Background. Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic bacterial disease. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, being the leading member of the MTB complex, is the main cause of tuberculosis worldwide. Tuberculosis is managed with combination of drugs: streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide. Over the recent past years resistance against first line antituberculous drugs has emerged rapidly throughout the world resulting in MDR strains. The new threat in the management of MDR-TB is the development of resistance against second line drugs: aminoglycosides, polypeptides, fluoroquinolones, and thioamides. Multidrug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant TB (XDR) strains have become a major concern to control TB particularly in the developing countries. The need of the hour is to look for new modalities having antimycobacterial activity. Honey has been well known for its antibacterial activity. We intended to explore its antimycobacterial activity against MDR-TB. Objective. The objective of this study was to determine whether Pakistani Beri honey has any antimycobacterial activity. Method. The study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore. Clinical isolates (n = 21) of MDR-MTB were evaluated for their susceptibility to Beri honey. The isolates were provided, courtesy of Pakistan Medical Research Council. These isolates were identified by MTBc ID test (Becton & Dickinson) and further tested for their antimycobacterial activity using Beri honey. The honey was tested at the following concentrations (v/v): 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% in MGIT 960. Growth controls were also inoculated with each isolate (growth control has no concentration of honey, only containing growth of isolate). Results. MDR-TB isolates (n = 21) were tested; 3 (14%) isolates were susceptible at 1% v/v honey, while at 2% v/v of honey 18 (86%) isolates were found to be susceptible. All the 21 isolates (n = 21) were susceptible at 3% v/v of honey. Conclusion. The present study clearly demonstrates that Pakistani Beri honey possesses significant antimycobacterial activity in vitro. The antimycobacterial activity of Pakistani Beri honey may, therefore, be exploited in an appropriate mouse model.
Background: Typhoid fever is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in many parts of the world including Pakistan. Resistance to the first line anti typhoid drugs viz chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole and ampicillin has aggravated this situation. Quinolones are currently used as the first line antityphoid drugs, instead. Fluoroquinolones are currently recommended for patients infected with Typhi. The fluoroquinolones have shown good in vitro as well as clinical activity against Typhi infections.Materials and Methods: It was a comparative cross-sectional conducted at Department of Microbiology UHS, Lahore, Pakistan within one year (January 2011-December 2011). A total of 100 clinical isolates of Typhi were evaluated. ATCC 9150 Paratyphi A was used as a standarad strain. The bacterial isolates were preserved in microbanks (Pro-Lab Diagnostics, UK) and stored at-70˚C during a period of (2007- 2011). Data was analysed through SPSS version 22.Results: Of the 100 isolates, 45 strains were showing MIC ≤ 1µg/ml which means that they were susceptible while 55 strains were intermediate having MIC 2µg/ml. No strain was however, found resistant to ciprofloxacin according as per the CLSI 2011. As per the CLSI 2012 revised ciprofloxacin break points for disc diffusion and MIC for salmonella species. According to CLSI 2012 interpretive criteria, on disk diffusion testing 13 isolates were sensitive, 13 were resistant and 74 were intermediate to ciprofloxacin. On MIC, 55 strains were resistant showing MIC ≥1µg/ml and 45 isolates were intermediate showing MIC 0.125-0.5µg/ml. No isolate was found sensitive to ciprofloxacin according to CLSI 2012 interpretive criteria.Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study showed the value of nalidixic acid susceptibility as an indirect but a certain marker of ciprofloxacin susceptibility. Nalidixic acid resistant showed increased minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by agar dilution method.
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