This study aimed to determine the occurrence of virulent and antibiotic-resistant STEC in retail meat and milk products and human stool samples and to characterize the genes encoding for virulence and antibiotic resistance among the identified STEC isolates

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are emerging and re-emerging infections that have a worldwide impact on human and animal health. Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a severe zoonotic disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) transmitted to humans by the bite of infected Ixodes ticks. Borrelia miyamotoi is a spirochete that causes relapsing fever (RF) and is genetically related to Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. However, there have been no reports of B. miyamotoi in Egypt, and the data on LB in camels is scarce. Thus, the present study was conducted to screen and genetically identify Borrelia spp. and B. miyamotoi in Egyptian camels and associated ticks using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Methods: A total of 133 blood samples and 1596 adult hard ticks were collected from Camelus dromedaries at Cairo and Giza slaughterhouses in Egypt. Tick species were identified by examining their morphology and sequencing the cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. Borrelia spp. was detected using nested PCR on the IGS (16S-23S) gene, and positive samples were genotyped using 16S rRNA and glpQ spp. genes specific for Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia miyamotoi, respectively. The positive PCR products were sequenced and analyzed by phylogenetic tree. Results: Analysis of the cox1 gene sequence revealed that the adult ticks belonged to three genera; Hyalomma (H), Amblyomma (Am), and Rhipicephalus (R), as well as 12 species, including H. dromedarii, H. marginatum, H. excavatum, H. anatolicum, R. annulatus, R. pulchellus, Am. testudinarium, Am. hebraeum, Am. lipidium, Am. variegatum, Am. cohaerens and Am. gemma. Borrelia spp. was found in 8.3% (11/133) of the camel blood samples and 1.3% (21/1596) of the ticks, respectively. Sequencing of the IGS (16S-23S) gene found that B. afzelii, detected from H. dromedarii and H. marginatum, and B. crocidurae, which belongs to the RF group, was detected from one blood sample. B. burgdorferi and B. miyamotoi were discovered in the blood samples and tick species. Phylogenetic analysis of the glpQ gene showed that the B. miyamotoi in this study was of the Asian and European types. Conclusions: These results suggest that the camels can be infected by Lyme borrelia and other Borrelia bacteria species. This study also provides the first insight into the presence of Borrelia miyamotoi and B. afzelii DNA in camels and associated ticks in Egypt.

Background and Aim: Chickens are considered as the main source of Salmonella, with infection potentially spreading to the public through outlets. The study aimed to investigate poultry shops for Salmonella enterica resistant to extended-spectrum cephalosporins-resistant (ESCR) and carbapenems-resistant (CR). Materials and Methods: Samples were collected from chicken giblets, water tanks, and workers at retail shops. Salmonella was isolated and serotyped; the presence of invA, stn, ompA, and ompF was determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The isolates were tested for ESCR and CR by a disk-diffusion test; a confirmatory extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) test was performed by combinational disk-diffusion test with clavulanic acid. The resistant isolates were screened for ESBL (blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX-M, and blaOXA-1), AmpC blaCMY-2, and carbapenemase (blaKPC, blaNDM, and blaOXA-48) genes using PCR. Results: S. enterica was isolated from chicken giblets (13/129) and the 13 isolates were ESCR. Based on the confirmatory ESBL test and CR, the 13 isolates were classified into the following resistance phenotypes: ESBL-producing and CR (n=4), ESBL-producing (n=1), non-ESBL-producing and CR (n=6), and non-ESBL-producing (n=2). All the five isolates with ESBL-producing phenotype carried predominantly blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCMY-2. Regardless of being phenotypically CR, none of these isolates carried any of the tested carbapenemase genes. Surprisingly, the isolates with non-ESBL phenotype were found to carry blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCMY-2. The blaKPC was present mainly in the isolates with non-ESBL and CR phenotypes. Interestingly, two isolates of the non-ESBL and CR phenotype showed resistance to cefepime, the fourth generation cephalosporins. Salmonella was also recovered from the water tanks (2/7) and the workers (2/16). The four isolates were ESCR and showed a non-ESBL-producing and CR phenotype; they harbored blaTEM, blaSHV, blaOXA-1, and blaKPC. The blaCMY-2 was found in one isolate from water and one from humans. All Salmonella isolates carried invA, stn, ompA, and ompF. Conclusion: Virulent ESCR S. enterica were identified in retail shops. The isolates carried blaCMY-2 and ESBL-genes, with a high proportion showing CR. Transmission of such strains to humans through food leads us to recommend regular inspection of retail outlets for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) has a great public health importance. This study was conducted to investigate the potential role of migratory birds in the transmission of STEC. For this purpose, cloacal swabs were collected from 349 migratory birds (209 ducks and 140 quails) from Damietta governorate, Egypt. The collected swabs were cultured for isolation of STEC using the STEC CHROMagar. STEC isolates were identified based on colonial characteristics, Gram’s stain, conventional biochemical tests and molecular detection of stx1, stx2 and eae genes. Positive isolates were serotyped and examined for their antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Furthermore, gene sequencing was performed for genes stx1and stx2. Of the examined birds, two STEC isolates were a obtained with an overall occurrence rate 0.57% (2/349), one isolate carried stx2 gene from a migratory quail 0.71% (1/140), and another isolate from a migratory duck carried stx1 gene 0.48% (1/209), whereas both isolates were negative for eae gene. Moreover, the duck isolate was serotyped O86, while the quail isolate was serotyped O125; both isolates were multidrug resistant. The phylogenetic analysis of the obtained stx1 and stx2 genes revealed high genetic relatedness to those isolated from human cases in the countries where such birds either lived or were in their migratory pathway. In conclusion, this study highlights the potential role of migratory birds in transmitting multidrug-resistant STEC across their migratory pathway.

Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic mycozoonosis of global significance in a wide variety of host species. In equines, cryptococcosis is uncommon, and sporadic cases have been reported with rhinitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, and meningitis. Cryptococcus spp. represents a potential risk for immunosuppressed and healthy persons. In Egypt, epidemiological data on cryptococcal infection in horses are limited. The current study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of Cryptococcus spp. in horses and its possible role in the epidemiology of such disease in Egypt. A total of 223 samples was collected from different localities in Egypt included 183 nasal swabs from horses, 28 nasal swabs from humans, and 12 soil samples. Bacteriological examination and the identification of Cryptococcus spp. were performed. Molecular serotyping of Cryptococcus spp. was determined by multiplex PCR using CNa-70S/A-CNb-49S/A. The virulence genes (LAC1, CAP59, and PLB1) of the identified isolates were detected by PCR. Moreover, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the C. gattii gene from horses, humans, and soil isolates found nearby were performed. The overall occurrence of Cryptococcus spp. in horses were 9.3, 25, and 10.7% in horses, the soil, and humans, respectively. Molecular serotyping of the Cryptococcus spp. isolates recovered from the nasal passages of horses proved that C. gattii (B), C. neoformans, and two hybrids between C. neoformans (A) and C. gattii (B) were identified. Meanwhile, in case of soil samples, the isolates were identified as C. gattii (B). The human isolates were serotyped as C. gattii in two isolates and C. neoformans in only one isolate. Molecular detection of some virulence genes (LAC1), (CAP59), and (PLB1) were identified in both C. gattii and C. neoformans isolates. The C. gattii gene amplicons of the isolates from horses, humans, and the soil were closely related. This study provides the first insights into the Egyptian horse ecology of Cryptococcus species and highlights the role of horses as asymptomatic carriers in disseminating the potentially pathogenic Cryptococcus spp. It also presents the possible risk of cryptococcosis infection in humans.