The infectiousness with regard to HBV Infection of staff and patients in various units of the General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur
was assessed. It was found that all units, with the exception of the obstetric unit, were equally high risk areas. At least 50% of the patients in all these units had one or more of the markers. Among the medical staff, the anaesthetists had the highest
incidence of HBV markers (100%) while medical officers who had worked for three years or more were more likely to have to
have the HBV markers. The degree of infectiousness of the nurses In HDU and ICU/OT was found to be similar.
Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are opportunistic pathogens implicated with nosocomial infections, and high rates of morbidity and mortality, especially in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). B. cepacia are naturally resistant to different classes of antibiotics, and can subvert the host innate immune responses by producing quorum sensing (QS) controlled virulence factors and biofilms. It still remains a conundrum as to how exactly the bacterium survives the intracellular environment within the host cells of CF patients and immunocompromised individuals although the bacterium can invade human lung epithelial cells, neutrophils, and murine macrophages. The mechanisms associated with intracellular survival in the airway epithelial cells and the role of QS and virulence factors in B. cepacia infections in cystic fibrosis remain largely unclear. The current review focuses on understanding the role of QS-controlled virulence factors and biofilms, and provides additional impetus to understanding the potentials of QS-inhibitory strategies against B. cepacia.