• 대한의생명과학회지
• /
• 제19권4호
• /
• pp.330-337
• /
• 2013

There are several methods currently being used to diagnose tuberculosis in patients, such as smear, PCR, tuberculosis culture and X-ray. For a proper medical treatment, antimicrobial susceptibility test and rapid drug susceptibility testing have been operated. Tuberculosis bacilli usually need 3~8 weeks of culture period because of delay in RNA synthesis and require 15~22 hours for generation. After a germ raises in culture, we initiated antimicrobial susceptibility test for a proper treatment. It has some difficulties to give a proper prescription for a tuberculosis patient because antimicrobial susceptibility test requires 4 weeks. To supplement this, we are practicing drug susceptibility testing which allow us to know the sensibility of RMP and INH after 2 or 3 days. But this is only possible when more than 2 positive germ. Therefore, we should practice rapid drug susceptibility testing with culture test. But if media is contaminated by other germs except Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it's hard to interpret result about culture test and to practice antimicrobial susceptibility test and rapid drug susceptibility testing. Because we have to practice again smear, culture test after extracting specimen from the patient, time is consumed and proper patient treatment is postponed. To address these problems and quick patient treatment, rapid drug susceptibility testing is practiced by using GenoType$^{(R)}$ MTDRplus method. As a result of this method we detected sensibility 10 and 7 cases and resistance 0 and 3 cases using RIM and INH respectively with other 1 case toward medicals out of the total 11 test. In conclusion rapid drug susceptibility testing can be used from the contaminated specimen after elimination of contaminated source from culture and proved that it can be practiced for rapid examination of a tuberculosis patient.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제10권5호
• /
• pp.685-689
• /
• 2000

Due to the uncultivable nature of Mycobacterium leprae in vitro, the fast, easy, and accurate measurement of the antimicrobial drug susceptibility of this microbe has been difficult. Conventional methods for such testing are subjective, cumbersome, and expensive in some cases. Here, the utility of a reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR)-based assay for testing was examined and compared with a Buddmeyer-type radiorespirometric assay. The susceptibility of M. leprae to rifampin was determined by probing the presence of M.leprae-specific 18 kDa gene mRNA in M. leprae-infected IC-21 macrophage cells after drug treatment. The results showed that, as the refampin concentration was increased, the 360-bp cDNA products generated by the RT-PCR-based assay decreased in a dose-dependent manner as in the drug susceptibility observed in the Buddmeyer-type assay. The drug susceptibility testing of M. leprae by the RT-PCR based assay was found to be not only faster but also nearly $10^4$-fold more sensitive than the Buddmeyer-type assay. Moreover, it was also found that, unlike the RT-PCR based assay, the same testing by a DNA-PCR resulted in no differences in the 360-bp signal, regardless of the rifampin concentrations used. Accordingly, these results demonstrated that the drug susceptibility of M. leprae can be determined effectively by an RT-PCR-based assay, thereby providing a new, fast, and sensitive testing method.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제79권4호
• /
• pp.282-288
• /
• 2016

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health problem, and accurate and rapid diagnosis of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extended drug-resistant (XDR) TB is important for appropriate treatment. In this study, performances of solid and liquid culture methods were compared with respect to MDR- and XDR-TB isolate recovery and drug susceptibility testing. Methods: Sputum specimens from 304 patients were stained with Ziehl-Neelsen method. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) isolates were tested for recovery on $L{\ddot{o}wenstein$-Jensen (LJ) medium and the BacT Alert 3D system. For drug susceptibility testing of Mtb, isolates were evaluated on M-KIT plates and the BacT Alert 3D system. Results: The recovery rates were 94.9% (206/217) and 98.2% (213/217) for LJ medium and the BacT Alert 3D system, respectively (kappa coefficient, 0.884). The rate of drug resistance was 13.4% for at least one or more drugs, 6.0% for MDR-TB and 2.3% for XDR-TB. M-KIT plate and BacT 3D Alert 3D system were comparable in drug susceptibility testing for isoniazid (97.7%; kappa coefficient, 0.905) and rifampin (98.6%; kappa coefficient, 0.907). Antibiotic resistance was observed using M-KIT plates for 24 of the total 29 Mtb isolates (82.8%). Conclusion: The liquid culture system showed greater reduction in the culture period, as compared with LJ medium; however, drug susceptibility testing using M-KIT plates was advantageous for simultaneous testing against multiple drug targets.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제79권3호
• /
• pp.134-142
• /
• 2016

