Efficacy of modified Leeming-Notman media in a resazurin microtiter assay in the evaluation of in-vitro activity of fluconazole against Malassezia furfur ATCC 14521.

BACKGROUND: Malassezia furfur is lipodependent yeast like fungus that causes superficial mycoses such as pityriasis versicolor and dandruff. Nevertheless, there are no standard reference methods to perform susceptibility test of Malassezia species yet. AIMS: Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the optimized culture medium for growth of this lipophilic yeast using modified leeming-Notman agar and colorimetric resazurin microtiter assay to assess antimycotic activity of fluconazole against M. furfur. RESULTS: The result showed that these assays were more adjustable for M. furfur with reliable and reproducible MIC end-point, by confirming antimycotic activity of fluconazole with MIC of 2µg/ml. CONCLUSION: We conclude that this method is considered as the rapid and effective susceptibility testing of M. furfur with fluconazole antifungal activity.

Hyaluronatelyase production by Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from patients and carriers.

Hyaluronatelyase produced by various microorganisms are capable of degrading hyaluronic acid in connective tissues and initiating the spread of infection by opening an access for the pathogen into host tissues. The present study attempts to determine the distribution of hyaluronatelyase-producing Streptococcus pneumoniae among invasive, non invasive and carriage isolates, and correlate it with the clinical sources, year of isolation, colonial morphology and their serotypes. A total of 100 isolates from various clinical samples were selected and screened for hyaluronatelyase production and presence of the encoding SpnHyl gene. All isolates possessed SpnHyl gene. Ninety-six isolates including 34 carriage isolates were positive for production of hyaluronatelyase. Four hyaluronatelyase-negative isolates were from blood (2 isolates) and sputum (2 isolates). No significant association was detected among hyaluronatelyase production and bacterial characteristics except for colonial morphology (p = 0.040). High percentages of hyaluronatelyase production in these isolates suggest their possible role as human pathogens.

Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, serotype distribution and virulence determinants among invasive, non-invasive and colonizing Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus) from Malaysian patients.

A total of 103 group B streptococci (GBS) including 22 invasive, 21 non-invasive, and 60 colonizing isolates were collected in a Malaysian hospital (June 2010-October 2011). Isolates were characterized by conventional and molecular serotyping and analyzed for scpB, lmb, hylB, cylE, bac, bca and rib gene content. Antimicrobial susceptibility to penicillins, macrolides, lincosamides, quinolones and tetracyclines was determined using disk diffusion and the MICs for penicillin were determined by E-test. Molecular serotyping for all eight serotypes (Ia, Ib, II-VII) was in full accordance with conventional serotyping. Overall, taking CS and MS together, serotype VI was the most common capsular type (22.3 %) followed by VII (21.4 %), III (20.4 %), Ia (17.5 %), V (9.7 %), II (7.7 %) and IV (1 %). Susceptibility to beta-lactam antimicrobials was prevalent (100 %). Resistance rates for erythromycin, clindamycin and tetracycline were 23.3 %, 17.5 % and 71.8 %, respectively. PCR-virulence gene screening showed the presence of cylE, lmb, scpB and hylB in almost all the isolates while rib, bca, and bac genes were found in 29.1 %, 14.6 % and 9.7 % of the isolates. Certain genes were significantly associated with specific serotypes, namely, rib with serotypes Ia, II, III and VI; bca and bac with serotypes II and III. Furthermore, serotype Ia was significantly more common among patients with invasive infections (p < 0.01) and serotype VI isolates were significantly more common among carriers (p < 0.05). In summary, serotype distribution correlates with virulence gene content will be useful in epidemiological studies and design of vaccines.

Hyaluronatelyase production by Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from patients and carriers

Hyaluronatelyase produced by various microorganisms are capable of degrading hyaluronic acid in connective tissues and initiating the spread of infection by opening an access for the pathogen into host tissues. The present study attempts to determine the distribution of hyaluronatelyase-producing Streptococcus pneumoniae among invasive, noninvasive and carriage isolates, and correlate it with the clinical sources, year of isolation, colonial morphology and their serotypes. A total of 100 isolates from various clinical samples were selected and screened for hyaluronatelyase production and presence of the encoding SpnHyl gene. All isolates possessed SpnHyl gene. Ninety-six isolates including 34 carriage isolates were positive for production of hyaluronatelyase. Four hyaluronatelyase-negative isolates were from blood (2 isolates) and sputum (2 isolates). No significant association was detected among hyaluronatelyase production and bacterial characteristics except for colonial morphology (p = 0.040). High percentages of hyaluronatelyase production in these isolates suggest their possible role as human pathogens.

