: Tuberculosis (TB), induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), is a fatal infectious disease that kills millions of lives worldwide. The emergence of drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant cases is regarded as one of the most challenging threats to TB control due to the low cure rate. Therefore, TB and drug-resistant TB epidemics urge us to explore more effective therapies. The increasing knowledge of nanotechnology has extended to some nanomedicines for disease treatment in the clinic, which also provides novel possibilities for nano-based medicines for TB treatment. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have gained increasing attention for anti-bacterial uses based on their strong ability to induce reactive oxidative species (ROS) and release bactericidal Zinc ions (Zn2+), which are expected to act as novel strategies for TB and drug-resistant TB treatment. Some active herbal medicines from plant extracts have been widely reported to show attractive anti-bacterial activity for infectious treatment, including TB. Here, we summarize the synthesis of ZnO NPs using plant extracts (green synthesized ZnO NPs) and further discuss their potentials for anti-TB treatments. This is the first review article discussing the anti–TB activity of ZnO NPs produced using plant extracts, which might contribute to the further applications of green synthesized ZnO NPs for anti-TB and drug-resistant TB treatment.

Objective: Acinetobacter baumannii is among the most common bacterial agents causing nosocomial infections in the world. In recent years, the antibiotic resistance of A. baumannii strains has shown an increasing trend, which may be resulted from the activity of efflux pumps. This study was carried out to determine the efflux pump genes associated with MDR in clinical isolates of A. baumannii in Tehran province.Methods: In this study, 200 clinical samples were collected, and were identified through standard biochemical tests. Then, for the selected antibiotics, the antibacterial susceptibility patterns were determined using disk diffusion method with and without inhibitors of efflux pumps of adeJ, adeH, adeB, adeG, adeF, and adeS that were determined by employing PCR according to the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI 2020) guideline.Results: A total of 60 clinical isolates of A. baumannii were identified and later confirmed by the detection of blaOXA-51-like and 16S rRNA genes. The findings of this study show that 98.37% of A. baumannii isolates were 100% resistant against piperacillin, meropenem, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, ceftazidime, and ciprofloxacin. In addition, 100% of all A. baumannii isolates possessed AdeFBJ, 95% adeH, 80% adeS, and 76.7% adeG efflux pumps. Conclusion:The majority of A. baumannii isolates had antibiotic efflux pumps, and more than 73% of A. baumannii isolates were indicated to be resistant to the target antibiotics, indicating the significant role of efflux pumps in the development of resistance against these antibiotics.

Background: Blastocystis sp., located in the large intestine, is one of the most common zoonotic parasites. Risk factors affect its prevalence and pathogenicity, and it causes gastrointestinal disorders. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the Blastocystis sp. prevalence and its relationship with gastrointestinal disorders, in patients referred to laboratories, and provide some prevention strategies. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 1,000 stool specimens were collected from patients referred to Ilam, Iran laboratories from 2018-2019. Wet mount method was conducted on samples, and suspected specimens were confirmed using trichrome staining. The demographic and clinical information was recorded in a questionnaire. Finally, the results were analyzed using the SPSS. Results: Blastocystis infection was detected in 81 out of 1,000 patients (8.1%) including 61 (75.3%) males and 20 (24.7%) females. and illiterate people were more at risk. The prevalence in rural was more than urban areas, and it was more in the age group of 31-50 year. Conclusion: There was a significant relationship between Blastocystis sp. and risk factors (age, sex, level of education, and residence) and clinical symptoms (stomach ache and nausea) (P<0.05), but interestingly there was no significant relationship between bloating and diarrhea.

Background: Atypical pneumonia is an upper and lower respiratory tract infection. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of atypical pneumonia caused by M. pneumonia by culture and molecular PCR methods in Tehran. Methods: In the present study, 102 samples of throat swab were collected from patients with respiratory infections. All samples were cultured in liquid PPLO Broth And solid PPLO agar media (1% glucose and 20% horse serum). The PCR technique with specific primers was implemented after culture and genome extraction through phenol-chloroform technique. Results: In this study, 27 (26.47%) colonies of Mycoplasma were isolated on PPLO agar medium. Using specific primers, it was found that 33 samples (32.4%) were positive in terms of Mycoplasma genus and 14 samples (13.7%) were positive for the presence of M. pneumonia. Conclusions: Mycoplasma pneumonia is a pathogen that causes respiratory tract infections in humans. Molecular PCR method is a quick and sensitive technique that has higher sensitivity and specificity than other methods. The obtained results may contribute to the specific treatment of some patients with symptoms of respiratory infections. Informed Consent:Patients were recruited through a complete and informed questionnaire, followed by a complete description of the research and complete patient satisfaction.

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the widespread causes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Over recent years, the widespread use of macrolides has led to the emergence of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae (MRMP) resulted from mutations at specific positions of domain V of the 23S rRNA gene. Methods: We collected 100 samples of throat swabs from patients with respiratory infections. After extraction of DNA from bacterial cell cultured in PPLO broth media using Roche kit (Germany), the PCR was performed on specific samples of M. pneumoniae using specific primers for 23S rRNA gene. Afterwards, for positive samples, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using the broth microdilution with Clarithromycin. Finally, the PCR product was sequenced to detect mutations related to macrolide resistance in domain V of 23S rRNA. Results: According to the analysis of the sequenced PCR product of M. pneumoniae 23S rRNA gene using Clustalw2 online software, one of the samples were shown to have a mutation at A2431G and G2491A positions. The MIC measurement also revealed that all isolates were sensitive to Clarithromycin, and there was no macrolide resistance to Clarithromycin in all isolates. Conclusions: Sequence analysis of the 23S rRNA gene in M. pneumoniae, revealed no macrolide resistance of M. pneumoniae to Clarithromycin. Thus, the use of these antibiotics should be restricted to prevent the development of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae in Iran.