In recent years, in spite of medical advancement, tuberculosis (TB) remains a worldwide health problem. Although many laboratory methods have been developed to expedite the diagnosis of TB, delays in diagnosis remain a major problem in the clinical practice. Because of the slow growth rate of the causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis, isolation, identification, and drug susceptibility testing of this organism and other clinically important mycobacteria can take several weeks or longer. During the past several years, many methods have been developed for direct detection, species identification, and drug susceptibility testing of TB. A good understanding of the effectiveness and practical limitations of these methods is important to improve diagnosis. This review summarizes the currently-used advances in non-molecular and molecular diagnostics.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제56권3호
• /
• pp.261-268
• /
• 2004

연구배경 : 결핵치료에서 어려움을 주는 가장 중요한 요인의 하나가 약제 내성균에 감염된 경우이다. 근래 다제내성 결핵균의 증가는 신속한 결핵균 감수성검사방법 개발에 대한 필요성을 더욱 증가시키고 있다. 활발하게 개발이 진행되고 있는 분자생물학적 기법들도 신속한 내성여부의 구분에 많은 도움을 주고 있지만, 아직까지는 검사약제가 제한되어 있고 보완할 점들이 많이 남아있다. 따라서 저자들은 결핵균 세포 염색 방법에 의해 생균과 사균을 구분할 수 있는 신속하고도 정확한 결핵균 약제 감수성 검사 방법을 검토하여 보았다. 방 법 : 본 연구의 대상으로 대표적인 4가지 항결핵 약제(Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Streptomycin, Ethambutol)에 모두 내성인 임상분리 결핵균 20 균주와 모든 약제에 감수성인 임상분리 결핵균 20 균주를 사용하였다. 약제감수성검사시의 최소 희석배수였던 MacFarland #1 탁도로부터 10배 희석한 결핵균액을 7H9 배양액 $30m{\ell}$에 접종한 후 $37^{\circ}C$에서 24시간 배양한 다음, 핵산 염색액인 Syto 9 (MolecularProbes, USA)과 세포질 염색액인 프로피디움(propidium iodide, $C_{27}H_{34}I_2N_4$)을 결핵균과 잘 섞은 후 실온의 암소에서 15 분간 방치한 후 슬라이드에 $5{\mu}{\ell}$씩 점적하여 형광 현미경으로 관찰하였다. 결 과 : 실험에 사용한 약제내성 결핵균은 4가지의 항결핵약제의 각 농도가 함유된 7H9 배양액에서 사멸하지 않고 생존하고 있음을 형광 현미경상에서 확인 할 수 있었다. 프로피디움(propidium iodide)은 살아있는 세균의 경우 세포핵은 염색시키지 못하고 세포질만 염색함으로써 살아있는 결핵균은 형광현미경 시야에서 녹색을 띄게 되고, 세포의 핵산을 염색시키는 Syto 9 은 사멸한 세포의 세포질을 통과하여 결핵 약제에 감수성인 결핵균의 세포핵을 염색시켜 형광 현미경 시야에서 붉은 색으로 관찰 되었다. 결 론 : Acridin (Syto9)과 propidium 성분을 이용하여 세포를 형광 염색시켜 세포의 사멸 및 생육을 판단하는 방법을 결핵균 약제감수성검사에 적용한 결과, 간편하고도 신속하게 24시간 이내에 내성균과 감수성균을 구분할 수 있었다. 생균과 사균 세포의 판별법으로 기존의 결핵균 감수성 방법을 대체하기 위해서는 형광현미경을 비롯한 실험실 장비와 숙련된 검사자가 필요하지만, 배양된 균으로 검사하는 데만 4주 이상 소요되는 기존의 결핵균 감수성 검사 방법을 대체할 수 있는 매우 저렴하고도 간편한 검사방법으로 판단되었다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• 제47권2호
• /
• pp.139-144
• /
• 2009

