Prevalence and Resistance Patterns of Candida albicans in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients with Urinary Tract Infections

Background: Candida spp. is an opportunistic fungi genus that can turn into pathogens, especially in those with inadequate immune response such as in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), of which Candida albicans is the most common species. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and antifungal resistance patterns of Candida albicans in DM and non-DM patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs).Methods: A retrospective descriptive observational study was conducted in 2023 using medical record data of DM and non-DM patients with UTIs who were treated at a tertiary hospital in Bandung, Indonesia from July 2019 to December 2021. Data on patient characteristics, proportion of fungal species causing UTI, and antifungal resistance patterns of Candida albicans were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2019 and presented in tabular form and chart.Results: Of a total 291 patient data, 21 were DM patients and 270 were non-DM patients, mostly were female, 71.4% and 58.2%, respectively. The prevalence of Candida albicans in DM patients was 66.7% and in non-DM patients was 70.7%, mostly resistant to micafungin (7.1% and 8.9%, respectively).Conclusion: Female is more susceptible to UTIs. More than half of DM and non-DM patients with UTIs are infected with Candida albicans, and mostly resistant to micafungin. Antifungal treatment guidelines based on resistance patterns and education on personal hygiene to prevent UTIs are recommended

Roles of Microwave Oven in Preparing Microbiological Growth Media

Background: Sterilization of a growth medium before being utilized is a very important step in a microbiology laboratory. The common method for this purpose is by using the autoclave. However, autoclaving takes more time. To overcome this limitation, we tried to use the microwave oven. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of microwave oven in preparing the growth media.Methods: This was a laboratory experimental study conducted at Microbiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, from October to November 2014. The growth media used were: MacConkey agar, in petri dishes, inoculated with Escherichia coli; Sabouraud agar, in petri dishes, inoculated with Candida albicans; Kligler iron agar (KIA), in reaction tubes, inoculated with Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhi; Simmons citrate agar, in reaction tubes, inoculated with Klebsiella pneumoniae; Mueller-Hinton (M-H) broth, in reaction tubes, inoculated with Escherichia coli; and Motility Indole Urea (MIU) semisolid agar, in reaction tubes, inoculated with Proteus sp.The media would be heated by microwave for 1, 2, and 3 minutes. Results: From the total 54 dishes/tubes of various microwave-sterilized media, contaminations were only seen at 5 dishes/tubes. Most of the media, except the one-minute-heated Mueller-Hinton broth, were sterilized more than half dishes/tubes. The identification function of all media in this study was performed well. Conclusions: The utilization of microwave oven as an alternative sterilizing apparatus for microbiological growth media is very potential, particularly for two and three minutes duration of heating. [AMJ.2016;3(1):1–5]DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n1.46

Roles of Microwave Oven in Preparing Microbiological Growth Media

Background: Sterilization of a growth medium before being utilized is a very important step in a microbiology laboratory. The common method for this purpose is by using the autoclave. However, autoclaving takes more time. To overcome this limitation, we tried to use the microwave oven. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of microwave oven in preparing the growth media.Methods: This was a laboratory experimental study conducted at Microbiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, from October to November 2014. The growth media used were: MacConkey agar, in petri dishes, inoculated with Escherichia coli; Sabouraud agar, in petri dishes, inoculated with Candida albicans; Kligler iron agar (KIA), in reaction tubes, inoculated with Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhi; Simmons citrate agar, in reaction tubes, inoculated with Klebsiella pneumoniae; Mueller-Hinton (M-H) broth, in reaction tubes, inoculated with Escherichia coli; and Motility Indole Urea (MIU) semisolid agar, in reaction tubes, inoculated with Proteus sp.The media would be heated by microwave for 1, 2, and 3 minutes. Results: From the total 54 dishes/tubes of various microwave-sterilized media, contaminations were only seen at 5 dishes/tubes. Most of the media, except the one-minute-heated Mueller-Hinton broth, were sterilized more than half dishes/tubes. The identification function of all media in this study was performed well. Conclusions: The utilization of microwave oven as an alternative sterilizing apparatus for microbiological growth media is very potential, particularly for two and three minutes duration of heating. [AMJ.2016;3(1):1–5]DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n1.46