Displaying all 3 publications

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Jones SU, Kee BP, Chew CH, Yeo CC, Chua KH, Puah SM
    Heliyon, 2024 Oct 30;10(20):e39634.
    PMID: 39506957 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39634
    Bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) play crucial roles in coordinating gene regulatory networks in various physiological processes, including biofilm formation. In this study, RNA sequencing was performed on biofilm (n = 4) and planktonic (n = 4) cells harvested at 10 h (pre-stationary phase of biofilm development) to identify biofilm-associated sRNAs in human methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) recovered from urine isolate. A total of 56 highly expressed sRNAs were identified with 15 overlapping sRNA genes (srn_9348, sprD, sRNA205, sRNA288, srn_2467, Sau-25, srn_2468, sRNA260, sRNA200, RsaE, sRNA397, Teg55, Teg60, RsaX05 and Teg140). Further validation through RT-qPCR analysis of nine sRNAs revealed that srn_9348 and sRNA260 were significantly expressed in the biofilm cells of urine sample. Both sRNAs were predicted to interact with mRNA genes including intracellular adhesin A (icaA) and host factor protein (hfq) involved in biofilm formation via cis-acting and trans-acting using CopraRNA analysis. Therefore, both sRNAs merit further investigations via reverse genetic approaches to elucidate their mechanism of translational regulation. In summary, the transcriptomic analysis conducted in this study offers new insights into the potential regulatory roles of sRNAs in MSSA biofilm development within the urinary environment.
  2. Jones SU, Chua KH, Chew CH, Yeo CC, Abdullah FH, Othman N, et al.
    PeerJ, 2021;9:e11195.
    PMID: 33889447 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11195
    Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the important pathogens causing nosocomial infection. spa typing allows identification of S. aureus clones in hospital isolates and is useful for epidemiological studies and nosocomial infection control. This study aims to investigate the spa types in Malaysian S. aureus isolates obtained from various clinical specimens.

    Method: A total of 89 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) [pus (n = 55), blood (n = 27), respiratory (n = 5), eye (n = 2)] isolates and 109 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) [pus (n = 79), blood (n = 24), respiratory (n = 3), eye (n = 2) and urine (n = 1)] isolates were subjected to spa typing with sequences analysed using BioNumerics version 7.

    Results: The spa sequence was successfully amplified from 77.8% of the strains (154/198) and 47 known spa types were detected. The distribution of known spa types in MRSA (36.2%, 17/47) was less diverse than in MSSA (70.2%, 33/47). The most predominant spa types were t032 (50%) in MRSA, and t127 (19%) and t091 (16.7%) in MSSA, respectively. spa type t091 in MSSA was significantly associated with skin and soft tissue infections (p = 0.0199).

    Conclusion: The previously uncommon spa type t032 was detected in the Malaysian MRSA strains, which also corresponded to the most common spa type in Europe and Australia, and has replaced the dominant spa type t037 which was reported in Malaysia in 2010.

  3. Jones SU, Chew CH, Yeo CC, Abdullah FH, Othman N, Kee BP, et al.
    Int Microbiol, 2023 Nov;26(4):841-849.
    PMID: 36805382 DOI: 10.1007/s10123-023-00335-3
    Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) is an important nosocomial pathogen worldwide. This study aims to investigate the in vitro biofilm-forming ability of clinical MSSA isolated from various sources in the main public tertiary referral hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia and to detect the presence of biofilm-associated and regulatory genes among these isolates. A total of 104 MSSA isolates [pus (n = 75), blood (n = 24), respiratory secretions (n = 2), eye (n = 2), and urine (n = 1)] were investigated for slime production and biofilm formation using Congo red agar and crystal violet microtitre plate, respectively. Fifteen MSSA isolates with varying degrees of biofilm formation were selected for validation via a real-time cell analyser. All isolates were screened for microbial surface components recognising adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMM) and accessory gene regulator (agr) using polymerase chain reaction assay. A total of 76.0% (79/104) isolates produced slime layer, while all isolates developed biofilm as follows: 52.8% (55/104) strong biofilm producers, 40.4% (42/104) intermediate biofilm producers, and 6.7% (7/104) weak biofilm producers. A total of 98.1% (102/104) isolates carried at least one of the screened MSCRAMM gene(s) with the eno gene detected at the highest rate (87.5%, 91/104), while the sasG gene was significantly associated with strong biofilm production (p = 0.015). Three agr groups, 1, 2, and 3, were detected among the MSSA isolates with a predominance of agr-3 (32.7%, 34/104). In conclusion, biofilm formation varied greatly among clinical MSSA isolates, and the presence of sasG gene and agr-1 may play important role in initiating MSSA infections via biofilm formation.
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links