<![CDATA[Anti-Infective Agents (Volume 22 - Issue 2)]]> https://benthamscience.com/journal/120 RSS Feed for Journals | BenthamScience EurekaSelect (+https://benthamscience.com) 2024-03-29 <![CDATA[Anti-Infective Agents (Volume 22 - Issue 2)]]> https://benthamscience.com/journal/120 <![CDATA[Tetrazoles Leitmotif: An Intriguing Insight into Contemporary Developments and Biological Activities]]>https://benthamscience.com/article/1339762024-03-29 <![CDATA[Current Therapeutic Strategies for Chagas Disease]]>https://benthamscience.com/article/1339922024-03-29Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease, can only be cured with one of two drugs, benznidazole or nifurtimox. The main disadvantages of these drugs include their ineffectiveness outside of the acute or early infection phase, their unpleasant effects, and the parasite's tolerance to their activities. On the other hand, several institutions and research groups have been working on a number of ways that can help find a solution to the problem. These strategies have evolved over the last few years. Several examples of such advancements include the utilization of combination therapy, the repurposing of current treatments, and the change of dosages for traditional drugs. Research has also been conducted on antiparasitic plants and the substances that may be obtained from them, and it makes use of existing knowledge gathered through medical procedures. Some works have studied the parasite in order to identify important genes that have the potential to be used as therapeutic targets in the development of novel targeted medications. Even though a lot of these studies have shown promising results, only a small fraction of them make it to the clinical testing phase of the study. Institutions and research organizations should be rewarded for coordinating their efforts and addressing all areas of drug development, given their resources and information. Last but not least, distributing this information will result in novel Chagas disease therapies, which would assist impacted populations.]]> <![CDATA[Recent Trends on Synthesis of Benzimidazoles]]>https://benthamscience.com/article/1364442024-03-29 <![CDATA[Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections in a Tertiary Hospital; Preliminary Study of Antibiotics Susceptibility Testing and Pathogen Types]]>https://benthamscience.com/article/1356072024-03-29Introduction: Nosocomial urinary tract infections (NUTIs) are the most frequently acquired infection worldwide. This retrospective study aimed to determine the type of pathogens and antibiotic susceptibility testing in hospital-acquired UTIs.

Methods: Information from the recorded official database of the Alzahra, Isfahan/Iran tertiary specialist hospital was obtained. Urine was collected based on two methods: 1) central stream and 2) with a urinary catheter in place. The incidence of acquired infections (NUTIs-SUTI; Code 55) was described as a percentage. The statistical calculations were conducted using the statistical software. There were 2210 recorded NUTIs comprised of 1115 males and 1095 females. Among the total recorded data with NUTIs, 251 records were associated with deaths. The distribution of hospital stays in 57% was between 2-30 days. Available data showed that Candida (23%), Escherichia coli (22%), Klebsiella pneumonia (17%), and Enterococcus (faeciumfecalis; 12%) were the most ranked microorganisms in patients with NUTIs.

Results: Sensitivity tests for Escherichia coli associated with different antibiotics were ranked as; 1) Meropenem (n= 160; S= 66%), 2) Vancomycin (n= 53; S= 64%), 3) Piperacillin/Tazobactam (n= 144; S= 58%), 4) Amikacin (n= 146; S= 44%), 5) Co-trimoxazole (n= 153; S=42%), 6) Penicillin (n=79; S=41%), 7) Cefepime (n=143; S=31%), 8) Ceftazidime (n=142; S=31%), 9) Ciprofloxacin (n=204; S=25%). Sensitivity tests for Klebsiella pneumonia associated with different antibiotics were ranked as; 1) Piperacillin/Tazobactam (n= 110; S= 55%), 2) Amikacin (n= 125; S= 55%), and 3) Ciprofloxacin (n=177; S=23%). Sensitivity tests for Enterococcus (faecium-fecalis) associated with different antibiotics were ranked as; 1) Piperacillin/Tazobactam (n= 79; S= 62%), 2) Amikacin (n= 83; S= 64%) and 3) Ciprofloxacin (n=120; S=30%).

