Molecular investigation of biofilm-forming genes in staphylococci isolated from dogs in Ilam, Iran
Volume 17, Issue 3, March 2026, Pages 191-197
Negar Soltani, Mostafa Nemati, Fazel Pourahmad
Abstract Biofilm formation is a key virulence factor in Staphylococcus aureus, contributing to bacterial persistence, antimicrobial resistance, and chronic infections. This study aimed to investigate the presence of biofilm-associated genes (fib, fnbA, fnbB, clfA, and clfB) in S. aureus isolates from dogs in Ilam, Iran. From December 2022 to September 2023, 250 swab samples were collected from nasal, oral, and rectal sites of dogs, yielding 81 S. aureus isolates confirmed by PCR amplification of the nuc gene. The prevalence of biofilm-associated genes varied, with clfA, clfB, and fnbA detected in 98.80% of isolates, fib in 63.00%, and fnbB in 16.00%. Notably, fnbA, clfA, and clfB were present in all rectal isolates, while fnbB was absent in this group. The findings highlighted the widespread presence of biofilm-related genes in S. aureus from dogs, suggesting their potential role in colonization and zoonotic transmission. The high prevalence of adhesion-associated genes underscored the need for monitoring biofilm-forming S. aureus in companion animals to mitigate antimicrobial resistance and public health risks.
Diversity and antibacterial activity of endophytic bacteria associated with medicinal plant, Scrophularia striata
Volume 13, Issue 3, Summer 2022, Pages 409-415
Farhad Tavarideh, Fazel Pourahmad, Mostafa Nemati
Abstract To search endophytic bacteria diversity and evaluate their antibacterial activity, healthy medicinal plant of Scrophularia striata was chosen in this study. One hundred endophytic bacteria were isolated from surface-sterilized tissues (root, stem and leaf) of S. striata. Using sequence analysis targeting 16S rRNA gene, eight genera, including Agrococcus, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Chryseobacterium, Delftia, Kocuria, Pseudomonas and Sphingomonas were identified. Antibacterial activity of endophytic bacteria was examined against some test bacteria, employing agar well diffusion method. Out of 31 endophytic bacterial isolates, 24(77.42%) isolates showed significant antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, 17(54.84%) isolates exhibited maximum activity against Staphylococcus aureus, 14(45.16%) isolates against Escherichia coli and 5(16.13%) isolates showed positive activity against Proteus mirabilis.The results obtained in this study suggested that the medicinal plant, S. striatais is a potent source of endophytic bacteria with antibacterial activity and offers promise for discovery of more impressive biological compounds.