Seroprevalence and molecular detection of brucellosis among Pakistani women with spontaneous abortion.

Background: Human brucellosis is a neglected disease transmitted to humans from animals such as cattle, goats, dogs, and swine. The causative agents are bacteria of the genus , intracellular pathogens usually confined to the reproductive organs of their animal hosts causing sterility and abortions. The objective of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis among women with spontaneous abortions (SAW) and compare this seroprevalence with that of healthy pregnant women (HPW).

Different Species of Epigeic and Anecic Earthworms Cause Similarly Effective and Beneficial Biocomposting-A Case Study Involving the Pernicious Aquatic Weed Salvinia (, Mitchell).

As reported recently by the present authors, vermicomposting by the epigeic earthworm transforms the highly ligninous and allelopathic aquatic weed salvinia () into a benign organic fertilizer. The present study was carried out with four other earthworm species, including three epigeic species of different sizes and phytophagic habits: and . One anecic species, with geophytophagous habits, was also explored for comparison: .

The fecundity and the vermicomposting efficiency of three generations of four earthworm species in high-rate vermireactors fed with the pernicious aquatic weed salvinia.

With vermireactors designed on the basis of the concept of high-rate vermicomposting recently introduced by S.A. Abbasi and co-workers, it has become possible to directly vermicompost phytomass, including pernicious weeds.

Risk Factors for Acute Brucellosis in Patients on the Day of Admission at Selected Hospitals of Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Brucellosis is a neglected zoonotic disease of ruminants. It causes severe health problems in humans and significant economic loss. Only a limited number of studies have been conducted in Pakistan to determine the prevalence of human brucellosis and related risk factors.

Role of different earthworm species in nullifying the toxicity of and enhancing its utility as a phytoremediator.

The dreaded weed ipomea (), has shown promise as a versatile phytoremediator. But plants exude several alkaloids and phenols which are harmful to plants as well as animals. Due to this, the weed imparts as much or more toxicity to the soil as it remediates.

In vitro efficacy of Daptomycin against clinical isolates of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in the Department of Microbiology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi, from March 2019 to September 2019 to determine the in vitro efficacy of Daptomycin against clinical isolates of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Consecutive non-probability sampling technique was used and a total number of 270 patients' Pan Cultures having MRSA growth on Cefoxatin Disc with size less than 22 mm zone size were included in the study. Cultures were inoculated on MacConkey, Chocolate and Blood agar and then incubated for 24 hours at 37 degree Celsius.

Genetic Diversity of Strains from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

is an important healthcare-associated bacterium that causes a multitude of infections in humans such as superficial skin and soft tissue infections, necrotizing pneumonia, foodborne illnesses and postsurgical infections. Treatment of infections has become more complicated due to the emergence of Methicillin-Resistant (MRSA), some of which are multidrug resistant. The present study aimed to characterize isolates from a tertiary care hospital in the Rawalpindi district of Pakistan.

Phenotypic detection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase in multidrug-resistant acinetobacter baumannii isolated in Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi.

Objective: To evaluate the phenotypic detection of extended-spectrum betalactamase in multidrug-resistant acinetobacter baumannii.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Microbiology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from August 2018 to April 2019, after the ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee. Consecutive Non- probability sampling technique was used, and comprised clinical specimens, including pus, blood, sputum, urine, tracheal tubes and canula double lumen, which were processed using standard protocols.

Diversity of Carbapenem Resistance Mechanisms in Clinical Gram-Negative Bacteria in Pakistan.

Antibiotic resistance is a health challenge worldwide. Carbapenem resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is a major problem since treatment options are very limited. Tigecycline and colistin are drugs of choice in this case, but resistance to these drugs is also high.

Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus isolates in Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi.

The current study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi, from July 2018 to January 2019. The main purpose of the study was to evaluate Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. Clinical samples were collected and cultured according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines.

Ability of Indian pennywort Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell in the phytoremediation of sewage (greywater).

