objectives the aim of this study was to determine the 3 most prevalent bacterial pathogens including acinetobacter baumannii, pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus aureus causing nosocomial infections and their antimicrobial resistant profiles in patients admitted to three hospitals in tehran city, iran. materials and methods in this cross-sectional study, the a. baumannii, p. aeruginosa an...

Over the last decade, the rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens has become a global concern, which has prompted the search for alternative antibacterial agents for use in food animals. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), produced by bacteria, insects, amphibians and mammals, as well as by chemical synthesis, are possible candidates for the design of new antimicrobial agents because of the...

Background: The skin mucus layer of fish is endowed with biologics including, Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that offer a first line defence against pathogens. Such can either inhibit bacterial growth or completely kill the bacteria and hence are regarded as viable alternative to traditional antibiotics, in addressing ever-increasing incidences antimicrobial resistance. However, one major hurdle...

The efficacies of many antimicrobial peptides are greatly reduced under high salt concentrations, therefore limiting their use as pharmaceutical agents. Here, we describe a strategy to boost salt resistance and serum stability of short antimicrobial peptides by adding the nonnatural bulky amino acid β-naphthylalanine to their termini. The activities of the short salt-sensitive tryptophan-rich p...

The need for novel antibiotics in an era where antimicrobial resistance is on the rise, and the number of new approved antimicrobial drugs reaching the market is declining, is evident. The underused potential of post-translationally modified peptides for clinical use makes this class of peptides interesting candidates. In this study, we made use of the vast amounts of available genomic data and...

Vibrios are associated with a broad diversity of hosts that produce antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as part of their defense against microbial infections. In particular, vibrios colonize epithelia, which function as protective barriers and express AMPs as a first line of chemical defense against pathogens. Recent studies have shown they can also colonize phagocytes, key components of the animal i...

Introduction Staphylococcus aureus causes a diverse array of diseases, ranging from relatively harmless localized skin infections to life-threatening systemic conditions. It secretes toxins directly associated with particular disease symptoms. Aim To determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) colonization among patients with...

Cecropin B is a cationic antimicrobial peptide originally isolated from the diapausing pupae of the giant silk moth, Hylphora cecropia. Cecropin B elicits its antimicrobial effects through disruption of the anionic cell membranes of gram-negative bacteria. Previous work by our laboratory demonstrated that a constitutively expressed cecropin B transgene conferred enhanced resistance to bacterial...

Blastocystis is one of the most common eukaryotic organisms found in humans and many types of animals. Several reports have identified its role in gastrointestinal disorders, although its pathogenicity is yet to be clarified. Blastocystis is transmitted via the fecal-to-oral route and colonizes the large intestines. Epithelial cells lining the intestine secrete antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), in...