Let’s begin 2023 with a WISE Microbiology Time!

Automated MALDI-TOF target preparation, surface hygiene monitoring in a physiotherapy department, and an analysis of HPV prevalence 10 years after the beginning of the Malaysian vaccination campaign: read these studies exploring three peculiar sides of our WISE approach!

• The first study evaluated the performance of Colibrí™ against the manual preparation of MALDI targets. In the first phase of the study, Cherkaoui and colleagues analyzed more than 400 non-duplicate strains covering the most important species identified in the clinical routine. In the second step, they analyzed the performance of Colibrí™ after its implementation in routine. In both cases, Colibri™ provided a more reliable quality of the spot, improved traceability, and smooth integration of formic acid in the process when needed. In conclusion, Colibrí™ coupled with MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry revealed good performances and higher intra-strain repeatability compared to the manual preparation of the MALDI targets.
• The objective of the second study was to assess possible microbial contamination of surfaces and devices in a physiotherapy department and to evaluate possible acquired resistance to disinfectants caused by the continuous use of these disinfecting agents. The researchers performed microbiological environmental sampling in four various institutions, followed by CFU calculation, MALDI-TOF identification, and determination of the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of three alcohol-based and three quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) disinfectant wipes for each isolated bacterial strain. The results identified distinctive strains with four-fold increases in MIC values compared to average values, suggesting that the widespread use of disinfectants can induce a reduction in the susceptibility of bacteria against disinfectants and affect the increase in the proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• In 2010 Malaysia implemented a national school-based HPV vaccination program followed by a clinic-based catch-up program two years later. In this third study, the Malaysian team of researchers assessed the prevalence of HPV genotypes among 1134 women (divided into two groups, younger and older women) a decade into the national vaccination program, comparing HPV prevalence to that reported in an unvaccinated population in 2013– 2015. Participants provided a self-acquired vaginal sample for HPV genotyping, and Comprehensive sociodemographic and vaccination history were collected. The HPV vaccination coverage among younger women increased eightfold, while the prevalence of vaccine-targeted HPV16/18 decreased by 91%. In this group, no difference in the prevalence of non-vaccine targeted HPV genotypes has been observed. On the contrary, HPV prevalence among older women for both vaccine-targeted and non-vaccine-targeted genotypes did not differ from the 2013–2015 data. The observed decline in the prevalence of vaccine-targeted HPV genotype among younger women a decade after the national HPV vaccination program is an early indication of its effectiveness in reducing the burden of cervical cancer.

Read the complete studies below: