Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 42 in total

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  1. Fulltext Genetic diversity of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 from Sabah, Malaysia 2015
    Zaw MT, Emran NA, Ibrahim MY, Suleiman M, Awang Mohd TA, Yusuff AS, et al.
    J Microbiol Immunol Infect, 2019 Aug;52(4):563-570.
    PMID: 29428381 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmii.2018.01.003
    BACKGROUND: Cholera is an important health problem in Sabah, a Malaysian state in northern Borneo; however, Vibrio cholerae in Sabah have never been characterized. Since 2002, serogroup O1 strains having the traits of both classical and El Tor biotype, designated as atypical El Tor biotype, have been increasingly reported as the cause of cholera worldwide. These variants are believed to produce clinically more severe disease like classical strains.

    PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the genetic diversity of V.cholerae in Sabah and whether V.cholerae in Sabah belong to atypical El Tor biotype.

    METHODS: ERIC-PCR, a DNA fingerprinting method for bacterial pathogens based on the enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence, was used to study the genetic diversity of 65 clinical V.cholerae O1 isolates from 3 districts (Kudat, Beluran, Sandakan) in Sabah and one environmental isolate from coastal sea water in Kudat district. In addition, we studied the biotype-specific genetic traits in these isolates to establish their biotype.

    RESULTS: Different fingerprint patterns were seen in isolates from these three districts but one of the patterns was seen in more than one district. Clinical isolates and environmental isolate have different patterns. In addition, Sabah isolates harbor genetic traits specific to both classical biotype (ctxB-1, rstRCla) and El Tor biotype (rstRET, rstC, tcpAET, rtxC, VC2346).

    CONCLUSION: This study revealed that V.cholerae in Sabah were genetically diverse and were atypical El Tor strains. Fingerprint patterns of these isolates will be useful in tracing the origin of this pathogen in the future.

    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology
  2. Environmental control of Vibrio spp. abundance and community structure in tropical waters
    Wong YY, Lee CW, Bong CW, Lim JH, Narayanan K, Sim EUH
    FEMS Microbiol Ecol, 2019 11 01;95(11).
    PMID: 31688899 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiz176
    We measured Vibrio spp. distribution and community profile in the tropical estuary of Port Klang and coastal water of Port Dickson, Malaysia. Vibrio spp. abundance ranged from 15 to 2395 colony forming units mL-1, and was driven by salinity and chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration. However, the effect of salinity was pronounced only when salinity was <20 ppt. A total of 27 Vibrio spp. were identified, and theVibrio spp. community at Port Dickson was more diverse (H' = 1.94 ± 0.21). However species composition between Port Dickson and Port Klang were similar. Two frequently occurring Vibrio spp. were V. owensii and V. rotiferianus, which exhibited relatively higher growth rates (ANCOVA: F > 4.338, P < 0.05). Co-culture experiments between fast- and slow-growing Vibrio spp. revealed that fast-growing Vibrio spp. (r-strategists) were overwhelmed by slower-growing Vibrio spp. (K-strategists) when nutrient conditions were set towards oligotrophy. In response to resource availability, the intrinsic growth strategy of each Vibrio spp. determined its occurrence and the development of Vibrio spp. community composition.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology*
  3. Identification of Antibacterial Molecule(s) from Animals Living in Polluted Environments
    Winnie FYM, Siddiqui R, Sagathevan K, Khan NA
    Curr Pharm Biotechnol, 2020;21(5):425-437.
    PMID: 31577204 DOI: 10.2174/1389201020666191002153435
    BACKGROUND: Snakes feed on germ-infested rodents, while water monitor lizards thrive on rotten matter in unhygienic conditions. We hypothesize that such creatures survive the assault of superbugs and are able to fend off disease by producing antimicrobial substances. In this study, we investigated the potential antibacterial activity of sera/lysates of animals living in polluted environments.

    METHODS: Snake (Reticulatus malayanus), rats (Rattus rattus), water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator), frog (Lithobates catesbeianus), fish (Oreochromis mossambicus), chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), and pigeon (Columba livia) were dissected and their organ lysates/sera were collected. Crude extracts were tested for bactericidal effects against neuropathogenic E. coli K1, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. To determine whether lysates/sera protect human cells against bacterialmediated damage, cytotoxicity assays were performed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase release as an indicator of cell death. Lysates/sera were partially characterized using heat-treatment and pronasetreatment and peptide sequences were determined using the Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS).

