Background: In many countries, Salmonella and Shigella species are frequently found to cause gastroenteritis outbreaks. Objectives: We describe nationwide data on infections with Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. in Iran. Materials and methods: During a two-year period (2012 to 2013), rectal-swab samples were analyzed for the presence of bacteria. Sensitivity of the bacterial isolates to antimicrobial agents was tested according to clinical and laboratory standards institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results: Twenty-nine states reported 249 outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. In total, 1055 patients (604 males and 451 females, age range: < 1 and > 60 years) were enrolled in this study, of whom 18 died. Seventy-four culture-confirmed cases of infection with Salmonella spp. were identified, of which 10.8%, 6.8%, 68.9%, and 13.5% corresponded to Salmonella serotype A, B, C, or D respectively. Similarly, Shigella spp. were responsible for 118 cases of the foodborne illnesses; among them, Shigella sonnei (with 105 cases, 89%) was the leading serovar. Ciprofloxacin (100%) was the most effective antibacterial agent against Salmonella spp. followed by amikacin. Nalidixic acid and gentamycin were the least effective antibacterial agents against Salmonella spp. Similarly, Shigella spp. were also highly sensitive to ciprofloxacin (100%), whereas tetracycline and ampicillin were the least effective antibacterial agents against Shigella spp. Conclusions: These are the first recognized and confirmed outbreaks of foodborne illnesses in Iran. Salmonella and Shigella infections represent a considerable disease burden in our country. Therefore, efforts to reduce transmission of these pathogens via food and other routes must be implemented on a national scale. It is noteworthy that the outbreaks of Shigella and Salmonella infections in our country also pose a threat of antibiotic resistance.

Background: Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising therapeutic approach for several cancers which however has been reported that is ineffective in some cases of the same cancer. A well-known oncolytic virus is the Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) due to activating the apoptosis mechanism in tumor cells through its Matrix (M) protein. This study compares the different invasive intensity Colorectal tumors for the oncolytic effect of VSV wild type (wt) and M51R M-protein.Methods: 114 fresh colorectal tumor primary cell cultures plus SW480 and HCT116 colorectal cancer cell lines were examined. Fresh tumor samples were divided into two groups of lower stages (I/II) and higher stages (III/IV) regarding the medical records. The presence of two mutations in the PIK3CA gene, and the expression of NEBL and AKT1 genes were evaluated to biologically compare the staging classification. The cell lines and the stable primary tissue cultures were transfected with a plasmid encoding VSV wild type and M51R mutant M-protein. Western blotting assay confirmed the expression of the protein. Results: MTT assay results showed either wild type or M51R mutant can kill SW480 and stage I/II primary cultures while mutant M-protein had no apoptotic effects on HCT116 cells and stage III/IV primary cultures. Morphological apoptosis features were observed by a phase-contrast microscope. NEBL and AKT1 expression were significantly higher in resistant cells. Elevated Caspase 9 activity confirmed that the intrinsic apoptosis pathway is the reason for cell death in SW480 cells. The apoptosis rate was quantified and reconfirmed by Annexin V FITC/PI multicolor flow-cytometry. Conclusions: Different tumors from the same cancer exhibit different sensitivity to M51R M-proteins due to genetic difference. NEBL and AKT1 gene expression may be responsible for this difference which maybe the target of future investigations. Therefore, tumor staging should be considered in oncolytic viral treatment as an interfering factor.