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The aim of the study was to identify the isolation rate of thermotolerant campylobacters in a small-scale broiler-meat production farm over a one-year period. The second deliverable of the study was to determine the potential virulence markers. The laboratory investigation was performed on 283 samples (cloacal swabs, caeca, carcass swabs) collected on three sampling points (farm, slaughter line, and cold storage). The isolates obtained with the conventional microbiological method were confirmed with multiplex PCR for identification of campylobacters. The presence of 10 virulence genes was analyzed in the C. jejuni isolates (flaA, racR, virB11, dnaJ, wlaN, cadF, ciaB, cdtA, cdtB, cdtC). Out of 283 samples, 169 (59.7%) were confirmed as Campylobacter spp., 111 (39.2%) C. jejuni, and 43 (15.2%) C. coli. C. jejuni was the most prevalent in all sampling points. Campylobacter spp. showed a characteristically seasonal prevalence with the highest isolation rate during the warmer period of the year. We detected the cadF and ciaB genes in all C. jejuni isolates. The flaA gene was present in 50% of the examined strains. The cdt genes (cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC) were confirmed in 52.8%, 52.8%, and 47.2% of the C. jejuni strains, respectively. C. jejuni showed 15 profiles of virulence patterns with four predominant profiles.

Background: Wuxiang virus was isolated from sandfly specimens collected in Wuxiang County, Shanxi Province, China in 2018, representing the first reported isolation of sandfly-borne virus from sandflies collected in a natural environment in China. The local sandfly density, seasonal fluctuations, and temporal and spatial distributions of the virus in Wuxiang County remain unclear. Materials and Methods: Four fixed sandfly collection sites were set up in Wuxiang County and sandfly specimens were collected continuously from June to August 2019. All sandfly specimens were subjected to viral isolation and molecular biological analysis. Results: The data on sandfly specimens collected in Wuxiang County from June to August 2019 showed a significant difference in the density of sandflies between June 26 and August 16 (p 0.05). A total of 33 virus isolates causing cytopathic effects in mammalian (BHK-21) cells were obtained from 7466 sandflies (91 pools) collected from June to August 2019. The results of molecular genetic evolution analysis of the nucleotide sequence of these isolates showed that the L and S genes (encoding NS and N proteins) of the 33 viruses isolated in 2019 are in the same evolutionary branch as the previously isolated Wuxiang virus. No significant difference was found in the virus isolation rate (the pool isolation rate of virus) among sandflies collected at different times from June to August (p > 0.05). The virus isolation rate of sandflies collected at different collection sites showed a statistically significant difference (p

This manuscript reviews the literature for all in silico, ex vivo, in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies of high-power short-duration (HPSD) radiofrequency (RF) ablations. It reviews the biophysics of RF energy delivery applicable to HPSD and the use of surrogate endpoints to guide the duration of HPSD ablations. In silico modeling shows that a variety of settings in power, contact force and RF duration can result in the same surrogate endpoint value of ablation index and several HPSD combinations produce lesion volumes similar to a low-power long-duration (LPLD) RF application. HPSD lesions are broader with more endocardial effect and are slightly shallower but still transmural. The first 10 s of RF application is most important for lesion formation with diminishing effect beyond 20 s. The ideal contact force is 10-20 g with only a small effect beyond 30 g. In vitro and in vivo models confirm that HPSD makes transmural lesions that are often broader and shallower, and with proper settings, result in fewer steam pops than LPLD. One randomized trial shows better outcomes with HPSD and validates lesion size index as a surrogate endpoint. Clinical studies of HPSD using comparator groups of LPLD ablations uniformly show shorter procedure times and shorter total RF energy delivery for HPSD. HPSD generally has a higher first pass vein isolation rate and a lower acute vein reconnection rate than LPLD. Although not dramatically different from LPLD, long-term freedom from atrial fibrillation and complication rates seem slightly better with HPSD.