    RESULTS: Snake and water monitor lizard sera exhibited potent broad-spectrum bactericidal effects against all bacteria tested. Heat inactivation and pronase-treatment inhibited bactericidal effects indicating that activity is heat-labile and pronase-sensitive suggesting that active molecules are proteinaceous in nature. LCMS analyses revealed the molecular identities of peptides.

    CONCLUSION: The results revealed that python that feeds on germ-infested rodents and water monitor lizards that feed on rotten organic waste possess antibacterial activity in a heat-sensitive manner and several peptides were identified. We hope that the discovery of antibacterial activity in the sera of animals living in polluted environments will stimulate research in finding antibacterial agents from unusual sources as this has the potential for the development of novel strategies in the control of infectious diseases.

    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology/standards*
  4. Characterization of an autotrophic bioreactor microbial consortium degrading thiocyanate
    Watts MP, Spurr LP, Gan HM, Moreau JW
    Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 2017 Jul;101(14):5889-5901.
    PMID: 28510801 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-017-8313-6
    Thiocyanate (SCN-) forms as a by-product of cyanidation during gold ore processing and can be degraded by a variety of microorganisms utilizing it as an energy, nitrogen, sulphur and/or carbon source. In complex consortia inhabiting bioreactor systems, a range of metabolisms are sustained by SCN- degradation; however, despite the addition or presence of labile carbon sources in most bioreactor designs to date, autotrophic bacteria have been found to dominate key metabolic functions. In this study, we cultured an autotrophic SCN--degrading consortium directly from gold mine tailings. In a batch-mode bioreactor experiment, this consortium degraded 22 mM SCN-, accumulating ammonium (NH4+) and sulphate (SO42-) as the major end products. The consortium consisted of a diverse microbial community comprised of chemolithoautotrophic members, and despite the absence of an added organic carbon substrate, a significant population of heterotrophic bacteria. The role of eukaryotes in bioreactor systems is often poorly understood; however, we found their 18S rRNA genes to be most closely related to sequences from bacterivorous Amoebozoa. Through combined chemical and phylogenetic analyses, we were able to infer roles for key microbial consortium members during SCN- biodegradation. This study provides a basis for understanding the behaviour of a SCN- degrading bioreactor under autotrophic conditions, an anticipated approach to remediating SCN- at contemporary gold mines.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology*
  5. Genetic diversity of clinical and environmental strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Weltevreden isolated in Malaysia
    Thong KL, Goh YL, Radu S, Noorzaleha S, Yasin R, Koh YT, et al.
    J Clin Microbiol, 2002 Jul;40(7):2498-503.
    PMID: 12089269
    The incidence of food-borne salmonellosis due to Salmonella enterica serotype Weltevreden is reported to be on the increase in Malaysia. The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) subtyping method was used to assess the extent of genetic diversity and clonality of Salmonella serotype Weltevreden strains from humans and the environment. PFGE of XbaI-digested chromosomal DNA from 95 strains of Salmonella serotype Weltevreden gave 39 distinct profiles with a wide range of Dice coefficients (0.27 to 1.00), indicating that PFGE is very discriminative and that multiple clones of Salmonella serotype Weltevreden exist among clinical and environmental isolates. Strains of one dominant pulsotype (pulsotype X1/X2) appeared to be endemic in this region, as they were consistently recovered from humans with salmonellosis between 1996 and 2001 and from raw vegetables. In addition, the sharing of similar PFGE profiles among isolates from humans, vegetables, and beef provides indirect evidence of the possible transmission of salmonellosis from contaminated raw vegetables and meat to humans. Furthermore, the recurrence of PFGE profile X21 among isolates found in samples of vegetables from one wet market indicated the persistence of this clone. The environment in the wet markets may represent a major source of cross-contamination of vegetables with Salmonella serotype Weltevreden. Antibiotic sensitivity tests showed that the clinical isolates of Salmonella serotype Weltevreden remained drug sensitive but that the vegetable isolates were resistant to at least two antibiotics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to compare clinical and environmental isolates of Salmonella serotype Weltevreden in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology
  6. Fulltext Extracellular enzyme profiling of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia clinical isolates
    Thomas R, Hamat RA, Neela V
    Virulence, 2014 Feb 15;5(2):326-30.
