Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center (PIDRC)

Overview:

The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center (PIDRC) is dedicated to providing comprehensive education and training for medical students, residents, and fellows. Collaborating closely with physician assistants, microbiologists, and clinical laboratory directors, PIDRC aims to support scientists in bridging the gap between laboratory research and clinical application, leading advancements in biomedical and clinical research.

The infectious disease physicians at Children’s Medical Center Hospital specialize in diagnosing and managing a broad spectrum of infections in children. Through a robust Antibiotic Stewardship Program, PIDRC's researchers assist in selecting appropriate antibiotic therapy and recommending diagnostic tests. Their cutting-edge research in microbiology and immunology seeks to discover innovative treatment strategies.

1. Development and application of human knowledge in the field of infectious diseases and their prevention
2. Carrying out basic, etiological, epidemiological and clinical research in order to improve the system of providing health care services in the country in order to meet the needs of society
3. Collecting, arranging and classifying relevant documents and articles
4. Training the researcher’s human resources in the field of infectious diseases
5. Promote, encourage and employ researchers in the field of infectious diseases
6. Efforts to attract the attention and cooperation of relevant research and executive centers in the country
7. Scientific cooperation with research and educational centers of other countries and international organizations in compliance with the laws and regulations of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran

•           Hospital Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Stewardship

•           Infection Control and Prevention

•           Nosocomial infections

•           Host-pathogen interactions

•           Vaccine and drug development

•           Susceptibility and resistance to infectious diseases

•           Novel approaches to infectious disease treatment

•           Innovative understanding of microbial virulence

•           Promotional research and laboratory-based assay development

•           Innovative infectious disease diagnostic approaches

•           Microbial Biotechnology approaches to combat infectious disease

Research Proposals & Theses in progress

• Evaluation of outcomes, antibiotic resistance, predisposing factors, and underlying conditions in children with confirmed mycobacterial infections (TB and non-TB) hospitalized at Tehran Children’s Medical Center from 2019 to 2024
• Prevalence of rotavirus infections and genotypic and phylogenetic analysis of isolates in children with gastroenteritis referred to Tehran Children’s Medical Center in 2025
• Investigation of the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates from positive blood cultures in children at Tehran Children’s Medical Center from 2020 to 2024
• Design and set up of RPA-ELISA assay for detection of Bacterial respiratory infections
• Investigating the effect of recombinant phage endolysin on antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates
• Investigation of viral pathogens in hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis at Tehran Children’s Medical Center
• Assessment of Varicella-Zoster Virus antibody levels and associated factors in individuals referred to Tehran Children’s Medical Center
• Genotyping of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from children referred to Tehran Children’s Medical Center and Bahrami Hospital using PCR method
• Evaluation of serum levels of antigen and antibody against Hepatitis B and C viruses in patients referred to Tehran Children’s Medical Center

Selected Publications since 2020

•           Pourakbari, B., Mahmoudi, S., Moghaddam, S., Jafari, E., …..& Mamishi, S. (2025). Evaluation of anti-Pertussis antibody levels in Iranian infants and children: Is it time to include booster acellular Pertussis Vaccines in the immunization schedule?. Vaccine, 48, 126736.

•          Mohamadi F, Pourakbari B, Hosseinpour Sadeghi R, Sotoudeh M, Mahmoudi S, Mamishi S. Changing Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance of Bacterial Childhood Diarrhea: Insights from a 7-Year Study in an Iranian Referral Hospital. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2025;22(5):309-15.

•          Azizian R, Mamishi S, Jafari E, Mohammadi MR, Heidari Tajabadi F, Pourakbari B. From Conventional Detection to Point-of-care Tests (POCT) Method for Pediatric Respiratory Infections Diagnosis: A Systematic Review. Arch Iran Med. 2025;28(2):112-23.

•          Tabasizadeh H, Mahmoudi S, Khodabandeh M, Eshaghi H, Abdolsalehi MR, Gooran M, et al. Severe skin complications of varicella in previously healthy children in Iran: emerging concern. BMC Infect Dis. 2025;25(1):402.

•          Mamishi S, Sadeghi RH, Moghaddam SS, Pourakbari B, Poormohammadi S, Anvari MS, et al. Carbapenem resistance in gram-negative pathogens in an Iranian hospital: high prevalence of OXA-type carbapenemase genes. Clin Exp Pediatr. 2025;68(1):65-72.

