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Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major public health threats globally. This challenge has been aggravated with the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food animals and humans. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Extended-Spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes in Escherichia coli ( E . coli ) isolated from broiler chickens in Kelantan, Malaysia. A total of 320 cloacal swabs were collected from farms in different districts of Kelantan and were analyzed using routine bacteriology, antimicrobial susceptibility test, and molecular techniques for further identification and characterization of ESBL encoding genes. Based on PCR detection for the E . coli species-specific Pho gene, 30.3% (97/320) of isolates were confirmed as E . coli , and 84.5% (82/97) of the isolates were positive for at least one ESBL gene. Majority of the isolates, 62.9% (61/97) were harboring bla CTX-M followed by 45.4% (44/97) of bla TEM genes, while 16.5% (16/97) of the isolates were positive for both mcr-1 and ESBL genes. Overall, 93.8% (90/97) of the E . coli were resistant to three or more antimicrobials; indicating that the isolates were multi-drug resistance. 90.7% of multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index value greater than 0.2, would also suggest the isolates were from high-risk sources of contamination. The MLST result shows that the isolates are widely diverse. Our findings provide insight into the alarmingly high distribution of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, mainly ESBL producing E . coli in apparently healthy chickens indicating the role of food animals in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance, and the potential public health threats it may pose.

Fungi are common opportunistic pathogens that pose a significant threat to immunocompromised patients, particularly when late detection occurs. In this study a multiplex real-time PCR has been developed for simultaneous detection of common fungal pathogens associated with invasive mycoses in a diagnostic setting. The specificity of the assay was rigorously tested on 40 types of organisms ( = 65), demonstrating 100% specificity. The limit of detection was determined to be 100 pg/μl (10 copies/μl), achievable within a rapid 3-h timeframe. The PCR assay efficiency exhibited a range between 89.77% and 104.30% for each target organism, with linearity falling between 0.9780 and 0.9983. This multiplex real-time PCR assay holds promise for enhancing the timely and accurate diagnosis of invasive mycoses, particularly in immunocompromised patient populations.

Background Previous studies on the Burkholderia pseudomallei genetic diversity among clinical isolates from melioidosis-endemic areas have identified genetic factors contributing to differential virulence. Although it has been ruled out in Australian and Thai B. pseudomallei populations, it remains unclear whether B. pseudomallei sequence types (STs) correlate with disease in Malaysian patients with melioidosis. Methods In this study, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was performed on clinical B. pseudomallei isolates collected from Kelantan state of Malaysia, patients’ clinical data were reviewed and then genotype-risk correlations were investigated. Results Genotyping of 83 B. pseudomallei isolates revealed 32 different STs, of which 13(40%) were novel. The frequencies of the STs among the 83 isolates ranged from 1 to 12 observations, and ST54, ST371 and ST289 were predominant. All non-novel STs reported in this study have also been identified in other Asian countries. Based on the MLST data analysis, the phylogenetic tree showed clustering of the STs with each other, as well as with the STs from Southeast Asia and China. No evidence for associations between any of B. pseudomallei STs and clinical melioidosis presentation was detected. In addition, the bacterial genotype clusters in relation with each clinical outcome were statistically insignificant, and no risk estimate was reported. This study has expanded the data for B. pseudomallei on MLST database map and provided insights into the molecular epidemiology of melioidosis in Peninsular Malaysia. Conclusion This study concurs with previous reports concluding that infecting strain type plays no role in determining disease presentation.

