Microbiological & Immunological Communications最新文献

{"title":"Editor's Summaries of the Articles Published in This Issue of Microbiological & Immunological Communications","authors":"Editorial Staff","doi":"10.55627/mic.001.01.0209","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55627/mic.001.01.0209","url":null,"abstract":"In this issue, Ejaz and colleagues investigated the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of isolates from patients with urinary tract infection in Karachi, Pakistan; Ahmed and Kazmi studied the role of Siderophore as a therapeutic agent, Faruqui et al. determined the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection among healthcare workers of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, Khan and colleagues reported that hepatitis B-virus genotype D is the most prevalent in the multiethnic population of Karachi, Pakistan, while Athar and colleagues reviewed and discussed the molecular diagnosis of hepatitis C viruses, their technologies, and clinical applications.","PeriodicalId":422622,"journal":{"name":"Microbiological & Immunological Communications","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126230315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Siderophore Production and its Role as Therapeutic Agent","authors":"Ayaz Ahmed, S. Kazmi","doi":"10.55627/mic.001.01.0181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55627/mic.001.01.0181","url":null,"abstract":"Siderophores are iron chelators, which are produced by bacteria under iron-deficient conditions required for their growth. Therefore, siderophores can be used as a carrier to direct drugs into the bacteria and kill them. The present study was designed to screen siderophore production using different bacteria using an iron-deficient medium and its synergistic capability to kill drug-resistant bacteria. Siderophore under iron-deprived condition was evaluated by chrome azurol S (CAS) assay. Whereas, broth micro-dilution method and checkerboard assay were used to determine the antimicrobial properties of selected drugs or epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) individually or in combination with synthetic siderophore. Results demonstrated that the entire tested microorganisms produced siderophore under the iron-deprived condition as evidenced by orange halo zones in CAS agar plates.  Gram-negative bacteria produced more siderophores as reflected by orange color with bacterial zone inhibition of 17-22mm as compared to Gram-positive bacteria (13-15mm). As compared to antibiotics and EGCG, acetohydroxamic acid (aHa; synthetic siderophore) showed no antibacterial properties (1500 - 6500 µg/ml). The synergism of aHa with tetracycline, ceftriaxone, and EGCG (FIC index <0.5) against S. typhi, methicillin-resistant and sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli were evident. In conclusion, siderophore may be considered a potential candidate to design different combination therapy against emerging antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.","PeriodicalId":422622,"journal":{"name":"Microbiological &amp; Immunological Communications","volume":"55 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124628589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Welcome to Microbiological & Immunological Communications","authors":"Saeed Khan","doi":"10.55627/mic.001.01.0205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55627/mic.001.01.0205","url":null,"abstract":"Welcome to the inaugural issue of Microbiological & Immunological Communications-a biannual, open access, and peer-reviewed journal aiming to publish high-quality research articles in the field of basic & clinical microbiology and immunology. The journal covers topics such as clinical practice, education, research, policy, and technology in the field of microbiology and immunology. It strives to promote knowledge exchange and collaboration between researchers, clinicians, educators, policymakers, and other professionals in the microbiology and immunology community. \u0000Microbiological & Immunological Communications, available online and in print, publishes scholarly input from the scientific and broader community related to the important themes in microbiological and immunological sciences. The journal emphasizes studies integrating the more expansive interdisciplinary fields of microbiology and immunology with hardcore evidenced based. \u0000Microbiological & Immunological publishes studies investigating all aspects of the relationships between infectious agents (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc) and hosts. Clinical studies and investigations carried out at organismal, organ, and tissue levels can be submitted to this journal, however, studies exploring cellular and molecular mechanisms are encouraged.  Animal studies investigating molecular aspects of disease prevention, diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment, especially targeting their immunological aspects using in vitro, in vivo, and in silico tools, are also welcomed.  The journal also publishes research in mycology and parasitology. \u0000The purpose of this journal is to provide a platform to the scientific fraternity, especially regional and national academics, where they could get their studies published after a rapid, transparent, and high-quality peer review. All the articles published in Microbiological & Immunological Communications will be freely available to readers immediately after publication. The open-access policy of our journal is likely to increase the readership of articles and enhance their visibility and citation potential. Therefore, I invite you to submit your work to Microbiological & Immunological Communications. We look forward to receiving your submissions! \u0000Professor Dr. Saeed Khan \u0000Editor-In-Chief \u0000Microbiological & Immunological Communications","PeriodicalId":422622,"journal":{"name":"Microbiological &amp; Immunological Communications","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121677215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Isolates from Patients with Urinary Tract Infection in Karachi","authors":"Syeda Maha Ejaz, Muhammad Sufyan Vohra, Y. Raza","doi":"10.55627/mic.001.01.0179","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55627/mic.001.01.0179","url":null,"abstract":"The prevalence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) can vary significantly in males and females among different age groups. With the increased use of antibiotics, UTIs have now become more challenging to treat and a major healthcare issue in developing countries. Therefore, this retrospective study was designed to recognize the resistance profile of isolates from samples of UTI patients in Karachi, Pakistan, so that a proper treatment plan against the infection can be prescribed. One thousand seven hundred hundred urine samples were processed to isolate pathogens at the One Health Diagnostics Microbiology department, Karachi, for 6 months in 2020. Results were analyzed to determine the age group affected, gender affected, the correlation of age group and gender, the most frequent to least frequent isolates found, and the susceptibility patterns of isolates. Pearson Chi-square test was applied to identify whether an association existed between the different variables. The degree of association between the risk factors and UTI was determined by calculating Cramer's V and Odds Ratio (OR). Out of 1700 samples, 1130 (66.5%) were