Background: Bangladesh has a neonatal death rate that is substantially high and demands urgent attention. Objective: This retrospective study was performed to determine the incidence of bacterial neonatal sepsis condition in the Chittagong area of Bangladesh with focus on various demographic characteristics of neonates, causative organisms and their antibiotic susceptibility. Methodology: Blood culture was performed on all neonates with risk factors or signs of suggestive sepsis. Blood samples were cultured using tryptone soya broth (TSB-blood broth) according to standard method. Results: From the 1400 neonates 104 had positive blood culture for neonatal sepsis infection. Among the infected children 40 (38.46%) were born in the hospital and 64 (61.54%) were born at home. The EONS (Early Onset Neonatal Sepsis) accounted for 68 (65.38%) and LONS (Late Onset Neonatal Sepsis) accounted for 36 (34.62%). Among the isolated organism Klebsiella pneumoniae accounted for 79 (75.96%), Serratia marcescens 19 (18.27%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 04 (3.85%) and Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 02 (1.92%). Among the isolated species 102 were attributed to G (-ve) bacteria and 02 were attributed to G (+ve) bacteria. Most of the G (-ve) bacteria showed resistance to commonly used antibiotics such as ampicillin, ceftriaxon and gentamicin. In this study all isolates showed sensitivity to the imipenem. Conclusion: Collection of up-to-date data is mandatory for appropriate use of antibiotics.

No abstract

To observe the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus a total of 1078 blood, pus and miscellaneous samples (sputum, swab and body fluids) were collected among which 478 samples exhibited bacterial growth on agar medium. Out of growth positive 300 pus samples, 116(38.67%) showed the growth of Gram positive cocci, of which 30(25.86%) were Staphylococcus aureus positive. In case of blood, the number of growth positive samples were 116(28.45%), of which 33(12.12%) showed the presence of Gram positive cocci including 4 Staphylococcus aureus. Among the 62 growth positive miscellaneous samples, the number of Gram positive cocci and Staphylococcus aureus positive samples were 22(35.48%) and 4(18.18%), respectively. From the antibiogram of 38 Staphylococcus aureus isolates, 26 were found multidrug resistant, showing resistance against two or more of the antibiotics used namely ampicillin, cefradine, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin, whereas all the isolates were sensitive to vancomycin. The MIC and MBC of these antibiotics against different Staphylococcus aureus isolates were determined, which were found to range from 2µg/ml to 8µg/ml and 4µg/ml to 16µg/ml, respectively, in case of vancomycin. The rate of resistance against ampicillin, cefradine, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin were 92.1%, 60%, 58.1% and 59.35%, respectively.

Aspergillus humicola, one of the major cellulase-producing fungi, was used in this study for carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) production using Winstead's basal broth supplanted with cellobiose octaacetate (COA), a synthetic carbon source. Under all conditions, the enzyme biosynthesis was remarkably increased when the inducer COA was added to the production medium containing carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). Maximum enzyme production (1.62 U/ml) was achieved in COA-containing at 37°C. The enzyme production was highest at initial pH 5.5 and after 7 days incubation. The enzyme exhibited maximum activity at 40°C with a reaction pH 5.5. CMCase activity was inhibited by its own substrate CMC at concentration higher than 1.0%. The study clearly demonstrated that COA is a good inducer for extracellular CMCase production by the fungus. Keywords: Aspergillus humicola, Carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase), Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), Cellobiose octaacetate (COA)DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjm.v23i2.889 Bangladesh J Microbiol, Volume 23, Number 2, December 2006, pp 174-176

Typhoid fever and Salmonella typhi bacteremia among the patients were evaluated at Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Popular Diagnostic Center, Kumudiny Hospital and other sites throughout Bangladesh. Among the 943 Salmonella typhi isolates studied, 57.4% showed resistance to ampicillin (MIC > 256 mg/ml), 58 % to cotrimoxazole (MIC > 32 mg/ ml) and 58.6% to chloramphenicol (MIC > 256 mg/ml). Significant resistance (97.8%) was observed against first generation quinolone, nalidixic acid (MIC > 256 mg/ml) whereas only 11 isolates (1.1%) were resistant to second generation fluoroquinolone, ciprofloxacin. Among 943 isolates E-strip test of 411 isolates for ciprofloxacin showed that 53 isolates were very sensitive (MIC < 0.125 mg/ml), 252 were sensitive (MIC between 0.125 mg/ ml and 0.5 mg/ ml), 95 were moderately sensitive (MIC between 0.5 mg/ml and 2.0 mg/ml) and the rest were resistant (MIC >2.0 µ µ µ µ µg/ml) or very highly resistant (MIC 512 mg/ml). However, all isolates including ciprofloxacin resistant S. typhi were found sensitive to a third generation cephalosporin ceftazidime. All the isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin were found to be identical by API 20 E (Analytical Profile Index) score (4404552) and VNTR typing. Digestion of PCR product (195 bp gyrase A) of ciprofloxacin resistant strain with Hind l did not make any change, compared to the undigested product of the same strains in the electrophoresis banding pattern, indicating the presence of mutations at both the ser-83 and asp-87 sites of the genome Gyr A. In contrast, the PCR product from nalidixic acid susceptible control strain cleaved at both sites, ser-83 and asp-87.