami, Hamed and Shafaati, Maryam and LavaKhamseh, Hamid and ZareKarizi, Shohreh}, title = {Frequency of cbrA, cbrB, ndvB, and phoBR Genes in Relation to Biofilm Formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clinical Isolates}, abstract ={Introduction: After Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the third cause of hospital-acquired infection (HAI). This bacteria's ability to colonize in different environments, especially in hospitals and biofilm formation, has added to its impact as an HAI. The molecular mechanism of biofilm formation is not well understood, but several genes contribute to this phenomenon.  This study investigates the frequency of cbrA, cbrB, phoBR, and ndvB genes in biofilm-forming P. aeruginosa isolates. Methods: Fifty P. aeruginosa clinical isolates were collected from various sources such as urine, ulcer, blood, secretions, and trachea in Milad Hospital, Tehran, from 2017 to 2018. Biofilm formation in the isolates was assessed by the microtiter plate assay, and the frequency of cbrA, cbrB, phoBR, and ndvB genes was investigated by PCR. Results: Among the 50 isolates, 44% were strong biofilm former, 34% moderate biofilm former, 12% weak biofilm former, and 10% did not form biofilms. PCR revealed a frequency of 94% for the cbrA gene, 78% for cbrB, 96% for ndvB, and 48% for phoBR.  The coexistence of all four genes was 68% in strong biofilm former isolates, 41% in moderate biofilm former isolates, 37% in weak biofilm former, and zero in the isolates that formed no biofilm. Conclusion: The high frequency of ndvB and cbrA genes and the coexistence of ndvB and cbrB suggest the contribution of these genes in the biofilm formation of P.  aeruginosa.}, Keywords = {Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Biofilm, cbrA, cbrB, phoBR, ndvB}, volume = {9}, Number = {2}, pages = {97-102}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.52547/JoMMID.9.2.97}, url = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-297-en.html}, eprint = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-297-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases}, issn = {2345-5349}, eissn = {2345-5330}, year = {2021} } @article{ author = {Bimi, Langbong and KailynOdamtten, Freda and Anto, Francis and KwamenaTetteh, Ato}, title = {Ophidascaris sp. in an African Rock Python (Python sebae) in Ghana: A Case Report}, abstract ={This study reports an Ophidascaris sp. infection in the gastrointestinal tract of a python snake found at a construction site in Labone, a suburb of Accra and the capital city of Ghana. Examination of the rectal contents of the snake by the zinc sulfate centrifugal floatation method revealed helminths eggs. Besides, examining various sections of the alimentary canal revealed adult worms of the genus Ophidascaris in the anterior half of the small intestine just below the stomach's pyloric sphincter. Also, milking one of the female worms onto a microscope slide and examining the exudate by microscopy following staining with Lugol's iodine dye revealed eggs. Our findings may alert the possibility of zoonotic transmission of the parasite from pythons to humans, especially in the suburban/rural areas where people consume snake meat.}, Keywords = {Python, Ophidascaris, Ghana}, volume = {9}, Number = {2}, pages = {103-107}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.52547/JoMMID.9.2.103}, url = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-364-en.html}, eprint = {http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-364-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases}, issn = {2345-5349}, eissn = {2345-5330}, year = {2021} }