Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Respiratory Pathogens In Patients With Acute Exacerbation Of Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis From A Developing Country, Shayan Shahid, Kausar Jabeen, Nousheen Iqbal, Joveria Farooqi, Muhammad Irfan

Medical College Documents

Bronchiectasis unrelated to cystic fibrosis (non-CF bronchiectasis) has become a major respiratory disease in developing nations. The dilated mucus filled airways promote bacterial overgrowth followed by chronic infection, bronchial inflammation, lung injury and re-infection Accurate pathogen identification and antimicrobial susceptibility allowing appropriate treatment, in turn, may break this vicious cycle. To study the spectrum and antimicrobial spectrum of pathogen yielded from respiratory specimens in adult patients with acute exacerbation of non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis. This cross-sectional study was performed at the pulmonology clinics of the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan from 2016-2019. Respiratory specimens were collected from adult patients with …

Molecular Surveillance Of Drug Resistance: Plasmodium Falciparum Artemisinin Resistance Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In Kelch Protein Propeller (K13) Domain From Southern Pakistan, Najia Karim Ghanchi, Bushra Qurashi, Hadiqa Raees, Mohammad Asim Beg

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: K13 propeller (k13) polymorphism are useful molecular markers for tracking the emergence and spread of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum. Polymorphisms are reported from Cambodia with rapid invasion of the population and almost near fixation in south East Asia. The study describes single nucleotide polymorphisms in Kelch protein propeller domain of P. falciparum associated with artemisinin resistance from Southern Pakistan.
Methods: Two hundred and forty-nine samples were collected from patients with microscopy confirmed P. falciparum malaria attending Aga Khan University Hospital during September 2015-April 2018. DNA was isolated using the whole blood protocol for the QIAmp DNA Blood Kit. …

Temporal Trends Of Molecular Markers Associated With Artemether- Lumefantrine Tolerance/Resistance In Bagamoyo District, Tanzania, M. Malmberg, B. Ngasala, P.E. Ferreira, E. Larsson, I. Jovel, A. Hjalmarsson, M. Petzold, Zul Premji, J.P. Gil, A. Bjorkman, A. Martensson

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Development and spread of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) constitutes a major threat to recent global malaria control achievements. Surveillance of molecular markers could act as an early warning system of ACT-resistance before clinical treatment failures are apparent. The aim of this study was to analyse temporal trends of established genotypes associated with artemether-lumefantrine tolerance/resistance before and after its deployment as first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in Tanzania 2006.

Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the P. falciparum multidrug resistance gene 1 (pfmdr1) N86Y, Y184F, D1246Y and P. falciparum chloroquine transporter gene (pfcrt) K76T were analysed from …

In Vitro Susceptibility Of Typhoidal Salmonellae Against Newer Antimicrobial Agents: A Search For Alternate Treatment Options, Saba Qaiser, Seema Irfan, Erum Khan, Tanwir Ahsan, Afia Zafar

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

OBJECTIVES: To determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ceftriaxone, azithromycin, pefloxacin, cefipime and imipenem for Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) and Paratyphi.

METHODS: One hundred and fifty four isolates of Salmonella Typhi and S. Paratyphi A, B and C growing in blood culture were selected. MICs of ceftriaxone, azithromycin, pefloxacin, cefipime and imipenem were performed by agar dilution method as recommended by clinical laboratory standard institutes.

RESULTS: MIC90 of azithromycin and pefloxacin was 8 microg/ml, cefipime was 0.06 microg/ml and imipenem was 0.5 microg/ml. None of the strains were found to be resistant to ceftriaxone but 3 isolates showed higher …

Primary Drug Resistance To Antituberculous Drugs In Nwfp Pakistan, Arshad Javaid, Abdul Ghafoor, Abdul Rab, Anila Basit, Zia Ullah, Shaukat Ali, Afia Zafar, Rumina Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To assess the prevalence of Primary drug resistance to Antituberculous drugs in NWFP
Method: A cross-sectional prevalence study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of drug resistance among new TB patients, using a non-probability convenience sampling methodology. Sample size was calculated according to the population and WHO's estimated incidence of smear positive tuberculosis in the province/country. Sputum samples were obtained from 122 newly diagnosed patients of pulmonary tuberculosis from centres in Peshawar and Abbotabad in NWFP.
Results: Sensitivities were performed by proportion method which showed the following resistance values in 118 eligible patients: 15 (12.7 %) …

A Point Mutation In Codon 76 Of Pfcrt Of P. Falciparum Is Positively Selected For By Chloroquine Treatment In Tanzania, A.G. Schneider, Zul Premji, I. Felger, T. Smith, S. Abdulla, H.-P. Beck, H. Mshinda

Pathology, East Africa

This study was undertaken to validate the relevance of Chloroquine (CQ) resistance markers pfert76 and pfmdrl86 in an endemic area in Tanzania. After treatment with CQ, recrudescence was distinguished from new infection by msp2 genotyping, and the number of concurrent infection was also determined. The rate of children with recrudescent parasites at day 7 and/or day 14 amounted to a parasitological failure rate of 22.4% using PCR. The mean multiplicity of infection at day 0 was 3.2 (n = 71). The allelic frequencies of the mutated pfert76 and pfmdrl86 were estimated to be 92 and 77%, respectively. Both values exceeded …