High Prevalence of Toxigenic and Nontoxigenic Clostridium difficile Strains in Malaysia.

Accumulating evidence shows a high prevalence of in Southeast Asia associated with a range of clinical presentations. However, severe infections are rarely reported. We investigated infection (CDI) across four hospitals in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Bharu, Malaysia.

Imipenem Treatment Induces Expression of Important Genes and Phenotypes in a Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Isolate.

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a notorious multidrug-resistant pathogen, and development of novel control measures is of the utmost importance. Understanding the factors that play a role in drug resistance may contribute to the identification of novel therapeutic targets. Pili are essential for A.

Fatal case of amoebic liver abscess in a child.

We reported a case of amoebic liver abscess (ALA) in a 6-year-old Malaysian boy who presented with fever, lethargy, diarrhoea and right hypochondriac pain. On admission he was diagnosed with perforated acute appendicitis and a laparotomy was done. After surgery he developed acute respiratory distress.

Development of an instrument to measure medical students' perceptions of the assessment environment: initial validation.

Introduction: Assessment environment, synonymous with climate or atmosphere, is multifaceted. Although there are valid and reliable instruments for measuring the educational environment, there is no validated instrument for measuring the assessment environment in medical programs. This study aimed to develop an instrument for measuring students' perceptions of the assessment environment in an undergraduate medical program and to examine the psychometric properties of the new instrument.

Evolution of Influenza B Virus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between 1995 and 2008.

Influenza B virus causes significant disease but remains understudied in tropical regions. We sequenced 72 influenza B viruses collected in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 1995 to 2008. The predominant circulating lineage (Victoria or Yamagata) changed every 1 to 3 years, and these shifts were associated with increased incidence of influenza B.

In vitro properties of designed antimicrobial peptides that exhibit potent antipneumococcal activity and produces synergism in combination with penicillin.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a promising class of novel antimicrobial agents owing to their potent antimicrobial activity. In this study, two lead peptides from unrelated classes of AMPs were systematically hybridized into a series of five hybrid peptides (DM1-DM5) with conserved N- and C-termini. This approach allows sequence bridging of two highly dissimilar AMPs and enables sequence-activity relationship be detailed down to single amino acid level.

Activity of Novel Synthetic Peptides against Candida albicans.

Candida spp. are the most common causes of fungal infections worldwide. Among the Candida species, Candida albicans remains the predominant species that causes invasive candidiasis in most countries.

Draft Genome Sequence of Dematiaceous Coelomycete Pyrenochaeta sp. Strain UM 256, Isolated from Skin Scraping.

Pyrenochaeta, classified under the order Pleosporales, is known to cause diseases in plants and humans. Here, we report a draft genome sequence of a Pyrenochaeta sp. isolated from a skin scraping, with an estimated genome size of 39.

Draft Genome Sequence of Herpotrichiellaceae sp. UM 238 Isolated from Human Skin Scraping.

Herpotrichiellaceae spp. are known to be opportunistic human pathogens. Here, we report the ~28.

Draft Genome Sequence of the First Isolate of Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Malaysia.

The emergence of the global threat of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals weaknesses in tuberculosis management and diagnostic services. We report the draft genome sequence of the first extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain isolated in Malaysia. The sequence was also compared against a reference strain to elucidate the polymorphism that is related to their extensive resistance.

Ceftriaxone resistance and genes encoding extended-spectrum β-lactamase among non-typhoidal Salmonella species from a tertiary care hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The prevalence of ceftriaxone resistance and the associated genes encoding extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) was determined in 149 non-duplicate non-typhoidal Salmonella isolated in 2008-2009 from patients in a tertiary care hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The resistance rate to ceftriaxone was 2.7% (2/74) in 2008, 4.

Detection of quorum sensing signal molecules and identification of an autoinducer synthase gene among biofilm forming clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp.

Background: Quorum sensing is a term that describes an environmental sensing system that allows bacteria to monitor their own population density which contributes significantly to the size and development of the biofilm. Many gram negative bacteria use N-acyl-homoserine lactones as quorum sensing signal molecules. In this study, we sought to find out if the biofilm formation among clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp.

