Food poisoning risk related to the consumption of contaminated food with known foodborne pathogens or antibiotic‐resistant bacteria is currently a serious threat for public health. Thus, pathogenic Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus strains are considered as one of the major cause of food‐borne diseases in hospitals. The present study aims to determine the prevalence and the antibiotic resistance patterns of Staphylococcus in various types of hospital food samples, work surfaces and its carriage by food handlers. A total of 608 collected samples including 300 food samples, 238 food contact surfaces and 70 nasal and hand samples were tested. The identified Staphylococcus and their antibiotic resistance patterns were analyzed using the agar disk diffusion and PCR method was used for mecA resistance gene amplification. The prevalence of S. aureus and the Coagulase negative Staphylococci were 17.33% and 23.33% respectively. The antibiotic resistance reached 100% toward Oxacillin and Penicillin G for both S.aureus and CoNs. The mecA gene was detected in 5.71% (4/70) and 7.69% (4/52) of S.aureus and CoNs strains respectively. The outcome of this study enlightens isolation of MRSA strains and resistant CoNs from food, food contact surfaces and food handlers. The presence of this resistant species in this critical setting, where products were intended to vulnerable and immunocompromised patients, represent a serious threat to this community. It can be a source of nosocomial infection and more precautions must be taken to prevent staphylococci food contamination mainly in hospitals.

Physicochemical and microbiological analyses of liquid hospital effluents have demonstrated that they are loaded with organic and inorganic pollutants then discharged into the sewerage networks without treatment. The aim of this study is to suggest an effective solution for their treatment. Column filtration is an adequate method to reduce the pollutant load which makes it possible to have a rate of abatement of 97% and 79% by filtering the pollutant material using sawdust of catia and red sawdust, respectively, with a filter bed height equal to 13 cm. Physicochemical parameters such as chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, nitrate, ammonia, phosphorus, electrical conductivity and the bacteriological parameters like fecal coliforms, Streptococci, and Staphylococci have been measured. The analysis of heavy metals displays compliance with the World Health Organization standards. The red sawdust and catia sawdust have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.

Saussurea costus (Falc) Lipsch is a traditional herb used to treat kidney stone problems because it contains several molecules used to treat this health problem, such as quercitrin. Infectious stones are the most painful of all urinary tract disorders, with ammonium phosphate (struvite) and carbapatite stones being the most common, caused by a bacterial infection with urease activity. These stones are treated with antibiotics, but antibiotic resistance is on the rise. The current study investigated the anti-urolithic activities of S. costus aqueous and ethanolic extracts of against struvite crystals synthesized using microscopic crystallization and turbidimetric methods, respectively. The utilized methods indicated that the ethanolic extract of this plant has a significant inhibitory effect on struvite crystallization, with a percentage inhibition of (87.45 ± 1.107) (p < 0.001) for a concentration of 1 mg mL⁻¹ and a decrease in the number of struvite crystals, reaching values less than 100/mm³. For the number of struvite crystals inhibited by cystone, we found a value of 400/mm³ and with the aqueous extract we found 700/mm³. The antibacterial activity of the plant extracts studied was examined against several urease-producing bacteria, and this activity was evaluated by qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods; the highest minimum inhibitory concentration was seen in the ethanolic extract, with an MIC of 50 mg mL⁻¹ for Staphylococcus aureus followed by an MIC of 200 mg mL⁻¹ for Klebsiella pneumoniae. It showed a minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) against S. aureus and K. pneumoniae (>50 mg mL⁻¹ and >200 mg mL⁻¹, respectively). Furthermore, to determine the extract’s anti-inflammatory activity, in vivo anti-inflammatory activity was investigated in rats. The results show that at a dose of 400 mg kg⁻¹, the ethanolic extract has a maximum edema inhibition of 66%.

Escherichia coli is related to foodborne disease and outbreaks worldwide. It mainly affects persons at high risk as newborns, infants, and individuals with impaired immune system in hospitals. Multidrug-resistant E. coli is currently spreading both in community and hospital settings. Our study aims to evaluate the presence of E. coli and the incidence of its antibiotic resistance in samples obtained from various cooked and raw foods (N = 300), food contact surfaces (N = 238), and food handlers (N = 40) in Moroccan hospital catering service. E. coli was identified using API 20E, and the antibiotic resistance patterns were obtained using the agar disk diffusion methods. However, PCR method was used for O157 and H7 typing. The samples analysis showed that 14.33%, 24.16%, and 45% of food, surfaces, and food handlers harbored E. coli, respectively, with the highest rates obtained in raw meats (34.88%) and salads (34.88%). Molecular amplification shows that 14 E. coli isolates carried the flagellar antigen H7, while there are no isolates showing amplification for O157. The high rate of resistance was noted against ampicillin (100%), amoxicillin-clavulanate acid (100%), nalidixic acid (61.62%), and cefotaxime (59.49%), and isolates obtained from food handler’s hands showed the highest rates of resistance. None of the isolates are extended-spectrum beta-lactamases producing, while 27.7% of the isolates were metallo-beta-lactams producing. This first study conducted on Moroccan hospital catering services may draw the authorities’ attention to the necessity of setting up a surveillance system to monitor the food preparation process and the safety of prepared food in healthcare settings.

Ten new quinoline-carboxamides have been synthesized using the coupling reaction between 2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoline-4-carboxylic acid as a substrate and five different amino ester at room temperature with basic media (triethylamine). The products were obtained with a good yield ranging from 60 to 80 % and were structurally characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The antibacterial activities of the synthesized compounds have been evaluated against 9 strains of bacteria and compared to references (erythromycin, ofloxacin, ticarcillin, oxacillin, ampicillin, norfloxacin, ceftazidim, cefotaxim). The results showed that the majority of carboxamides-quinoline ester groups present a larger inhibition diameters than those of the antibiotics references. The highest antibacterial activity in vitro against the Enterococcus feacalis has been revealed for compound 1a (methyl 2-oxo-1.2-dihydroquinoline-4-yl-L-alaninate).