| Sari Eka Pratiwi | 3 Articles |
Objectives
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. Its increasing prevalence poses substantial challenges to both hospital and public health systems due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. Understanding the epidemiology of K. pneumoniae and its antimicrobial resistance characteristics may support antimicrobial stewardship and infection control programs. A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to November 2025. Methods: A total of 62 isolates underwent phenotypic identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the BD Phoenix system (Becton Dickinson), followed by molecular detection of K. pneumoniae and efflux pump genes. Sanger sequencing was performed on isolates positive for the tolC gene. Results: Among the isolates, 66.1% were classified as extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producers, 6.5% as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), and 6.5% as both ESBL and CRE producers. Most clinical isolates were resistant to ampicillin, cefazolin, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, and cefepime. The acrAB and tolC genes were detected in all 62 isolates. One isolate showed a genetic profile similar to that of the K. pneumoniae KP 52.145 strain. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance among K. pneumoniae isolates and confirmed the presence of efflux pump genes, including tolC, with observable genetic variability. Further investigation of tolC gene evolution is essential, as these genes play critical roles in antibiotic resistance mechanisms.
Objectives
Current tuberculosis (TB) control strategies face limitations, such as low antibiotic treatment compliance and a rise in multidrug resistance. Furthermore, the lack of a safe and effective vaccine compounds these challenges. The limited efficacy of existing vaccines against TB underscores the urgency for innovative strategies, such as immunoinformatics. Consequently, this study aimed to design a targeted multi-epitope vaccine against TB infection utilizing an immunoinformatics approach. Methods The multi-epitope vaccine targeted Ag85A, Ag85B, ESAT-6, and CFP-10 proteins. The design adopted various immunoinformatics tools for cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), helper T lymphocyte (HTL), and linear B lymphocyte (LBL) epitope prediction, the assessment of vaccine characteristics, structure modeling, population coverage analysis, disulfide engineering, solubility prediction, molecular docking/dynamics with toll-like receptors (TLRs), codon optimization/cloning, and immune simulation. Results The multi-epitope vaccine, which was assembled using 12 CTL, 25 HTL, and 21 LBL epitopes associated with CpG adjuvants, showed promising characteristics. The immunoinformatics analysis confirmed the antigenicity, immunogenicity, and lack of allergenicity. Physicochemical evaluations indicated that the proteins were stable, thermostable, hydrophilic, and highly soluble. Docking simulations suggested high-affinity binding to TLRs, including TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9. In silico immune simulation predicted strong T cell (cytokine release) and B cell (immunoglobulin release) responses. Conclusion This immunoinformatics-designed multi-epitope vaccine targeting Ag85A, Ag85B, ESAT-6, and CFP-10 proteins showed promising characteristics in terms of stability, immunogenicity, antigenicity, solubility, and predicted induction of humoral and adaptive immune responses. This suggests its potential as a prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine against TB. Citations
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Objectives
This study aimed to identify the optimal protein construction for designing a multi-epitope vaccine with both prophylactic and therapeutic effects against cervical cancer, utilizing an immunoinformatics approach. The construction process involved using capsid epitopes L1 and L2, as well as oncoproteins E5, E6, and E7 from human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18. Methods An experimental in silico analysis with an immunoinformatics approach was used to develop 2 multi-epitope vaccine constructs (A and B). Further analysis was then conducted to compare the constructs and select the one with the highest potential against cervical cancer. Results This study produced 2 antigenic, non-allergenic, and nontoxic multi-epitope vaccine constructs (A and B), which exhibited the ideal physicochemical properties for a vaccine. Further analysis revealed that construct B effectively induced both cellular and humoral immune responses. Conclusion The multi-epitope vaccine construct B for HPV 16 and 18, designed for both prophylactic and therapeutic purposes, met the development criteria for a cervical cancer vaccine. However, these findings need to be validated through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Citations
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