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Fulltext First Two Cases of Fungal Infections Associated with Multi-drug Resistant Yeast, Fereydounia khargensis

Tap RM, Ramli NY, Sabaratnam P, Hashim R, Bakri AR, Bee LB, et al.

Mycopathologia, 2016 Aug;181(7-8):531-7.
PMID: 27010640 DOI: 10.1007/s11046-016-0002-y

The number of new fungal pathogens is increasing due to growing population of immunocompromised patients and advanced identification techniques. Fereydounia khargensis is a yeast and was first described in 2014 from environmental samples. As far as we know, this is the first report of human infections associated with F. khargensis. The yeasts were isolated from blood of a HIV-positive patient and pleural fluid of chronic renal failure patient. Amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer and the large subunit regions confirmed the identity of the isolates. Both isolates showed multi-drug resistance to antifungal agents tested.

Matched MeSH terms: Microbiological Techniques
Occurrence and characterization of Candida nivariensis from a culture collection of Candida glabrata clinical isolates in Malaysia

Tay ST, Lotfalikhani A, Sabet NS, Ponnampalavanar S, Sulaiman S, Na SL, et al.

Mycopathologia, 2014 Oct;178(3-4):307-14.
PMID: 25022264 DOI: 10.1007/s11046-014-9778-9

BACKGROUND: Candida nivariensis and C. bracarensis have been recently identified as emerging yeast pathogens which are phenotypically indistinguishable from C. glabrata. However, there is little data on the prevalence and antifungal susceptibilities of these species.
OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the occurrence of C. nivariensis and C. bracarensis in a culture collection of 185 C. glabrata isolates at a Malaysian teaching hospital.
METHODS: C. nivariensis was discriminated from C. glabrata using a PCR assay as described by Enache-Angoulvant et al. (J Clin Microbiol 49:3375-9, 2011). The identity of the isolates was confirmed by sequence analysis of the D1D2 domain and internal transcribed spacer region of the yeasts. The isolates were cultured on Chromogenic CHROMagar Candida (®) agar (Difco, USA), and their biochemical and enzymic profiles were determined. Antifungal susceptibilities of the isolates against amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole and caspofungin were determined using E tests. Clotrimazole MICs were determined using a microbroth dilution method.
RESULTS: There was a low prevalence (1.1 %) of C. nivariensis in our culture collection of C. glabrata. C. nivariensis was isolated from a blood culture and vaginal swab of two patients. C. nivariensis grew as white colonies on Chromogenic agar and demonstrated few positive reactions using biochemical tests. Enzymatic profiles of the C. nivariensis isolates were similar to that of C. glabrata. The isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole and caspofungin. Clotrimazole resistance is suspected in one isolate.
CONCLUSION: This study reports for the first time the emergence of C. nivariensis in our clinical setting.

Matched MeSH terms: Microbiological Techniques/methods
Fulltext Back to basic: bio-burden on hands of health care personnel in tertiary teaching hospital in Malaysia

Wong JL, Siti Azrin AH, Narizan MI, Norliah Y, Noraida M, Amanina A, et al.

Trop Biomed, 2014 Sep;31(3):534-9.
PMID: 25382481 MyJurnal

Hands of Health Care Personnel (HCP) are one of the most common vehicles for the transmission of infection. Microorganisms can survive well on the hands of HCP for a certain duration. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to bring awareness to HCP that their hands can actually be contaminated with many microorganisms. These microbes on the hands of HCP can potentially infect their patients if they do not comply with the proper hand hygiene practice. This cross-sectional study was conducted at a randomly selected Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and general ward in a hospital. Twenty five HCP from each ward were randomly selected and their hands were imprinted on blood culture plates. Microorganism growth were quantified and identified. Data were analyzed and presented as descriptive analysis. One hundred blood agar plates were processed and analyzed. Majority (71%) of the samples had more than 50 colony-forming units (CFU) and only 17% of the samples had less than 25 CFU. Microorganisms identified include Staphylococcus spp., Acinetobacter spp., Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp., Moraxella, Delftiaacidovorans and fungi. All isolated microorganisms were antibiotic sensitive strain. This study showed that the hands of HCP were contaminated with many microorganisms. Therefore, it is imperative that HCP must practice proper hand hygiene when taking care of their patients in the wards.

Matched MeSH terms: Microbiological Techniques
Optimization of L-asparaginase production from endophytic Fusarium proliferatum using OFAT and RSM and its cytotoxic evaluation

Yap LS, Lee WL, Ting ASY

J Microbiol Methods, 2021 12;191:106358.
PMID: 34743930 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2021.106358

L-asparaginase from endophytic Fusarium proliferatum (isolate CCH, GenBank accession no. MK685139) isolated from the medicinal plant Cymbopogon citratus (Lemon grass), was optimized for its L-asparaginase production and its subsequent cytotoxicity towards Jurkat E6 cell line. The following factors were optimized; carbon source and concentration, nitrogen source and concentration, incubation period, temperature, pH and agitation rate. Optimization of L-asparaginase production was performed using One-Factor-At-A-Time (OFAT) and Response surface methodology (RSM) model. The cytotoxicity of the crude enzyme from isolate CCH was tested on leukemic Jurkat E6 cell line. The optimization exercise revealed that glucose concentration, nitrogen source, L-asparagine concentration and temperature influenced the L-asparaginase production of CCH. The optimum condition suggested using OFAT and RSM results were consistent. As such, the recommended conditions were 0.20% of glucose, 0.99% of L-asparagine and 5.34 days incubation at 30.50 °C. The L-asparaginase production of CCH increased from 16.75 ± 0.76 IU/mL to 22.42 ± 0.20 IU/mL after optimization. The cytotoxicity of the crude enzyme on leukemic Jurkat cell line recorded IC50 value at 33.89 ± 2.63% v/v. To conclude, the enzyme extract produced from Fusarium proliferatum under optimized conditions is a potential alternative resource for L-asparaginase.

Matched MeSH terms: Microbiological Techniques/methods