No abstract available.
Anti-Infective Agents* ; Pneumonia*

Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide that is widely used in food, textile, cosmetics, and medical industries. In the field of stomatology, chitosan and its derivatives are widely used in the treatment of many common oral diseases due to a variety of excellent biological properties, such as anti-infection, drug-loading, remineralization and osteogenesis. This review summarized the latest advances in the biological properties of chitosan and its derivatives, as well as their applications in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases.
Anti-Infective Agents ; Chitosan

No abstract available.
Anti-Infective Agents* ; Compliance*

No abstract available.
Anti-Infective Agents* ; Compliance*

Aims: Phenolic compounds with various biological activities such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activity are considered as key compounds in propolis. In this study, propolis was obtained in Kuantan, Pahang and is known to be collected from stingless honey bee Trigona thoracica. The objective of this study is to extract propolis using surfactant vitamin E d-α-Tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (Vitamin E TPGS) and evaluate its antimicrobial activity compared to water and ethanolic propolis extracts. Methodology and results: Quantitative determinations of phenolic acid and flavonoid such as caffeic acid and quercetin, respectively in propolis extracts were conducted by using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). As a result, 70% ethanol extracted propolis (EEP), water extracted propolis (WEP) and 0.02% vitamin E TPGS extracted propolis successfully demonstrate the presence of hydrophilic caffeic acid, while only 70% EEP and 0.02% vitamin E TPGS extracted propolis show the presence of hydrophobic quercetin. Lastly, antimicrobial testing was conducted towards Staphylococcus aureus by using all three different propolis extracts. Conclusion, significance and impact of study The results showed EEP and vitamin E TPGS propolis extracts exhibit higher antimicrobial activity compared to the WEP.
Propolis ; Anti-Infective Agents

Indiscriminate or extensive use of broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents has largely contributed to the spontaneous development of resistance of bacterial pathogens to antibiotics. Hence, there is a need to determine the prevalent pathogenic microorganisms and their antimicrobial susceptibility in hospitals. The general objective of the study is to determine the commonly-occurring bacterial pathogens in a hospital and to identify the susceptibility of these to antimicrobial agents. Specific objectives include: (1) to determine the occurrences of these pathogens in terms of body site (from which the organism was isolated) and clinical and special areas in the hospital; (2) to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of these bacterial pathogens; and (3) to illustrate the trend of antimicrobial susceptibility of these pathogens to antimicrobial agents for a three year period (2012-2014). A quantitative, descriptive study was conducted to determine the frequency distribution of the bacterial pathogens for the year 2014 and identify their susceptibility patterns to antimicrobials over a three-year period (2012-2014). The research investigators reviewed laboratory records of different types of specimens from all inpatient and outpatient subjects that were submitted to the Philippine Orthopedic Center Laboratory Department (POCLD) for culture and sensitivity testing daily from January 2012-December 2014. The data were then collated and tabulated for statistical analysis using Epi InfoTM version 7. The research study underwent a technical review by the POC Research Committee (POCRC) and an ethical review by the POC Ethics Review Board (POCERB). Results showed that in 2014, gram-negative bacteria, Enterobacter spp. and Proteus spp., and gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, were the most commonly occurring bacterial pathogens in this institution. Most of the bacterial pathogens were from the respiratory tract, urine, and wound. The clinical and special areas where most of the bacterial pathogens were obtained came from Spinal/Rehabilitation ward, followed by the Observation Unit, and Male Service A. Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are most susceptible to cefepime, amikacin, and ceftazidime while gram-positive pathogens are most susceptible to vancomycin and gentamycin. From 2012-2014, there was a decrease in susceptibility of Enterobacter spp. to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid while the susceptibility profiles for Proteus spp. remained steady for most agents except for cefazolin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid which showed an increased resistance rate. Similarly, the susceptibility profiles for Staphylococcus aureus remained steady for almost all the agents for the study period except for an increased resistance to amoxicillin in 2014. In conclusion, the study showed that the variability in the resistance patterns might be attributed to the status of antibiotic use in the hospital. Fostering rational antibiotic use is an important step in formulating infection control guidelines that will match the unique setting of the institution.
Bacteria ; Anti-Infective Agents