    PMID: 24448556 DOI: 10.4161/viru.27724
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology
  7. Fulltext Association of some Campylobacter jejuni with Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms increases attachment under conditions mimicking those in the environment
    Teh AHT, Lee SM, Dykes GA
    PLoS One, 2019;14(4):e0215275.
    PMID: 30970009 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215275
    Campylobacter jejuni is a microaerophilic bacterial species which is a major food-borne pathogen worldwide. Attachment and biofilm formation have been suggested to contribute to the survival of this fastidious bacteria in the environment. In this study the attachment of three C. jejuni strains (C. jejuni strains 2868 and 2871 isolated from poultry and ATCC 33291) to different abiotic surfaces (stainless steel, glass and polystyrene) alone or with Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms on them, in air at 25°C and under static or flow conditions, were investigated using a modified Robbins Device. Bacteria were enumerated and scanning electron microscopy was carried out. The results indicated that both C. jejuni strains isolated from poultry attached better to Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms on abiotic surfaces than to the surfaces alone under the different conditions tested. This suggests that biofilms of other bacterial species may passively protect C. jejuni against shear forces and potentially oxygen stress which then contribute to their persistence in environments which are detrimental to them. By contrast the C. jejuni ATCC 33291 strain did not attach differentially to P. aeruginosa biofilms, suggesting that different C. jejuni strains may have alternative strategies for persistence in the environment. This study supports the hypothesis that C. jejuni do not form biofilms per se under conditions they encounter in the environment but simply attach to surfaces or biofilms of other species.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology
  8. Fulltext Does Campylobacter jejuni form biofilms in food-related environments?
    Teh AH, Lee SM, Dykes GA
    Appl Environ Microbiol, 2014 Sep;80(17):5154-60.
    PMID: 24928882 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01493-14
    Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most frequent causes of bacterial gastrointestinal food-borne infection worldwide. This species is part of the normal flora of the gastrointestinal tracts of animals used for food production, including poultry, which is regarded as the primary source of human Campylobacter infections. The survival and persistence of C. jejuni in food processing environments, especially in poultry processing plants, represent significant risk factors that contribute to the spread of this pathogen through the food chain. Compared to other food-borne pathogens, C. jejuni is more fastidious in its growth requirements and is very susceptible to various environmental stressors. Biofilm formation is suggested to play a significant role in the survival of C. jejuni in the food production and processing environment. The aims of this minireview were (i) to examine the evidence that C. jejuni forms biofilms and (ii) to establish the extent to which reported and largely laboratory-based studies of C. jejuni biofilms provide evidence for biofilm formation by this pathogen in food processing environments. Overall existing studies do not provide strong evidence for biofilm formation (as usually defined) by most C. jejuni strains in food-related environments under the combined conditions of atmosphere, temperature, and shear that they are likely to encounter. Simple attachment to and survival on surfaces and in existing biofilms of other species are far more likely to contribute to C. jejuni survival in food-related environments based on our current understanding of this species.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology*
  9. Natural occurrence and growth reaction on canavanine-glycine-bromothymol blue agar of non-neoformans Cryptococcus spp. in Malaysia
    Tay ST, Na SL, Tajuddin TH
    Mycoses, 2008 Nov;51(6):515-9.
    PMID: 18498307 DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0507.2008.01516.x
    Cryptococcus albidus and C. laurentii were the predominant non-neoformans cryptococci isolated during an environmental sampling study for C. gattii at Klang Valley, Malaysia. Cryptococcus gattii was not isolated from any of the environmental samples. Cryptococcus albidus and C. laurentii were isolated mainly from vegetative samples of Eucalyptus trees and bird droppings. Upon testing on canavanine-glycine-bromothymol blue (CGB) agar, all the C. albidus isolates remained unchanged. Interestingly, a total of 29 (76.3%) C. laurentii isolates formed blue colours on the CGB agar. Sequence analysis of ITS1-5.8rDNA-ITS2 gene sequences (468 bp) of four CGB-blue C. laurentii isolates demonstrated the closest match (99%) with that of C. laurentii CBS 7140. This study demonstrated the diverse environmental niche of C. albidus and C. laurentii in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology*
  10. Fulltext Anti-Candida activity and biofilm inhibitory effects of secreted products of tropical environmental yeasts
    Tan HW, Tay ST
    Trop Biomed, 2011 Apr;28(1):175-80.
