Results of the present study demonstrate the cytogenetic damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes of oncology department personnel. Suitable training and proper knowledge when handling anti-neoplastic drugs are emphasized to avoid potential health hazards caused by cytostatic agents.

Background: Many scientists have reported Candida species to be of great concern because of the high frequency that they colonize and infect human hosts, particularly cancer patients. Moreover, in the last decades Candida species have developed resistance to many antifungal agents. Based on this, we aimed to identify and determine the prevalence of Candida spp from blood culture bottles among cancer patients and their antifungal resistance pattern. Materials and Methods: From the blood culture bottles isolation and identification of the Candida spp were performed by conventional microbiological techniques. The in vitro antibiotic resistance pattern of the isolates was determined by CLSI guidelines. Genomic DNA was isolated and amplified. Each gene was separated by agar gel electrophoresis. Results: Identification of Candida spp was based on the presence of yeast cells in direct examination, culture and DNA extraction. Of the 68 blood samples collected during the study period (April 2013 to October 2013), five (7.35%) were positive for the presence of Candida spp, 2 (40%) of which were identified as Candida albicans and 3 (60%) were Candida non-albicans. Conclusions: High resistance to amphotricin B was observed among all the Candida non-albicans isolates. Regular investigations into antifungal resistance will help us to get an updated knowledge about their antibiotic resistance pattern which may help the physician in selecting the antibiotics for empirical therapy.

Background: Symptomatic bacteraemia, is a frequent condition among cancer patients with a significant morbidity and mortality all over the world. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the burden of enteric pathogens causing bacteremia among cancer patients. Patients and Methods: Ten ml blood samples were withdrawn from the cancer patients under aseptic conditions. The blood specimens were added to the blood culture bottles and incubated at 37°C. The bacterial isolates from these samples were identified by routine biochemical reactions. Results: During the study period, 68 blood samples from cancer patients were analyzed for bacteremia. Of these patients, six were female (08/82%) and 62 were male (91.18%); with age ranging from under 40 years to 85 years old (mean, 63 years). Gastro-intestinal cancer and cancers of head and neck were the most frequent cancer types in the studied group, accounting for 51 (75%) and 15 (22.1%) cases, respectively. The mean weight of patients was 69.18 Kg (range: 49-100 Kg). Similarly, the mean length of hospital stay was 8 days (range: 4-12 days). Positive blood cultures were detected in only 12 (17.65%) and 11 (91.7%) blood specimens from the Cancer Institute, Tehran, compared with one (08.33%) from Shahid Kamali hospital, Karaj. From these patients, 15 bacteria were isolated; E. coli alone outnumbered other species and accounted for 33.33% of the episodes of bacteremia. Conclusions: In conclusion, our investigation revealed that cancers of GI tract are the most common cancer types causing bacteremia and also we identified that most common bacteria causing bacteremia in Cancer Institute, Tehran and Shahid Kamali Hospital, Karaj, are E. coli and S. aureus

Background: Bacteremia is a frequent condition in cancer patients with a significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, which is a medical crisis that needs broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment. Objectives: This study examined bacteremia in cancer patients from two medical centers regarding isolates and spectrum of antibiotic resistance pattern. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective experimental investigation performed in Tehran and Karaj Cities, Iran. From the blood culture bottles, isolation and identification of the bacteria were performed by conventional microbiological techniques. In vitro antibiotic resistance pattern of the isolates was determined by CLSI guidelines. Genomic DNA was isolated by DNA extraction kit. Each gene was separated by agar gel electrophoresis. Results: In total, 68 blood culture bottles were received from cancer patients, from which 12 (17.65%) samples had positive results. The most common bacterial pathogen isolated was E. coli, accounting for 5 (33.33%). While each of S. aureus, B. cereus and K. pneumonia accounted for 3 (20%) samples. Penicillin, ampicillin, gentamicin, cefoxitin, trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline were the most resistant antibiotics with 100% resistance to the tested E. coli isolates. Similarly, S. aureus was 100% resistant to gentamicin and sulfamethoxazole. Identification of the 88 bp phoA gene in E. coli isolates was 100%. Similarly, the 310 bp mecA fragment was obtained from all of the resistant S. aureus isolates after DNA amplification. Conclusions: All the bacterial isolates were associated with a high resistance to various antibiotics and this resistant pattern could be confirmed by detection of a particular gene for each bacterium.