Videos by Saad Alasil, PhD, MS, MPH
February is American Heart Month when all people can focus on their cardiovascular health. For th... more February is American Heart Month when all people can focus on their cardiovascular health. For that, UB's School of Public Health and Health Professions and I have made this awareness video!
Don't forget to check out the Resources for public Health Professionals on the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/american_heart_month_public_health.htm
#UBPublicHealth #UBSPHHP #UBMPH #UBuffalo #MasterOfPublicHealth #BoldlyBuffalo 3 views
Papers by Saad Alasil, PhD, MS, MPH
The Open Microbiology Journal, 2019
Emerging infectious diseases are infections that have recently appeared in a population over a de... more Emerging infectious diseases are infections that have recently appeared in a population over a defined period of time whereas, re-emerging infectious diseases are those that were once a health problem in a particular region or a country and are now emerging again. Parasitic infectious diseases represent a serious health problem in many developing countries and recently have started spreading to developed nations via international traveling or immigration. Malaysia is facing many challenges caused by various parasitic pathogens. The lack of awareness among disadvantaged populations such as the Orang Asli community and the dependency on foreign workers has led to an influx of immigrants to Malaysia from countries endemic to various parasitic diseases. Understanding the social and economic dynamics of such diseases can help anticipate and subsequently control their emergence. Raising public awareness, developing robust public health infrastructure and implementing point-of-care diagnos...
Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination, 2015
The dawn of maternal vaccination is an important milestone in breastmilk immunity. Breastmilk per... more The dawn of maternal vaccination is an important milestone in breastmilk immunity. Breastmilk per se has immunopotential that protects the infant from important childhood diseases both in the immediate neonatal period and in the long term. Its immune nutritive attributes confer this exclusive early nourishment a cutting edge in defence that no other human nutrient can yet offer. Evidence that breastmilk is important in maturing the naiveté immune system and its potential to differentiate commensal and pathogenic microbes as well as its antimicrobial action are briefly reviewed. The vulnerability of the neonatal period to diseases and the increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance to pathogens must prompt us to continue to seek avenues through which primary disease preventive strategies can be emphasized and indeed improved. The advent of maternal vaccination has made it necessary that review and much research are both needed for elucidating the enrichment of the immune potential in breastmilk and how, because of it, some focused protective immunological responses may be triggered by further empowering the immunological potential of breastmilk constituents.. Primary disease prevention is achieved both by breastfeeding and by vaccination. We review here how the usefulness of breastfeeding and maternal vaccination may further empower breastmilk immunology.
International Journal of Otolaryngology, 2013
Diseases of the tonsils are becoming more resistant to antibiotics due to the persistence of bact... more Diseases of the tonsils are becoming more resistant to antibiotics due to the persistence of bacteria through the formation of biofilms. Therefore, understanding the microbiology and pathophysiology of such diseases represent an important step in the management of biofilm-related infections. We have isolated the microorganisms, evaluated their antimicrobial susceptibility, and detected the presence of bacterial biofilms in tonsillar specimens in correlation with the clinical manifestations of tonsillar diseases. Therefore, a total of 140 palatine tonsils were collected from 70 patients undergoing tonsillectomy at University Malaya Medical Centre. The most recovered isolate wasStaphylococcus aureus(39.65%) followed byHaemophilus influenzae(18.53%). There was high susceptibility against all selected antibiotics except for cotrimoxazole. Bacterial biofilms were detected in 60% of patients and a significant percentage of patients demonstrated infection manifestation rather than obstruct...
International Journal of Microbiology, 2014
The effectiveness of many antimicrobial agents is currently decreasing; therefore, it is importan... more The effectiveness of many antimicrobial agents is currently decreasing; therefore, it is important to search for alternative therapeutics. Our study was carried out to assess thein vitroantibiofilm activity using microtiter plate assay, to characterize the bioactive compounds using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detection and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and to test the oral acute toxicity on Sprague Dawley rats of extract derived from a novel bacterial species ofPaenibacillusstrain 139SI. Our results indicate that the crude extract and its three identified compounds exhibit strong antibiofilm activity against a broad range of clinically important pathogens. Three potential compounds were identified including an amino acid antibiotic C8H20N3O4P (MW 253.237), phospholipase A2 inhibitor C21H36O5(MW 368.512), and an antibacterial agent C14H11N3O2(MW 253.260). The acute toxicity test indicates that the mortality rate among all rats was low and that the bi...