Background Colistin is an antibiotic used as a last-resort to treat multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Colistin had been used for a long time in veterinary medicine for disease control and as a growth promoter in food-producing animals. This excessive use of colistin in food animals causes an increase in colistin resistance. This study aimed to determine molecular characteristics of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli in broiler chicken and chicken farm environments. Results Four hundred fifty-three cloacal and farm environment samples were collected from six different commercial chicken farms in Kelantan, Malaysia. E. coli was isolated using standard bacteriological methods, and the isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using disc diffusion and colistin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by broth microdilution. Multiplex PCR was used to detect mcr genes, and DNA sequencing was used to confirm the resistance genes. Virulence gene detection, phylogroup, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were done to further characterize the E. coli isolates. Out of the 425 (94%; 425/453) E. coli isolated from the chicken and farm environment samples, 10.8% (48/425) isolates were carrying one or more colistin-resistance encoding genes. Of the 48 colistin-resistant isolates, 54.2% (26/48) of the mcr positive isolates were genotypically and phenotypically resistant to colistin with MIC of colistin ≥ 4 μg/ml. The most prominent mcr gene detected was mcr-1 (47.9%; 23/48), followed by mcr-8 (18.8%; 9/48), mcr-7 (14.5%; 7/48), mcr-6 (12.5%; 6/48), mcr-4 (2.1%; 1/48), mcr-5 (2.1%; 1/48), and mcr-9 (2.1%; 1/48) genes. One E. coli isolate originating from the fecal sample was found to harbor both mcr-4 and mcr-6 genes and another isolate from the drinking water sample was carrying mcr-1 and mcr-8 genes. The majority of the mcr positive isolates were categorized under phylogroup A followed by phylogroup B1. The most prevalent sequence typing (ST) was ST1771 ( n  = 4) followed by ST206 ( n  = 3). 100% of the mcr positive E. coli isolates were multidrug resistant. The most frequently detected virulence genes among mcr positive E. coli isolates were ast (38%; 18/48) followed by iss (23%; 11/48). This is the first research to report the prevalence of mcr-4, mcr-5, mcr-6, mcr-7, and mcr-8 genes in E. coli from broiler chickens and farm environments in Malaysia. Conclusion Our findings suggest that broiler chickens and broiler farm environments could be reservoirs of colistin-resistant E. coli , posing a risk to public health and food safety.

Ancestry-informative markers (AIMs) can be used to infer the ancestry of an individual to minimize the inaccuracy of self-reported ethnicity in biomedical research. In this study, we describe three methods for selecting AIM SNPs for the Malay population (Malay AIM panel) using different approaches based on pairwise FST, informativeness for assignment (In), and PCA-correlated SNPs (PCAIMs). These Malay AIM panels were extracted from genotype data stored in SNP arrays hosted by the Malaysian node of the Human Variome Project (MyHVP) and the Singapore Genome Variation Project (SGVP). In particular, genotype data from a total of 165 Malay individuals were analyzed, comprising data on 117 individual genotypes from the Affymetrix SNP-6 SNP array platform and data on 48 individual genotypes from the OMNI 2.5 Illumina SNP array platform. The HapMap phase 3 database (1397 individuals from 11 populations) was used as a reference for comparison with the Malay genotype data. The accuracy of each resulting Malay AIM panel was evaluated using a machine learning “ancestry-predictive model” constructed by using WEKA, a comprehensive machine learning platform written in Java. A total of 1250 SNPs were finally selected, which successfully identified Malay individuals from other world populations with an accuracy of 90%, but the accuracy decreased to 80% using 157 SNPs according to the pairwise FST method, while a panel of 200 SNPs selected using In and PCAIMs could be used to identify Malay individuals with an accuracy of approximately 80%.

Background Infections by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) have been continuously growing and pose challenge to health institution globally. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriacea (CRE) was identified as one of the MDR-GNB which has limited treatment options and higher mortality compared to those of sensitive strains. We report an increased burden of CRE fecal carriage at a hospital in the North-eastern region of Malaysia. Methods A retrospective descriptive study from August 2013 to December 2015 was conducted in the Medical Microbiology & Parasitology laboratory of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, which is a tertiary teaching hospital with more than 700 beds. This hospital treats patients with various medical and surgical conditions. Suspected CRE from any clinical specimens received by the laboratory was identified and confirmed using standard protocols. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was performed to determine the genotype. Results Altogether, 8306 Enterobacteriaceae was isolated from various clinical specimens during the study period and 477/8306 (5.74%) were CRE. Majority of the isolated CRE were Klebsiella [408/477, (85.5%)], of which Klebsiella pneumoniae was the predominant species, 388/408 (95%). CRE were mainly isolated from rectal swab (screening), 235/477 (49.3%); urine, 76/477 (15.9%); blood, 46/477 (9.6%) and about 7.1% from tracheal aspirate. One hundred and thirty-six isolates were subjected to genotype determination and., 112/136 (82.4%) showed positive detection of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) gene ( bla NDM1 ). Conclusion The study noted a high numbers of CRE isolated especially from rectal swabs. Active screening results in significant cost pressures and therefore should be revisited and revised, especially in low resource settings.