No abstract available.
Anti-Infective Agents*

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have gained increasing attention as a potential candidate in the development of novel antimicrobial agent. Designing AMPs with enhanced antimicrobial activity while reducing the cell toxicity level is desired especially against the antibiotic-resistant microbes. Various approaches towards the design of AMPs have been described and physicochemical properties of AMPs represent the primary factors determining the antimicrobial potency of AMPs. The most common parameters include net charge and hydrophobicity, which greatly influence the antimicrobial activity of AMPs. Moreover, certain amino acids would have critical importance in affecting the antimicrobial activity as well as cell cytotoxicity of AMPS. In this review, net charge, hydrophobicity, and specific amino acid residues were discussed as factors contributing to the antimicrobial activity of AMPs.
Anti-Infective Agents

Introduction: bacteremia continues to be one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality despite the existence of numerous antimicrobial agents. this study aimed to provide a Malaysian perspective on paediatric community-acquired bacteraemia based on the documentation of epidemiology and antimicrobial profile of the isolated pathogens. Method: A retrospective study was conducted by analysing clinical details, blood cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility testing results in children between the ages of 0 to 13 years old, who were admitted to selayang Hospital over an 11-year period from 2001 until 2011. there were 222 bacteraemia cases and the median age was 11.7 months. the highest number (39%) of bacteraemia cases occurred between ages one month to one year. the three most commonly isolated aetiological agents were Staphylococcus aureus (17.1%), nontyphoidal Salmonella (16.2%), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (12.6%). Almost 8% of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates were methicillin resistant, while nontyphoidal Salmonella (Nts) isolates demonstrated 18.4%, 10.5% and 2.6% resistance towards ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin respectively. All Nts isolates were sensitive to ceftriaxone. Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates showed 17.9% resistance to penicillin. skin and soft tissue infections as well as lower respiratory tract infections (63.2%) were the main foci of infections in Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia. Acute gastroenteritis (80.0%) and pneumonia (60.8%) were the main presentations of Nts and Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteraemia respectively. Overall mortality rate was 8.1%. Conclusion: Knowledge on the local epidemiology and antibiotic resistance pattern serves as a significant platform in improving the empiric antibiotic therapy for patients with community acquired bacteraemia.
Anti-Infective Agents ; Bacteremia

Aims: This study is to isolate and characterize endophytic bacteria for potential industrial enzymes and antimicrobial activities against some human pathogens. Methodology and results: Mentha spicata, a local medicinal plant, was used to source for endophytes. The roots, stems and leaves of M. spicata were surface-sterilized to isolate the endophytic bacteria. The endophytic bacteria were subsequently characterized based on their 16S rRNA sequences. The endophytic bacteria were screened for both antimicrobial and enzymatic activities. We identified 15 isolates of 4 genus-Pseudomonas (7 species), Bacillus (3 species), Enterobacter (1 species) and Comamonas (1 species) with 97-100% similarity level. Isolates MSS-3 (Pseudomonas putida), MSR-4 (Pseudomonas pictorum), MSS-2 (Bacillus thuringiensis) and MSR-5 (Pseudomonas straminea) showed prominent antimicrobial activities against the pathogens tested with zones of inhibition between 6.3 to 15.3 ± 0.6 mm. All species examined have positive cellulase activities except Comamonas guangdongensis and only isolates of the Bacillus genus, Pseudomonas pictorum and P. argentinensis exhibited amylase activities. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Our findings revealed potential therapeutic uses of the bioactive compounds of these bacteria endophytes against pathogens. Their enzymatic potential can also be of use in various industries.
Anti-Infective Agents