Journal of Chemotherapy, 2009
pseudomonas aeruginosa continues to be the leading cause of nosocomial infections, or about 9– 10... more pseudomonas aeruginosa continues to be the leading cause of nosocomial infections, or about 9– 10% of hospital infections. it is responsible for infections occurring in patients in intensive care units (iCU), particularly with ventilator-associated pneumonia, surgical site infection, urinary tract infection, or sepsis and in patients with burns, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasias, neutropenia or cancer 1. Treatment of p. aeruginosa infections is a therapeutic challenge as a result of the organism’s intrinsic resistance to a variety of antibiotics 2. The antipseudomonal b-lactams (such as ticarcillin, piperacillin, ceftazidime, cefepime, aztreonam and the carbapenems) represent a major weapon against pseudomonas infections, either as monotherapy or combination therapy. Therefore, acquired resistance to these agents constitutes a major problem especially when it is associated with resistance to other classes of drugs such as aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones (FQ). in recent years, a notable increase in the prevalence and multidrug-resistant (MDR) p. aeruginosa in hospitalized patients has been reported with subsequent high morbidity and mortality in these patients in the Arab world and worldwide 3. The control of nosocomial p. aeruginosa infections necessitates the detection of susceptibility pattern of clinical isolates from hospitalized patients, investigation of the overall effect of each antibiotic on the emergence of resistance, examination of resistance to an individual antimicrobial class (b-lactams) through detection of PER-1 gene, and comparison with other classes of antimicrobials (aminoglycosides and FQs). Data on antimicrobial resistance in Jordan are sparse, especially for p. aeruginosa strains. The continual surveillance of resistance rates to antibiotics and patterns of multiresistance is a prerequisite to the elaboration of guidelines for empirical therapy especially in developing countries and particularly in Jordan where 15% of chlorinated and non-chlorinated water and 86.7% of the dental units were found to be contaminated with p. aeruginosa 4. Between February 2006 and september 2006, a total of 100 non-repetitive clinical isolates of p. aeruginosa (urine, wound, sputum, blood, ear swabs, cerebrospinal fluid (CsF) and tissue) were collected from patients in King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH) in northern Jordan. swabs from the affected sites were taken, cultured on appropriate media and isolates were identified and typed according to standard Vitek techniques 5. The study was approved by the hospital ethics committee and an informed consent form was obtained from all study subjects. in our study, the antimicrobial agents selected for susceptibility testing against p. aeruginosa were from groups A and B exclusively and referred to as the antimicrobial battery. Group A comprises agents considered appropriate for inclusion in a routine primary testing panel as well as for routine reporting of results 6. Group B comprises agents that may warrant primary testing; however, they may be reported only selectively, such as when the organism is resistant to agents of the same class 7. The antimicrobial agents involved in this study were: b-lactams (ceftazidime (CAZ), cefepime (FEP), piperacillin (PRL), piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP)), monobactams (aztreonam (ATM)), beta-lactamase inhibitor (ticarcillin clavulanic acid (TiM)), aminoglycosides (amikacin (AK), gentamicin (Cn)), carbapenems (imipenem (iPM), meropenem (MEM)), fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin (CiP)) and polymixin (colistin (CT)). The two major b-lactam phenotypic detection markers used in our study were ceftazidime and imipenem. susceptibility to antimicrobial agents was determined by using the disk diffusion test and the E-test for imipenem MiC according to Clinical Laboratory standards institute (CLsi) guidelines 8. Disk diffusion test was performed by using 12 antibiotic disks obtained from OxOiD, UK. The type and disk content were used in the following concentrations (in μg/disk): 100 PRL, 110 TZP, 85 TiM, 30 CAZ, 30 FEP, 30 ATM, 10 iPM, 10 MEM, 30 AK, 10 Cn, 5 CiP and 10 CT. The results were interpreted according to the standard table provided by the supplier along with these discs. The E-Test was used as a confirmatory test in order to know the exact concentration of microbial inhibition, which is probably due to the stable, continuous and exponential gradient of antibiotic concentration formed REpRInt
Biologia, 2012
Paenibacillus spp. are Gram-positive, facultatively aerobic, bacilli-shaped endospore-forming bac... more Paenibacillus spp. are Gram-positive, facultatively aerobic, bacilli-shaped endospore-forming bacteria. They have been detected in a variety of environments, such as soil, water, forage, insect larvae, and even clinical samples. The strain 139SI (GenBank accession No.: JF825470.1) from three strains of Paenibacillus isolates investigated here was chosen as the type strain of the proposed novel species. The other two similar strain isolates investigated were 140SI (JF825471.1) and 141SI (JQ734548.1). These strains were identified as members of the genus Paenibacillus on the basis of phenotypic characteristics, phylogenetic analysis and 16S rRNA G+C content. Surprisingly, these strains exhibited a strong hemolytic activity on 5% sheep blood agar. Their crude extracts also showed positive growth-promoting activities in colon cancer and Vero cell lines. To our knowledge, this is the first Paenibacillus with hemolytic and growth-promoting activities reported, and the name Paenibacillus h...