Conclusion: Within the population studied, while Ciprofloxacin showed less than 30% sensitivity, Piperacillin/Tazobactam and Amikacin exhibited a sensitivity of more than 50% regarding Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Enterococcus (faecium-fecalis) need further evidence- based investigations.

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<![CDATA[Preliminary Study of Antibiotics Susceptibility Testing and Pathogens Associated with Nosocomial Infections in a Tertiary Hospital]]>https://benthamscience.com/article/1356972024-03-29Background: Health care associated with multiresistant pathogens is rising globally. As nosocomial infections (NIs) could increase hospital stay, morbidity, mortality and disability, therefore the aim of this preliminary study was to define antibiotics and pathogens associated with NIs in a main tertiary hospital in Isfahan, Iran.

Methods: The data were extracted from the official database of hospital NIs records. For each patient, the reported infections were abbreviated as: UTI-SUTI, VAE-PVAP, BSI-LCBI, SSIDIP and so on. For continuous variables, mean ± standard deviation, and for categorical variables, frequency was used.

Results: The study population was 5542 patients, comprised of males (n = 3282) and females (n = 2260). With a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 99, the mean age in 5313 patients was 58.5 ± 19.1 years old. The highest reported NIs (n = 77%) were associated with the ages between 30- 80 years old. Sites of NIs in 93% were as: VAE-PVAP- VAE-IVAC; 31%, UTI-SUTI; 30%, SSI-DIP; 19%, BSI-LCBI; 13%, and other individual infection (7%) with the main pathogens associated with Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumonia, Candida and Staphylococcus spp. Antibiotic susceptibilty testing showed the most sensitivity of isolates against Vancomycin (62%), Gentamicin (59%), Ampicillin (44%), Amikacin (35%) and Co-trimoxazol (32%).

Conclusion: As most NIs are avoidable, for commissioning an efficient surveillance system, further study of pathogens in relation to evidence-based antibiotic-therapy and advanced infection control program is suggested to be valuable.

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<![CDATA[Current Status of Potential Antiviral Drugs Derived from Plant, Marine, and Microbial Sources]]>https://benthamscience.com/article/1371492024-03-29 <![CDATA[Comparative Analysis of Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activities of Essential Oils from Two <i>Ocimum</i> Species]]>https://benthamscience.com/article/1367602024-03-29Background: The species of the genus Ocimum has been used since ancient times in the Indian subcontinent to cure various illnesses. Essential oil from Ocimum species has antimicrobial activity.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to extract essential oils from different parts of two Ocimum species and test their antimicrobial activity.

Methods: Hydrodistillation was used to extract essential oils from various parts of two basil species, GC-MS was used to identify the chemical compounds. The disk diffusion method was used to assess their antimicrobial activity.

Results: A total of sixty-seven chemical compounds from Ocimum sanctum L. and Ocimum gratissimum L. were identified using GC-MS. Among them, eugenol (1.00-27.66%), methyl eugenol (0.78-28.52%), β-elemene (5.10-20.98%), caryophyllene (0.94-43.18%), caryophyllene oxide (1.1-10.81%), palmitic acid methyl ester (3.20-21.38%), oleic acid methyl ester (2.91-40.7%) and linoleic acid methyl ester (1.55-74.71%) comprised the majority of the makeup of essential oils, due to diverse plant species and body sections, the percentage differed significantly. The essential oils contained monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and aldehydes/ketonic derivatives in the flower and leaf parts of O. sanctum and the leaf part of O. gratissimum. The essential oils of these Ocimum species showed good antibacterial activities against the bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus faecalis with inhibition zones ranging from 10-36 mm.

Conclusion: These two species of Ocimum showed significant variation in chemical composition and antibacterial activity.

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