Background and Objective: Dermatophyte infections require laboratory diagnosis before treatment is started. Although direct microscopy is routinely performed but culture of dermatophytes is the gold standard. However, it takes about 4 weeks for species identification on primary media. Our aim was to compare dermatophyte test medium (DTM) as a screening medium for the isolation of dermatophytes in comparison with sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). Methods: It was a comparative study carried out at the Department of Microbiology of Post Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore over a period of nine months. Samples were collected from one hundred patients with clinically suspected dermatophytoses after taking informed written consent. The samples were examined microscopically and then inoculated on two types of culture media, one Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) with added chloramphenicol, gentacin and cycloheximide and other dermatophyte test medium (DTM) with added chlortetracycline, gentacin and cyclohexamide. Results: Fungal growth was observed in fifty-six samples on culture. Out of the fifty-six positive on cultures, nineteen were that of dermatophytes. Out of n = 100 patients, ten were positive on SDA while n = 14 dermatophyte species were able to grow on DTM. A significantly higher positivity (P ³ 0.05) for isolating dermatophytes was observed by DTM as compared to SDA. DTM was able to isolate (71%) of the dermatophytes in first 10 days. Isolation rate of dermatophyte species was higher (73.68%) on DTM as compared to SDA which was 52.6%. Conclusion: Authors recommend the use of dermatophyte test medium for the primary isolation and identification of dermatophyte species to be more effective and time saving. How to Cite This: Ahmad MR, Javed I, Mushtaq S, Hafeez R, Cheema KH. Evaluation of dermatophyte test medium and sabouraud dextrose agar for isolation of dermatophyte species. Biomedica. 2020; 36 (4): 362-6.Doi: https://doi.org/10.51441/BioMedica/5-80.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) causes a difficult problem in the poultry industry because it causes diseases that are difficult to treat due to the resistance of these bacteria to antibiotics and their possession of a battery of virulence and resistance genes in addition to their ability to produce thick biofilms. Method: A cross-sectional study conducted to collect a total of 53 samples from different clinical cases in broilers during the period from August 2019 to February 2020 in Al-Najaf and Karbala cities, The clinical isolates were determined by using the conventional standard biochemical tests. All the specimens cultured on blood agar medium supplemented with 5% blood for primary isolation and selected by using selective media mannitol salt agar (MSA) for confirmation the mannitol fermentation, then subjected to gram’s staining, catalase, oxidase, and further slide coagulase test, then all S. aureus isolates tested by antibiotic susceptibility test, and screened for the presence of mecA and mecC genes using PCR for the detection of MRSA isolates, then subjected to the detection of virulence genes (pvl and eta), antibiotic resistance gene (cfr), identification of integron class 1, biofilm formation assay, the multi-druge resistance profiles (MDR) and multible antibiotics resistance (MAR) indexes were calculated. Results: the isolation rate of S. aureus from the broilers' clinical samples was 37.7%. The antibiotic susceptibility test revealed that 85% of S. aureus isolates were resistant to one or more of the antibiotic tested. All 53 isolates were assessed for the presence of mecA and mecC genes by using PCR. The mecA gene-specific PCR product was seen in 7 (35%) isolates and considered as MRSA. Among all S. aureus isolates, two isolates were positive for the eta gene, and 15 (75%) isolates harboring integron class 1, while the biofilm formation test revealed that 7 (35%) was positive biofilm producers and three of them were strong producers, consequentlly, 13 (65%) of the isolates were resisted to three or more antibiotics and considered as MDR strains. While pvl, cfr, and mecC gene were not detected among S. aureus isolates. Conclusion: the current study revealed that S. aureus possess a real threat in the poultry industry reflecting a public health problem due to the large acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes by these bacteria, the results indicated a high percentage of isolates having MDR characteristic, and two of them were resistant to all antibiotics tested. In addition to the presence of two MRSA isolates carrying the eta gene, this indicating that they are of human origin.

