Evaluation on dry forage yields and nutritional characteristics of introduced herbaceous legumes in Myanmar

The study was carried out to evaluate the forage yields, nutritive values and in vitro fermentation parameters of herbaceous legumes. Five varieties of introduced herbaceous legumes; Stylosanthes guianensis cv. Ubon stylo, Macrotyloma axillare cv. Archer, Centrosema brasilianum cv. Ooloo, Stylosanthes guianensis cv. Stylo 184 and Macroptilum bracteatum cv. Cadarga were evaluated at the research farm, University of Veterinary Science, Yezin, Myanmar. No fertilizer and no irrigation were applied for cultivation to test drought resistance. Dry forage yield, nutritive values and gas production at four harvesting times were measured with 4×5 factorial arrangement (5 legumes and 4 harvesting time) in randomized complete block design. There was no interaction between legumes and harvesting time on forage yield, nutritive values and fermentation parameters but they were affected by the main effects of legume types and harvesting time. Among the legume forages, the highest dry forage yields were found in Ooloo, Ubon stylo, and Stylo 184, and followed by the DM yield of Archer and Cadarga. The DM yield of the second harvest was significantly higher (p<0.05) than those of the first, third and fourth harvest which were not significantly different from each other. As a chemical composition, the DM content of Archer was lower (p<0.05) than those of other varieties. Among the legumes forages, the lower CP content was found in Cadarga. The higher NDF was observed in Ooloo. Ooloo, Ubon stylo and Cadarga showed higher ADF in comparison with the other two varieties. Among the harvesting time, the lowest DM content was found at the first harvest. The highest CP content was found at third harvest. The NDF content was not significantly different. The lowest ADF content was found in fourth harvest. According to the dry forage yield, Ubon stylo and Ooloo had the highest dry forage yield and in term of nutritive values, Stylo 184 and Archer had higher nutritive values. As the main effect of forages, Stylo 184 and Archer had higher gas production in comparison with the other varieties. As the main effect of harvesting time, the fourth harvest had the highest gas production in comparison with other harvesting time. It could be better for cultivation by application of fertilizer and irrigation to get more forage yield and quality. &nbsp

Molecular analysis of streptomycin-resistance associating genes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from Nepal

Mutation in rpsL (encoding ribosomal protein S12), rrs (encoding 16S ribosomal RNA) and gidB (encoding 7-methylguanosine methyltransferase) are associated with resistance to streptomycin (STR), which is used for the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Nepal. The aim of our study is to analyze the correlation between mutations in the target genes and STR-resistance in 197 Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates from Nepal. Mutations in rpsL was harbored by 65.9% of isolates, in which the most common mutation in rpsL is caused by K43R (58.8%) and were significantly associated with Beijing genotype (P < 0.001). About 13.2% of isolates harbored mutations in two highly mutable regions of rrs, the 530 loop and the 912 region. About 13.2% of gidB mutants do not show any mutation in rpsL and rrs, which might suggest the role of gidB mutations in STR-resistance in MTB. In addition, 5.6% of isolates do not show any mutations in three genes examined, suggesting the involvement of other mechanism in STR-resistance in MTB. Our findings can be implemented for the establishment of molecular STR-susceptibility testing, in which tuberculosis can be treated with appropriate drugs and can improve control strategies for DR-TB

Neonatal Sepsis, Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern, and Treatment Outcomes among Neonates Treated in Two Tertiary Care Hospitals of Yangon, Myanmar from 2017 to 2019

Neonatal sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. This study aimed to assess the proportion of culture-confirmed sepsis, bacteriological pathogen profile, culture report turnaround times, antibiotic susceptibility patterns, and treatment outcomes of all with neonatal sepsis admitted in two tertiary care hospitals in Yangon, Myanmar, 2017–2019. This was a cross sectional study utilizing a standardized electronic database and paper-based records. Bacteriological profiles and associated factors were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Poisson Regression. Of those with suspected sepsis, 42% were bacteriologically confirmed and 74% of confirmed sepsis was resistant to at least first-line antibiotics. Neonates with late onset sepsis (LOS) (aPR: 1.2 (95% CI: 1.1–1.4, p = 0.008)) were more likely to have bacteriologically confirmed sepsis (45%) versus early onset sepsis (38%). Gram-negative organisms were most commonly isolated (63%), associated with multidrug-resistant organisms and with a high case-fatality rate (64%). These findings suggest that enhanced national guidance regarding infection control and prevention, antibiotic stewardship, and first-line antibiotic choices need to be provided. The link between LOS with infection and prevention protocols needs to be further explored in this context to decrease sepsis risk, neonatal mortality, and reduce further antimicrobial resistance

Insight into multidrug-resistant Beijing genotype Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Myanmar

Objectives: Myanmar is a World Health Organization high tuberculosis (TB) burden country with a high multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB burden. Of significance, a high prevalence of the Beijing genotype of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) among MDR-MTB has been reported previously. A detailed genetic characterization of TB clinical isolates was performed in order to explore whether there is an association between the prevalence of the Beijing MTB genotype and MDR-TB in Myanmar. Methods: A total of 265 MDR-MTB clinical isolates collected in 2010 and 2012 were subjected to spoligotyping, mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit–variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) analysis, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing, and drug resistance-associated gene sequencing, including rpoC to detect potential compensatory evolution. Results: Of the total MDR-MTB isolates, 79.2% (210/265) were of the Beijing genotype, the majority of which were the ‘modern’ subtype. Beijing genotype isolates were differentiated by 15-locus MIRU-VNTR and a high clustering rate (53.0%) was observed in the modern subtype. These MIRU-VNTR patterns were similar to Beijing genotype clones spreading across Russia and Central Asia. A high prevalence of katG Ser315Thr, and genetic evidence of extensive drug resistance (XDR) and pre-XDR and compensatory mutations in rpoC were observed among clustered isolates. Conclusions: MDR-MTB strains of the Beijing genotype might be spreading in Myanmar and present a major challenge to TB control in this country. Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Multidrug-resistant TB, Beijing genotype, MIRU-VNTR, Myanma