Prevalence of qnr Genes among Multidrug Resistance Staphylococcus aureus from Clinical Isolates

Objectives: Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus) is regarded as an important aetiological agent of various human infections. Fluoroquinolonesare routinely used in the chemotherapeutic management of these infections; nonetheless, in recent years, a growing rate of resistance to these drugs has been reported worldwide. The aims of this study were to isolate and discover the prevalence of plasmid-mediated (qnrA, qnrB, and qnrS) genes among the quinolone-resistant clinical S. aureusisolates in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.Methods: A total of 25 (31.25%) clinical isolates of S. aureuswere collected from hospitalized patients. The bacterial isolates were identified through standard laboratory protocols and further confirmed using the API Staph system (bioMérieux, France) test strips. The antimicrobial susceptibility and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were determined by the standard disk diffusionand serial dilutions methods respectively. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for detecting qnrA, qnrB, and qnrSgenes.Results: Of the 25 S. aureus isolates, 19(76.00%) were resistant to ampicillin-cloxacillin, while 14 (56.00%) each were resistantto norfloxacin and Amoxicillin, 13 (52.00%) each to gentamicin and erythromycin, 11 (44.00%) were resistant to streptomycin, rifampicin and ciprofloxacin, respectively. The resistance pattern among the isolates to chloramphenicol and levofloxacin were 10 (40.00%) and 7 (28.00%) respectively. All the eleven ciprofloxacin resistant were high-level (1000 μg/mL) resistance isolates and only one (9.00%) of these isolates was positive for the qnrBgene.Conclusion: The study results were indicative of the presence of low frequency of qnrgenes among the clinical isolates of S. aureusin Yenagoa, indicating that other mechanisms are employed in resisting to these fluoroquinolones. This, however, emphasizes the need for establishing discreet policies associated with infection-control measures in hospital settings

Azole Resistance and Detection of the ERG11 Gene in Clinical Candida albicans Isolated from Pregnant Women with Vulvovaginitis Attending Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Nigeria

Introduction:Candida albicansis one of the most important aetiological agents causing vaginal candidiasis in pregnant women.Most women will experience at least one episode during their reproductive years. Antifungal resistance is a particular problem with Candida infections. Some types of Candida are increasingly resistant to the first-line and second-line antifungal medications.Objective:To investigate the azole susceptibility of Candida albicans(C. albicans) from pregnant vulvovaginal candidiasis patients and to detect ERG11gene in these azole resistance isolates.Methods:Forty-one clinical isolates of C. albicanswere collected. Azole susceptibility was tested in vitrousing microdilution techniques.The ERG11genes of 27 isolates of C. albicans(All resistant to azoles) were amplified using PCR method

Multiple Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria on Fluted Pumpkin Leaves, a Herb of Therapeutic Value.

Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) is a minimally-processed green leafy vegetable traditionally used for its antianaemic properties in the form of leaf juice without a heating or inactivation step before consumption. The aim of the study was to assess the presence of surface microbiota on T. occidentalis leaves and also to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated organisms. Bacterial contaminants on 50 samples of T. occidentalis leaves were isolated and characterized using standard biochemical methods and the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated organisms was determined using the antibiotic disc diffusion assay. The results obtained show that the leaves of T. occidentalis is contaminated with organisms which included Enterobacter agglomerans (25.9%), Proteus vulgaris (24.9%), Klebsiella spp. (2.6%), and Serratia liquefaciens (2.1%). Other bacterial isolates recovered in order of frequency included: Staphylococcus spp. (33.7%), Bacillus spp. (8.3%), and Pseudomonas fluorescens (2.6%). Of the 193 bacterial isolates from the leaves of T. occidentalis samples tested for antimicrobial resistance, all (100%) were found to be resistant to ampicillin, cloxacillin, augmentin, erythromycin, and tetracycline while 96% of the isolates were resistant to cephalothin. Resistance to trimethoprim (93%) and gentamicin (83%) was also observed. Approximately, 22% of the isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin; however, only 11 (5.8%) were resistant to ofloxacin. Thus, uncooked T. occidentalis is a potential source of highly-resistant epiphytic bacteria which could be opportunistic pathogens in consumers.