Characterization of pathogens involved in ventilator associated pneumonia in surgical and medical intensive care units - A single center experience

In the present study 60 samples were collected from lower respiratory tract of patients suffering from Ventilator Associated Pneumonia [VAP] admitted in surgical and medical Intensive Care Units [ICUs] of Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan. Recovered pathogens were characterized and their susceptibility pattern against commonly used antibacterial agents investigated. Most frequent bacterial pathogen found was methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA] [40%] followed by members of Enterobacteriaceae [22%; of which Escherichia coll [50%], Klebsiella pneumonia [30%], Enterobacter cloacae [10%] and Citrobacter freundii [10%], Pseudomonas aeruginosa 20% and Acinetobacter baumannii 18%. Majority of the specimens yielded polymicrobial growth [85.75% polymicrobial growth compared to 14.25% specimens yielding monomicrobial growth]. The susceptibility pattern showed that A. baumannii was the most resistant bacterial pathogen. Based on the results of susceptibility pattern obtained in the present study, combination of linezolid with meropenem and colistin has been found to be the best combination option for empirical therapy for VAP pathogens in this region

In vitro activity of antimicrobial agents against streptococcus pyogenes isolated from different regions of Khyber Pakhtun Khwa Pakistan

The present study investigates the antibiotic resistance of S. pyogenes of 600 isolates collected from different body parts including throat and sputum were analyzed for their antimicrobial susceptibility to 5 antibiotics using the Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Based on different identification tests including, gram staining, beta hemolysis, catalase test and bacitracin sensitivity test, a total of 138 isolates were confirmed as S. pyogenes. The prevalence of S. pyogenes was 80% in sore throat and 29% in sputum samples. These isolates were further tested for antibiotics resistance using disk diffusion method. Out of 138 isolates, 49.27% isolates showed resistance towards cefixime, 28.98% towards cefotaxime and 17.39% towards ciprofloxacin, 17.39% towards ampicillin, 17.39% towards erythromycin, 15.94% towards streptomycin, 0.724% isolates towards chloromphenicol and 0% towards penicillin. Among the resistant isolates of S. pyogenes, 60.71% showed resistance towards cefixime, 57.14% towards ciprofloxacin, 57.14% towards streptomycin, 50% towards erythromycin and 25% towards cefotaxime

Fungi as chemical industries and genetic engineering for the production of biologically active secondary metabolites

Fungi is somewhere in between the micro and macro organisms which is a good source of producing biologically active secondary metabolites. Fungi have been used as tool for producing different types of secondary metabolites by providing different nutrients at different laboratory conditions. The fungi have been engineered for the desired secondary metabolites by using different laboratory techniques, for example, homologous and heterologous expressions. This review reported how the fungi are used as chemical industry for the production of secondary metabolites and how they are engineered in laboratory for the production of desirable metabolites; also the biosynthetic pathways of the bio-organic-molecules were reported.