Genome sequence of an unclassified pleosporales species isolated from human nasopharyngeal aspirate.

Pleosporales is the largest order in the fungal class Dothideomycetes. We report the 36,814,818-bp draft genome sequence and gene annotation of UM1110, a Pleosporales isolate associated with unclassified genera that is potentially a new fungal species. Analysis of the genome sequence led to the finding of genes associated with fungal adhesive proteins, secreted proteases, allergens, and pseudohyphal development.

In vitro activity of tigecycline against Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from a teaching hospital in Malaysia.

The In vitro susceptibility of clinical and environmental isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii to tigecycline and other antibiotics was determined by disk diffusion method. The E-test was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The growth curves of tigecycline treated environmental and clinical strains were established.

Sequencing of Cladosporium sphaerospermum, a Dematiaceous fungus isolated from blood culture.

Cladosporium sphaerospermum is one of the most widely distributed allergens causing serious problems in patients with respiratory tract disease. We report the 26,644,473-bp draft genome sequence and gene annotation of C. sphaerospermum UM843.

Draft genome sequence of Daldinia eschscholzii isolated from blood culture.

Daldinia eschscholzii is an invasive endophyte that is most commonly found in plant tissues rich in secondary metabolites. We report the draft genome sequence of D. eschscholzii isolated from blood culture.

Proteinase, phospholipase, biofilm forming abilities and antifungal susceptibilities of Malaysian Candida isolates from blood cultures.

This study was conducted to determine the proteinase, phospholipase, and biofilm forming abilities of Candida isolates in blood cultures of specimens from patients at the University Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Proteinase and phospholipase activities were detected in 93.7% and 73.

Macrorestriction analysis and antimicrobial susceptibility profiling of Salmonella enterica at a University Teaching Hospital, Kuala Lumpur.

The genetic diversity and antimicrobial resistance rates of clinical Salmonella isolates (2007-2008) at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, were investigated and the genetic diversity of the isolates was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP)-PCR. XbaI-PFGE analysis generated 57 profiles (Dice coefficient, F=0.08-1.

Susceptibility of Enterococcus faecalis biofilm to antibiotics and calcium hydroxide.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial efficacy of six groups of antibiotics and calcium hydroxide against Enterococcus faecalis biofilm in a membrane filter model. Two-day-old E. faecalis (ATCC 29212) biofilm was exposed to ampicillin, co-trimoxazole, erythr omycin, oxytetracycline, vancomycin, vancomycin followed by gentamicin, Ca(OH)(2), and phosphate-buffered saline (control).

Rotavirus and other enteropathogens in childhood acute diarrhoea: a study of two centres in Malaysia.

Aim: To study the role of rotavirus in children hospitalised for acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in two urban hospitals in Malaysia.

Methods: A 12-month prospective study (January to December 2002), in children younger than 14 years with AGE hospitalised to the paediatric units of University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur; and Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA), Johor Bahru, Malaysia was conducted.

Results: In 2002, 399 and 1307 children with AGE were admitted to UMMC and HSA, respectively.

Eikenella corrodens from a brain abscess.

A 2-year-old boy with underlying congenital cyanotic heart disease presented with seizures and fever and was found to have bilateral parietal cerebral abscesses. Drainage of the pus from the abscesses was done in stages; on the day of admission, four days after admission and 3 weeks after admission. Although the pus from the first drainage did not grow any organisms, the pus from the second drainage on the fourth day of admission yielded a mixed growth of Eikenella corrodens and Streptococcus milleri.

Salmonellosis in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus: a report of seven cases from Malaysia.

Persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an increased risk of salmonellosis when compared to the general population. We describe seven such patients with Salmonella bacteremia, of whom two had recurrent salmonellosis. In the latter two cases the infection was unusually severe, characterized by widespread infection, bacteremia and relapse, despite standard antimicrobial therapy.