The aim of the present study was to investigate antimalarial drug pressure resulting from the clinical use of different antimalarials in Thailand. The phenotypic diversity of the susceptibility profiles of antimalarials, i.e., chloroquine (CQ), quinine (QN), mefloquine (MQ), and artesunate (ARS) in Plasmodium falciparum isolates collected during the period from 1988 to 2003 were studied. P. falciparum isolates from infected patients were collected from the Thai-Cambodian border area at different time periods (1988-1989, 1991-1992, and 2003), during which 3 different patterns of drug use had been implemented: MQ+sulphadoxine (S)+pyrimethamine (P), MQ alone and MQ+ARS, respectively. The in vitro drug susceptibilities were investigated using a method based on the incorporation of $[^3H]$ hypoxanthine. A total of 50 isolates were tested for susceptibilities to CQ, QN, MQ, and ARS. Of these isolates, 19, 16, and 15 were adapted during the periods 1988-1989, 1991-1993, and 2003, respectively. P. falciparum isolates collected during the 3 periods were resistant to CQ. Sensitivities to MQ declined from 1988 to 2003. In contrast, the parasite was sensitive to QN, and similar sensitivity profile patterns were observed during the 3 time periods. There was a significantly positive but weak correlation between the $IC_{50}$ values of CQ and QN, as well as between the $IC_{50}$, values of QN and MQ. Drug pressure has impact on sensitivity of P. falciparum to MQ. A combination therapy of MQ and ARS is being applied to reduce the parasite resistance, and also increasing the efficacy of the drug.

• Annals of Laboratory Medicine
• /
• 제38권6호
• /
• pp.569-577
• /
• 2018

Background: The increasing prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) infection represents a global public health emergency. We evaluated the usefulness of a newly developed multiplexed, bead-based bioassay (Quantamatrix Multiplexed Assay Platform [QMAP], QuantaMatrix, Seoul, Korea) to rapidly identify the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and detect rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) resistance-associated mutations. Methods: A total of 200 clinical isolates from respiratory samples were used. Phenotypic anti-TB drug susceptibility testing (DST) results were compared with those of the QMAP system, reverse blot hybridization (REBA) MTB-MDR assay, and gene sequencing analysis. Results: Compared with the phenotypic DST results, the sensitivity and specificity of the QMAP system were 96.4% (106/110; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9072-0.9888) and 80.0% (72/90; 95% CI 0.7052-0.8705), respectively, for RIF resistance and 75.0% (108/144; 95% CI 0.6731-0.8139) and 96.4% (54/56; 95% CI 0.8718-0.9972), respectively, for INH resistance. The agreement rates between the QMAP system and REBA MTB-MDR assay for RIF and INH resistance detection were 97.6% (121/124; 95% CI 0.9282-0.9949) and 99.1% (109/110; 95% CI 0.9453-1.0000), respectively. Comparison between the QMAP system and gene sequencing analysis showed an overall agreement of 100% for RIF resistance (110/110; 95% CI 0.9711-1.0000) and INH resistance (124/124; 95% CI 0.9743-1.0000). Conclusions: The QMAP system may serve as a useful screening method for identifying and accurately discriminating MTBC from non-tuberculous mycobacteria, as well as determining RIF- and INH-resistant MTB strains.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
• /
• 제49권4호
• /
• pp.587-593
• /
• 2021

