Molecular characterisation of <i>Bacillus</i> chitinase for bioconversion of chitin waste

<div><p>In this work chitin was extracted chemically from shrimp shells. Seventeen <i>Bacillus</i> isolates were screened for chitinolytic activity. The chitinolytic strains of <i>Bt</i>. were screened at different temperatures and pHs for their hydrolytic potentials. By using a pair of specific primers, <i>endochitinase</i> gene was amplified from SBS Bt-5 strain through PCR, and then cloned into pTZ57 TA cloning vector and transferred in <i>Escherichia coli</i> DH5α strain. The sequenced gene (GenBank Accession No: HE995800) consists of 2031 nucleotides capable of encoding 676 residues. The protein consisted of three functional domains with a calculated molecular mass of 74.53 kDa and a pI value of 5.83. The amino acid sequence of <i>chi</i> gene showed 99% similarity to the genes of <i>Bt</i> MR11 <i>endochitinase</i>, <i>Bt</i><i>serovar kurstaki</i> chitinase (<i>kch</i>i), <i>Bt</i> strain MR21 <i>endochitinase</i> and <i>Bacillus cereus</i> B4264.</p></div

Point prevalence probing of antimicrobial prescription patterns from a developing country

Irrational use of antibiotics intensifies resistance and jeopardizes advances made in modern medicine. We aimed to conduct a baseline gap analysis survey on antibiotic prescription practices across Pakistan. This multi-centered cross-sectional survey was conducted at six public sector tertiary care hospitals from February 2021 to March 2021. Data related to various variables including hospital infrastructure, policies and practices, monitoring and feedback, and epidemiological, clinical, and antibiotic prescription for surveyed patients was collected using World Health Organization (WHO) Point Prevalence Survey (PPS) methodology. In a survey of 837 inpatients, 78.5% were prescribed antibiotics. Most commonly prescribed antimicrobial was ceftriaxone (21.7%), followed by metronidazole (17.3%), cefoperazone-sulbactam (8.4%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (6.3%), and piperacillin/tazobactam (5.9%). Surgical prophylaxis (36.7%) and community-acquired infections (24.7%) were the main reasons for antibiotic prescriptions. Single antibiotics were given to 46.7% of patients, 39.9% received a combination of two antibiotics, and 12.5% were prescribed three or more antibiotics. Among six hospitals surveyed, two had drug and therapeutic committees, three had infection prevention and control committees, and one had an antibiotic formulary. Findings demonstrate high consumption of broad-spectrum antimicrobials and emphasize the importance of expanding antimicrobial stewardship programs among hospitals. Mentoring clinical teams could help rationalize antimicrobial use.</p