Infective endocarditis (IE) is a severe disease that is still associated with high mortality despite recent advances in diagnosis and treatment. HACEK organisms (Haemophilus spp., Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella kingae) are gram-negative bacteria that are part of the normal flora of the mouth and upper respiratory tract in humans. These organisms cause a wide range of infections, of which IE is one of the most notable. In order to control and prevent endocarditis caused by HACEK, measures such as oral hygiene and the use of prophylactic drugs should be used for people at risk, including people with underlying heart disease and people with artificial valves. This review is a summary of the main aspects of IE focusing on HACEK organisms.

No abstract

This study aimed to assess the presence of qnrA, qnrB, qnrC, qnrD, qnrS, qepA, and aac(6′)-Ib-cr determinants as well as quinolone resistance pattern of clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa in Ahvaz, southwest Iran. A total of 185 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa were collected from 5 university-affiliated hospitals in Ahvaz, southwest Iran. The disk diffusion method was applied to assess the quinolone resistance pattern. The presence of qnrA, qnrB, qnrC, qnrD, qnrS, qepA, and aac(6′)-Ib-cr genes was investigated by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Overall, 120 (64.9%) isolates were non-susceptible to quinolones. The most and the less quinolone resistance rates were observed against ciprofloxacin (59.4%) and ofloxacin (45.9%), respectively. The prevalence rates of qnr genes were as follows: qnrA (25.8%), qnrB (29.2%), and qnrS (20.8%). The qnrB gene was the most common type of qnr genes. The qnr genes were occurred in 37.5% (n = 45/120) of quinolne-resistant isolates, simultaneously. The qnrC, qnrD, qepA, and aac(6′)-Ib-cr genes were not recognized in any isolates. In conclusion, the ofloxacin was the most effective quinolone. This study was the first to shed light on the prevalence of PMQR genes among P. aeruginosa isolates in southwest Iran.

Introduction & ObjectiveVaccination is one of the most important and effective ways of preventing infectious diseases, and has recently been used in the COVID-19 epidemic and pandemic. The present meta-analysis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in reducing the incidence of infection, hospitalization, and mortality in observational studies.Materials and MethodsA systematic search was performed independently in Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, and Google Scholar electronic databases as well as Preprint servers using the keywords under study. The heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using I2and χ2 statistics, according to which the I2 of > 50% and P -value <0.1 was reported as heterogeneity of the studies. In addition, the Pooled Vaccine Effectiveness (PVE) obtained from the studies was calculated by converting (1-Pooled estimate × 100%) based on the type of outcome.ResultsA total of 54 records were included in this meta-analysis. The rate of PVE against SARS-COV 2 infection was about 71% (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.23-0.36) in the first dose and 87% (OR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.08-0.21) in the second, and the highest effectiveness in the first and second doses was that of BNT162b2 mRNA and combined studies. The PVE versus COVID-19-associated hospitalization was 73% (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.18-0.41) in the first dose and 89% (OR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.07-0.17) in the second. mRNA-1273 and combined studies in the first dose and ChAdOx1 and mRNA-1273 in the second dose had the highest effectiveness. Regarding the COVID-19-related mortality, PVE was about 28% (HR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.23-0.45) in the first dose and 89% (HR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.03-0.43) in the second.ConclusionThe evidence obtained from this study showed that the effectiveness of BNT162b2 mRNA, mRNA-1273, and ChAdOx1 in the first and second doses, and even combined studies were associated with increased effectiveness against SARS-COV2 infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. In addition, considering that the second dose was significantly more efficient than the first one, a booster dose injection could be effective in high-risk individuals. On the other hand, it was important to observe other prevention considerations in the first days after taking the first dose.

Background: Staphylococcus epidermidis has emerged as the pathogen from neonatal septicemia. Antibiotic resistance and the capability of biofilm formation make these infections much harder to treat. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between biofilm formation, structure and antibiotic resistance in S. epidermidis isolated from neonatal septicemia. Methods: Overall, 65 S. epidermidis isolates were recovered from blood cultures of neonatal septicemia. Antibiotic resistance pattern and the biofilm production were determined using phenotypic methods. The presence of ica operon, the bhp , the aap genes and SCC mec types were screened using PCR. Results: Most S.epidermidis isolates were resistant to erythromycin, while all isolates were sensitive to linezolid and vancomycin. Fifty-three percent of S.epidermidis isolates were resistant to methicillin. SCC mec types II was found commonly among methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) strains. The biofilm formation was observed in 65% of S.epidermidis isolates and the majority have polysaccharide matrix. icaA and icaD genes were found in 40% and 19% of isolates. Twenty-three isolates (62%) produced dissolvable polysaccharide intercellular adhesion (PIA)-dependent biofilms in SM after growth in TSB with NaCl and 14 (37%) isolates produced dissolvable protein-dependent biofilms in PK after growth in TSB with glucose. Three isolates (62%) produced dissolvable polysaccharide intercellular adhesion. Conclusion: Our data indicate the high rates of antibiotic resistance and the capability of biofilm formation among S. epidermidis isolates. Hence, the transmission of these strains can cause an increased risk of serious nosocomial infections.