ABSTRACT
The present study proposed the isolation of arsenic resistant bacteria from wastewater. Only three bacterial isolates (MNZ1, MNZ4 and MNZ6) were able to grow in high concentrations of arsenic. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of arsenic against MNZ1, MNZ4 and MNZ6 were 300 mg/L, 300 mg/L and 370 mg/L respectively. The isolated strains showed maximum growth at 37 ºC and at 7.0 pH in control but in arsenite stress Luria Bertani broth the bacterial growth is lower than control. All strains were arsenite oxidizing. All strains were biochemically characterized and ribotyping (16S rRNA) was done for the purpose of identification which confirmed that MNZ1 was homologous to Enterobacter sp. while MNZ4 and MNZ6 showed their maximum homology with Klebsiella pneumoniae. The protein profiling of these strains showed in arsenic stressed and non stressed conditions, so no bands of induced proteins appeared in stressed conditions. The bacterial isolates can be exploited for bioremediation of arsenic containing wastes, since they seem to have the potential to oxidize the arsenite (more toxic) into arsenate (less toxic) form.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/metabolism , Arsenic/metabolism , Drug Resistance, Bacterial , Enterobacter/drug effects , Klebsiella pneumoniae/drug effects , Wastewater/microbiology , Arsenites/metabolism , DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry , DNA, Ribosomal/genetics , Enterobacter/classification , Enterobacter/growth & development , Enterobacter/isolation & purification , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Klebsiella pneumoniae/classification , Klebsiella pneumoniae/growth & development , Klebsiella pneumoniae/isolation & purification , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Oxidation-Reduction , Proteome/analysis , Ribotyping , /genetics , TemperatureABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (ECOPD) are a major problem worldwide and usually a leading cause for hospitalizations and in some cases, indication for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the length of stay in hospital and outcome of ECOPD patients. We compared the length of hospital stay in the medical ward, intensive care unit (ICU) departments and discharges during a period of six months. METHODS: This was an observational, longitudinal prospective study of 242 COPD patients that were admitted with COPD exacerbation. In each patient, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score and serial arterial blood gases (ABG) were measured upon and during admission. RESULTS: Eighty per cent (194) of242 COPD patients were admitted to the medical department and most of them were discharged within five days. Forty-eight needed IMV and stayed in hospital more than ten days; overall mortality rate was about 5%. CONCLUSION: Most of the hospitalized patients with COPD exacerbation (60%) were discharged within five days, 20% needed IMV and stayed in hospital more than ten days.
ANTECEDENTES: Las exacerbaciones de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) representan un problema grave en todo el mundo, constituyen generalmente una de las causas principales de las hospitalizaciones, y son en algunos casos la indicación de que se requiere ventilación mecánica invasiva (VMI). OBJETIVO: El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la duración de la estancia en el hospital y el resultado de los pacientes de EPOC. Comparamos la duración de la estancia hospitalaria en la sala médica, las unidades de cuidados intensivos (UCI), y las altas producidas en un período de seis meses. MÉTODOS: Se trata de un estudio prospectivo, observacional, y longitudinal de 242 pacientes con EPOC que fueron ingresados con exacerbación de la EPOC. A cada paciente se le hicieron mediciones mediante la puntuación de la escala de Evaluación de la fisiología aguda y salud crónica (APACHE II) y la gasometría arterial seriada, tanto al momento de ingresar como durante el ingreso. RESULTADOS: El ochenta por ciento (194) de los pacientes 242 pacientes con EPOC, fueron ingresados en el departamento médico, y la mayoría de ellos fueron dados de alta en cinco días. Cuarenta y ocho necesitaron VMI, y permanecieron en el hospital más de diez días. La tasa de mortalidad general fue alrededor del 5%. CONCLUSIÓN: La mayoría de los pacientes hospitalizados con exacerbación de la EPOC (60%) fueron dados de alta dentro de cinco días. El 20% necesitó VMI, y se permaneció en el hospital más de diez días.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Patients' Rooms/statistics & numerical data , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/rehabilitation , Intensive Care Units/statistics & numerical data , Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data , Patient Discharge/statistics & numerical data , Respiration, Artificial , Prospective Studies , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/therapyABSTRACT
People of northern Pakistan face health hazards because of poor sanitation practices. Bacterial gastrointestinal infections are very common, and sometimes outbreaks occur. The present study was aimed at evaluating and analyzing infestation of Shigella spp. in patients with suspected gastroenteritis and ascertaining the status of antibiotic therapy. Five hundred and eighty-five faecal samples of patients with suspected gastroenteritis, referred to the District Headquarter Hospital Gilgit, were investigated for common enteropathogenic bacteria from July 1997 to September 1999. Seventy-seven (13.2%) of the faecal specimens were infected with different strains of Shigella spp., 61% of which were Shigella dysenteriae, 15.6% were S. flexneri, and 23.4% were Shigella sp. All Shigella strains were sensitive to ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, and enoxacin. Sixty-one percent of the strains were resistant to both ampicillin and chloramphenicol, and 3.9% to ampicillin and nalidixic acid, while 10.4% were resistant to ampicillin alone and 14.3% to chloramphenicol only. Only 10.4% of the strains were sensitive to all the antibiotics tested. Sixty strains of Shigella spp. were processed for isolation of plasmids, and 58 (97%) of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria harboured at least one plasmid. The number of plasmids varied from 1 to 9. Escherichia coli C600 were transformed with the isolated plasmids. Transformants, containing 23-kb plasmid, resisted growth in media containing antibiotics, thereby indicating that antibiotic resistance is plasmid-borne. Based on the findings of the study, it is concluded that the infestation of Shigella spp. is high in northern Pakistan, the aetiological agents are highly resistant to chloramphenicol and ampicillin, and the antibiotic resistance is mediated by the 23-kb plasmid.