Despite advancements in antifungal therapies, the development of resistance to conventional drugs has compromised treatment outcomes, creating an urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. Andrographolide, a key bioactive compound from Andrographis paniculata , has demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. However, its antifungal potential, particularly against clinically relevant fungi, remains underexplored. Amphotericin B, a classic antifungal drug, is widely used for severe fungal infections, but limited by its toxicity at higher doses. Combination therapy has emerged as a promising approach to improve treatment outcomes, reduce toxicity, and limit the emergence of resistance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antifungal efficacy of andrographolide, and in combination with amphotericin B against Candida albicans, Microsporum gypseum , Aspergillus fumigatus , Aspergillus terreus , Aspergillus niger , and Trichophyton mentagrophytes . Antifungal activity was evaluated using broth microdilution susceptibility testing, while combination effects were analyzed using a checkerboard technique, utilizing the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index to assess interaction outcomes. The concentration at which inhibition is minimal (MIC) against the examined isolates ranged between 400 and 800 µg/mL. A. fumigatus , A. niger , and T. mentagrophytes showed higher susceptibility with lower MICs (400 µg/mL), while A. terreus , M. gypseum , and C. albicans required higher concentrations (800 µg/mL) for inhibition. The minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values varied, with A. fumigatus and A. niger having MFCs of 800 µg/mL, while the remaining species had MFCs ≥ 1,600 µg/mL. The MFC/MIC ratios indicated fungicidal activity for most isolates, except for M. gypseum and C. albicans . Combination of andrographolide and amphotericin B exhibited antifungal efficacy against A. fumigatus , A. niger , T. mentagrophytes , and C. albicans with FICI values varying from 0.375 to 0.5 (FICI ≤ 0.5) demonstrating a synergistic effect, while it exhibited an additive impact with FICI values of 0.75 (0.5 > FICI ≤ 1.0) against A. terreus and M. gypseum . Andrographolide demonstrated notable antifungal activity, and its combination with amphotericin B enhanced efficacy against certain pathogens. These results highlight andrographolide’s potential as complementary antifungal substance in combination therapies to overcome resistance and reduce toxicity associated with traditional antifungal drugs. However, the variability in response among different fungal species warrants further research to optimize the combination’s clinical application and safety.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat and the use of antibiotics growth promoters in food animals has been implicated as a potential contributing factor in the emergence and spread of AMR. This study was conducted to investigate colistin and carbapenem resistance and extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing E. coli from live broiler chicken and chicken meat in Kelantan, Malaysia. Among the E. coli isolates, 37.5% (27/72 were positive for at least one of the resistance genes and one isolate was positive for mcr-1, bla , bla and bla whereas 4.17% (3/72) and 2.78% (2/72) were positive for mcr-1, bla and bla , and mcr-1, bla and bla . Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) results revealed the presence of widespread E. coli strains belonging to the sequence types ST410 and ST155 and other extra-intestinal E. coli (ExPEC) strains. Phylogroup A made up the majority 51.85% (14/27) followed by phylogroup B1 22.22% (6/27). The findings imply the potential threats of colistin, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing and carbapenem resistant E. coli in food animals to the public health and underscores the need for judicious use of antibiotics in animal production and good hygiene practices to curb the rising risks of AMR.

To critically analyse literature on the anticancer properties of andrographolide in studies on gastric cancer cells. This study systematically reviewed articles from 2013 to 2024 across five prominent databases; PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and Science Direct, EMBASE, Cochrane library and DOAJ. The study eligibility criteria include original studies assessing using gastric cancer cell lines and articles utilizing extracted andrographolide from or standard andrographolide source treatment. The following exclusion criteria were articles written in a different language, review articles, book chapters, conference articles, scientific reports. Duplicated articles were removed using Mendeley software. Out of 93 articles, six were relevant, primarily focusing on analyses with gastric adenocarcinoma cell lines. These studies indicate that andrographolide can hinder the cell cycle, suppress cell proliferation, alleviate oxidative stress, and induce apoptosis by prompting gastric cancer cells to undergo self-destruction, which is a crucial mechanism for controlling and eliminating cancerous growths.