    PMID: 21602784
    This study describes the killer phenotypes of tropical environmental yeasts and the inhibition effects of the culture filtrates on the biofilm of Candida albicans. A total of 26 (10.5%) of 258 yeast isolates obtained from an environmental sampling study demonstrated killer activity to Candida species. The killer yeasts were identified as species belonging to the genus Aureobasidium, Pseudozyma, Ustilago and Candida based on sequence analysis of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of the yeasts. Pseudozyma showed the broadest killing effects against sensitive strains of Candida. New species of Ustilago and Pseudozyma demonstrating killer phenotypes were identified in this study. Interestingly, more than 50% reduction in the metabolic activity of Candida albicans biofilm was noted after exposure to the culture filtrates of the nine killer yeasts. Purification and characterization of toxin and metabolites are essential for understanding the yeast killing effects.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology*
  11. Fulltext An Analysis Review of Detection Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Based on Biosensor Application
    Taha BA, Al Mashhadany Y, Hafiz Mokhtar MH, Dzulkefly Bin Zan MS, Arsad N
    Sensors (Basel), 2020 Nov 26;20(23).
    PMID: 33256085 DOI: 10.3390/s20236764
    Timely detection and diagnosis are essentially needed to guide outbreak measures and infection control. It is vital to improve healthcare quality in public places, markets, schools and airports and provide useful insights into the technological environment and help researchers acknowledge the choices and gaps available in this field. In this narrative review, the detection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) technologies is summarized and discussed with a comparison between them from several aspects to arrive at an accurate decision on the feasibility of applying the best of these techniques in the biosensors that operate using laser detection technology. The collection of data in this analysis was done by using six reliable academic databases, namely, Science Direct, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and PubMed. This review includes an analysis review of three highlights: evaluating the hazard of pandemic COVID-19 transmission styles and comparing them with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) to identify the main causes of the virus spreading, a critical analysis to diagnose coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on artificial intelligence using CT scans and CXR images and types of biosensors. Finally, we select the best methods that can potentially stop the propagation of the coronavirus pandemic.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology
  12. Genetic characterization of Arcobacter isolates from various sources
    Shah AH, Saleha AA, Zunita Z, Cheah YK, Murugaiyah M, Korejo NA
    Vet Microbiol, 2012 Dec 7;160(3-4):355-61.
    PMID: 22739058 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.05.037
    Arcobacter is getting more attention due to its detection from wide host-range and foods of animal origin. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Arcobacter spp. in various sources at farm level and beef retailed in markets in Malaysia and to assess the genetic relatedness among them. A total of 273 samples from dairy cattle including cattle (n=120), floor (n=30), water (n=18) and milk (n=105) as well as 148 beef samples collected from retail markets were studied. The overall prevalence of Arcobacter in various sources was 15% (63/421). However, source-wise detection rate of Arcobacter spp. was recorded as 26.66% (8/30) in floor, 26.3% (39/148) in beef, 11.11% (2/18) in water, 7.6% (8/105) in milk and 6.66% (8/120) in cattle. Arcobacter butzleri was the frequently isolated species however, a total of 75%, 66.7%, 53.8%, 50% and 12.5%% samples from floor, milk, beef, water and cattle, respectively, were carrying more than one species simultaneously. One (12.5%) cattle and beef sample (2.5%) found to be carrying one Arcobacter spp., A. skirrowii, only. Typing of Arcobacter isolates was done though pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) after digested with Eag1 restriction endonuclease (RE). Digestion of genomic DNA of Arcobacter from various sources yielded 12 major clusters (≥ 50% similarity) which included 29 different band patterns. A number of closely related A. butzleri isolates were found from beef samples which indicate cross contamination of common type of Arcobacter. Fecal shedding of Arcobacter by healthy animals can contaminate water and milk which may act as source of infection in humans.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology*
  13. Fulltext Genome sequence of Streptomyces gilvigriseus MUSC 26T isolated from mangrove forest
    Ser HL, Tan WS, Mutalib NA, Yin WF, Chan KG, Goh BH, et al.
    Braz J Microbiol, 2018 02 02;49(2):207-209.