Highlights • A new a deterministic and stochastic epidemic model with varying total population size is proposed. • The thresholds of the deterministic and stochastic epidemic model are established respectively. • Our methods can improve some existing results. • We carry out numerical and find a critical isolation rate 0.0217. • The empirical probability density are presented., In this paper, a stochastic and a deterministic SIS epidemic model with isolation and varying total population size are proposed. For the deterministic model, we establish the threshold R0. When R0 is less than 1, the disease-free equilibrium is globally stable, which means the disease will die out. While R0 is greater than 1, the endemic equilibrium is globally stable, which implies that the disease will spread. Moreover, there is a critical isolation rate δ*, when the isolation rate is greater than it, the disease will be eliminated. For the stochastic model, we also present its threshold R0s. When R0s is less than 1, the disease will disappear with probability one. While R0s is greater than 1, the disease will persist. We find that stochastic perturbation of the transmission rate (or the valid contact coefficient) can help to reduce the spread of the disease. That is, compared with stochastic model, the deterministic epidemic model overestimates the spread capacity of disease. We further find that there exists a critical the stochastic perturbation intensity of the transmission rate σ*, when the stochastic perturbation intensity of the transmission rate is bigger than it, the disease will disappear. At last, we apply our theories to a realistic disease, pneumococcus amongst homosexuals, carry out numerical simulations and obtain the empirical probability density under different parameter values. The critical isolation rate δ* is presented. When the isolation rate δ is greater than δ*, the pneumococcus amongst will be eliminated.

Ninety random samples of fresh beef were collected from the cattle carcasses slaughtered at 3 different abattoirs in Menoufia governorate namely A, B and C (30 of each), represented by neck region (chuck) during summer and winter seasons in 2018 (45 samples of each season). The obtained results of serotyping of E. coli revealed that EHEC O26: H11 were the more prevalent than other serogroups 6.67%, 6.67% &13.33% and 6.67%, 13.33% & 6.67% .T The results of the total incidence were 46.67% , 40% & 26.67% and 26.67%, 26.67% & 20 for A, B&C abattoirs during the summer and the winter seasons , respectively. Serotyping of salmonella revealed S.Typhimurium was more prevalent during the summer 13.33%for each abattoir, the total isolation rate 33.33%, 26.67% & 20% for A, B and C abattoirs, respectively. The more prevalent serogoup during the winter was S. Enteritidis 13.33%, 6.67% and 6.67%,while the total isolation rate was 26.67% , 20% and 6.67% for A, B &C abattoirs, respectively .The contamination rate increased in abattoir A than B than C and the prevalence was increased during summer than in winter

Background: Extended spectrum β-lactamases have addressed the serious challenges worldwide as a threat to favorable outcomes of treatment of common infections in community and hospital settings since it is found to be increasing trends of multidrug resistance. The present study was aimed to determine the antibiotic profile of multidrug resistant E.coli and status of ESBLs producing E.coli. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted over a period of 2 years (September 2017 to April 2019) at microbiology laboratory of Nepal Mediciti Hospital. A total of 16542 samples were processed. Various clinical samples were collected from both inpatients and outpatients aseptically and without contaminating skin commensals. Standard microbiological techniques were used for isolation and identification of pathogens. Extended spectrum beta-lactamases were phenotypically confirmed by combined disc method. Results: Out of 1449 E.coli isolates, 323(22.29%) were found to be MDR E.coli. Isolation rate of ESBL producing E.coli (66.56%) were found to be high among MDR E.coli isolates. Conclusion: There is increasing prevalence of ESBL producing E.coli. It is essential to monitor antibiotic susceptibility pattern and formulate antibiotic policy to prevent the spread of MDR and ESBL producers. Keywords: E.coli, Extended spectrum β-lactamase, Multidrug resistant

Aim: To determine the appropriateness of blood volume in automated blood culture bottles of the BACT/ALERT 3D system, its effect on isolation rate and time to positivity of pathogens. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital in South India from 1st March 2018 to 31st August 2018. Automated blood culture bottles sent to Microbiology laboratory for blood culture were included in the study. The bottles were weighted by electronic weighing balance. The filled blood culture bottles received at microbiology laboratory were re-weighed and was categorized into appropriately filled and inappropriately filled bottles. Frequency of appropriately filled bottles and inappropriately filled bottles was expressed in percentage. Result: A total of 8740 blood culture bottles were included in the study, out of which the blood volume was found to be suboptimum in 3978 bottles (45.5%), optimum in 3498 bottles (40%) and overfilled in 1264 bottles (14.5%). There was an increase in the number of blood culture bottles with optimum blood volume from 35.1% in March to 58.12% in August. The average TTP for true pathogens was found to be 16.72 hrs. with optimum blood volume, 17 hrs. with overfilled blood volume and 21.5 hrs. with sub-optimum blood volume. The isolation rate for true pathogens was found to be 88.62% with optimum blood volume, 86.43% with overfilled blood volume and 70.01% with sub-optimum. The false positive rate was found to be 4.1% with overfilled blood volume, 1.6%with sub-optimum and 1.4%with optimum blood volume. Conclusion: Through this study, the correlation between the blood volume with the isolation rate, time to positivity and false positivity of blood culture isolates was established. Keywords: Blood culture, Blood volume, BACT/ALERT 3D, Time to positivity, Isolation rate.