Evaluation of PCR-based approach for serotype determination of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Determination of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes is essential for epidemiological surveillance. Therefore accurate, reliable and cost effective serotyping method is crucial. In this study, we determined the serotypes of 41 pneumococcal isolates recovered from human anterior nares by multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) utilizing published primers. The data was then compared with conventional serology using latex agglutination (LA) and the Quellung reaction. Based on the PCR-approach, 8 different serogroups/serotypes were detected with one isolate classified as non-typeable (cpsA-negative). In reference to the serology-based data, the results were in agreement except for one isolate. For the latter isolate, the LA and Quellung tests failed to show a reaction but the PCR-approach and sequencing identified the isolate as serogroup 15B/C. Based on this experimental setting, we found that the PCR-approach for pneumococcal serotypes determination is reliable to serve as the alternative for determining the pneumococcal serotyping.

Group B streptococcal bacteremia in a major teaching hospital in Malaysia: a case series of eighteen patients.

BACKGROUND: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of infections such as meningitis and septicemia in neonates and pregnant women; however the significance of invasive GBS disease has not been clearly defined in non-pregnant adults. METHODS: We reviewed the hospital records of 18 cases with GBS bacteremia who attended the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre from June 2010 to October 2011. We analyzed the clinical findings of both bacteremic adults and neonates and compared them to previous studies of GBS bacteremia. Serotyping was done by latex agglutination test using 10 distinct antisera (Ia, Ib, and II-IX). RESULTS: During the period of 1 year and 4 months, there were 18 patients with GBS bacteremia. Five cases occurred in neonates, one in a parturient woman, and 12 in other adults. All neonates with bacteremia were males and two of them were premature. Septicemia was the most common clinical presentation in neonates. They were treated with intravenous (IV) penicillin G and gentamicin. The adults included nine men (69%) and four women (31%). Their mean age was 60 years and all patients had more than two underlying conditions. The most common clinical syndrome was pneumonia (n=6, 46.5%). The others were peritonitis (n=3, 23.1%), primary bacteremia (n=2, 15.5%), septic arthritis (n=2, 15.5%), skin and soft tissue infection (n=1, 7.7%), meningitis (n=1, 8%), urinary tract infection (n=1, 8%), and intravascular device infection (n=1, 7.7%). Cardiovascular diseases (n=7, 53.8%) were the most common underlying conditions, and diabetes mellitus (n=5, 38.5%) was second. The other co-morbid conditions were hyperlipidemia (n=3, 23.1%), renal disease (n=3, 23.1%), liver disease and/or alcohol abuse (n=3, 23.1%), autoimmune disease or immunosuppressive condition (n=2, 15.5%), malignancy (n=2, 15.5%), respiratory disease (n=1, 8%), and postpartum condition (n=1, 8%), as well as miscellaneous conditions including intravenous drug abuse, HIV infection, and trauma (n=2, 15.5%). Polymicrobial bacteremia was found in five (45.4%) cases and Staphylococcus aureus was the most common concurrent bacterial isolate. Of the 18 GBS isolates in both adults and neonates, serotype Ia was predominant (38.9%), followed by VI (27.8%), V (11.1%), and III (5.5%); the remaining 16.7% were non-typeable. CONCLUSIONS: GBS bacteremia is a significant problem and is associated with serious underlying disease, which may result in a high rate of mortality, not only in neonates and pregnant women, but also in non-pregnant adults.

Melastoma malabathricum (L.) Smith Ethnomedicinal Uses, Chemical Constituents, and Pharmacological Properties: A Review.

Melastoma malabathricum L. (Melastomataceae) is one of the 22 species found in the Southeast Asian region, including Malaysia. Considered as native to tropical and temperate Asia and the Pacific Islands, this commonly found small shrub has gained herbal status in the Malay folklore belief as well as the Indian, Chinese, and Indonesian folk medicines. Ethnopharmacologically, the leaves, shoots, barks, seeds, and roots of M. malabathricum have been used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, hemorrhoids, cuts and wounds, toothache, and stomachache. Scientific findings also revealed the wide pharmacological actions of various parts of M. malabthricum, such as antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antidiarrheal, cytotoxic, and antioxidant activities. Various types of phytochemical constituents have also been isolated and identifed from different parts of M. malabathricum. Thus, the aim of the present review is to present comprehensive information on ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical constituents, and pharmacological activities of M. malabathricum.

Selecting a probability distribution for extreme rainfall series in Malaysia.

This paper discusses the comparative assessment of eight candidate distributions in providing accurate and reliable maximum rainfall estimates for Malaysia. The models considered were the Gamma, Generalised Normal, Generalised Pareto, Generalised Extreme Value, Gumbel, Log Pearson Type III, Pearson Type III and Wakeby. Annual maximum rainfall series for one-hour resolution from a network of seventeen automatic gauging stations located throughout Peninsular Malaysia were selected for this study. The length of rainfall records varies from twenty-three to twenty-eight years. Model parameters were estimated using the L-moment method. The quantitative assessment of the descriptive ability of each model was based on the Probability Plot Correlation Coefficient test combined with root mean squared error, relative root mean squared error and maximum absolute deviation. Bootstrap resampling was employed to investigate the extrapolative ability of each distribution. On the basis of these comparisons, it can be concluded that the GEV distribution is the most appropriate distribution for describing the annual maximum rainfall series in Malaysia.