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Changa Manga forest is a man-made forest in Pakistan. The soil properties of this forest serve an ideal habitat for a vast variety of entomopathogenic fungi. A number of entomopathogenic fungi were isolated from the soil samples collected from the Changa Manga Forest using Galleria bait method during this investigation. Among these isolated fungi, Aspergillus pakistanicus was found to be morphologically and phylogenetically different from closely related Aspergillus species thus described as a new species. The fungal species was identified on the basis of colony morphology; light microscopy; scanning electron microscopy and by molecular analysis. Macroscopic and microscopic comparison with other species of the respective genus along with sequencing of 18S rRNA genes confirmed its uniqueness and supports its recognition as a novel species. Its angular ornamented conidia and separate clade in the phylogenetic tree support it as a new taxa. A detailed description, microscopic images, and comparison with morphologically and phylogenetically similar species are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the frequency of Methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus infection in major cities of Pakistan., Setting: Various laboratories of the country with one as the central Laboratory., Materials and Methods: Seven hundred and ninety two consecutive clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus were collected from 8 laboratories all over Pakistan i.e. Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, Sukkhur, Islamabad, Quetta, and Mirpur, Azad Kashmir. Antibiotic sensitivity was done by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method and MIC of Vancomycin was determined by 'E' test., Results: Forty two percent of the isolates were found to be Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) while no Vancomycin resistance was encountered., Conclusion: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are seen in the local population with frequencies varying between 2-61% highest incidence is seen in the major cities of the country. Fortunately no Vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus has been isolated from any of the major cities.