Identification and mechanism determination of the efflux pump subunit amrB gene mutations linked to gentamicin susceptibility in clinical Burkholderia pseudomallei from Malaysian Borneo.

The bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is typically resistant to gentamicin but rare susceptible strains have been isolated in certain regions, such as Thailand and Sarawak, Malaysia. Recently, several amino acid substitutions have been reported in the amrB gene (a subunit of the amrAB-oprA efflux pump gene) that confer gentamicin susceptibility. However, information regarding the mechanism of the substitutions conferring the susceptibility is lacking.

Metagenomics profiling for assessing microbial diversity in both active and closed landfills.

The municipal landfill is an example of human-made environment that harbours some complex diversity of microorganism communities. To evaluate this complexity, the structures of bacterial communities in active (operational) and closed (non-operational) landfills in Malaysia were analysed with culture independent metagenomics approaches. Several points of soil samples were collected from 0 to 20cm depth and were subjected to physicochemical test, such as temperature, pH, and moisture content.