Staphylococcus aureus carriage in selected kindergartens in Klang Valley

Introduction: Nasal colonisation of S. aureus in healthy children was 18% to 30%. One to three percent of them were colonised by Methicillin-resistant Staphlycoccus aureus (MRSA). Although MRSA infection has become increasingly reported, population-based S. aureus and MRSA colonisation estimates are lacking. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of S. aureus carriage among children. Methods: Nasal samples for S. aureus culture were obtained from 250 children from three kindergartens in the Klang Valley, after consent was obtained from the children and their parents. Swabs were transported in Stuart medium, and inoculated on mannitol-salt agar within four hours of collection. Identification and disk diffusion test were done according to guidelines. Polymerase chain reaction was done on MRSA isolates for the presence of mecA and lukS/FPV genes. Results: Overall prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA carriage were 19.2% (48/250) and 1.6% (4/250) respectively. mecA gene was present in all isolates, 50% isolates carried Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) gene. Sccmec type I was found in 2 isolates and the remaining isolates has Sccmec type V. Conclusion: The prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA carriage were similar to other studies. However, risk of contracting severe infection might be higher due to presence of PVL gene in half of the MRSA isolates

The students’ perceptions and attitudes towards blended learning among undergraduate students in Kuala Lumpur

Blended learning resulted in improving learning and student satisfaction. A cross-sectional study was done to determine the perception and attitude of undergraduates among gender, years of study and departments. There are three domain that has been considered which is perception, the concepts of blended learning and the negative impression are explored in this study. A total of 126 students from Year 1 and Year 2 were recruited as respondents from two departments in the university in Kuala Lumpur. Students had high preferences to perception and concepts of blended learning. In terms of perception, there was a significant difference in the departments to blended learning among biomedical and nutrition students. There was a significant difference for domain negative expression and concept of blended learning between department according to the result of multivariate test