In November 2013, a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) for all infants aged younger than 5 years was incorporated into the Japan national immunization program. An annual survey of nasopharyngeal carriage rates was performed on healthy infants aged 2-24 months from Okinawa, Japan to evaluate the effect of PCV13 on pneumococcal colonization. Of 756 evaluable infants, 203 pneumococcal strains were detected in 193 infants. The overall nasopharyngeal carriage rate was 25.5%, which was not different from our previously reported isolation rate before the introduction of PCV13. The main serotypes of the Streptococcus pneumoniae strains are 15A (18.2%), non-typeable (14.8%), and 15B (11.8%). The carriage rates of pneumococcal strains with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine serotypes and PCV13 serotypes were 3.0% and 9.9%, respectively. These values were significantly lower than we reported before the introduction of PCV13. However, the carriage rates of non-PCV13 serotypes have increased. Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that siblings and day care attendance are risk factors for pneumococcal carriage.

The epidemiology of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in Spain is largely unknown because systematic reporting is not compulsory. The aim of our study was to describe the frequency and diversity of NTM species in our region and their distribution according to the source sample, gender, and age of the patients. We performed a multicenter study of all NTM isolated in 24 public hospitals in Madrid from 2013 to 2017. A total of 6.923 mycobacteria were isolated: 4535 (65.5%) NTM, and 2.388 (34.5%) Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB). Overall, 61 different NTM species were identified. The most frequently isolated species were Mycobacterium avium complex (47.7%), M. lentiflavum (12.2%), M. gordonae (9.2%), M. fortuitum (8.9%), and M. abscessus (3.9%). Whereas MTB cases were stable during the study period, the number of NTM isolates increased considerably from 930 isolates in 2013 to 1012 in 2017; a sharp increase occurred in the last year. The rise in NTM isolates was mostly due to M. lentiflavum, M. kansasii, and M. abscessus mainly isolated from respiratory specimens in patients older than 60. The increase in isolation rate of NTM in our region is consistent with the increasing rates reported worldwide in the last decades. The rise in NTM isolates was mainly attributed to M. lentiflavum but it also should be noted the increasing of species with high pathogenic potential such as M. kansasii and M. abscessus.

