Journal of Medical Microbiology

Introduction. There is emerging evidence of a potential role for PET-CT scan as an imaging biomarker to characterise the spectrum of tuberculosis infection (TBI) in humans and animal models. Gap Statement. Synthesis of available evidence from current literature is needed to understand the utility of PET-CT for characterising TBI and how this may inform application of PET-CT in future TBI research. Aim. The aims of this review are to summarise the evidence of PET-CT scan use in immunocompetent hosts with TBI, and compare PET-CT features observed in humans and animal models...

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Introduction . The FilmArray blood culture identification panel (BCID) panel is a multiplex PCR assay with high sensitivity and specificity to identify the most common pathogens in bloodstream infections (BSIs). Hypothesis . We hypothesize that the BCID panel has good diagnostic performance for BSIs and can be popularized in clinical application. Aim: To provide summarized evidence for the diagnostic accuracy of the BCID panel for the identification of positive blood cultures. Methodology. We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases through March 2021 and assessed the efficacy of the diagnostic test of the BCID panel...

Introduction. Antibiotic resistance is a major threat to public health, particularly with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) being a leading cause of antimicrobial resistance. To combat this problem, drug repurposing offers a promising solution for the discovery of new antibacterial agents. Hypothesis. Menadione exhibits antibacterial activity against methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains, both alone and in combination with oxacillin. Its primary mechanism of action involves inducing oxidative stress...

Background. The spread of Enterobacteriaceae coproducing carbapenemases, 16S rRNA methylase and mobile colistin resistance proteins (MCRs) has become a serious public health problem worldwide. This study describes two clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae coharbouring bla IMP-1 , armA and mcr-10 . Methods. Two clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae resistant to carbapenems and aminoglycosides were obtained from two patients at a hospital in Myanmar. Their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by broth microdilution methods...

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Background. Local recurrence and distant metastasis are the main causes of death in patients with cancer. Only considering species abundance changes when identifying markers of recurrence and metastasis in patients hinders finding solutions. Hypothesis. Consideration of microbial abundance changes and microbial interactions facilitates the identification of microbial markers of tumour recurrence and metastasis. Aim. This study aims to simultaneously consider microbial abundance changes and microbial interactions to identify microbial markers of recurrence and metastasis in multiple cancer types...

Introduction. Cancer patients with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) are at a higher risk for adverse outcomes. In addition, a high prevalence of Clostridioides difficile asymptomatic colonization (CDAC) has been reported in this vulnerable population. Gap Statement. The molecular characteristics and potential role of CDAC in healthcare-related transmission in the cancer population have been poorly explored. Aim. We aimed to compare the molecular and genotypic characteristics of C. difficile isolates from cancer patients with CDAC and CDI...

Introduction. Invasive mucormycosis (IM) is a potentially fatal infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales . Histopathology, culture, and radiology are the mainstays of diagnosis, but they are not sufficiently sensitive, resulting in delayed diagnosis and intervention. Recent studies have shown that PCR-based techniques can be a promising way to diagnose IM. Hypothesis/Gap Statement. Early diagnosis of fungal infections using molecular diagnostic techniques can improve patient outcomes, especially in invasive mucormycosis...

Introduction. Otomycosis is a superficial fungal infection that is responsible for approximately 9-27 % of otitis externa. However, fungal communities in otomycosis are varied, but Aspergillus spp. and Candida spp. are the most common causes of this infection. Hypothesis Statement. The multiplex PCR assay is postulated to be able to directly detect more than one fungal genus in cerumen specimens. Aim. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the role of the multiplex PCR assay in detecting the most common genus of fungi that cause otomycosis directly from the cerumen specimens...

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Introduction. COVID-19 caused by SARS CoV-2 continues to be a major health concern globally. Methods for detection of the disease are necessary for public health efforts to monitor the spread of this disease as well as for detecting the emergence of new variants. Gap statement. Collection of Nasopharyngeal swab (NPS), the gold standard sample for the detection of COVID-19 infection by RT-qPCR is invasive and requires the expertise of a trained medical provider. This highlights the need for validating less invasive samples that can be self-collected without the need for trained medical provider...

Introduction. Dairy calves, particularly pre-weaned calves have been identified as a common source of multidrug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli . Gap statement. E. coli strains isolated from dairy calves and the location of their resistance genes (plasmid or chromosomal) have not been well characterised. Aim. To characterise the phenotypic and genotypic features as well as the population structure of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli isolated from calves located on dairy farms that feed waste-milk to their replacement calves...

Introduction. The human oocyte microenvironment is follicular fluid, which is important for follicle growth, ovulation and maturation of the oocyte. The micro-organisms present in follicular fluid could be a predictor of in vitro fertilization outcomes. Hypothesis/Gap Statement. Women with follicular fluid colonized with micro-organisms can be asymptomatic, but the presence of some genera in the follicular fluid correlates with in vitro fertilization. Aim. To confirm the existence of micro-organisms in follicular fluid, and to profile the micro-organisms present in follicular fluid sampled from women undergoing in vitro fertilization with different outcomes...

Introduction. Tigecycline is one of the important antibiotics available for treating infection caused by multiple-drug resistant pathogens. However, the conventional AST methods which are commonly used in clinical microbiology laboratories usually lead to false intermediate or resistant results in testing tigecycline susceptibility, and further mislead clinical antimicrobial therapies. Hypothesis. The modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion (mKB) method was performed based on the traditional standard Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion (sKB) method...

The identification of the novel pneumococcal serotype 7D by Neufeld quellung reaction requires significant expertise. To circumvent this, we developed a simple serotype-specific PCR method to discriminate serotype 7D from the closely related serotypes 7C, 7B and 40. The established PCR was validated with the strain collection of the German National Reference Center for Streptococci (GNRCS). However, no isolate initially assigned as serotype 7B, 7C or 40 was identified as serotype 7D.

Introduction. Caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has threatened global public health. Immune damage mechanisms are essential guidelines for clinical treatment and immune prevention. Hypothesis. The dysregulated type I interferon (IFN-I) responses, lymphocytopenia and hypercytokinemia during SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported. However, whether there is a correlation between levels of IFN-I and the severity of COVID-19 has not been reported yet...

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Swift and widespread deployment of an efficient malaria vaccine in Pakistan, together with basic control and preventive measures, could significantly decrease the economic and healthcare burden caused by drug-resistant malaria. Moreover, the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine has provided a much needed breakthrough after decades of growth, as an innovative vaccine for malaria in phase 3 clinical trials and currently undergoing implementation studies. Vaccination is a potentially critical component of efforts to arrest the development and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance, although little is known about the impact vaccination may have within low- and-middle-income countries...