Four-year survey of the quality of antimicrobial medicines in Cambodia / 国際保健医療

Background and Objectives  Falsified or substandard antimicrobials present a health hazard to patients, and may promote antimicrobials resistance. We conducted a four-year study to evaluate the quality of selected antimicrobials and to examine the prevalence of falsified or substandard antimicrobials in Cambodia, aiming to promote efforts to improve the quality of medicines in Cambodia.Methods   We collected samples of clarithromycin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, levofloxacin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, fluconazole, nalidixic acid, ofloxacin, phenoxymethyl penicillin and roxithromycin products from several different types of drug outlets in five provinces (rural areas) and Phnom Penh (an urban area), during 2011 to 2014. The authenticity of the collected medicines was investigated, and the medicines were analyzed to determine whether they met the appropriate pharmacopoeial standards.Results   We collected 647 samples, produced by 179 manufacturers, from 353 outlets. Only 51 (15%) of the outlets were air-conditioned. We found different-coloured packaging of the same brand (different lots) of products from some manufacturers. The insert information of one sample was different from the package information. Twelve (1.9%) samples were not officially registered with Department of Drug and Food (DDF). In authenticity investigation, 43 of 179 manufacturers replied and confirmed the authenticity of 154 samples (out of 647); also, 18 out of 40 Medicine Regulatory Authority (MRA) replied to enquiries about whether products were licensed or not (one was not). Among the samples, 424 (80.4%), 406 (86%) and 533 (90.6%) passed in dissolution, content uniformity and quantity tests, respectively. Samples of cefuroxime and roxithromycin that failed were significantly cheaper than those that passed.Conclusion  Poor-quality antimicrobials were found in Cambodian markets, though no falsified medicines were detected. Result of samples were not confirmed in authenticity, so it was possible to include falsified medicines. Manufacturers should be encouraged to improve GMP implementation. Storage conditions in the distribution chain may also need to be improved. Continuous efforts by stakeholders are needed to ensure that medicines are properly licensed.

Serological prevalence of brucellosis of cattle in selected dairy farms in Bangladesh / 대한수의학회지

This study was conducted to investigate the status of brucellosis in dairy cattle from five selected dairy farms in the Mohammadpur Beribadh area of Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was carried out from October 2010 to March 2011 in which a total of 334 serum samples from cattle in five herds were screened by the Rose-Bengal plate-agglutination test (RBPT) and the positives were confirmed using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA). A structured questionnaire was used to collect epidemiological information describing the animals. Overall, 4.20% of the animals were RBPT positive, while subsequent confirmatory tests with I-ELISA revealed that the overall animal-level prevalence derived from the samples was 1.20%. Additionally, the prevalence was relatively higher in females than in males. A significant association was found between abortion, age of the animals, and the occurrence of brucellosis (p < 0.05). Considering the overall low prevalence of brucellosis in the selected farms in the present study, a brucellosis eradication program for dairy farms using a test-and-slaughter policy would be possible.

Biological Screening of a Novel Nickel (II) Tyrosine Complex

A newly synthesized Nickel (II) tyrosine complex was screened as potential antimicrobial agent against a number of medically important bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus beta-haemolytica, Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenterae) and fungi (Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium sp.) strains. were used for antifungal activity. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the Agar Disc method. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentration of the complexes was determined against the same pathogenic bacteria and the values were found between 4~64 microg ml(-1). Brine shrimp bioassay was carried out for cytotoxicity measurements of the complexes. The LC50 values were calculated after probit transformation of the resulting mortality data and found to be 6 microg ml(-1).