espanolIntroduccion: La sepsis neonatal causa una alta morbimortalidad en esta poblacion; en America del Sur su incidencia esta entre 3,5 a 8,9 por cada 1000 nacidos vivos. Esto podria obedecer a que pesar de que el “gold estandar” para la confirmacion diagnostica es el hemocultivo, carece de sensibilidad por su baja tasa de aislamiento. Por lo anterior, se hace indispensable identificar de manera acertada factores de riesgo asociados a su presentacion para con ello aumentar la probabilidad de realizar un diagnostico y manejo oportuno.Objetivo: Identificar los factores asociados al desarrollo de sepsis bacteriana en los recien nacidos que ingresaron al Hospital Infantil Napoleon Franco Pareja en Cartagena. Metodos: estudio de corte transversal con las historias clinicas de recien nacidos hospitalizados con sospecha de sepsis neonatal temprana o tardia. Se midieron variables sociodemograficas del recien nacido, de la madre, la presentacion clinica y el tratamiento. Se estimaron odds ratios crudos y ajustados mediante regresion logistica de las variables clinicas identificadas como causales de sepsis neonatal.Resultados: la sepsis estuvo presente en 19,1 % de los 230 recien nacidos con sospecha, de estos en el 63,6 % se identifico como etiologia a Sthapylococcus coagulasa-negativo spp. Se encontraron como factores de riesgo para sepsis neonatal el ser madre adolescente (OR = 3,21) y elevacion de la PCR (OR = 2,41).Conclusiones: La sepsis neonatal y su diagnostico continuan siendo un desafio clinico importante en paises en via de desarrollo. El presente estudio sugiere que los hijos de madre adolescente y la elevacion de la PCR se relacionan con un diagnostico positivo como metodos previos a los hemocultivos que continuan como estandar de oro a pesar de su bajo rendimiento. EnglishIntroduction: Neonatal sepsis (SN) causes high morbidity and mortality in this population; in South America its incidence is between 3.5 to 8.9 per 1,000 live births. This might be due to the fact that, although the “gold standard” for diagnostic confirmation is blood culture, it lacks sensitivity because of its low isolation rate. Therefore, it is essential to correctly identify risk factors associated with its presentation in order to increase the probability of making a diagnosis and timely treatment.Objective: To identify the factors associated with the development of bacterial sepsis in newborns admitted to the Napoleon Franco Pareja Children's Hospital in the city of Cartagena.Methods: Cross-sectional study of the medical records of hospitalized newborns with suspected early or late SN. Sociodemographic variables of newborn, mother, clinical presentation and treatment were measured. Raw and adjusted OR were estimated by logistic regression of clinical variables as causal of SN.Results: Sepsis was present in 19.1 % of the 230 suspected newborns, of these, 63.6 % were identified as Sthapylococcus coagulase negative spp. The adjusted association analysis showed as risk factors for SN, being a teenage mother with OR = 3.21 (95 % CI: 1.13 - 9.18) and high CRP with OR = 2.41 (95 % CI 1.17- 4.99).Conclusion: Neonatal sepsis and its diagnosis continue to be a major clinical challenge in developing countries. The present study suggests that the children of an adolescent mother and the elevated CRP are related to a positive diagnosis as methods prior to blood cultures, which continue to be the gold standard despite their low performance.

Isolation and quarantine play important role to control dengue outbreak but much attention has not yet been paid to develop dengue models with these control factors. In this paper, we have developed a $$SEIQR-SEI$$ type compartmental dengue model with the effect of isolation. The model has one locally asymptotically stable disease free equilibrium (DFE) point when the basic reproduction number is less than unity. The model without dengue induced death has a globally asymptotically stable DFE point when the corresponding basic reproduction number is less than unity and a globally asymptotically stable endemic equilibrium point when the basic reproduction number is greater than unity. The model exhibits backward bifurcation when the basic production number is equal to one and the first bifurcation coefficient is greater than zero. The key model parameters have been estimated by fitting the model to the dengue outbreak data reported from Singapore during the period 18th week to 53th week,2014. The findings suggest that the total outbreak size reduces by 32.87%, 27.02% and 35.96% respectively when the isolation rate increases from 0 to 0.5, the mosquito biting rate reduces from 1.235 to 1.00 and the vector control rate increases from 0.038 to 0.090. Using sensitivity analysis, we have determined the most sensitive model parameters.

Objective: The burden of pulmonary fungal infection is increasing and often misdiagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis in developing countries where the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis is high. |Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the spectrum of potential pulmonary fungal pathogens and the prevalence of the association between pulmonary tuberculosis and potential fungal pathogens. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2018 and May 2019. Sputum was collected from 636 study participants. Part of the sputum was inoculated onto Brain Heart Infusion agar, and fungi were identified following standard microbiological procedures. The remaining part of the sample was used for the investigation of pulmonary tuberculosis. Results: Among 636 sputum samples, 75.9% (483) and 25.6% (163) were positive for potential fungal pathogens and pulmonary tuberculosis, respectively. The prevalence of the association between pulmonary tuberculosis and potential fungal pathogens was 20.0%. Of fungal isolates, 81.4% were yeasts. The remaining 128 (18.6%) isolates were molds. The isolation rate of fungi was higher in males (51.6%) than in females (48.4%). There was no statistically significant association between the prevalence of potential pulmonary fungal pathogens and sex ( p = 0.239). Patients in the age group of 35 to 44 and above were slightly more affected than younger age groups. The association between potential fungal pathogens and age was not statistically significant ( p = 0.50). Conclusion: High prevalence of potential pulmonary fungal pathogens and the association of tuberculosis and potential fungal pathogens recorded in this study will enforce health personnel to pay due attention to these conditions and arise the interest of researchers to conduct further work on the burden of the association between tuberculosis and potential fungal pathogens. Our study also revealed the need to employ conventional microbiology tests along with clinical and radiological evidence since clinical manifestations and radiological pictures of tuberculosis mimic that of pulmonary fungal infection.