    PMID: 29428207 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjm.2017.04.012
    Streptomycetes remain as one of the important sources for bioactive products. Isolated from the mangrove forest, Streptomyces gilvigriseus MUSC 26T was previously characterised as a novel streptomycete. The high quality draft genome of MUSC 26T contained 5,213,277bp with G+C content of 73.0%. Through genome mining, several gene clusters associated with secondary metabolites production were revealed in the genome of MUSC 26T. These findings call for further investigations into the potential exploitation of the strain for production of pharmaceutically important compounds.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology*
  14. Cupriavidus malaysiensis sp. nov., a novel poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) accumulating bacterium isolated from the Malaysian environment
    Ramachandran H, Shafie NAH, Sudesh K, Azizan MN, Majid MIA, Amirul AA
    Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, 2018 Mar;111(3):361-372.
    PMID: 29022146 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-017-0958-8
    Bacterial classification on the basis of a polyphasic approach was conducted on three poly(3 hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] accumulating bacterial strains that were isolated from samples collected from Malaysian environments; Kulim Lake, Sg. Pinang river and Sg. Manik paddy field. The Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile, non-sporulating and non-fermenting bacteria were shown to belong to the genus Cupriavidus of the Betaproteobacteria on the basis of their 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. The sequence similarity value with their near phylogenetic neighbour, Cupriavidus pauculus LMG3413T, was 98.5%. However, the DNA-DNA hybridization values (8-58%) and ribotyping analysis both enabled these strains to be differentiated from related Cupriavidus species with validly published names. The RiboPrint patterns of the three strains also revealed that the strains were genetically related even though they displayed a clonal diversity. The major cellular fatty acids detected in these strains included C15:0 ISO 2OH/C16:1 ω7c, hexadecanoic (16:0) and cis-11-octadecenoic (C18:1 ω7c). Their G+C contents ranged from 68.0  to 68.6 mol%, and their major isoprenoid quinone was Ubiquinone Q-8. Of these three strains, only strain USMAHM13 (= DSM 25816 = KCTC 32390) was discovered to exhibit yellow pigmentation that is characteristic of the carotenoid family. Their assembled genomes also showed that the three strains were not identical in terms of their genome sizes that were 7.82, 7.95 and 8.70 Mb for strains USMAHM13, USMAA1020 and USMAA2-4, respectively, which are slightly larger than that of Cupriavidus necator H16 (7.42 Mb). The average nucleotide identity (ANI) results indicated that the strains were genetically related and the genome pairs belong to the same species. On the basis of the results obtained in this study, the three strains are considered to represent a novel species for which the name Cupriavidus malaysiensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the species is USMAA1020T (= DSM 19416T = KCTC 32390T).
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology*
  15. Molecular epidemiology of Clostridium difficile isolated from piglets
    Putsathit P, Neela VK, Joseph NMS, Ooi PT, Ngamwongsatit B, Knight DR, et al.
    Vet Microbiol, 2019 Oct;237:108408.
    PMID: 31585650 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2019.108408
    Information on the epidemiology of C. difficile infection (CDI) in South-East Asian countries is limited, as is data on possible animal reservoirs of C. difficile in the region. We investigated the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of C. difficile in piglets and the piggery environment in Thailand and Malaysia. Piglet rectal swabs (n = 224) and piggery environmental specimens (n = 23) were collected between 2015 and 2016 from 11 farms located in Thailand and Malaysia. All specimens were tested for the presence of C. difficile with toxigenic culture. PCR assays were performed on isolates to determine the ribotype (RT), and the presence of toxin genes. Whole genome sequencing was used on a subset of isolates to determine the evolutionary relatedness of RT038 (the most prevalent RT identified) common to pigs and humans from Thailand and Indonesia. C. difficile was recovered from 35% (58/165) and 92% (54/59) of the piglets, and 89% (8/9) and 93% (13/14) of the environmental specimens from Thailand and Malaysia, respectively. All strains from Thailand, and 30 strains from Malaysia (23 piglet and 7 environmental isolates) were non-toxigenic. To our knowledge, this is the first and only report with a complete lack of toxigenic C. difficile among piglets, a feature which could have a protective effect on the host. The most common strain belonged to RT038 (ST48), accounting for 88% (51/58) of piglet and 78% (7/9) of environmental isolates from Thailand, and all 30 isolates tested from Malaysia. Piglet RT038 isolates from Thailand and Malaysia differed by only 18 core-genome single nucleotide variants (cgSNVs) and both were, on average, 30 cgSNVs different from the human strains from Thailand and Indonesia, indicating a common ancestor in the last two decades.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology
  16. The survival of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus on 4 household surfaces
    Oxford J, Berezin EN, Courvalin P, Dwyer DE, Exner M, Jana LA, et al.
