Asian Journal of Research in Infectious Diseases

Bacterial Ecology and Antibacterial Resistance Patterns: A Cross-sectional Study in the Internal Medicine Unit of Centre Médico-Chirurgical des Armées de Bamako, Mali

Lassina Diallo — 2026-09-02

Background: Antibacterial resistance (ABR) is a major public health threat, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where hospital surveillance data remain limited. This study aimed to describe bacterial ecology, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and factors associated with multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) in the Internal Medicine ward of Centre Médico-Chirurgical des Armées de Bamako, Mali.

Aim: This study aimed to characterise bacterial ecology and antimicrobial resistance patterns in this department and to identify factors associated with multidrug resistance.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study from January 2023 to December 2024. Among 840 hospitalised patients, 102 cases with microbiologically confirmed bacterial infections were included. Bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed using standard microbiological techniques. Multidrug resistance was defined as resistance to at least one agent in three or more antimicrobial classes. Associations between MDRB and clinical factors were analysed using chi-square tests.

Results: Urinary tract infections accounted for 78.4% of cases, followed by bloodstream infections (12.7%), purulent samples (6.9%), and stool cultures (2.0%). The mean age was 55.5 years, with patients ≥60 years representing 47.1%. Males predominated (72.5%; sex ratio 2.6).

The most frequently isolated pathogens were Escherichia coli (52.9%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (6.9%), Acinetobacter baumannii (4.9%), and Enterococcus faecium (4.9%).

High resistance rates were observed to ampicillin, amoxicillin–clavulanic acid, cotrimoxazole, fluoroquinolones, and third-generation cephalosporins. Imipenem, ertapenem, and amikacin showed the lowest resistance rates. Overall, 51.0% of isolates were multidrug resistant. MDRB were significantly associated with HIV infection (p < 0.001), prior antibiotic use (p < 0.001), prolonged hospitalisation (p = 0.004), but not with urinary catheterisation or venous catheter use.

Conclusions: A high burden of multidrug-resistant bacteria was identified in the Internal Medicine ward of Centre Médico-Chirurgical des Armées. Strengthening antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control, and routine AMR surveillance is urgently needed.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns among Urinary Bacterial Isolates: A Descriptive Analysis of Ten Consecutive Clinical Cases

Haider Abbas Hadi Al-Mhanaa — 2026-09-04

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an emerging clinical problem among urinary pathogens and poses a challenge to empirical therapy. This descriptive analysis summarised antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 10 consecutive bacterial isolates obtained from urine samples at a single diagnostic microbiology laboratory.

Methods: The methods consisted of a review of 10 de-identified antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) reports of urinary isolates. Data on organism identification, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and susceptibility interpretation, based on Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints, were retrieved and analysed descriptively.

Results: The isolates comprised 6 Gram-negative organisms (Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=3), Escherichia coli (n=2), Proteus spp. (n=1)) and 4 Gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus aureus (n=2), S. haemolyticus (n=1), S. epidermidis (n=1)). Methicillin resistance was observed in all four staphylococcal isolates, and all were susceptible to linezolid, teicoplanin, and tigecycline. Among the Gram-negative isolates, 4/6 (66.7%) had an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-like phenotype (resistance to cefotaxime, ceftazidime, and/or cefepime). One Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate was resistant to ceftazidime-avibactam and intermediate to imipenem, while no carbapenem resistance was observed. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance was common in both groups. The most active agents against the Gram-negative isolates, as in the Gram-positive isolates, were aminoglycosides, tigecycline, and carbapenems.

Conclusions: This small case series highlights a substantial degree of methicillin resistance among uropathogenic staphylococci and a high frequency of an ESBL-like phenotype among the Enterobacteriaceae; carbapenems, aminoglycosides, tigecycline, linezolid, and teicoplanin were generally active. Larger prospective surveillance studies linked to demographic data are necessary to validate these results and inform local empirical prescribing.

Computational Identification of Dengue-Associated Comorbidities and Key Regulatory Genes from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Transcriptomes

Adrita Alam — 2026-09-05

Dengue fever remains a major health concern, and variation in host immune responses contributes to differences in clinical severity. This study computationally investigated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) transcriptomes to identify highly expressed sample-specific genes, potential dengue-associated comorbidities, and key regulatory genes across dengue fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever, dengue with plasma leakage, and dengue without plasma leakage. Publicly available RNA-seq datasets were collected, processed, and integrated. Highly expressed sample-specific genes were identified after excluding housekeeping genes, followed by Gene Ontology, KEGG pathway, and Disease Ontology enrichment analyses. Protein–protein interaction networks were then used to identify hub genes associated with enriched disease terms. The analyses identified BCL2, MYC, TNF, and TYMS as key genes linking the examined dengue conditions with distinct disease categories. Leukaemia-related disease terms were prominent in dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever, with BCL2 identified in both conditions and MYC additionally identified in dengue haemorrhagic fever. In dengue with plasma leakage, TNF was associated with rheumatic and autoimmune disease terms. In dengue without plasma leakage, TNF was linked with rheumatic and tuberculosis-related terms, while TYMS was associated with multiple myeloma-related molecular patterns. These findings describe condition-specific gene–disease overlaps in PBMC transcriptomes and provide computational candidates for further investigation. Experimental and clinical validation is required before these predicted associations can be considered for diagnostic or therapeutic application.

Study of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Iraqi Women Visiting Health Facilities in Al-Najaf: A Cross-sectional Study with Follow-up Serology

Zainab W. Kermasha — 2026-09-07

Aim: This study aimed to examine the serostatus of T. gondii infection among women, estimate the prevalence of past and current infection, and assess associations with age.

Study Design: This was an epidemiological cross-sectional study conducted among 90 women.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Al-Zahra Teaching Hospital and Al-Hakim General Hospital between January and March 2026.

Methodology: Serum samples were tested for anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies using an enzyme-linked fluorescent assay (ELFA), and specimens were considered positive when the IgG level was greater than 8.0 IU/mL or the IgM level was above 0.65 IU/mL. Participants were initially classified into three groups: no serologic evidence of infection, previous infection, and current infection. Paired serology was performed for the 9 IgM-positive women. Eighteen control participants were selected (nine IgG-positive and nine IgG-negative), of whom 16 completed follow-up; IgG avidity testing was performed for all IgM-positive samples.

Results: Initial classification identified 56 women (62.2%) as seronegative, 25 (27.8%) with previous infection, and 9 (10.0%) with current infection among 90 participants (median age, 27 years). Of the 9 IgM-positive women, 4 (44.4%) had acute infection, 3 (33.3%) had chronic infection with persistent IgM antibodies, and 2 (22.2%) had false-positive IgM results on paired serology. After paired testing, 4.4% (4/90) had acute infection, 31.1% (28/90) had previous/chronic infection, and 63.3% (57/90) had no serologic evidence. Overall seroprevalence, defined as previous or confirmed acute infection, was 35.6% (32/90). Seropositivity was significantly associated with age group (p = 0.041), with the highest proportion among women aged 31-40 years (60.0%).

Conclusion: A substantial proportion of participants had serological evidence of T. gondii infection. Paired serology and avidity testing reclassified more than half of the initially IgM-positive cases as chronic infection with persistent IgM or false-positive IgM results. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.