Displaying all 17 publications

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Veeraswamy Kesavan, Abdulrasheed Mansur, Mohd Syahmi Ramzi Salihan, Rahman, M.F., Suhaili, Zarizal, Shukor, M.Y.
    MyJurnal
    The indiscriminate released of heavy metals and xenobiotics into soils and aquatic bodies
    severely alter soil organisms and the ecosystem. The isolation of xenobiotics degrading
    microorganisms is cost-effective and naturally pleasant approach. Lately, the toxicological effect
    of molybdenum to the spermatogenesis of several organisms has been record. This present study
    is aimed at the isolation and characterization of a bacterium capable of converting molybdenum
    to the colloidal molybdenum blue. Bacteria characterization was performed in a microplate
    format using resting cells. Thus, the reduction process can be employed as a device for
    molybdenum bioremediation. The results of the study revealed an optimum reduction at pH
    between 6.0 and 6.3 and temperatures of between 25 and 40 oC. Similarly, it was also observed
    that a phosphate concentration not greater than 5.0 mM and a sodium molybdate concentration
    at 20 mM was required for reduction. Glucose was observed as the best carbon source to support
    reduction. Following the scanning of molybdenum blue, it revealed an absorption spectrum
    indicating the characteristics of molybdenum blue as a reduced phosphomolybdate. Molybdenum
    reduction is inhibited by heavy metals like silver, lead, arsenic and mercury. Furthermore, the
    ability of the bacterium (Pseudomonas sp. strain Dr.Y Kertih) to utilize several organic
    xenobiotics such as phenol, acrylamide, nicotinamide, acetamide, iodoacetamide, propionamide,
    acetamide, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and diesel as electron donor sources for aiding
    reduction or as carbon sources for growth was also examined. Finding showed that none was
    capable of aiding molybdenum reduction, however the bacterium was capable of growing on both
    diesel and phenol as carbon sources. GC analysis was used to confirmed diesel degradation.
  2. Lean SS, Yeo CC, Suhaili Z, Thong KL
    Front Microbiol, 2015;6:1445.
    PMID: 26779129 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01445
    Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative nosocomial pathogen of importance due to its uncanny ability to acquire resistance to most antimicrobials. These include carbapenems, which are the drugs of choice for treating A. baumannii infections, and polymyxins, the drugs of last resort. Whole genome sequencing was performed on two clinical carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii AC29 and AC30 strains which had an indistinguishable ApaI pulsotype but different susceptibilities to polymyxin. Both genomes consisted of an approximately 3.8 Mbp circular chromosome each and several plasmids. AC29 (susceptible to polymyxin) and AC30 (resistant to polymyxin) belonged to the ST195 lineage and are phylogenetically clustered under the International Clone II (IC-II) group. An AbaR4-type resistance island (RI) interrupted the comM gene in the chromosomes of both strains and contained the bla OXA-23 carbapenemase gene and determinants for tetracycline and streptomycin resistance. AC29 harbored another copy of bla OXA-23 in a large (~74 kb) conjugative plasmid, pAC29b, but this gene was absent in a similar plasmid (pAC30c) found in AC30. A 7 kb Tn1548::armA RI which encodes determinants for aminoglycoside and macrolide resistance, is chromosomally-located in AC29 but found in a 16 kb plasmid in AC30, pAC30b. Analysis of known determinants for polymyxin resistance in AC30 showed mutations in the pmrA gene encoding the response regulator of the two-component pmrAB signal transduction system as well as in the lpxD, lpxC, and lpsB genes that encode enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Experimental evidence indicated that impairment of LPS along with overexpression of pmrAB may have contributed to the development of polymyxin resistance in AC30. Cloning of a novel variant of the bla AmpC gene from AC29 and AC30, and its subsequent expression in E. coli also indicated its likely function as an extended-spectrum cephalosporinase.
  3. Lim KT, Yeo CC, Suhaili Z, Thong KL
    Jpn J Infect Dis, 2012;65(6):502-9.
    PMID: 23183202