•           Mahmoudi, S., Jafari, E., Pourakbari, B., Poormohammadi, S., Sadeghi, R. H., & Mamishi, S. (2025). Molecular Epidemiology of Carbapenemase-Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa: An Iranian Referral Hospital-Based Study. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 22(1), 51-57.

•           Pourakbari, B., Mamishi, S., Poormohammadi, S., Hosseinpour Sadeghi, R., & …. (2024). High prevalence of carbapenem resistance and clonal expansion of bla NDM gene in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in an Iranian referral pediatric hospital. Gut Pathogens, 16(1), 17.

•           Mahmoudi, S., Pourakbari, B., Jafari, E., ... & Mamishi, S. (2024). Predictive factors for COVID-19 severity and mortality in hospitalized children. BMC Infectious Diseases, 24(1), 757.

•           Mamishi, S., Jalali, F., Benvari, S., Pourakbari, B., & …. (2023). SARS-CoV-2 fecal shedding pattern in pediatric patients with acute COVID-19 or COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics, 66(8), 366.

•           Mamishi, S., Akhlaghi, A., Pourakbari, B., Modaresi, & …. (2023). Antimicrobial susceptibility and genotyping of microorganisms isolated from sputum culture of children with cystic fibrosis in an Iranian referral children’s hospital. Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift, 173(7), 182-187.

•           Pourakbari, B., Charati, M. G., Mahmoudi, S., …, & Mamishi, S. (2022). High frequency of antimicrobial resistance and virulence gene in Shigella species isolated from pediatric patients in an Iranian Referral Hospital. Acta Bio Medica: Atenei Parmensis, 93(2).

•           Mamishi, S., Pourakbari, B., Mehdizadeh, M., Navaeian, & …. (2022). Children with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the novel coronaviral disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Iran: an alarming concern for severity and mortality of the disease. BMC Infectious Diseases, 22(1), 382.

•           Mamishi, S., Pourakbari, B., Sadeghi, R. H., Marjani, M., …. (2021). Differential gene expression of ASUN, NEMF, PTPRC and DHX29: candidate biomarkers for the diagnosis of active and latent tuberculosis. Infectious Disorders-Drug Targets, 21(2), 268-273.

•           Pourakbari, B., Mahmoudi, S., Mahmoudieh, Y., …& Mamishi, S. (2021). SARS‐CoV‐2 RNAaemia in children: an Iranian referral hospital‐based study. Journal of Medical Virology, 93(9), 5452-5457.

•           Mamishi, S., Movahedi, Z., Mohammadi, M., ... & Pourakbari, B. (2020). Multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in 45 children: a first report from Iran. Epidemiology & Infection, 148, e196.

•           Mamishi, S., Pourakbari, B., Moradzadeh, M., van Leeuwen, W. B., & …. (2020). Prevalence of active tuberculosis infection in transplant recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Microbial pathogenesis, 139, 103894.

Pediatricians eligible for fellowship training will undergo a comprehensive 6-month program focusing on clinical and microbiological aspects of infectious diseases, including inpatient consulting, infectious diseases clinic, HIV clinic, antibiotic stewardship, and infection control. Fellows can choose to engage in basic, experimental, or clinical research and benefit from mentorship within the infectious diseases department.

Ph.D. and Non-Degree Programs:

PIDRC offers a Ph.D. program in microbiology and short-term non-degree courses, including:

•           Training Course in Cell Culture Techniques

•           Training Course in Gene Cloning and Recombinant Protein Expression

•           Training Course in Genotyping of Bacteria

•           Microbiology: Ph.D., Short-Term Courses, Fellowship

•           Infectious Diseases: Short-Term Courses, Fellowship

The PIDRC acknowledges the valuable contributions of its doctorate research assistants, PhD students and technicians, who play a crucial role in advancing the center’s research initiatives.

Prof. Dr. Setareh Mamishi, Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease

Head of the Center

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Prof. Babak Pourakbari, Professor of Medical Bacteriology

Deputy of the Center

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Mohammad Farahmand, PhD in Medical Virology

Researcher

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Reihaneh Hosseinpour Sadeghi, Msc in Genetics

Senior Lab Technologist

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Shiva Poormohammadi, Msc in Medical Microbiology

Lab Technician

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Reza Azizian, PhD Candidate in Medical Bacteriology

Doctorate Research Assistant

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Erfaneh Jafari, PhD Candidate in Medical Bacteriology

Doctorate Research Assistant

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