Objectives: To describe the isolation rate and antibiotic status of Acinetobacter ssp hospital-acquired bacteria in the intensive care unit. Methods: 1434 patient samples isolated patient samples, cultured, performed antibiogram, described cross-section. Results: 109/331 strains of Acinetobacter spp were isolated (32.9%) and mainly from respiratory specimens, catheters (76.1% and 14.7%). Acinetobacter spp has a high degree of antibiotic resistance to most of the antibiotics Ceftazidime: 91.7%, Cefepime 91.7%, gentamycine 91.7%, Amikacin 83.3%, Imipenem and Meropenem 75%, still sensitive 100 % with antibiotics Polimycin B and Colistin.

Background: Meropenem resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is considered an increasing problem. Efflux pump is one of multiple mechanisms that are responsible for this resistance. This study aimed to phenotypically and genotypically detect prevalence of efflux pump mediated meropenem resistance among P. aeruginosa isolates. Methods: Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from different clinical specimens and identified by conventional methods and confirmed by Vietek MS Malditof Mass Spectroscopy. Antibiotic susceptibility test was done by disc diffusion method then minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for meropenem was detected twice by agar dilution method without and after addition of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). Efflux pump genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction ( PCR). Results: Out of 265 specimens, 78 P. aeruginosa were isolated with an isolation rate (29.4%). By disc diffusion method and MIC by agar dilution methods, 35 (44.8%) isolates were meropenem resistant. There was a significant difference regarding distribution of efflux pump genes in meropenem resistant isolates as 23 isolates (65.7%) were positive for efflux pump genes and 12 (34.3%) were negative (p value= 0.13). The MICs of meropenem for P. aeruginosa isolates were significantly decreased after addition of CCCP where MIC of 21 (60%) meropenem resistant isolates had an efflux pump-overexpressing phenotype (p value =0.001). Conclusion: High prevalence of meropenem resistance in P. aeruginosa is mediated by efflux pump genes including, mex A, mex B and opr M.

We present an epidemiological model, which extend the classical SEIR model by accounting for the presence of asymptomatic individuals and the effect of isolation of infected individuals based on testing. Moreover, we introduce two types of home quarantine, namely gradual and abrupt one. We compute the equilibria of the new model and derive its reproduction number. Using numerical simulations we analyze the effect of quarantine and testing on the epidemic dynamic. Given a constraint that limits the maximal number of simultaneous active cases, we demonstrate that the isolation rate, which enforces this constraint, decreases with the increasing testing rate. Our simulations show that massive testing allows to control the infection spread using a much lower isolation rate than in the case of indiscriminate quarantining. Finally, based on the effective reproduction number we suggest a strategy to manage the epidemic. It consists in introducing abrupt quarantine as well as relaxing the quarantine in such a way that the epidemic remains under control and further waves do not occur. We analyze the sensitivity of the model dynamic to the quarantine size, timing and strength of the restrictions.