    Staphylococcus aureus is a persistent human pathogen responsible for a variety of infections ranging from soft-tissue infections to bacteremia. The objective of this study was to determine genetic relatedness between methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strains. We isolated 35 MRSA and 21 MSSA strains from sporadic cases at the main tertiary hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia, screening them for the presence of virulence genes. Their genetic relatedness was determined by accessory gene regulator (agr) types, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the coa gene, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), S. aureus protein A (spa), and multilocus-sequence typing (MLST). We found that 57% of MRSA and 43% of MSSA strains harbored enterotoxin genes. The majority (87.5%) of the strains were agr type I. PCR-RFLP and PFGE genotyping of the coa gene revealed that MRSA strains were genetically related, whereas MSSA strains had higher heterogeneity. The combined genotype, MLST-spa type ST239-t037, was shared among MRSA and MSSA strains, indicating that MRSA strains could have evolved from MSSA strains. Two combined MLST-spa types were present in MRSA strains, whereas 7 different MLST-spa types were detected in MSSA strains, including 2 combined types (ST779-t878 and ST1179-t267) that have not been reported in Malaysia. In conclusion, enterotoxin genes were more prevalent in MRSA than in MSSA strains in the Terengganu hospital. The MSSA strains were genetically more diverse than the MRSA strains.
  4. Lean SS, Yeo CC, Suhaili Z, Thong KL
    Int J Antimicrob Agents, 2015 Feb;45(2):178-82.
    PMID: 25481460 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2014.10.015
    Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen owing to its increasing resistance to most, if not all, antibiotics in clinical use. We recently reported the occurrence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) A. baumannii isolates in a Malaysian tertiary hospital. The genome of one of these XDR isolates (A. baumannii AC12) was completely sequenced and comparative genome analyses were performed to elucidate the genetic basis of its antimicrobial resistance. The A. baumannii AC12 genome consists of a 3.8 Mbp circular chromosome and an 8731 bp cryptic plasmid, pAC12. It belongs to the ST195 lineage and is most closely related to A. baumannii BJAB0715 as well as other strains of the international clone III (IC-III) group. Two antibiotic resistance islands (RIs), designated AC12-RI1 and AC12-RI2, were found in the AC12 chromosome along with a 7 kb Tn1548::armA island conferring resistance to aminoglycosides and macrolides. The 22.8 kb AC12-RI1 interrupts the comM gene and harbours the carbapenem resistance gene blaOXA-23 flanked by ISAba1 within a Tn2006-like structure. AC12-RI1 also harbours resistance determinants for aminoglycosides, tetracyclines and sulphonamides. The 10.3 kb IS26-flanked AC12-RI2 is a derivative of AbGRI2-1, containing aphA1b and blaTEM genes (conferring aminoglycoside and β-lactam resistance, respectively). The presence of numerous genes mediating resistance to various antibiotics in novel RI structures as well as other genes encoding drug transporters and efflux pumps in A. baumannii AC12 most likely contributed to its XDR characteristics.
  5. Kooi OK, Ling CY, Rodzi R, Othman F, Mohtarrudin N, Suhaili Z, et al.
    PMID: 25392583
    BACKGROUND: Melastoma malabathricum L. Smith (family Melastomaceae) is a shrub that has been used by the Malay practitioners of traditional medicine to treat various types of ailments. The present study aimed to determine the chemopreventive activity of methanol extract of M. malabathricum leaves (MEMM) using the standard 7,12-dimethylbenz(α)anthracene (DMBA)/croton oil-induced mouse skin carcinogenesis model.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the initiation phase, the mice received a single dose of 100µl/100 µg DMBA (group I-V) or 100µl acetone (group VI) topically on the dorsal shaved skin area followed by the promotion phase involving treatment with the respective test solutions (100 µl of acetone, 10 mg/kg curcumin or MEMM (30, 100 and 300mg/kg)) for 30 min followed by the topical application of tumour promoter (100µl croton oil). Tumors were examined weekly and the experiment lasted for 15 weeks.

