Drug resistance of clinical and environmental isolates of Brucella species in Iran: a meta-analysis

The perspective of antibiotic therapeutic challenges of brucellosis in the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries: Current situation and therapeutic management

Brucellosis is among the most prevalent zoonotic infections in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries, critically impacting human and animal health. A comprehensive review of studies on antibiotic susceptibility and therapeutic regimes for brucellosis in ruminants and humans in the MENA region was conducted to evaluate the current therapeutic management in this region. Different scientific databases were searched for peer-reviewed original English articles published from January 1989 to February 2021. Reports from research organizations and health authorities have been taken into consideration. Brucella melitensis and Brucella abortus have been reported from the majority of MENA countries, suggesting a massive prevalence particularly of B. melitensis across these countries. Several sporadic cases of brucellosis relapse, therapeutic failure, and antibiotic resistance of animal and human isolates have been reported from the MENA region. However, several studies proved that brucellae are still in-vitro susceptible to the majority of antibiotic compounds and combinations in current recommended WHO treatment regimens, e.g. levofloxacin, tetracyclines, doxycycline, streptomycin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, tigecycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The current review presents an overview on resistance development of brucellae and highlights the current knowledge on effective antibiotics regimens for treating human brucellosis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Nano drug delivery in intracellular bacterial infection treatments

The present work aimed to review the potential mechanisms used by macrophages to kill intracellular bacteria, their entrance to the cell, and mechanisms of escape of cellular immunity and applications of various nanoparticles. Since intracellular bacteria such as Mycobacterium and Brucella can survive in host cells and can resist the lethal power of macrophages, they can cause chronic disease or recur in 10-30% of cases in improved patients Nano drug-based therapeutics are promising tools for treating intracellular bacteria and preventing recurrence of the disease caused by these bacteria. In addition, among their unique features, we can mention the small size and the ability of these compounds to purposefully reach the target location.

Evaluating the efficiency of TaqMan real-time PCR and serological methods in the detection of Brucella spp. in clinical specimens collected from suspected patients in Ardabil, Iran

BACKGROUND

This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of the TaqMan real-time PCR and serological methods in detecting Brucella spp. in clinical specimens that have been collected from suspected patients in Ardabil, Iran.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 113 consecutive patients suspected of brucellosis who were referred to the three hospitals in Ardabil province were selected. In the first step, the diagnosis of brucellosis was performed by serological methods including the Rose Bengal slide agglutination test, Wright test, 2-ME test, and BrucellaCapt test. In the next step, TaqMan real-time PCR with primer and probe targeting the bcsp31 gene was used for the detection of Brucella spp. Specificity, sensitivity, and positive and negative predictive values of the TaqMan real-time PCR assay were calculated.

RESULTS

Among 113 suspected patients with different clinical manifestations, the Rose Bengal slide agglutination test, Wright test, and 2-ME test were positive in 60 cases; however, the BrucellaCapt test titer was 1:160 for one patient. Six patients had high initial serum antibody titers; 2-ME titers of ≥1:640; STA titers of ≥1:1280; BrucellaCapt titers of ≥ 1:2560. Among positive cases, no correlation was observed among gender, age, and life (residence) in urban or rural areas. The TaqMan real-time PCR was positive in 35% of all 60 positive cases. The comparison of the results of the BrucellaCapt and TaqMan real-time PCR methods revealed that 19 out of 54 (35.2%) and 2 out of 6 (33.4%) BrucellaCapt positive cases with titers of >1:320 and ≤ 1:320 were positive, respectively. The sensitivities and specificities of the TaqMan real-time PCR assay were 49.1% and 100% respectively.

CONCLUSION

The sensitivity of the TaqMan real-time PCR assay was low in the diagnosis of brucellosis, while the BrucellaCapt test turned out to be a very valuable, sensitive, and specific test for the diagnosis of brucellosis in suspected patients and, thus, can provide reliable results in medical laboratories.