Background and Objectives: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections are increasing worldwide. We evaluated the annual trends of NTM isolation on acid-fast bacillus (AFB) culture, compared to that of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the distribution of NTM species nationwide in South Korea. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in a diagnostic center that is a major referral laboratory for the diagnosis of tuberculosis and NTM in South Korea. All laboratory results of AFB culture from January 2014 to December 2019 were collected. All NTM identified were definitively identified to the species level. Results: A total of 345,871 tests were performed for the diagnosis of mycobacteria. The isolation rate of NTM and M. tuberculosis was 3.7% (12,969 cases) and 4.4% (15,081 cases), respectively. The annual isolation rate of NTM increased gradually from 2.7% in 2014 to 4.8% in 2019, whereas that of M. tuberculosis decreased from 6.2% to 3.3%. There were 4988 cases of NTM identified to the species level. M. avium complex (MAC) was the most common species isolated from pulmonary sites (59.8%), followed by M. gordonae (9.2%), M. abscessus (7.0%), and M. fortuitum (5.5%). Extrapulmonary NTM were identified in 29 cases (0.6%). MAC was also the most common NTM species isolated from extrapulmonary sites (65.5%), followed by M. kansasii (10.3%), M. abscessus (6.9%), and M. fortuitum (6.9%). Conclusions: The annual isolation rate of NTM has increased gradually, whereas that of M. tuberculosis has decreased. Follow-up studies of the increases in NTM identification and NTM infections in South Korea are needed.

Background: Infections of the sterile body sites, when occurs typically have greater clinical urgency and these infections could be life threatening. For the appropriate management of patient, early detection and identification of organism is crucial. Hence, the present study was designed to evaluate the prevalence, organism profile and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of isolates obtained from infection of body fluids.Methods: Laboratory and clinical records of all the sterile body fluid except blood and cerebrospinal fluid submitted to the Department of Microbiology, B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences during the period of 5 years (January 2012 to December 2016) were analyzed.Results: Among 1835 samples, 196 fluids samples showed growth of organisms with an isolation rate of 10.68%. Escherichia coli (E. coli) was the most common organism followed by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed variable degree of resistance. Thirty percentage of organisms were multi-drug resistant, 10% were extensively-drug resistant, none was pan-drug resistant, 35% of E. coli and K. pneumoniae were extended spectrum ?-lactamase producer and 30% of S. aureus were methicillin-resistant S. aureus. The study showed increasing trends of multi-drug resistant, extensively-drug resistant, methicillin-resistant S. aureus and extended spectrum ?-lactamase over the years. Conclusions: The study showed infection rate of 10% among normally sterile body fluids. E.coli, S. aureus and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex are the common organisms. The infections are associated with multi drug resistant organisms. Routine surveillance of multi-drug resistant in infection of body fluids is necessary to guide treatment. Keywords: Extensively-drug resistant; methicillin-resistant S. aureus; multi-drug resistant; sterile body fluid.

Introduction: Campylobacter-mediated diarrhoea is one of the major causes of gastroenteritis globally. A majority of the Campylobacter spp. that cause disease in humans have been isolated from animals. Faecal contamination of food and water is the identified frequent cause of human campylobacteriosis. Methodology: In the present study, faecal samples from patients with symptoms of acute diarrhoea (n = 310) and domestic animals including cows (n = 60), sheep (n = 45) and goats (n = 45) were collected from the same localities in the peri-urban Bhubaneswar city. Genomic DNA isolation followed by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing was employed to analyse Campylobacter spp.-positive samples. Results: Of the 460 faecal samples, 16.77% of human samples and 25.33% of animal samples were found to be positive for Campylobacter spp. Among animals, the isolation rate was highest in sheep followed by cows and goats with 9.33%, 8.66% and 7.33%, respectively. The highest number of Campylobacter-positive cases was diagnosed in infants of 2–5 years age. Concurrent infection of other pathogens in addition to Campylobacter spp. was frequently detected in the samples. Conclusion: The present study showed the incidence of Campylobacter infections in human and different animal species in and around Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The analysis suggested that domestic animals can be the potential sources for human campylobacteriosis in the region.