positive samples for UTI, with 910 (80.5%) females and 220 (19.5%) males. The most frequent isolates were E. coli (50.44%), Klebsiella spp. (21.23%), and Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (7.52%). It was found that the patients between the age group 18-30 and above 60 were the most susceptible, 37% and 32% of the total cases, respectively. Piperacillin-Tazobactam was observed as the most effective drug, as 52.24% of isolates were sensitive to it. Similarly, Doxycycline was found to be the least effective, as 57.75% of isolates were resistant. The most effective antibiotic regime against the most prevalent organism, i.e., E. coli was Imipenem (93.75% sensitive), Amikacin (90.63%), and Fosfomycin (91.28%). A statistically significant association was found between gender and UTI (P<0.01, OR=0.416 (0.326-0.532)) and the most prevalent organism and UTI (P<0.01).","PeriodicalId":422622,"journal":{"name":"Microbiological &amp; Immunological Communications","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129743196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular Diagnosis of Hepatitis C Viruses; Technologies and Their Clinical Applications","authors":"M. Athar, V. Ahmad, I. Ullah, Malik Sami Ullah","doi":"10.55627/mic.001.01.0193","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55627/mic.001.01.0193","url":null,"abstract":"Hepatitis-C is one of the most common viral diseases caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV).  It is responsible for millions of deaths each year in the developing world. The common dissemination paths of HCV include the use of contaminated water and transfusion of infected blood. Control of this virus has become a challenge for scientists and health professionals due to its versatility and adaptability in different host environments. Along with other problems, lack of efficient diagnosis, quantification and genotyping of viral strains are the major hindrances in a management of this notorious epidemic. The knowledge of HCV genotype and an amount of virus in patient’s blood are pre-requisites to determine the duration and method of treatment. In this review, we discuss the implications of HCV molecular diagnostic methods and their clinical applications. We conclude that while, several commercial and home-brewed methods are available for this purpose, and there is a visible vacuum for cost effective, robust, sensitive assays that can detect multiple viral genotypes in a single reaction.  We are of the view that the level of sensitivity offered by Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) technique is unequivocal as compared to other techniques. Therefore, researchers may explore further possibilities using this technique in the management of HCV. \u0000Key words: Hepatitis C virus, Genotyping, Mixed infection, Fluorescence melting curve analysis, Viral Load, Quantification","PeriodicalId":422622,"journal":{"name":"Microbiological &amp; Immunological Communications","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129148338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk And Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Among Healthcare Workers of Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi Pakistan","authors":"Hafsa Faruqui, M. Zahid, I. Khan, Seema Aftab","doi":"10.55627/mic.001.01.0182","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55627/mic.001.01.0182","url":null,"abstract":"More than 10 million people fall sick due to TB annually; Pakistan ranks 5th for highest tuberculosis (TB) burden globally. Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is asymptomatic TB infection that can reactivate later on, causing transmission and disease. Health care workers dealing with positive Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB) samples and patients are at high risk of TB infection. In this study, we investigated the frequency of LTBI in health care workers as well as a comparative group of patients suspected to have LTBI by their physicians. A total of 77 healthy healthcare workers (including phlebotomists, medical technologists, nurses, doctors, and faculty members working closely with TB samples or patients) and 104 patients diagnosed with TB were recruited in our study after institutional ethical approval. 3ml of whole blood was collected from study participants and was dispensed into three specific QFT tubes. (NIL, TB, Mitogen). Samples were investigated for interferon specifically released against TB according to the manufacturer’s protocol by using QuantiFERON TB Gold assay kit. Out of 77 healthcare workers, 16.8% (n=13) were positive for LTBI; these included microbiologists, technicians, phlebotomists, and housekeeping staff. However, none of the doctors and medical technologists tested positive. On the other hand, out of 104 patients, 23.1 % (n=24) were found to be positive, 10.5% (n=11) were indeterminate and 65.3% (n=68) were negative for LTB. The one-tail chi-square test revealed 35.14% risk to the highly exposed HCWs with the overall estimated risk of 42.54%. This study reports a high prevalence of LTBI in HCWs. Among the HCWs, microbiologists and technicians were the most affected. Housekeeping staff was also found to have LTBI. This study also found a higher risk for LTBI in technicians, medical technologists, microbiologists, and phlebotomist as compared to doctors and interns. This highlights the importance of regular screening of all HCWs, including housekeeping staff, in order to control and prevent the spread of this disease.","PeriodicalId":422622,"journal":{"name":"Microbiological &amp; Immunological Communications","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128240987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hepatitis B-Virus Genotype D is Prevalent in a Multi-Ethnic Population of Karachi, Pakistan","authors":"F. Khan, M. Zahid, Amanullah Lail, Najeeb Ur Rehman","doi":"10.55627/mic.001.01.0190","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55627/mic.001.01.0190","url":null,"abstract":"The Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a major cause of chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) globally. HBV is broadly classified into ten genotypes (A-J). Each genotype is distinctive due to its geographical distribution, response to certain treatments, and association with disease severity. The investigation of HBV genotypes is worthwhile as it will help predict patient prognosis and ensure effective treatment. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalent HBV genotypes in the multiethnic population of Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 206 patients were enrolled in the study from January 2011 to April 2016. Of the 206 patients that we investigated, a total of 159 patients were positive for HBV infection. Furthermore, genotyping analysis of the positive samples revealed that the most common genotypes were HBV D (59% samples (n=94)), co-infection with genotype A & D (22% (n=35)) and genotype A (16% (n=26)). Most of the HBV-positive patients were males between 21 to 40 years of age. As genotype D is associated with worse outcomes, it is imperative that HBV awareness programs are launched to prevent the further spread of infections in this densely populated city.","PeriodicalId":422622,"journal":{"name":"Microbiological &amp; Immunological Communications","volume":"28 7","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"120872100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}