Ali Khalid

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research · Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology

After a century of use in human infection, the preparation and administration of therapeutic bacteriophages (phages) still relies on ad hoc partnerships of researchers, biotech companies, clinicians and regulators. There is a clear need to improve the reproducibility, safety and speed of the provision of suitable phages. Here we discuss the specifi...

Approximately 10% of global health research is devoted to 90% of global disease burden (the so-called ‘10/90 Gap’) and it often neglects those diseases most prevalent in low-income countries. Antibiotic resistant bacterial infections are known to impact on healthcare, food security and socio-economic fabric in the developing countries. With a globa...

Objectives: Evaluate the role of porins in the susceptibility of Klebsiella pneumoniae to ceftaroline and ceftaroline-avibactam. Methods: Susceptibility to ceftaroline and ceftaroline-avibactam was tested by broth microdilution method in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates (n = 65), including isogenic mutants (n = 30) and clinical isolates (n = 35), wit...

• Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is re-emerging a century after it began. • Activity against antibiotic-resistant pathogens and a lack of serious side effects make phage therapy an attractive treatment option in refractory bacterial infection. • Phages are highly specific for their bacterial targets but the relationship between in vitro activity and...

Objective: To assess the in vitro sensitivity of multi drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (A.baumannii) against fourtetracyclines. Methodology: Routine clinical specimens were received from various wards of a tertiary care hospital from December 2009 to August 2010. A. baumannii was identified by using standard microbiological procedures. Minim...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: 13C urea breath test (13C UBT) is used to detect Helicbacter (H.) pylori in gastric mucosa. There are controversial results regarding associations of 13C UBT values with histopathological grades. We designed this study to correlate 13C UBT values with different histopathological grades in our local setting. METHODOLOGY: 13CO2/12CO2...

Background/aims: 13C urea breath test (13C UBT) is used to detect Helicbacter (H.) pylori in gastric mucosa. There are controversial results regarding associations of 13C UBT values with histopathological grades. We designed this study to correlate 13C UBT values with different histopathological grades in our local setting. Methodology: 13CO2/12...

Objective: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a major nosocomial pathogen causing significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of linezolid against methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Methods:This was a descriptive study carried out at the Department of Microbiology, Army Medical College...

Objective: To compare the sensitivity and specificity of different phenotypic methods for detection of Amp C betalactamase producing bacteria. Study design: Analytical study. Place and duration of study: Department of Microbiology, Army Medical College / National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan, from June 2010...

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections in humans, both in the community and the hospital settings. An extensive use of β -lactam antibiotics in hospitals and community has created major resistance problem leading to increased morbidity, mortality and health-care costs. Local knowledge of antimicrobial suscep...

Objective: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are amongst the most common conditions encountered in our hospitals. The objectives of the study were to determine the frequency and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of various Gram nega-tive bacteria (GNB) isolated from sputum samples of patients with RTIs. Methods: A descriptive, cross sectional stu...

Multi-drug resistant bacteria are an important cause of mortality and morbidity. In the management of various infections, timely detection and appropriate treatment, in accordance with the culture and sensitivity reports can help improve the treatment outcome. Colistin is a bactericidal antibiotic which is emerging as a reliable solution for treati...

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a causative agent of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In Pakistan, more than 10 million people are living with HCV. Very little is known about the genotype distribution in Punjab Province, the largest province of Pakistan. Pretreatment genotype identification is very important, a...

Vancomycin has been considered mainstay treatment of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The reports of the emergence of vancomycin intermediate and vancomycin resistant S. aureus from various parts of the world have been of great clinical concern. This study was performed to monitor the status of glycopeptide suscepti...

Aims: Infections due to metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) producing Gram negative rods are a cause of high mortality and morbidity. Early detection by an economical and accurate method may improve patient outcome. This study was aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of combined disc method for MBL detection by comparing it with MBL-Etest. Methodology a...

To find out the frequency and susceptibility pattern of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa in clinical specimens. Cross-sectional observational study. Department of Microbiology, Army Medical College, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Rawalpindi, from January to September 2010. Routine clinical specimens were sub...

BACKGROUND: Microorganisms growing in a biofilm are associated with chronic and recurrent human infections and are highly resistant to antimicrobial agents. There are various methods to detect biofilm production like Tissue Culture Plate (TCP), Tube method (TM), Congo Red Agar method (CRA), bioluminescent assay, piezoelectric sensors, and fluoresce...

Microorganisms growing in a biofilm are associated with chronic and recurrent human infections and are highly resistant to antimicrobial agents. There are various methods to detect biofilm production like Tissue Culture Plate (TCP), Tube method (TM), Congo Red Agar method (CRA), bioluminescent assay, piezoelectric sensors, and fluorescent microscop...

Microorganisms adhere to non-living material or living tissue, and form biofilms made up of extracellular polymers/slime. Biofilm-associated microorganisms behave differently from free-floating bacteria with respect to growth rates and ability to resist antimicrobial treatments and therefore pose a public health problem. The objective of this study...

Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria is associated with various infections in humans. Isolationof Aeromonas sobria in patients with gastroenteritis is not unusual. We describe acase of Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria gastroenteritis in a young patient. This is thefirst documented case reported from Pakistan.

Objective: Amp C beta-lactamases are cephalosporinases which hydrolyze cephamycins and are poorly inhibited by clavulanic acid. Amp C beta-lactamases confer resistance to a wide variety of antibiotics and pose both diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The objective was to detect the frequency and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Amp C beta-la...

To compare the in vitro activities of vancomycin and linezolid against methicillin resistant Staphyloccus aureus in our set up to help in formulating a better empirical treatment and reduce the emergence of vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The study was conducted over a period of 6 months (1st July 2009-31st Dec 2009). Fifty Methicillin...

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major nosocomial pathogen causing significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro activities of different antibiotics against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The study was conducted over a period of one year (January 2009 - December 2009) in the...

Ascariasis is one of the common parasitic infections worldwide especially in the tropical and subtropical developing countries where sanitation and hygiene are poor. Children are vulnerable because their high risk behavior. Complications such as GI obstruction, acute appendicitis with perforation, ileal perforation, volvulus, biliary tract obstruct...