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Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is an important health problem in the aging male population in the world. It is the third most common cancer in the world. Despite of its importance, relatively little is known about its etiology. Sexually transmitted infections (STI) and urogenital pathogens such as Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma, have been proposed as a risk factor for prostate cancer development. This study aimed at detecting the prevalence of Ureaplasma urealyticum (U. urealyticum) and Mycoplasma genitalium (M. genitalium) in PCa and the controls group with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in Shohada hospital. Materials and Methods: A total of 124 paraffin-embedded prostate tissues (62 PCa patients and 62 controls with BPH) were included in this study. The subjects'specimens were investigated by the polymerase chain reaction method for the presence of U. urealyticum and M. genitalium DNA. Results: U. urealyticum was detected by standard PCR in 1.61% of the 62 PCa patients and there was no DNA U. urealyticum in the 62 controls with BPH. No M. genitalium was detected by standard PCR in the prostates of 124 paraffin-embedded prostate tissues. Conclusion: According to our results, there is no association between M. genitalium and U.urealyticum with PCa. We recommend further studies using a large sample to determine role of Ureaplasma and Mycoplasma in PCa because understanding the role of infectious agents on PCa might be useful for developing new therapeutic approaches and prevention of PCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The control and prevention of rodent-borne diseases are mainly based on our knowledge of ecology and the infectious status of their reservoir hosts. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Francisella tularensis , Yersinia pestis , and arenavirus infections in small mammals and to assess the potential of disease occurrence in East Azerbaijan, northwest of Iran, in 2017 and 2018. Methods: Spleen and lung samples were obtained from all trapped small mammals. The real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) method was used to detect nucleic acid sequences of F. tularensis , Y. pestis , and arenaviruses. Serum samples were tested for antibodies indicating the host response to F. tularensis and Y . pestis infections using the standard tube agglutination test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Results: A total of 205 rodents, four Eulipotyphla, and one carnivore were captured. The most common rodent species captured (123 of 205 rodents, 60%) belonged to the genus Meriones (mainly Persian jird, Meriones persicus ). In total, 317 fleas were removed from trapped animals. Flea species belonged to Xenopsylla buxtoni, Xenopsylla nuttalli, Stenoponia tripectinata , Paraceras melis , Ctenophthalmus rettigi smiti , Rhadinopsylla bivirgis , Paradoxopsyllus grenieri , and Nosopsyllus iranus . Using the qPCR tests, five spleen samples from M. persicus were positive for F. tularensis . The qPCR tests were negative for the detection of Y. pestis and arenaviruses. Finally, all serum samples tested were negative for antibodies against Y. pestis and F. tularensis . Conclusions: F. tularensis was the only zoonotic agent detected in rodents captured in East Azerbaijan. However, the diversity of trapped rodents and fleas provides the potential for the spread of various rodent-borne viral and bacterial diseases in the studied areas.

Objectives: Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) strains have been reported in many countries around the world and their prevalence is increasing. The incidence of these strains in Iran has been reported in some studies, however there is no overall estimation of the VISA incidence in Iran. The objective of this systematic review was to estimate the total prevalence of VISA strains reported from Iran., Methods: A systematic literature review of relevant articles published on 'S. aureus isolates with intermediate resistance to vancomycin in Iran' was performed in PubMed and Scopus databases in the period 2010-2017., Results: From 335 records found in the electronic search, 40 related studies were included in the current analysis. This systematic review indicated that the overall prevalence rate of VISA was 0.09% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.00-0.20] in Iran in 2010-2017. In the classification of VISA based on location, the highest frequency was in Mazandaran Province at 8.36% (95% CI 0.00-18.49%). The most prevalent VISA genotypes in Iran were staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type III, accessory gene regulator (agr) group II, sequence type 22 (ST22) and staphylococcal protein A (spa) type t790., Conclusions: Regarding the upward trend in the incidence of VISA strains in Iran and the importance of preventing VISA in public health, it is recommended to control nosocomial infections and to be cautious in the use of vancomycin., (Copyright © 2018 International Society for Chemotherapy of Infection and Cancer. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)