Background: Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of the most common causative agents of bacterial infections. The emergence of multidrug-resistant E. coli is a major public health threat worldwide. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile of clinical isolates of E. coli from different samples. Methods: A total number of 454 clinical samples, including urine, wound, cervical swab, blood, semen, ascetic, and cerebral spinal fluid samples were collected from patients between January 2017 and February 2020. Then, E. coli was confirmed and susceptibility to different antibiotics was determined using the Vitek-2 compact system. Results: Escherichia coli isolates were more frequent in females (70.7%) than in males (29.3%). In the case of urine samples, E. coli was found to be highly susceptible to ertapenem (97.6%) and imipenem (96.4%) but resistant to ampicillin (87.8%). For wound and cervical swabs, E. coli was 100% resistant to ampicillin and cefepime but 100% sensitive to ertapenem and imipenem. It was found that E. coli isolates from blood samples were 100% resistant to ampicillin, ceftriaxone, and cefoxitin, and around 75% of them were sensitive to ertapenem, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin. Finally, E. coli isolated from other clinical samples were highly sensitive to ertapenem, imipenem, levofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, and cefazolin. Conclusions: Escherichia coli isolated from various clinical specimens showed differences in antibiotic sensitivity patterns, with high resistance to commonly used antibiotics. The most effective antibiotics against E. coli isolates were ertapenem, imipenem, and nitrofurantoin. However, the clinical isolates of E. coli displayed high resistance rates to ampicillin, ceftriaxone, and cefepime. Therefore, it is proposed to perform antibiotic sensitivity testing by physicians to select the most effective antibiotics.

Recurrent abortion is a worldwide issue. Anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) are found to be among the most important factors related to recurrent spontaneous early pregnancy loss. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anticardiolipin IgM and IgG antibodies in women with recurrent abortion in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The present study was conducted in Duhok and Zakho cities for the period from April 2014 to May 2019. A total of 1230 women aged between 18 to 46-year-old were included in this study. ELISA was used for the detection of anticardiolipin antibodies. Among the studied subjects, the prevalence of anticardiolipin antibodies was 74 (6.02%) for ACA IgM and 56 (4.6%) for ACA IgG. It was also observed that 16 (1.3%) subjects were positive for both ACA IgM and IgG antibodies. Additionally, the highest anticardiolipin antibody positivity rates were recorded in patients older than 30-year-old (P<0.01). The IgM ACA positivity was higher in Zakho city 45 (7.2%) when compared to Duhok city 29 (4.6%) (P<0.04). In conclusion, anticardiolipin antibodies can have a positive association among women with recurrent abortion. Therefore, it is suggested that women with recurrent abortion should be screened for anticardiolipin antibodies; this could increase fetal survival by initiating early anticoagulant therapy when other causes of abortion are excluded.

Background: Infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are major global public health problems. Infection with such viruses is commonly associated with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence rate of HBV and HCV in women in Zakho City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Methods: A cross sectional study was performed in Zakho City, Iraq between January 2019 and October 2019. A total of 2223 females aged between 18 to 52 years old were included in this study. ELISA test was used to determine HBsAg, HBc IgG, and HCV antibodies positivity. HCV positive samples were then confirmed by Xpert HCV quantification assay. Results: Among the studied subjects, 12/2223 (0.54%) samples were positive for HBs Ag. All these 12 patients showed also positivity for HBc IgG. Only 1/2223 (0.045%) sample was positive for HCV antibodies. The result of HCV-RT-PCR confirmed the positivity for this patient. Conclusions: The low prevalence rate of HBV and HCV infection among women in Zakho City was less than that reported in other studies. Population-based study is needed to estimate the prevalence of infection.