Background and Aim:The endophytes are the fungi or bacteria that live within a plant in a symbiotic relationship. This study aimed to investigate the effect of isolated bacterial endophytes from Allium jesdianum on some bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli as well as pathogenic fungi, including Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Candida albicans.Materials and Methods: Various parts of A. jesdianum including leaves, stems, onions and flowers were randomly collected, cleaned from any contamination and then cultured in a suitable culture medium. The endophyte colonies were purified using chloroform to analyze the anti-pathogenic properties of the structural agents of the bacterial endophyte. To evaluate the anti-pathogenicity of endophyte metabolites, the broth media of the endophyte bacteria was centrifuged and the supernatants were filtered through sterilization. Antibiogram test was performed by disk diffusion method (Kirby Bauer) and the sensitivity was compared. Data were statistically analyzed by t-test and ANOVA.Results: Eleven bacterial endophytes were obtained from various sections of A. jesdianum. The endophyte bacterium has an improved antimicrobial effect on T. mentagrophytes. Unlike E. coli, secretory metabolites of endophytic bacteria had an antimicrobial effect on S .aureus and C. albicans. Conclusion:It can be concluded that the bacterial endophytes of A. jesdianum can be considered to be potential and beneficial agents against human pathogens. A. jesdianum with anti-pathogenic activity could be a source to produce important anti-pathogenic compounds from an agricultural and pharmaceutical point of view.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a major cause of nosocomial infections in humans and animals. Because of the widespread resistance to antibiotics, microbiologists are trying to find other therapeutic interventions such as phage therapy for bacterial infections. Objectives: The present study aimed to isolate staphylophages with lytic effects on methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) clinical isolates as a potential alternative agent to antibiotic therapy. Methods: This experimental, descriptive study is performed in the Microbiology Laboratory of Shahrekord University (Iran) from September 2018 to March 2019. Two cocktails of staphylophages were isolated from Isfahan (Iran) urban sewage samples. The double-layer agar method was used to detect lytic phages. Morphology characteristic by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images was used to identify staphylophages. One hundred and thirty three S. aureus were isolated from clinical samples of two teaching hospitals in Isfahan and Shiraz, Iran. Methicillin resistance and the presence of the mecA gene were determined by the disk diffusion method and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, respectively. The phage susceptibility of mecA positive isolates was determined by plaque assay. Results: Two staphylophage cocktails were prepared, which had lytic effects on forty-four MRSA isolates. Cocktails 1 and 2 lysed 19 (14.2%) and 25 (18.7%) isolates, respectively. Of 133 S. aureus isolates, 88.7% carried the mecA gene. Conclusions: Different bacteriophages in two phage cocktails had relatively good lytic effects on S. aureus clinical isolates. Therefore, phage cocktails may be an appropriate alternative to antibiotics against S. aureus.

Given the high incidence of keratoconjunctivitis in Iran (approximately 3.6–53.9%) and low efficiency of clinical diagnostic measures, application of laboratory tests for detection of different keratoconjunctivitis/conjunctivitis causes and determination of their accurate prevalence is essential. In this research, conjunctival samples were collected from 100 patients with keratoconjunctivitis signs referred to an eye hospital of Iran. After DNA extraction, PCR was carried out for detection of Chlamydia psittaci and Chlamydia felis. PCR positive products were further subjected for DNA sequencing. In this study, one sample was Chlamydia psittaci positive and none was positive for Chlamydia felis. There wasn’t a statistically significant relationship between working in the field of veterinary medicine or keeping a pet and Chlamydia psittaci prevalence (P>0.05). This study showed a low rate of chlamydial keratoconjunctivitis and therefore further studies for detection of other causes are necessary.

Disease-associated Staphylococcus aureus strains often promote infections by producing potent protein toxins such as toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST). The mecA gene allows a bacterium to be resistant to antibiotics such as methicillin, penicillin and other penicillin-like antibiotics. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus strains producing these two genes. In this study, within 110 cases isolated in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Staphylococcus aureus was isolated by microbiological methods. Then PCR was done for 66 samples to identify the mecA and TSST-1 genes. The results showed within 30 samples of human skin infection 18 cases (60%) were MRSA and 5 samples (16.66%) were positive for TSST-1 gene. Within 36 samples of ewe subacute mastitis 10 samples (27.77%) and 5 (13.88%) had mecA and TSST-1 genes respectively. Therefore the prevalence of methicillin resistance and toxic shock syndrome producing Staphylococcus aureus isolates was significant in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari. Due to the presence of these isolates in Iran and their threatening role in public health, more attention for their monitoring and treatment is essential.