Antibacterial Activity of Chitosan Nanoparticles Against Pathogenic N. gonorrhoea.

PURPOSE: The emergence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains that are resistant to the most commonly used antibiotics represents a great concern for global public health. This challenges the effectiveness of clinical treatment regimens and demands the development of alternative antigonococcal agent. In this regard, chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) are known to have antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogens. Thus, they have become a potential candidate for combatting this era of multi-drug resistance. This study aims to formulate CNPs, characterize their physicochemical properties, and examine their antimicrobial activity against gonococcus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ionic gelation method was used to prepare CNPs of different concentrations. Characterization for their particle size (PZ), polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential (ZP) was performed. The anti-microbial activity of CNPs was investigated against 13 WHO N. gonorrhoeae reference strains, using the broth dilution method. Cytotoxicity of CNPs and their effect on bacterial adhesion to HeLa cells were investigated. RESULTS: The average PZ and ZP of the prepared NPs were increased when the concentration of chitosan was increased from 1 to 5 mg/mL and found to be in the range of 193 nm ± 1.9 to 530 nm ± 13.3, and 14 mV ± 0.5 to 20 mV ± 1, respectively. Transmission electron microscopes (TEM) images revealed spherical NPs, and the NPs had a low PDI value of ≤0.27. The formed CNPs produced antibacterial activity against all tested strains, including those resistant to multiple antibiotics, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC90) of 0.16 to 0.31 mg/mL and a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 0.31 to 0.61 mg/mL. Of note, at all MIC90 and MBC, the CNPs had no significant cytotoxic effect on HeLa cells and reduced bacterial adhesion to these cells at MBC doses. CONCLUSION: The present work findings suggest the potential of the CNPs for the treatment of gonorrhoea.

Community needs and preferences for community pharmacy immunization services.

This study explored the Saudi community's needs and preferences related to community immunization services. Community member's expectations about the services were assessed, and their concerns, attitudes, and beliefs around the pharmacist's role in providing immunization were examined. METHOD: Qualitative in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample that comprised Saudi community members who visited Saudi community pharmacies. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and then translated. Data obtained were then thematically organized and analyzed using NVivo (QSR International) Software. RESULT: A total of 20 interviews were conducted for this study. Seven themes emerged from the interviews and were grouped into three major categories relating to the community pharmacy immunization service: (1) community needs for the service; (2) community expectations of the service; and (3) community concerns, and beliefs around the service. Participants expressed their need for such services and acceptance of immunization performed by community pharmacists, with the expectation that it would improve their immunization uptake and community health in general. However, some participants expressed concerns about community pharmacists current level of ability and skill in providing immunization, the lack of a private area for conducting the service, the lack of female community pharmacists, and the cost of the immunization service. Some participants advocated for supervision of such services by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Saudization of community pharmacy staff. CONCLUSION: The research results clearly demonstrated the Saudi community's need for community pharmacy immunization services, described their expectations, and highlighted their concerns relating to community pharmacy infrastructure and an appropriate level of training for community pharmacist-administered immunization.