    RESULTS: MEMM and curcumin significantly (p<0.05) reduced the tumour burden, tumour incidence and tumour volume, which were further supported by the histopathological findings.

    CONCLUSION: MEMM demonstrated chemoprevention possibly via its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and the action of flavonoids like quercitrin.

  6. Suhaili Z, Lean SS, Yahya A, Mohd Desa MN, Ali AM, Yeo CC
    Genome Announc, 2014;2(2).
    PMID: 24723714 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00271-14
    Here, we report the draft genome sequence of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain, KT/Y21, isolated from a blood sample of a pediatric patient. This strain belongs to sequence type 772 (ST772), harbors the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element (SCCmec) type V, and is positive for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) pathogenic determinant.
  7. Suhaili Z, Lean SS, Mohamad NM, Rachman AR, Desa MN, Yeo CC
    Genom Data, 2016 Sep;9:111-2.
    PMID: 27508119 DOI: 10.1016/j.gdata.2016.07.002
    Most of the efforts in elucidating the molecular relatedness and epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in Malaysia have been largely focused on methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Therefore, here we report the draft genome sequence of the methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) with sequence type 1 (ST1), spa type t127 with Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (pvl) pathogenic determinant isolated from pus sample designated as KT/314250 strain. The size of the draft genome is 2.86 Mbp with 32.7% of G + C content consisting 2673 coding sequences. The draft genome sequence has been deposited in DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession number AOCP00000000.
  8. Balan T, Mohd Sani MH, Suppaiah V, Mohtarrudin N, Suhaili Z, Ahmad Z, et al.
    Pharm Biol, 2013 Nov 05.
    PMID: 24192248
    Abstract Context: Muntingia calabura L. (Muntingiaceae) is a native plant species of the American continent and is widely cultivated in warm areas in Asia, including Malaysia. The plant is traditionally used to relieve pain from gastric ulcers. Objective: This study was designed to determine the antiulcer activity of a methanol extract of M. calabura leaves (MEMC) and the possible mechanisms of action involved. Materials and methods: An acute toxicity study was conducted using a single oral dose of 2000 mg/kg MEMC. The antiulcer activity of MEMC was evaluated in absolute ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer rat models. MEMC was administered orally (dose range 25-500 mg/kg) to rats fasted for 24 h. The animals were pretreated with NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl esters (l-NAME) or N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) prior to MEMC treatment to assess the possible involvement of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) and nonprotein sulfhydryl (NP-SH) compounds in the gastroprotective effect of MEMC. Results: As the administered dose did not cause toxicity in the rats, the oral median lethal dose (LD50) of MEMC was >2000 mg/kg in rats. MEMC exerted significant (p 
  9. Gan HM, Lean SS, Suhaili Z, Thong KL, Yeo CC
    J Bacteriol, 2012 Nov;194(21):5979-80.
    PMID: 23045494 DOI: 10.1128/JB.01466-12
    Acinetobacter baumannii is a major cause of nosocomial infection worldwide. We report the draft genome sequence of A. baumannii AC12, a multidrug-resistant nosocomial strain with additional resistance to carbapenems and polymyxin. The genome data will provide insights into the genetic basis of antimicrobial resistance and its adaptive mechanism.
  10. Ezhumalai M, Muthanna A, Suhaili Z, Dzaraly ND, Amin-Nordin S, Amal MNA, et al.
    Malays J Med Sci, 2020 Feb;27(1):134-138.
    PMID: 32158353 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2020.27.1.14
    The aim of this study was to study the genotype of a hospital collection of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) from invasive and non-invasive sites. Fifty-one pre-characterised human of GBS were re-identified and further analysed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) in relation to previously published serotypes. Fifteen sequence types (ST) were found with ST1 being the most predominant. ST1 was also associated with majority of the invasive isolates. The genotypic distribution patterns of GBS in this study were largely in agreement with previous reports from other countries indicating the tendency of certain genotypes to prevail in human infection settings.
