Second-line drug susceptibilities of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis strains isolated in Thailand: an update.

The increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and the emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) globally hamper the successful treatment and effective control of TB. Information on second-line drug susceptibility, which is of utmost importance for patient care, is still limited. This study demonstrates the susceptibilities of 1447 strains of MDR-TB, including 58 XDR-TB strains, isolated from Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, to aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, ethionamide (ETH), para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) and linezolid.

Eleven-year experience on anti-TB drugs direct susceptibility testing from Siriraj Hospital, Thailand.

The early detection of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) strains is of utmost importance for patient management and effective TB control programs. This study aimed to demonstrate the performance of direct drug susceptibility testing (DST) performed in our laboratory in the past 11 years. The direct DST was performed on Middlebrook 7H10 medium using isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF), and the results were compared with those obtained from indirect DST (gold standard).

Evaluation of an in-house immunoperoxidase staining assay for histodiagnosis of human pythiosis.

Pythiosis, a life-threatening infectious disease of humans and animals in tropical and subtropical countries, is caused by the fungus-like organism Pythium insidiosum. As diagnosis of pythiosis is difficult, delayed diagnosis of pythiosis leads to poor prognosis. We developed an immunoperoxidase staining assay using rabbit anti-P.

Hemagglutination test for rapid serodiagnosis of human pythiosis.

Human pythiosis is an emerging, life-threatening infectious disease, caused by the oomycete Pythium insidiosum. Thailand is an area where human pythiosis is endemic and the genetic blood disorder thalassemia is a predisposing factor. Patients with pythiosis present with arterial occlusions of the lower extremities, corneal ulcers, or chronic cutaneous infections.

Transcriptome analyses extend understanding of Streptococcus pyogenes regulatory mechanisms and behavior toward immunomodulatory substances.

The recent genome sequencing of several Streptococcus pyogenes serotype strains allowed the design of corresponding DNA microarrays and their usage for specific transcriptome analyses. In the present study, we employed transcriptomics together with functional tests to investigate the impact of the CiaH sensor gene of the CiaRH two-component regulator on gene expression and virulence traits of serotype M49 S. pyogenes strains CS101 and 591.