Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a major reproductive problem that affects approximately 5% of couples. The objective of this study was to assess vaginal flora dysbiosis in women suffering from unexplained RPL and to investigate the pathogenic properties of the microbiota associated with aerobic vaginitis (AV). The study included one hundred fifteen women, 65 with RPL and 50 controls. The diversity of vaginal microbiota isolated was evaluated by molecular sequencing. Then, pathogenic factors, such as acid-resistance, antibiotics susceptibility, and biofilm formation were evaluated. The prevalence of AV was five-fold higher in the RPL group than in the controls (64.6% vs. 12.0%). The most prevalent isolates in the case group were Enterococcus spp. (52%) and Staphylococcus spp. (26%). All bacterial strains tolerate low pH. The prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR) among all bacteria was 47.7%. Of all strains, 91.0% were biofilm producers. The presence of MDR was found to be related to biofilm formation. The results provide evidence supporting an increased presence of dysbiosis of the vaginal flora, especially AV, in women with RPL in Tunisia. The viability of the AV-associated bacteria and their persistence in the genitals may be due to their ability to resist low pH and to produce a biofilm.

This study aimed to investigate the in vitro properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from colostrum samples of goat, sheep and cow. Four isolates of lactic acid bacteria identified through 16S rDNA sequencing were screened for probiotic potential including their enzymatic activities (hemolytic, DNase activity, API ZYM profiling and tolerance to the gastrointestinal conditions), their antimicrobial activities, their adhesion properties through biofilm formation capacity, auto-aggregation and co-aggregation with pathogens bacteria and hydrophobicity. They were also tested for their antibiotic susceptibility and antioxidant power. All the strains (ADG1b Lactobacillus gasseri, ZPana Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, S2ana Enterococcus hirae and ZGana Lactobacillus gasseri) demonstrated probiotic properties and they could resist different gastrointestinal conditions. They displayed good antimicrobial activities. Furthermore, they had high antioxidant power, although strain dependent. The results of this study showed that L. gasseri (ADG1b) is the most promising probiotic.

The aim of the present study is to isolate, characterize and identify a novel strain ZC from the Metlaoui phosphate laundries wastewater (MPLW). The chemical characterization of this phosphate rich effluent showed an alkaline pH and is saline, highly turbid and rich in suspended matter and total solids. The MPLW samples were loaded with potentially toxic metals, presented in decreasing order as follows: magnesium (5655 mg L⁻¹), potassium (45 mg L⁻¹), lead (1 mg L⁻¹), iron (0.7 mg L⁻¹), cadmium (0.5 mg L⁻¹), copper (0.3 mg L⁻¹) and zinc (0.1 mg L⁻¹). Due to the high COD/BOD₅ ratio, a poorly biodegradable organic load is underlining. The newly isolated strain was identified as Lysinibacillus fusiformis using 16S rDNA sequencing analysis. The viability of this new strain was tested in presence of the zinc, lead, cadmium, manganese and copper at 1, 10 and 100 mM. The L. fusiformis survival, under metallic stress, was inversely proportional to metal ion concentrations, while lead and zinc were the most toxic ones using MTT assay. Then, the newly isolated strain was characterized in terms of enzyme production, proteomic alteration and antibiotic resistance. The strain ZC revealed some modifications in the biochemical and enzymatic profiles by either the appearance or/and the disappearance of some activities. In addition, the increase in metal ions stress and concentrations was proportional to the adherence and to the hydrophobicity. The presence of the metal ions suggested the change of sensitivity to the resistance of this strain towards tobramycin, kanamycin, neomycin, netilmicin and cefoxitin, showing an increase in the MAR_index. The strain ZC, used as a biological tool for MPLW treatment, showed a reduction in the metal ion contents. This reduction was due to accumulation and/or adsorption, showing a bioprocessing performance of the newly isolated L. fusiformis.

This paper studies the age and the growth of male and female of the Tunisian blue mackerel Scomber scombrus during 2004 e = 31.46 cm, k = 0.228 per year, t0 = e = 27.43 cm, k = 0.422 per year, t0 = e = 31.70 cm, k = 0.227 per year, t0 = 5 and b = 2.37 for the sexes combined.