ABSTRACT
            Background and objectives: Bacillus licheniformis is a potential cause of spoilage in pasteurized products. The aim of this study was to identify and isolate B. licheniformis from commercial pasteurized fruit juices distributed in the West Azarbaijan Province, Iran.
            Methods: Sixteen fruit juice samples including four apple juice and 12 orange juice samples were collected from five fruit juice manufacturing companies in Iran. The samples were tested for the presence of B. licheniformis by culture in specific media and biochemical testing. Suspected samples were also investigated for the presence of the bacterium by polymerase chain reaction using specific primer for the gyrB gene.
            Results: Three samples (18.75%) from the 16 tested fruit juice samples were found as positive. In other words, one apple juice sample (25%) and two orange juice samples (16.66%) were contaminated with B. licheniformis.
            Conclusion: Isolation of this bacterium indicates the unsuitable manufacturing conditions and ineffective bacterial decontamination, which might also be favorable for the growth of other fruit juice spoilage bacteria.
            KEYWORDS: Bacillus licheniformis, Fruit and Vegetable Juices, Polymerase Chain Reaction.

ABSTRACT
            Background and Objectives: Pterygium is a common ocular surface lesion that manifest as wing-shaped, benign conjunctival growth, which can extend onto the corneal surface. Presence of some oncogenic viruses in pterygium and the neoplastic nature of the lesion led us to the postulated involvement of the viruses in the etiology of pterygia. The aim of this study was to evaluate prevalence and possible role of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in the formation of pterygia.
            Methods: Fifty pterygium specimens and 10 normal conjunctival biopsy specimens (controls) were investigated by polymerase chain reaction using primers specific for the highly conserved regions of major capsid protein gene of HCMV. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software (IBM SPSS Statistics 18; IBM Corporation, USA) at significance level of 0.05.
            Results: The HCMV DNA was detected in seven (14%) patients with pterygium but in none of the control subjects. All subjects were β-globin positive.
            Conclusion: Given the results, direct involvement of HCMV in the development of pterygium seems less probable, thus suggesting that other agents might be involved in the multistep process of the disease.
            Keywords: Human Cytomegalovirus, Pterygium, Polymerase Chain Reaction.