African Journal of Microbiology Research, 2011
Paenibacillus spp. are Gram-positive, facultatively aerobic, bacilli-shaped endospore-forming bac... more Paenibacillus spp. are Gram-positive, facultatively aerobic, bacilli-shaped endospore-forming bacteria. They have been detected in a variety of environments, such as soil, water, forage, insect larvae, and even clinical samples. The strain 139SI (GenBank accession No.: JF825470.1) from three strains of Paenibacillus isolates investigated here was chosen as the type strain of the proposed novel species. The other two similar strain isolates investigated were 140SI (JF825471.1) and 141SI (JQ734548.1). These strains were identified as members of the genus Paenibacillus on the basis of phenotypic characteristics, phylogenetic analysis and 16S rRNA G+C content. Surprisingly, these strains exhibited a strong hemolytic activity on 5% sheep blood agar. Their crude extracts also showed positive growth-promoting activities in colon cancer and Vero cell lines. To our knowledge, this is the first Paenibacillus with hemolytic and growth-promoting activities reported, and the name Paenibacillus hemolyticus for this novel species is proposed. The capability of this novel species in hemolytic and cell growth activities suggests its potential in both clinical and pharmacological implications.
The therapeutic efficiency of many antibiotics is currently decreasing due to the occurrence of m... more The therapeutic efficiency of many antibiotics is currently decreasing due to the occurrence of multidrug-resistant pathogens and the prevalence of biofilm-associated infections. One of the strategies to combat such infections is inhibiting the pathogen’s ability to form biofilms. Our study was carried out to assess the in vitro antibiofilm activity, characterize the potential bioactive compounds, test the oral acute toxicity, and evaluate the in vivo therapeutic effects of culture extract derived from a novel bacterial species of Paenibacillus. Results indicate that the extract and its identified compounds exhibit strong antibiofilm activity in vitro against a broad range of clinically-important pathogens. Three potential compounds were identified including an amino acid antibiotic C8H20N3O4P, phospholipase A2 inhibitor C21H36O5, and an antibacterial agent C14H11N3O2. The acute toxicity test shows normal biochemical parameters, hematological profile, and histopathology of both live...
Journal of Chemotherapy, 2009
The antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Patients in King Abdullah Unive... more The antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Patients in King Abdullah University Hospital in Jordan were assessed.
