Carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter spp restricted the Therapeutic alternatives

Carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter has appeared an organism of uncertain resistivity towards antimicrobial agents. Among non-fermenting bacterium Acinetobacter is the second-most-commonly-isolated organisms in human. The fast intensify of their resistance to antibiotics, especially global emergence and extend of Acinetobacter strains resistant to carbapenem more restricted the therapeutic alternatives. The importation of A. baumannii and subsequent presence in hospitals has been well documented. In this study we evaluate the resistivity of Acinetobacter against carbapenem antibiotics at Jinnah University for Women, Karachi. Total 439 isolates of Acinetobacter were collected from different clinical samples of hospitalized patients, identified by standard microbiological methods. Antibiograms were done on Mueller-Hinton agar plates with disk diffusion method [Kirby Bauer method]. Disc tested: Meropenem [10 micro g/disk]. Among 439 samples, 300 [68.3%] samples were resistant to Meropenem and the remaining that is 139 [31.7%] showed sensitivity to the drugs. In developing countries including Pakistan the contentment of multi drug resistance and their dissemination in Acinetobacter species is not a simple task. While multiple drug resistance is increasing in this pathogen and Carbapenem conflict is quickly spreading which may become a major threat in future

Screening for toxigenic Escherichia coli in stool samples of diarrhoeal patients by polymerase chain reaction

Escherichia coli [E. coli] are normal flora of the intestines of most animals, including humans. Most strains are harmless and beneficial to host by preventing the establishment of pathogenic bacteria within the intestine. However, some E. coli strains can cause a wide variety of intestinal and extra-intestinal diseases, such as diarrhoea, urinary tract infections, septicaemia, neonatal meningitis and renal complications

Several virulence factors including toxins, adhesins, serine proteases, etc. have been reported in these highly adapted clones

The present study was designed to enumerate toxin genotype through PCR assay in local clinical isolates of E. coli. A total of 37 E. coli strains were collected from different clinical laboratories of Karachi and examined for the presence of shiga toxin 1 [stxl] and shiga toxin 2 [stx2] genes of Eenterohemorrhagic E. Coli [EHEC] and heat stable [sf] and healt labile [If] toxin genes of enterotoxigenic E. Coli [ETEC]

It was observed that 16 strains out of 37 carried one or more type of toxin genes

The presence of stxl gene was significantly higher as it was positive in 10 isolates compared to others toxins

Two in above stxl positive strains were also carrying for stx2 gene. Six out of 37 isolates were positive for It gene, and none of the strains are carrying st gene

Although, the study was carried out with fewer isolates, yet it demonstrated the trend of dispersion of toxin genes and findings can be used to correlate the gastro-intestinal infections and their complications in Pakistan