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Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become more prevalent all over the world and it is important to determine MRSA prevalence and typing in different regions. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence and frequency of circulating molecular types of MRSA isolates as well as their antibiotics susceptibility in Tabriz and Kerman cities of Iran., Materials and Methods: A total of 230 S. aureus isolates were collected from Tabriz (n=125) and Kerman (n=105) during January to December 2018. MRSA isolates were identified by PCR amplification of nuc and mec A genes. Antibiotic susceptibility of MRSA isolates were determined by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Multiplex PCR was exploited to detect various types of SCCmec., Results: The MRSA prevalence was 51/125 (40.8%) in Tabriz and 60/105 (57.1%) in Kerman. Overall, 36/51 (70.58%) and 15/51 (29.41%) isolates and 37/60 (61.66%) and 23/60 (38.34%) isolates were isolated from inpatients and outpatients in Tabriz and Kerman, respectively. Almost all of the isolates were resistant to penicillin and all of them were sensitive to linezolid. Thirty five (68.2%) and 34(56.6%) of MRSA isolates in Tabriz and Kerman were determined as MDR, respectively. SCCmec typing showed that the frequent SCCmec type in both Tabriz and Kerman cities was SCCmec III (56.86% and 55%, respectively)., Conclusion: The high prevalence of MRSA makes it necessary to revisit the antibiotics administration by physicians. Indeed, periodic evaluation of antibacterial susceptibility patterns of the MRSA strains is required for efficient treatment of MRSA infections., Competing Interests: None

Fifty Acinetobacter isolates were obtained from urinary tract infections and urinary catheter samples. Analytical profile index assays identified 47 isolates as Acinetobacter baumannii and three as Acinetobacter lwoffii. Six A. baumannii isolates (A1-A6) displayed hydrophobicity indices >70%. Twenty isolates exhibited lectin activity. Biofilm formation by these isolates was compared with those with low hydrophobicity index values (A45-A50). Biofilms on different surfaces were confirmed by light microscopy, epifluorescence microscopy and by obtaining scanning electron microscope images. Biofilm production was maximal at 30 °C, pH 7.0 in a medium with 5.0 g L(-1) NaCl, and its efficiency was reduced on urinary catheter surfaces at sub-minimum inhibitory concentration concentrations of colistin. Plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance was observed in selected isolates of A. baumannii and experiments of conjugation and transformation showed the occurrence of gene transfer. Plasmid curing was used to examine the function of plasmids. Five plasmids of A. baumannii A3 were cured but no differences were observed between wild-type and plasmid-cured strains with respect to the biofilm formation capabilities. The prevalence of A. baumannii strains with biofilm mode of growth could explain their ability to persist in clinical environments and their role in device-related infections., (© 2011 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.)