Results: We tested the isolated bacteria using a selection of antibiotics. The results showed that both the number of antibiotic resistant strains and resistance level were higher in humans than NHPs. Overall, the composition of gut microbiome and pattern of antibiotic resistance showed that there was higher similarity between MF and TC, the two NHPs, than with HS. In addition, samples with higher levels of antibiotic resistance showed lower bacterial richness. Homo sapiens had the lowest bacterial diversity and yet it had higher abundance of Bacteroides. In contrast, NHPs displayed higher bacterial richness and greater prevalence of Firmicutes such as Ruminococceae and Oscillospira.
Conclusion: Higher antibiotic susceptibility in NHPs is likely related to low direct exposure to antibiotics. The lack of resistance may also suggest limited antimicrobial resistance transmission between humans and NHP. Nonetheless, continued monitoring over a long period will help mitigate the risk of anthropozoonosis and zooanthroponosis.
METHODOLOGY: This prospective cohort study involved children 1 month to 5-years-old admitted with an LRTI. Children with asthma were excluded. Patients were reviewed at 1-, 6-, and 12-months post-hospital discharge. The parent cough-specific quality of life, the depression, anxiety, and stress scale questionnaire and cough diary for 1 month, were administered. Outcomes reviewed were number of unscheduled healthcare visits, respiratory symptoms and final respiratory diagnosis at 6 and/or 12 month-review by pediatric pulmonologists.
RESULTS: Three hundred patients with a mean ± SD age of 14 ± 15 months old were recruited. After 1 month, 239 (79.7%) returned: 28.5% (n = 68/239) had sought medical advice and 18% (n = 43/239) had cough at clinic review. Children who received antibiotics in hospital had significantly lower total cough scores (P = .005) as per the cough diary. After 1 year, 26% (n = 78/300) had a respiratory problem, predominantly preschool wheezing phenotype (n = 64/78, 82.1%). Three children had bronchiectasis or bronchiolitis obliterans. The parent cough-specific quality of life (PCQOL) was significantly lower in children with respiratory sequelae (P
METHODOLOGY: A retrospective analysis of a methanol poisoning outbreak in September 2018 was performed, describing patients who presented to a major tertiary referral centre.
RESULT: A total of 31 patients were received over the period of 9 days. Thirty of them were males with a mean age of 32 years old. They were mostly foreigners. From the 31 patients, 19.3% were dead on arrival, 3.2% died in the emergency department and 38.7% survived and discharged. The overall mortality rate was 61.3%. Out of the 12 patients who survived, two patients had toxic optic neuropathy, and one patient had uveitis. The rest of the survivors did not have any long-term complications. Osmolar gap and lactate had strong correlations with patient's mortality. Serum pH, bicarbonate, lactate, potassium, anion gap, osmolar gap and measured serum osmolarity between the alive and dead patients were significant. Post-mortem findings of the brain were unremarkable.
CONCLUSION: The mortality rate was higher, and the morbidity includes permanent visual impairment and severe neurological sequelae. Language barrier, severity of illness, late presentation, unavailability of intravenous ethanol and fomipezole and delayed dialysis may have been the contributing factors. Patient was managed based on clinical presentation. Laboratory parameters showed difference in median between group that survived and succumbed for pH, serum bicarbonate, lactate, potassium and osmolar and anion gap. Management of methanol toxicity outbreak in resource-limited area will benefit from a well-designed guideline that is adaptable to the locality.