  11. Lean SS, Suhaili Z, Ismail S, Rahman NI, Othman N, Abdullah FH, et al.
    ISRN Microbiol, 2014;2014:953417.
    PMID: 25006521 DOI: 10.1155/2014/953417
    Nosocomial infection caused by Acinetobacter baumannii is of great concern due to its increasing resistance to most antimicrobials. In this study, 54 nonrepeat isolates of A. baumannii from the main tertiary hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia, were analyzed for their antibiograms and genotypes. Out of the 54 isolates, 39 (72.2%) were multidrug resistant (MDR) and resistant to carbapenems whereas 14 (25.9%) were categorized as extensive drug resistant (XDR) with additional resistance to polymyxin B, the drug of "last resort." Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses showed that the polymyxin-resistant isolates were genetically diverse while the carbapenem-resistant isolates were clonally related. The 14 XDR isolates were further investigated for mutations in genes known to mediate polymyxin resistance, namely, pmrCAB, and the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis genes, lpxA, lpxC, lpxD, and lpsB. All 14 isolates had a P102H mutation in pmrA with no mutation detected in pmrC and pmrB. No mutation was detected in lpxA but each polymyxin-resistant isolate had 2-4 amino acid substitutions in lpxD and 1-2 substitutions in lpxC. Eight resistant isolates also displayed a unique H181Y mutation in lpsB. The extent of polymyxin resistance is of concern and the novel mutations discovered here warrant further investigations.
  12. Mat Azis N, Pung HP, Abdul Rachman AR, Amin Nordin S, Sarchio SNE, Suhaili Z, et al.
    J Infect Public Health, 2017 Mar-Apr;10(2):156-164.
    PMID: 27033676 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2016.02.013
    The aim of the present study was to assess and compare the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern against a panel of antibiotics and molecular and methicillin resistance-associated genotypes of 120 carriage S. aureus isolates previously isolated from a student population at two isolation events within a one-month interval. The antibiotic susceptibility of isolates was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disc-diffusion method (cefoxitin by Etest). The MRSA was screened using polymerase chain reaction for the presence of the mecA gene. The mecA-positive isolates were subjected to staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) mec typing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and eBURST analysis. All isolates were characterized for the presence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene, an enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) pattern and the spa type. For the two occasions where S. aureus was isolated, the highest frequency of resistance was observed for penicillin (70% and 65%, respectively), with a lower rate against erythromycin and tetracycline (<12%). All isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin and gentamycin. As for methicillin resistance, eight isolates had minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of resistant categories, but 10 isolates (8.33%) were positive for the mecA gene. The mecA-positive isolates belonged to SCCmec types I (n=9) and V (n=1). MLST was resolved for only three MRSAs, ST508 (n=1), ST88 (n=1) and ST96 (n=1). The results of the eBURST analysis showed that the MRSA isolates analyzed in the present study were potentially related to MRSA identified in other countries. Approximately half of the persistent S. aureus carriers harbored S. aureus of a similar spa type in the respective individuals during both isolation events. A persistent antimicrobial pattern and limited distinct MRSAs were observed over the short study period. The latter frequently exhibited SCCmec type I, commonly associated with hospital-acquired (HA) characteristics, but further delineation is needed to justify the origins of these bacteria.
  13. Suhaili Z, Rafee P', Mat Azis N, Yeo CC, Nordin SA, Abdul Rahim AR, et al.
    Germs, 2018 Mar;8(1):21-30.
    PMID: 29564245 DOI: 10.18683/germs.2018.1129
    Introduction: This study aims to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles ofStaphylococcus aureusstrains isolated from university students and to determine the prevalence of constitutive and inducible clindamycin resistance, the latter being able to cause therapeutic failure due to false in vitro clindamycin susceptibility.