Infertility is a key issue affecting mood and behavior in men. Microorganisms are one of the primary etiological agents that may be associated with infertility. The objective of the present study was to identify bacterial causative agents from the semen of infertile subjects and determine the effect of bacterial infection on sperm quality, as well as determine the susceptibility of these bacteria to drugs. Forty semen samples from 30 infertile patients and 10 fertile individuals were collected. The pH, volume, motility, and concentration of semen were analyzed. The samples were processed and identified by biochemical testing using API identification kits. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern was determined using the disc diffusion method. Abnormal sperm quality was observed. The mean age of the individual and their sperm morphology, concentration, progressive motility, pH level, and pus cell content were 31.9 years, 2.7%, 10.4 million/ml, 27.3%, 8.3, and 5.7, respectively. Among the tested samples, oligoasthenozoospermia was found to show the highest occurrence, at 27/30 samples, followed by teratozoospermia, at 25/30 samples, and asthenozoospermia, at 22/30 samples. Of the tested infertile patients' sperm, 19, 6, and 5 isolates were identified as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Staphylococcus epidermidis, respectively. The results also revealed multi-drug resistance in the bacteria. Compared to that shown by the other tested antibiotics, amikacin showed higher activity against all isolated bacteria. However, the bacteria exhibited maximum resistance against gentamicin, cefotaxime, levofloxacin, and ampicillin. In conclusion, leukocytospermia and bacterial infections are possibly responsible for sperm abnormalities. Multi-drug resistant bacteria were detected. Gentamicin, cefotaxime, levofloxacin and ampicillin were shown the highest resistance, while amikacin was the most effective antimicrobial agent against the isolated bacteria.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제19권7호
• /
• pp.734-741
• /
• 2009

Recently, strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin (VCM) have been clinically isolated. The antibacterial activity of a new drug, linezolid (LZD), in such a strain was evaluated by measuring bacterial metabolic activity. A total of 73 MRSA strains having various susceptibilities to VCM were subjected to a novel and highly sensitive chemiluminescence-based assay. LZD MIC in the tested strains, measured by the microbroth dilution method, was within the range 1-4 mg/l (mostly ${\leq}2$mg/l), except for one LZD-resistant strain (NRS127; MIC=7 mg/l), and showed no correlation with VCM resistance. The chemiluminescence assay demonstrated that bacterial metabolic activity was strongly suppressed with increasing LZD concentration. The chemiluminescence intensity curve had a low baseline activity without tailing in most strains. The present results suggest that LZD has strong antibacterial activity against MRSA strains, and would be effective for treatment of infections that are poorly responsive to VCM. The chemiluminescence assay facilitated sensitive and discriminative susceptibility testing within a relatively short time.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제86권1호
• /
• pp.47-56
• /
• 2023

Background: There is a global increase in isolation of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). The aim of the study was to analyze longitudinal trends of NTM identification and pattern of antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Methods: NTM recovery rates, distribution of NTM species identification, and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of NTM at Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital between January 2016 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: A total of 52,456 specimens from 21,264 patients were submitted for mycobacterial culture, of which 2,521 from 1,410 patients were NTM positive over five years (January 2016 to December 2020). NTM isolation showed an increasing trend from 2016 to 2020 (p<0.001, test for trend) mainly caused by Mycobacterium avium complex. The vast majority of M. avium complex were susceptible to key agents clarithromycin and amikacin. For Mycobacterium kansasii, resistance to rifampin and clarithromycin is rare. Amikacin was the most effective drug against Mycobacterium abscessus subspecies abscessus and Mycobacterium subspecies massiliense. Most of M. subspecies massiliense were susceptible to clarithromycin, while the majority of M. abscessus subspecies abscessus were resistant to clarithromycin (p<0.001). Conclusion: There was an increasing trend of NTM isolation in our hospital. Resistance to key drugs was uncommon for most NTM species except for M. abscessus subspecies abscessus against clarithromycin.