BUKU ABSTRAK - Universiti Putra Malaysia

Health
Keywords: MRSA, ST9, ST 398, Malaysia, pig
Potential Hazards from Transmission of Livestock associated with ST 9 MRSA to
Humans
Dr. Vasanthakumari Neela
Mariana Nor Shamsudin, Ehsanollah Ghaznavi Rad, Arif Mohd. Zafrul and Liew Yun Khoon
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8947 2507; neela2000@hotmail.com
It has recently become apparent that livestock can constitute methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) reservoir and be a source of MRSA infections. In 2003 in the Netherlands, a new MRSA strain
designated as ST 398 was recovered from pig associated human population. Subsequent screening of pig farmers
and pigs revealed that >20% of pig farmers and 39% of slaughterhouse pigs were MRSA-positive. ST 398
initially identified as colonizer, in a couple of years, several cases of infections of variable clinical relevance,
including endocarditis and pneumonia, have been described worldwide. Worldwide emergence of ST 398 MRSA
among pigs, handlers and thence as a nosocomial pathogen prompted us to investigate its presence in Malaysian
pig farms. Screening 450 nasal swabs from 30 pig farms demonstrated that 1.38% (5/360) and 5.5% (5/90) pigs
and pig handlers are colonized with MRSA. Molecular typing showed that MRSA isolates belonged to ST 9. All
isolates carried SCCmec V and contained most virulence genes including enterotoxin and MSCRAMMs. The
study has not only elucidated the presence of ST 9 MRSA among pigs, but also has shown its potential to transmit
to human. However, no ST 9 MRSA was detected among clinical MRSA strains in Malaysia to date. But it is not
too far that we may detect livestock with associated ST 9 in clinical scenario as what has happened with ST398.
To date, more than 20% of MRSA infections in some European countries are by ST 398. ST 9 has been recently
reported among pigs in China and among broilers in the Netherlands. To avoid the spread of ST 9 to hospitals and
thereby causing infection, a concerted effort from the clinicians, infection control practitioners and veterinarians
will be required in addition to continuous monitoring of this strain in other livestock’s especially chicken and pet
animals like cats and dogs.
Retroviral Nucleic Acid and Method of Use
Dr. Zeenathul Nazariah Allaudin
Nik Mohd. Afizan Nik Abd. Rahman and Mohd. Azmi Mohd. Lila
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8946 8055; zeenathul@putra.upm.edu.my
The present invention provides a retroviral nucleic acid capable of tissue-specific expression of a heterologous
nucleic acid in a cell and uses thereof. The present invention also provides a recombinant replication incompetent
retrovirus and uses thereof.
Keywords: Retroviral vector, cancer, targeted, tissue specific promoter
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