1.Violet-pigmented Burkholderia contaminans sequence type 922 bacteremia in an end-stage renal disease patient – a case report and review of the literature
Ahmad S. ; Mohd Sukhaimi N.A. ; Shahimi S.S. ; Mahfodz N.H. ; Soh Y.H. ; AbuBakar S. ; Choong K.Y. ; Loong S.K.
Tropical Biomedicine 2026;43(No. 1):1-4
Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) is an emerging nosocomial pathogen, with violet-pigmented
strains representing a rare and possibly neglected but clinically important subset. We report a case
of a 62-year-old man with end-stage renal disease on dialysis who presented with fever and cough.
Blood cultures from central and peripheral lines grew violet-pigmented, non-lactose fermenting
colonies on MacConkey agar, later identified as Burkholderia contaminans sequence type 922 (ST922)
via a multimodal approach. Initial phenotypic methods (VITEK-2, API20NE and MALDI-ToF) and 16S
rDNA sequencing were inconclusive; however, multilocus sequence typing confirmed ST922, a strain
previously reported in India and associated with nosocomial outbreaks. The isolate was susceptible to
ceftazidime, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, minocycline, and meropenem. The patient responded
well to intravenous ceftazidime, with subsequent blood cultures yielding no growth. Notably,
antimicrobial susceptibility varied geographically, with some ST922 isolates resistant to third-generation
cephalosporins. This case illustrates the diagnostic challenges in Bcc speciation and highlights the value
of molecular tools such as MLST. The detection of this strain in Malaysia raises concerns about global
dissemination, potentially via contaminated medical devices or water systems. Early recognition of
violet-pigmented Bcc in resource-limited settings can facilitate prompt, targeted treatment. This report
underscores the need for environmental surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship to prevent spread,
while reinforcing Bcc’s ecological adaptability and clinical significance, especially in immunocompromised
individuals.
2.Presence of SARS-CoV-2-like coronaviruses in bats from east coast Malaysia
Gilbert, M. ; Mohamed, M. ; Choong, S.S. ; Baqi, A. ; Kumaran, J.V. ; Sani, I. ; Noralidin, A ; Manaf, A. ; Reduan, F.H. ; Tan, L.P. ; Jusoh, M.
Tropical Biomedicine 2023;40(No.3):273-280
Most of the public health importance coronaviruses, such as Severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2
are likely originated from bats and spread to humans through intermediate hosts; civet cats, dromedary
camel and Malayan pangolin, respectively. SARS-CoV-2-like coronaviruses were detected in Thailand,
which is neighbouring with Kelantan in East Coast Malaysia. To date, there is no report on the presence
of public health concerns (SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV) coronaviruses in bats from Malaysia.
This study was aimed to elucidate the presence of these coronaviruses in bat samples from East Coast,
Malaysia. A total of hundred seventy oropharyngeal swab samples were collected from three states
of East Coast Malaysia. Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was conducted
based on partial 3’ Untranslated region (3’UTR) or ORF10 gene and the products were sequenced. The
sequences were compared with all coronavirus sequences from the National Center for Biotechnology
Information-GenBank (NCBI-GenBank) using NCBI-Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (NCBI-BLAST)
software. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to determine the genetic relationship among the detected
coronaviruses with the reference coronaviruses from the NCBI-GenBank. Our results showed that SARSCoV-2-like viruses were present in 3% (5/170) of the bats from East Coast Malaysia that have 98-99%
sequence identities and are genetically related to SARS-CoV-2 from humans. This finding indicates the
presence of SARS-CoV-2-like viruses in bats from East Coast Malaysia that may become a public health
concern in the future.


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