    Am J Infect Control, 2014 Apr;42(4):423-5.
    PMID: 24679569 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2013.10.016
    We investigated the survival of a pandemic strain of influenza A H1N1 on a variety of common household surfaces where multiple samples were taken from 4 types of common household fomite at 7 time points. Results showed that influenza A H1N1sw virus particles remained infectious for 48 hours on a wooden surface, for 24 hours on stainless steel and plastic surfaces, and for 8 hours on a cloth surface, although virus recovery from the cloth may have been suboptimal. Our results suggest that pandemic influenza A H1N1 can survive on common household fomites for extended periods of time, and that good hand hygiene and regular disinfection of commonly touched surfaces should be practiced during the influenza season to help reduce transmission.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology*
  17. Isolation, identification and diesel-oil biodegradation capacities of indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading strains of Cellulosimicrobium cellulans and Acinetobacter baumannii from tarball at Terengganu beach, Malaysia
    Nkem BM, Halimoon N, Yusoff FM, Johari WLW, Zakaria MP, Medipally SR, et al.
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2016 Jun 15;107(1):261-268.
    PMID: 27085593 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.03.060
    In this study, we isolated two indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from tarball found in Rhu Sepuluh beach, Terengganu, Malaysia. These bacteria were identified based on their physiological characteristic and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, and they showed 99% similarity with Cellulosimicrobium cellulans DSM 43879 and Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606 respectively. Their hydrocarbon-degrading capabilities were tested using diesel-oil as sole carbon source. Results analysed using GC-MS, showed diesel-oil alkanes were degraded an average 64.4% by C. cellulans and 58.1% by A. baumannii with medium optical density reaching 0.967 (C. cellulans) and 1.515 (A. baumannii) in minimal salt media at 32°C for 10days. Individual diesel-oil alkanes were degraded between 10%-95.4% by C. cellulans and 0.2%-95.9% by A. baumannii. Both strains utilized diesel-oil for growth. The study suggests both strains are part of indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in tarball with potential for bioremediation of oil-polluted marine environment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology
  18. Fulltext Overview of Molecular Typing Tools for The Characterization of Salmonella enterica in Malaysia
    Ngoi ST, Teh CS, Chai LC, Thong KL
    Biomed Environ Sci, 2015 Oct;28(10):751-64.
    PMID: 26582097 DOI: 10.3967/bes2015.105
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology
  19. Fulltext Genome sequence of Mycobacterium abscessus strain M152
    Ngeow YF, Wong YL, Tan JL, Ong CS, Ng KP, Choo SW
    J Bacteriol, 2012 Dec;194(23):6662.
    PMID: 23144407 DOI: 10.1128/JB.01846-12
    Mycobacterium abscessus is an environmental bacterium with increasing clinical relevance. Here, we report the annotated whole-genome sequence of M. abscessus strain M152.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology
  20. An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia
    Neela VK, Azhari NN, Joseph N, Mimie NP, Ramli SNA, Mustapha NF, et al.
    Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 2019 Mar;38(3):523-528.
    PMID: 30680558 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-018-03450-6
    Here, we investigated an outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits that occurred following a survival exercise in the Hulu Perdik forest within the Hulu Langat district, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Blood samples from the 12 patients that presented symptoms for febrile illness on clinical examination were subjected to laboratory investigation, comprising Lepto IgM rapid test, IgM ELISA, and microscopic agglutination test (MAT). All these patients were interviewed for possible risk factors for leptospirosis. Rodent trapping and environmental sampling for possible isolation of leptospires in the outbreak site was performed. The isolated leptospires were genetically characterized and investigated for the potential epidemiological link with human leptospirosis. Among the 12 patients, two (2/12; 16.6%) were confirmed positive for leptospirosis by microscopic agglutination test (MAT with titers 400-800; serovar autumnalis and hardjobovis). Two Leptospira species from rodents (L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii) and two from the environment (L. kmetyi and L. wolffii) were identified. The possible epidemiological link between human serovars and animal Leptospira species indicates rodents as the potential reservoir while the environment (soil and water) serves as a transmission route. This investigation highlights the robust presence of pathogenic leptospires on Malaysian environment and rodents which may present the risk of infection, especially among high-risk individuals. Hence, occupational risk individuals are cautioned to observe appropriate preventive measures including prophylaxis and seek immediate medical attention for any illness following similar activities.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Microbiology
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