African Journal of Microbiology Research, 2011
Diagnosis and treatment of chronic tonsillitis (CT) and recurrent tonsillitis (RT) are common pro... more Diagnosis and treatment of chronic tonsillitis (CT) and recurrent tonsillitis (RT) are common problems seen in any otolaryngology clinic. Antibiotic therapy usually fails to prevent the recurrences of these infections leaving the patient with no choice but surgery (tonsillectomy). This study aims to identify the bacteriology of both tonsillar swabs and biopsies specimens among children and adult patients diagnosed with CT and RT (infected tonsils). In addition to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and tonsillar hypertrophy (TH) (non-infected tonsils) all undergoing elective tonsillectomy and to characterize the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the most common isolate. A total number of 138 surgically removed palatine tonsils were collected from 72 patients. Six types of antibiotics were selected to test the susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolates which are methicillin, gentamicin, erythromycin, co-trimoxazole, clindamycin and fusidic acid. The most common isolate was S. aureus (190 isolatre) followed by Haemophilus influenza (83), Streptococcus Group B (61), Haemophilus parainfluenza (33), Klebsiella pneumoniae (32), Streptococcus Group G (29), Streptococcus Group F (14), Streptococcus Group C (12), Pseudomonas aeruginosae (10) and Streptococcus Group A (9) and Streptococcus Group A (9). The number of S. aurues isolates in infected tonsils (RT and CT) was 145 (76.3%) while in non-infected tonsils (OSA and TH) was 45 (23.6%). Three susceptibility patterns were found among S. aureus isolates in all cases, (89.4%) susceptible to all the selected antibiotics, (10.6%) resistant to fusidic acid only, whereas 0.5% resistant to both methicillin and fusidic acid. There was a 30.5% difference in the type of bacterial isolates between tonsillar swab and biopsies. The high prevalence of S. aureus in patients with both infected and non-infected tonsils suggests that this bacterium might not be the aetiological agent of chronic and recurrent tonsillitis. In addition, the high susceptibility rate of methicilin among S. aurues isolates could be due to the fact that S. aurues represents part of the oropharynx normal flora. The increased rate of resistance 10.6% to fusidic acid among methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates makes this antibiotic a less potential drug of choice for patients with chronic and recurrent tonsillitis.
Biologia, 2002
Paenibacillus spp. are Gram-positive, facultatively aerobic, bacilli-shaped endospore-forming bac... more Paenibacillus spp. are Gram-positive, facultatively aerobic, bacilli-shaped endospore-forming bacteria. They have been detected in a variety of environments, such as soil, water, forage, insect larvae, and even clinical samples. The strain 139SI (GenBank accession No.: JF825470.1) from three strains of Paenibacillus isolates investigated here was chosen as the type strain of the proposed novel species. The other two similar strain isolates investigated were 140SI (JF825471.1) and 141SI (JQ734548.1). These strains were identified as members of the genus Paenibacillus on the basis of phenotypic characteristics, phylogenetic analysis and 16S rRNA G+C content. Surprisingly, these strains exhibited a strong hemolytic activity on 5% sheep blood agar. Their crude extracts also showed positive growth-promoting activities in colon cancer and Vero cell lines. To our knowledge, this is the first Paenibacillus with hemolytic and growth-promoting activities reported, and the name Paenibacillus hemolyticus for this novel species is proposed. The capability of this novel species in hemolytic and cell growth activities suggests its potential in both clinical and pharmacological implications.
International Journal of Otolaryngology, 2013
Diseases of the tonsils are becoming more resistant to antibiotics due to the persistence of bact... more Diseases of the tonsils are becoming more resistant to antibiotics due to the persistence of bacteria through the formation of biofilms. Therefore, understanding the microbiology and pathophysiology of such diseases represent an important step in the management of biofilm-related infections. We have isolated the microorganisms, evaluated their antimicrobial susceptibility, and detected the presence of bacterial biofilms in tonsillar specimens in correlation with the clinical manifestations of tonsillar diseases. Therefore, a total of 140 palatine tonsils were collected from 70 patients undergoing tonsillectomy at University Malaya Medical Centre. The most recovered isolate was Staphylococcus aureus (39.65%) followed by Haemophilus influenzae (18.53%). There was high susceptibility against all selected antibiotics except for cotrimoxazole. Bacterial biofilms were detected in 60% of patients and a significant percentage of patients demonstrated infection manifestation rather than obstruction. In addition, an association between clinical symptoms like snore, apnea, nasal obstruction, and tonsillar hypertrophy was found to be related to the microbiology of tonsils particularly to the presence of biofilms. In conclusion, evidence of biofilms in tonsils in correlation with the demonstrated clinical symptoms explains the recalcitrant nature of tonsillar diseases and highlights the importance of biofilm's early detection and prevention towards better therapeutic management of biofilm-related infections.
