Arash Farvahari, Mina Danaei, Ali Sheibani Tezerji, Mohsen Momeni,
Volume 16, Issue 6 (1-2023)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Nowadays, due to people using antibiotics without prescription, the resistance of the bodies to antibiotics has been a major health issue in the world. This study aimed to investigate the consumption of antibiotics without prescription among the people that go to the health care centers of Kerman.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted from April to September 2019, cross-sectionally on 331 people who were referred to the health care centers of Kerman city by the available sampling method. In this research, a valid questionnaire was used to collect information. Data was analyzed with SPSS statistical software, using t-test and chi-square statistical tests.
Results: The average age of the referred people in this study was 38.6±10.76 years, 135 (40.4%) were males and 194 (60.6%) were females. More than two-thirds of people had a higher education than deploma degrees. The self-medication prevalence with antibiotics was 32.9%. The most common cause of self-inflicted use of antibiotics is unwillingness to pay (34.4%), the most common types of antibiotics used are amoxicillin (25%) and azithromycin (24%), and the most common form of medicine used is pills (55.5%). Respiratory infections were also the most common cause of self-inflicted use of antibiotics (42.2%). Pharmacies were the most common source of information about how to use antibiotics (53.9%). Also, self-medication with antibiotics in married people (P=0.015). people with self employed jobs (P=0.031) and people without medical insurance (P<0.001) were significantly more than the other studied group.
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed self-medication with antibiotics is highly prevalent in Kerman city, and policy makers should take interventions to increase people’s awareness of the risks and side effects of self-inflicted use of antibiotics, as well as drug resistance created as a result, in order to reduce the self-inflicted use of these drugs.
Erfan Amiri, Hossein Hooshyar, Hossein Nazemorraaya, Mohammadreza Shiee, Sima Rasti, Gholam Abbass Moosavi,
Volume 17, Issue 5 (12-2023)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Toxoplasma gondii is one of the important food-borne parasitic pathogens that infect humans and a wide range of warm-blooded animals. Consumption of poultry meat, especially chicken, is a potential risk of transmission of toxoplasmosis to humans. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection in industrial broilers referred to the Kashan poultry abattoir, Iran, in 2023.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 114 brain and heart samples of industrial broilers were randomly collected from Kashan poultry abattoir. Two prepared direct smears from each sample were stained with Giemsa stain and examined microscopically for the presence of tissue cysts of T. gondii. The genomic DNA was extracted using a commercial kit. PCR method was used for detection of the B1 genome of T. gondii using specific primers. The PCR product was evaluated by electrophoresis on a 1.5% agarose gel. The results were analyzed with descriptive statistics using SPSS software.
Results: Of 114 chicken samples, 65 (57%) and 49 (43%), were male and female respectively. Totally, 12 samples (10.5%) were positive for T. gondii infection. T. gondii DNA fragments were detected in 8 (7.06%) of the samples. Microscopy examination revealed T.gondii in 6 (5.26%) samples. All infections were related to brain samples, and no infection was detected in heart muscle samples.
Conclusion: Infection with T. gondii is considerable in broilers in the Kashan region. Therefore, preventive measures such as training people to properly cook meat before consumption and avoiding eating raw or under‑cooked poultry meat products are recommended to prevent human infection to T. gondii. In order to stop life cycle of this parasite, avoiding using raw bird meat for feeding pets such as cats is recommended.
