ABSTRACT
To evaluate a new Modified Anda-TB IgG ELISA test for the serodiagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients and controls. The study was carried out between January to December 2010 at the Microbiology Department, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah. The Anda IgG and IgM ELISA tests were run on 674 patient's sera which included 378 active cases of TB, 196 patients suffering from lower respiratory tract infections and 100 healthy blood donors. The ages of the patients [active cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and lower respiratory tract infections] and controls, ranged from 15-85 years with a mean age of 37 years. Smear and culture examinations were done according to standard procedures. Sera were obtained from the patients before receiving anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy and were stored at -70°C until they were tested. Patients were excluded from the study if they had received anti-tuberculosis drugs within the preceding 12 months. Anda IgG antibodies were found in 230/378 [61%] patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis, in lower respiratory tract infection [LRT] group, 24/196 [12.2%] patients were positive, while 6% were positive in the healthy blood donor group. Anda IgM was positive in 29/378 [7.7%] patients with active TB, 5.6% with LRT and 1% blood donors. This study showed that about 61 % active TB patients had Anda IgG antibodies against A 60 antigen while, only 8% had Anda IgM
ABSTRACT
Acinetobacter baumannii causes infections of respiratory, urinary tract, blood stream and surgical sites. Its clinical significance has increased due to its rapidly developing resistance to major groups of antibiotics used for its treatment. There is limited data available on antimicrobial susceptibility of A.baumannii from Saudi Arabia. To determine the patterns of drug resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii and predisposing factors for its acquisition. In this descriptive study, 72 hospitalized patients infected with A.baumannii were studied. The clinical and demographic data of the patients were collected using a predesigned questionnaire. Isolation and identification of A.baumannii from all clinical specimens were done using standard microbiological methods. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by disk diffusion method recommended by Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute. Majority of the isolates [61.1%] were from respiratory tract infections. A.baumannii isolates showed high drug resistance to piperacillin [93.1%], aztreonam [80.5%], ticarcillin, ampicillin, and tetracycline [76.4%, each] and cefotaxime [75%]. Only amikacin showed low rate of resistance compared to other antibiotics [40.3%]. About 36% patients had some underlying diseases with diabetes mellitus [11%] being the predominant underlying disease. High antimicrobial resistance to commonly used antibiotics was seen against A.baumannii isolates. Only amikacin was most effective against it
ABSTRACT
Bacteriological examination of sputum is the cornerstone in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis [PTB] in developing countries. The risk of spread of infection and emergence of drug resistant strains has created the need for rapid, sensitive and specific diagnostic tests. The presence of acid fast bacilli [AFB] was investigated comparatively with the Ziehl-Neelsen [ZN] and the Fluorochrome [FC] staining techniques in order to evaluate them in detecting PTB. A total of 400 specimens obtained from clinically diagnosed PTB cases were analyzed. The culture was used as the "gold standard". Eighty five patients [21.3%] were diagnosed as having tuberculosis [TB] by culture. The positive yield found with the staining techniques was 16% by ZN and 17.8% by FC. The ZN and FC sensitivity and specificity was found to be 62.4%/96.5% and 76%/98.1% respectively. The positive predictive value [PPV] and negative predictive value [NPV] for the two staining techniques was found to be 82.8%/90.5% and 91.5%/94% respectively. In conclusion, our data indicate that the fluorochrome staining method was found to be more efficient and reliable when compared to the Ziehl-Neelsen staining method for the primary diagnosis of tuberculosis
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Staining and Labeling , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/isolation & purification , Sputum/microbiology , Fluorescent DyesABSTRACT
To determine the prevalence of rotavirus in infants and young children in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. A population-based prevalence study was done in randomly selected infants and young children suffering from acute diarrhoea. Faecal specimens were collected from 479 patients. A latex agglutination test was used for rotavirus detection. All positive and 10 negative samples for rotavirus by latex agglutination were also tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. Rotavirus was detected in 48 [10%] patients using latex agglutination test. ELISA detected 46/48 positive samples. Ten samples that tested negative with latex test were also negative with ELISA. Infection with rotavirus was more frequent among infants and children < 2 years old, with a maximum incidence among children 0-12 months. Rotavirus infection was 3.1% in Saudi nationals, compared to 6.9% in other nationalities. In this study the prevalence rate of 10% was low compared to other studies done in different regions of Saudi Arabia. This low rate could be due to the geographical location of Makkah with very hot and dry summer, and mild winter and almost no rain throughout the year