Objectives This study aims to detect MRSA nasal carriers among medical staff and patients in Dermatology ward Hospital Kuala Lumpur by using two methods, the conventional blood sheep agar (BSA) and the novel BBL CHROMagar MRSA (C-MRSA). It also aims to compare the BSA medium with the C-MRSA medium in terms of specificity, sensitivity and time to detection to MRSA. Method A single centre, prospective study where 100 nasal swab samples were taken from medical staff and inpatients, then plated on to both BSA and C-MRSA. After 24 hours incubation, the plates were examined for presence of bacterial colonies, then incubated for another 24 hours if no colonies were present. All colonies on C-MRSA and BSA were subjected to coagulase and susceptibility testing for confirmation of MRSA. MRSA strains produce mauve colonies on CMRSA from hydrolysis of the chromogenic substance, thus C-MRSA uses colour as a diagnostic tool. Results Mauve colonies were present on nine C-MRSA plates in the first 24 hours which were all confirmed to be MRSA. Another nine CMRSA plates isolated bluish colonies which were not MRSA. There were colonies on 96 BSA plates, nine of which were MRSA. C-MRSA medium has 100% sensitivity and specificity in detecting MRSA. Both culture media had similar detection rates of MRSA from nasal swabs, however C-MRSA allows for earlier detection of MRSA within 24 hours compared to BSA which takes 48 hours. 2.2% of ward staff and 15.7% of inpatients were found to be MRSA carriers. Conclusion CHROMagar MRSA allows for more rapid identification of MRSA carriers within 24 hours compared to the conventional BSA which takes 48 hours. This allows earlier action to be taken to reduce the spread of MRSA infection.

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, mainly caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworms, are among the most common intestinal parasites that infect humans. The infections are widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical countries, including Malaysia, particularly in underprivileged communities. Microscopic and culture techniques have been used as a gold standard for diagnostic techniques. However, these methods yield low sensitivity and specificity, laborious and time-consuming. Therefore, simple, rapid, and accurate alternative methods are needed for the simultaneous detection of STH infections. Although advanced technologies such as real-time multiplex PCR have been established, the use of this technique as a routine diagnostic is limited due to the high cost of the instrument. Therefore, a single-round multiplex conventional PCR assay for rapid detection of four STH species in the fecal sample was developed in this study. To perform the single-round multiplex PCR, each pair of species-specific primers was selected from target genes, including Ancylostoma duodenale (Internal Transcribed Spacer 2; accession No. AJ001594; 156 base pair), Necator americanus (ITS 2; accession No. AJ001599; 225 base pair), Ascaris lumbricoides (Internal Transcribed Spacer 1; accession No. AJ000895; 334 base pair) and Trichuris triciura (partial ITS 1, 5.8s rRNA and partial ITS 2; accession No. AM992981; 518 base pair). The results showed that the newly designed primers could detect the DNA of STH at low concentrations (0.001 ng/μl) with no cross-amplification with other species. This assay enables the differentiation of single infections as well as mixed infections. It could be used as an alternative and is a convenient method for the detection of STHs, especially for the differentiation of N. americanus and A. duodenale.