The filtration method (FM) is the most effective isolation technique for Epsilobacteriaceae from stool samples. FM’s different adaptations make it difficult to compare data between studies. This study was performed in three phases to optimize FM from a routine laboratory perspective. In July–September 2014 (part I), FM was performed on Mueller–Hinton agar containing 5% sheep blood and Columbia agar containing 5% sheep blood. In July 2016 (part II), FM was performed using 0.60-μm pore size polycarbonate filters (0.6-PC filter) and 0.45-μm pore size cellulose acetate filters (0.45-AC filter); in January 2018 (part III), the addition of hydrogen to incubators was studied. On 1146 stools analyzed in part I, the positive samples that showed no growth on the Butzler medium (n = 22/72, 30.6%) had improved growth of Epsilobacteriaceae when using the Columbia instead of the Mueller–Hinton medium (21/22 strains vs. 11/22, p

The endophytic fungi in different tissues of Artemisia annua was isolated and purified to explore their ecological distribution and tissue preference, and the extracellular enzyme activities of dominant endophytic fungi were determined to characterize the metabolic function of endophytic fungi. The results showed that a total of 67 endophytic fungi were obtained from Artemisia annua tissues. The number and species of endophytic fungi in different tissues were significantly different. The number, colonization rate (CR) and isolation rate (IR) of endophytic fungi in root were significantly higher than those of stem and leaf. The dominant endophytic fungi, diversity and similarity coefficient of endophytic fungi also showed significant difference among tissues. The extracellular enzyme activities of endophytic fungi in different tissues are significantly different. The enzyme activities of endophytic fungi isolated from root are significantly higher than those isolated from stem and leaf. The research results showed that the endophytic fungi in Artemisia annua had significant tissue preference, and the metabolic function of endophytic fungi showed significant difference among tissues. This will lay a foundation for further research, development and utilization of endophytic fungi, and also provide a theoretical basis for screening functional endophytic fungi in Artemisia annua.

본 연구에서는 일개 대학병원에서 2년간 분리된 혈액배양 양성배지에서 MALDI-TOF MS system을 이용하여 Gram-positive bacilli를 동정한 결과를 균종별, 분기별로 분석하였다. Corynebacterium striatum은 총 89균주 중 66균주 (74.2%), Bacillus cereus는 60균주 중 44 균주 (73.3%), Listeria monocytogenes는 25균주 중 25균주 (100%)로 2.0 이상의 높은 스코어에서 동정되었다. 미 동정 된 균주는 303균주 중 293균주는 혈액배양에서 1회 분리 균주로 감염균으로서의 의의가 없는 오염 균주로 간주되었다. 감염균으로서 의의가 있는 동일 환자 2회 이상 분리 균주 대상 16S-rRNA sequencing 비교결과 총 50균주 중 43균주가 일치해 86.0% 동정이 가능하였다. 일치하지 않은 7균주 중 5균주는 MALDI-TOF MS로도 동정이 되지 않았다. 결론적으로 혈액배양에서 Gram-positive bacilli가 동정되는 경우, 일차적으로 MALDI-TOF MS를 이용하여 동정해보고 이를 활용한다면 어렵고 비용이 많이 들던 Gram-positive bacilli 동정이 저비용으로 더욱 간편하고 정확해지며, Gram-positive bacilli에 의한 감염 진단에도 도움이 될 것으로 판단된다.

Background: Burn injuries are common and major health problem throughout the world. The burn wound represents as a favorable area for opportunistic colonization of microorganisms with exogenous and endogenous origin. In burns patients infections arise from multiple sources. Burn wounds become initially colonized and infected with Gram positive bacteria, mainly Staphylococci, that are superseded during the second week by Gram Negative bacteria. Objectives: it is a microbial surveillance retrospective study; that aimed to evaluate the significance of Rule of nine in diagnosis of aerobic bacterial burn wound infection and carried out in between June 2007 to September 2011 in the Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Karachi. Study Design: Descriptive retrospective study. Materials: A total of 118 patient irrespective of age, sex, date and time of burn, date and time of hospital admission, interval between time of burn and hospital admission, degree and percentage (%) of burn and duration of hospital stay (when specimen collected) were registered for this study. All patients were divided into two groups (A and B). Results: Out of 58 patients of group A isolation rate per patient was 1.1 while in group B it becomes 3.0. According to TBSA the isolation rate in group B rises with rise in TBSA. Most prevalent organism in these patients was found S. aureus(23%) P.aeruginosa(21%). Conclusions: Burn patients are incubator for variety of aerobic bacteria and rate of isolation of these organisms increase with rise in TBSA. The wounds of these patient must required continuous microbial surveillance that may reduce the rate of mortality