The freely and abundantly available amphibious plant Indian pennywort Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell was able to phytoremediate sewage (greywater) quickly and substantially in SHEFROL® ("sheet flow root level") bioreactors, achieving reductions in the levels of several indicator parameters: suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, copper, nickel, and manganese to the extents of about 90%, 76-77%, 80%, 65%, 55%, 56%, 42%, and 41%, respectively at hydraulic retention times of just 6 h. As these indicators of primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments were achieved simultaneously in a single reactor compartment, the system presented in this paper promises to be simple, rapid, and economical, in achieving significant treatment of greywater.

Susceptibility pattern of tracheal tube isolates from Intensive Care Unit of Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of resistant pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern in an intensive care unit.

Methods: The cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from May to September 2016, and comprised tracheal tubes which were collected in sputum culture bottles from patients with clinical findings of ventilator associated pneumonia. The tubes were cultured to locate the resistant pathogens.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and resistance to rifampicin with GeneXpert®MTB/RIF: a single-center experience on bronchoalveolar lavage samples in renal failure patients.

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are immunocompromised and are more at risk to develop and acquire Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. However, risk assessment is uncertain. The objective of current research was to study the frequency of MTB infection in ESRD patients .

Prevalence of carbapenemase-producing organisms at the Kidney Center of Rawalpindi (Pakistan) and evaluation of an advanced molecular microarray-based carbapenemase assay.

Aim: A DNA microarray-based assay for the detection of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes was used to study carbapenemase-producing organisms at the Kidney Center of Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Methods: The evaluation of this assay was performed using 97 reference strains with confirmed AMR genes. Testing of 7857 clinical samples identified 425 Gram-negative bacteria out of which 82 appeared carbapenem resistant.

Multidrug resistance in Gram-negative pathogens isolated from patients with chronic kidney diseases and renal transplant.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) in gram-negative pathogens is the emerging threat to clinicians. The current study was designed to determine the prevalence and pattern of multidrug resistance in gram-negative clinical isolates. It was conducted at the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan, from June to October 2014.

Reverse line probe assay for cheap detection of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

More and more Single Nucleotide Polymosrphisms of interest among pathogenic organisms are described with the advent of Whole Genome Sequencing but WGS approach is still too expensive, time consuming, and relying on bioinformatical means that are not available in many developing countries. This study presents a low-cost reverse hybridization line probe technique for detecting SNPs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The proposed test is able to detect mutations in the RRDR of rpoB gene in M.

Hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from Pakistan: molecular characterisation by microarray technology.

The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Pakistan is known to be high, but very few studies have described the molecular epidemiology of the different MRSA clones circulating in the country. Forty-four MRSA isolates were collected from two tertiary care hospitals of the Rawalpindi district of Pakistan. All strains were identified by a conventional phenotypic method and then subjected to genotyping by microarray hybridisation.

Generation of highly potent organic fertilizer from pernicious aquatic weed Salvinia molesta.

Utilization of Salvinia molesta, an aquatic weed which is notorious for its allelopathy and invasiveness, has been explored by its vermicomposting. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and plant bioassay tests were conducted to analyze the composition and fertilizer value of S .molesta vermicompost.

Detection and Molecular Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Table Eggs in Haripur, Pakistan.

Table eggs are nutritionally important food consumed globally. Despite being protected inside the hard shell and a semipermeable membrane, the egg contents may be contaminated with microbes and thus become a possible carrier of infectious agents to humans. A number of medically significant bacterial species such as Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, and Yersinia enterocolitica have already been reported from table eggs.

Detoxification of parthenium () and its metamorphosis into an organic fertilizer and biopesticide.

Background: Vermicompost of the toxic and allelopathic weed parthenium () was explored for its possible use as an organic fertilizer. Replicated plant growth trials were conducted using four levels of parthenium vermicompost (0, 2.5, 3.

Candidiasis: Prevalence and resistance profiling in a tertiary care hospital of Pakistan.

Objective: To determine Candida colonisation/infection in renal transplant patients and to determine the resistance pattern against antifungal drugs.

Methods: This prospective, observational study was conducted at Al-Sayyed Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from January to October 2014, in collaboration with the Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory's, Islamabad campus..