    Methods: S. aureus
    strains were isolated from the nasal swabs of 200 health sciences students of a Malaysian university. Twelve classes of antibiotics were used to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles with the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLSB) phenotype for inducible clindamycin resistance determined by the double-diffusion test (D-test). Carriage of resistance and virulence genes was performed by PCR onS. aureusisolates that were methicillin resistant, erythromycin resistant and/or positive for the leukocidin gene,pvl(n=15).

    Results: Forty-nine isolates were viable and identified asS. aureuswith four of the isolates characterized as methicillin-resistantS. aureus(MRSA; 2.0%). All isolates were susceptible to the antibiotics tested except for penicillin (resistance rate of 49%), erythromycin (16%), oxacillin (8%), cefoxitin (8%) and clindamycin (4%). Of the eight erythromycin-resistant isolates, iMLSBwas identified in five isolates (three of which were also MRSA). The majority of the erythromycin-resistant isolates harbored themsrAgene (four iMLSB) with the remaining iMLSBisolate harboring theermCgene.

    Conclusion: The presence of MRSA isolates which are also iMLSBin healthy individuals suggests that nasal carriage may play a role as a potential reservoir for the transmission of these pathogens.

  14. Teh CS, Suhaili Z, Lim KT, Khamaruddin MA, Yahya F, Sajili MH, et al.
    Emerg Infect Dis, 2012 Jul;18(7):1177-9.
    PMID: 22709679 DOI: 10.3201/eid1807.111656
    A cholera outbreak in Terengganu, Malaysia, in November 2009 was caused by 2 El Tor Vibrio cholerae variants resistant to typical antimicrobial drugs. Evidence of replacement of treatable V. cholerae infection in the region with antimicrobial-resistant strains calls for increased surveillance and prevention measures.
  15. Dzaraly ND, Muthanna A, Mohd Desa MN, Taib NM, Masri SN, Rahman NIA, et al.
    Int J Med Microbiol, 2020 Oct;310(7):151449.
    PMID: 33092697 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2020.151449
    Pneumococci are a common cause of severe infections, such as otitis media, pneumonia, meningitis and bacteremia. Pili are detected in a small proportion of pneumococcal population, but these structures have recently been associated with bacterial virulence in humans. Therefore, the epidemiological relationships between pneumococcal pili, serotype and antimicrobial resistance are of interest. This study aims to discuss the virulence contribution of the Streptococcus pneumoniae pili and the epidemiological relationships among the pilus genes, antimicrobial resistance trends, regional serotypes and genotypic variations. Previous reports have characterized the pneumococcal pilus islet as a clonal feature in the pneumococcal serotypes that are covered by the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), including serotypes 19A, 19F, 23F and 7F. Many of the pneumococcal molecular epidemiology network (PMEN) clones are piliated isolates that are also strongly associated with a high frequency of multidrug resistance. Most of these piliated pneumococcal isolates belong to a few clonal complexes (CC), such as CC320, CC199, CC271, CC191 and CC156. Additional molecular epidemiology and genomic studies, particularly whole genome sequence analysis (WGS), are needed to develop an in-depth understanding of the piliated pneumococcal isolates.
  16. Maliki ABHM, Abdullah MR, Nadzmi A, Zainoddin MAR, Puspitasari IM, Jibril NFA, et al.
    Data Brief, 2021 Feb;34:106582.
    PMID: 33354597 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106582
    These datasets described the data of the Motor Performance Index for 7 years old kids in Malaysia based on Malaysia's physical fitness test SEGAK. This database has been designed and created with data analysis to create the index from the factor and variable of the test and the test was conducted in the majority of the national primary school in Malaysia. Gender, state of origin, and residential location of the school were the factors used to categorize the participant of the test. The factor of age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), power, flexibility, coordination, and speed were used for the measurement to relate with the participant's physical fitness. Kids Motor Performances Index data can be reused for talent identification in sport talent scout and to create a baseline for kid's biology growth specifically in gross motor skills and cognitive growth measurement.
  17. Dzaraly ND, Mohd Desa MN, Muthanna A, Masri SN, Taib NM, Suhaili Z, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2021 Apr 15;11(1):8220.
    PMID: 33859249 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87428-z
    Pilus has been recently associated with pneumococcal pathogenesis in humans. The information regarding piliated isolates in Malaysia is scarce, especially in the less developed states on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, we studied the characteristics of pneumococci, including the piliated isolates, in relation to antimicrobial susceptibility, serotypes, and genotypes at a major tertiary hospital on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 100 clinical isolates collected between September 2017 and December 2019 were subjected to serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility test, and detection of pneumococcal virulence and pilus genes. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and phylogenetic analysis were performed only for piliated strains. The most frequent serotypes were 14 (17%), 6A/B (16%), 23F (12%), 19A (11%), and 19F (11%). The majority of isolates were resistant to erythromycin (42%), tetracycline (37%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (24%). Piliated isolates occurred in a proportion of 19%; 47.3% of them were multidrug-resistant (MDR) and a majority had serotype 19F. This study showed ST236 was the most predominant sequence type (ST) among piliated isolates, which was related to PMEN clone Taiwan19F-14 (CC271). In the phylogenetic analysis, the piliated isolates were grouped into three major clades supported with 100% bootstrap values. Most piliated isolates belonged to internationally disseminated clones of S. pneumoniae, but pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have the potential to control them.
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator ([email protected])

External Links