METHODS: A cross sectional study involve retrospective record review were done involving 90 MRSA positive isolates between November 2016 and October 2017. Multiplex PCR was performed to detect femA, mecA and PVL genes. Clinical presentation and outcomes of patients were reviewed and presented as descriptive analysis.
RESULTS: All of the 90 MRSA isolates included in this study were positive for femA and mecA genes following PCR. PVL gene was detected in 20% (n = 18) of the isolates of which 61.1% (n = 11) were community acquired infections and 38.8% (n = 7) were hospital acquired. Case distribution from community acquired infections include patients with skin and soft tissue infections (33.3%, n = 6), infected diabetic foot ulcers (16.7%, n = 3), and one patient each (5.5%, n = 1) for community acquired pneumonia and meningitis. Half of the PVL positive MRSA cases (50%, n = 9) were having sepsis and four of them succumbed to death due to severe infection.
CONCLUSION: This study shows a high prevalence of PVL positive MRSA infection in our population. Skin and soft tissue infections accounting for the major sources. In addition, the presence of the PVL gene is associated with increased risk for developing sepsis.
METHODS: A total of 46 csp genes were subjected to polymerase chain reaction amplification. The genes were obtained from P. knowlesi isolates collected from different divisions of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and Peninsular Malaysia. The targeted gene fragments were cloned into a commercial vector and sequenced, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed while incorporating 168 csp sequences retrieved from the GenBank database. The genetic diversity and natural evolution of the csp sequences were analysed using MEGA6 and DnaSP ver. 5.10.01. A genealogical network of the csp haplotypes was generated using NETWORK ver. 4.6.1.3.
RESULTS: The phylogenetic analysis revealed indistinguishable clusters of P. knowlesi isolates across different geographic regions, including Malaysian Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. Nucleotide analysis showed that the csp non-repeat regions of zoonotic P. knowlesi isolates obtained in this study underwent purifying selection with population expansion, which was supported by extensive haplotype sharing observed between humans and macaques. Novel variations were observed in the C-terminal non-repeat region of csp.
CONCLUSIONS: The csp non-repeat regions are relatively conserved and there is no distinct cluster of P. knowlesi isolates from Malaysian Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. Distinctive variation data obtained in the C-terminal non-repeat region of csp could be beneficial for the design and development of vaccines to treat P. knowlesi.
RESULTS: Firstly, from the expression profiles of Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter, chloride channel protein 2, and ABC transporter, it turned out that the 24 h might be the most influenced duration in the short-term stress. We collected megalopa under different salinity for 24 h and then submitted to mRNA profiling. Totally, 57.87 Gb Clean Data were obtained. The comparative genomic analysis detected 342 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The most significantly DEGs include gamma-butyrobetaine dioxygenase-like, facilitated trehalose transporter Tret1, sodium/potassium-transporting ATPase subunit alpha, rhodanese 1-like protein, etc. And the significantly enriched pathways were lysine degradation, choline metabolism in cancer, phospholipase D signaling pathway, Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis, and sphingolipid signaling pathway. The results indicate that in the short-term salinity stress, the megalopa might regulate some mechanism such as metabolism, immunity responses, osmoregulation to adapt to the alteration of the environment.
CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the first genome-wide transcriptome analysis of S. paramamosain megalopa for studying its stress adaption mechanisms under different salinity. The results reveal numbers of genes modified by salinity stress and some important pathways, which will provide valuable resources for discovering the molecular basis of salinity stress adaptation of S. paramamosain larvae and further boost the understanding of the potential molecular mechanisms of salinity stress adaptation for crustacean species.
RESULTS: One circular chromosome and one circular plasmid were discovered in the complete genome of A. baumannii ATCC BAA1605 using whole-genome sequencing. The chromosome is 4,039,171 bp long with a GC content of 39.24%. Many AMR genes, which confer resistance to major classes of antibiotics (beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, tetracycline, sulphonamides), were found on the chromosome. Two genomic islands were predicted on the chromosome, one of which (Genomic Island 1) contains a cluster of AMR genes and mobile elements, suggesting the possibility of horizontal gene transfer. A subtype I-F CRISPR-Cas system was also identified on the chromosome of A. baumannii ATCC BAA1605. This study provides valuable genome data that can be used as a reference for future studies on A. baumannii. The genome of A. baumannii ATCC BAA1605 has been deposited at GenBank under accession no. CP058625 and CP058626.
RESULTS: Genome-based taxonomic classification revealed the microbial richness present in the pristine Madison aquifer. The strains were found to span eleven genera and fourteen species, of which eight had uncertain taxonomic classifications. The genomes of strains SD129 and SD340 were found to contain the archetypical AHL QS system composed of two genes, luxI and luxR. Surprisingly, the genomes of strains SD115, SD129, SD274 and SD316 were found to contain one to three luxR orphans (solos). Strain SD129, besides possessing an archetypical AHL QS luxI-luxR pair, also contained two luxR solos, while strain SD316 contained three LuxR solos and no luxI-luxR pairs. The ligand-binding domain of two LuxR solos, one each from strains SD129 and SD316, were found to contain novel substitutions not previously reported, thus may represent two LuxR orphans that detection and response to unknown self-produced signal(s), or to signal(s) produced by other organisms.