International Journal of Microbiology, 2014
The effectiveness of many antimicrobial agents is currently decreasing; therefore, it is importan... more The effectiveness of many antimicrobial agents is currently decreasing; therefore, it is important to search for alternative therapeutics. Our study was carried out to assess the in vitro antibiofilm activity using microtiter plate assay, to characterize the bioactive compounds using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detection and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and to test the oral acute toxicity on Sprague Dawley rats of extract derived from a novel bacterial species of Paenibacillus strain 139SI. Our results indicate that the crude extract and its three identified compounds exhibit strong antibiofilm activity against a broad range of clinically important pathogens. Three potential compounds were identified including an amino acid antibiotic C 8 H 20 N 3 O 4 P (MW 253.237), phospholipase A2 inhibitor C 21 H 36 O 5 (MW 368.512), and an antibacterial agent C 14 H 11 N 3 O 2 (MW 253.260). The acute toxicity test indicates that the mortality rate among all rats was low and that the biochemical parameters, hematological profile, and histopathology examination of liver and kidneys showed no significant differences between experimental groups (í µí± > 0.05). Overall, our findings suggest that the extract and its purified compounds derived from novel Paenibacillus sp. are nontoxic exhibiting strong antibiofilm activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens that can be useful towards new therapeutic management of biofilm-associated infections.
International Journal of Bacteriology, 2015
Quorum sensing (QS) is a key regulator of virulence factors and biofilm formation in Gram-negativ... more Quorum sensing (QS) is a key regulator of virulence factors and biofilm formation in Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Microorganisms that inhabit soil are of strategic importance in the discovery of compounds with anti-QS properties. The objective of the study was to test the culture extract of a taxonomically novel species of Paenibacillus strain 139SI for its inhibitory effects on the QS-controlled virulence factors and biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa both in vitro and in vivo. The Paenibacillus sp. culture extract was used to test its anti-QS effects on the LasA protease, LasB elastase, pyoverdin production, and biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa as well as evaluate its therapeutic effects on lung bacteriology, pathology, hematological profile, and serum antibody responses of experimental animals in a rat model of chronic lung infection. Results showed significant decrease in the activities of QS-controlled LasA protease, LasB elastase pyoverdin, and biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa caused by the culture extract. Moreover, the extract significantly prolonged the survival times of rats and facilitated the clearance of biofilm infections from infected lungs. In conclusion, the antiquorum sensing effects of culture extract from a novel species of Paenibacillus provide new insights to combat biofilm-associated infections.
Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination, 2015
The dawn of maternal vaccination is an important milestone in breastmilk immunity. Breastmilk per... more The dawn of maternal vaccination is an important milestone in breastmilk immunity. Breastmilk per se has immunopotential that protects the infant from important childhood diseases both in the immediate neonatal period and in the long term. Its immune nutritive attributes confer this exclusive early nourishment a cutting edge in defence that no other human nutrient can yet offer. Evidence that breastmilk is important in maturing the naiveté immune system and its potential to differentiate commensal and pathogenic microbes as well as its antimicrobial action are briefly reviewed. The vulnerability of the neonatal period to diseases and the increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance to pathogens must prompt us to continue to seek avenues through which primary disease preventive strategies can be emphasized and indeed improved. The advent of maternal vaccination has made it necessary that review and much research are both needed for elucidating the enrichment of the immune potential in breastmilk and how, because of it, some focused protective immunological responses may be triggered by further empowering the immunological potential of breastmilk constituents.. Primary disease prevention is achieved both by breastfeeding and by vaccination. We review here how the usefulness of breastfeeding and maternal vaccination may further empower breastmilk immunology.
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Videos by Saad Alasil, PhD, MS, MPH
Don't forget to check out the Resources for public Health Professionals on the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/american_heart_month_public_health.htm
#UBPublicHealth #UBSPHHP #UBMPH #UBuffalo #MasterOfPublicHealth #BoldlyBuffalo
Papers by Saad Alasil, PhD, MS, MPH
Don't forget to check out the Resources for public Health Professionals on the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/american_heart_month_public_health.htm
#UBPublicHealth #UBSPHHP #UBMPH #UBuffalo #MasterOfPublicHealth #BoldlyBuffalo