Aeromonas veronii is associated with substantial economic losses in the fish industry and with food-borne illness in humans. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, antibiogram profiles, sequence analysis, virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes, and pathogenicity of A. veronii recovered from Mugil seheli. A total of 80 fish were randomly gathered from various private farms in Suez Province, Egypt. Subsequently, samples were subjected to clinical, post-mortem, and bacteriological examinations. The retrieved isolates were tested for sequence analysis, antibiogram profile, pathogenicity, and PCR detection of virulence and resistance genes. The prevalence of A. veronii in the examined M. seheli was 22.5 % (18/80). The phylogenetic analyses revealed that the tested A. veronii strains shared high genetic similarity with other A. veronii strains from India, UK, and China. Using PCR it was revealed that the retrieved A. veronii isolates harbored the aerA, alt, ser, ompAII, act, ahp, and nuc virulence genes with prevalence of 100%, 82.9%, 61.7%, 55.3%, 44.7%, 36.17%, and 29.8%, respectively. Our findings revealed that 29.8% (14/47) of the retrieved A. veronii strains were XDR to nine antimicrobial classes and carried bla_TEM, bla_CTX-M, bla_SHV,tetA, aadA1, and sul1 resistance genes. Likewise, 19.1% (9/47) of the obtained A. veronii strains were MDR to eight classes and possessed bla_TEM, bla_CTX-M, bla_SHV,tetA, aadA1, and sul1 genes. The pathogenicity testing indicated that the mortality rates positively correlated with the prevalence of virulence-determinant genes. To our knowledge, this is the first report to reveal the occurrence of XDR and MDR A. veronii in M. seheli, an emergence that represents a risk to public health. Emerging XDR and MDR A. veronii in M. seheli frequently harbored aerA, alt, ser, ompAII, and act virulence genes, and bla_TEM, sul1, tetA, bla_CTX-M, bla_SHV, and aadA1 resistance genes.

Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative coccobacillus responsible for severe hospital-acquired infections, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs). The current study was designed to characterize the virulence traits of biofilm-forming carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii causing pneumonia in ICU patients using a Galleria mellonella model. Two hundred and thirty patients with hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated pneumonia were included in our study. Among the total isolates, A. baumannii was the most frequently isolated etiological agent in ICU patients with pneumonia (54/165, 32.7%). All A. baumannii isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method, while the minimum inhibitory concentrations of imipenem and colistin were estimated using the broth microdilution technique. The biofilm formation activity of the isolates was tested using the microtiter plate technique. Biofilm quantification showed that 61.1% (33/54) of the isolates were strong biofilm producers, while 27.7% (15/54) and 11.1% (6/54) showed moderate or weak biofilm production. By studying the prevalence of carbapenemases-encoding genes among isolates, bla_OXA-23-_like was positive in 88.9% of the isolates (48/54). The Bla_NDM gene was found in 27.7% of the isolates (15/54 isolates). Bla_OXA-23-_like and bla_NDM genes coexisted in 25.9% (14/54 isolates). Bap and bla_PER-1 genes, the biofilm-associated genes, coexisted in 5.6% (3/54) of the isolates. For in vivo assessment of A. baumannii pathogenicity, a Galleria mellonella survival assay was used. G. mellonella survival was statistically different between moderate and poor biofilm producers (p < 0.0001). The killing effect of the strong biofilm-producing group was significantly higher than that of the moderate and poor biofilm producers (p < 0.0001 for each comparison). These findings highlight the role of biofilm formation as a powerful virulence factor for carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii that causes pneumonia in the ICU.

The current study was devised to develop alternative, nonantibiotic, and economically viable treatments for bovine mastitis. The concentration of 6.25 μg/mL (25 nm) CuNPs was selected as intramammary (IM) treatment in S. aureus‐induced mastitis in rats as this concentration showed a significant zone of inhibition through the in vitro sensitivity test and minimal cell toxicity on fibroblast cell lines. After, this in vivo study was conducted, and rats were divided into four groups of 6 rats each: group I (healthy control/deionized water), group II (disease control), group III (CuNPs), and group IV (gentamicin). Injection of gentamicin IM for 5 days was selected on the basis of an antibiotic sensitivity test. The therapeutic efficacy of CuNPs was assessed on the basis of clinical signs, mammary gland architecture, bacterial load, oxidative stress parameters, and histopathology of mammary glands. The clinical signs of mastitis in group III ameliorated within 3 days of treatment while in group IV clinical signs ameliorated within 4 days of initiation of treatment. On the 5th day after randomization, bacterial load, mammary gland weights, TOS (Total Oxidant Status), and OSI (oxidative stress index) were significantly lower in the CuNPs group compared to the disease control group and commercial antibiotic group. Similarly, TAS of group III was significantly higher compared to that of groups II and IV indicating that CuNPs have better ameliorative efficacy in mastitis. Treatment with IM, CuNPs @ 6.25 μg/mL showed early recovery, reduced bacterial loads, and amelioration of oxidative stress indices henceforth resulting in marked amelioration in histopathological changes compared to rats in group IV. From this study, it may be concluded that CuNPs may provide a potential alternative therapeutic regimen for the treatment of bovine mastitis.

Soil salinity stress has become a serious roadblock for food production worldwide since it is one of the key factors affecting agricultural productivity. Salinity and drought are predicted to cause considerable loss of crops. To deal with this difficult situation, a variety of strategies have been developed, including plant breeding, plant genetic engineering, and a wide range of agricultural practices, including the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and seed biopriming techniques, to improve the plants’ defenses against salinity stress, resulting in higher crop yields to meet future human food demand. In the present review, we updated and discussed the negative effects of salinity stress on plant morphological parameters and physio-biochemical attributes via various mechanisms and the beneficial roles of PGPR with 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate(ACC) deaminase activity as green bio-inoculants in reducing the impact of saline conditions. Furthermore, the applications of ACC deaminase-producing PGPR as a beneficial tool in seed biopriming techniques are updated and explored. This strategy shows promise in boosting quick seed germination, seedling vigor and plant growth uniformity. In addition, the contentious findings of the variation of antioxidants and osmolytes in ACC deaminase-producing PGPR treated plants are examined.

This study was aimed at determining the prevalence estimate and association of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) with ABO and Rh blood groups among blood donors at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH & RC) in the western region of Saudi Arabia. A retrospective study was conducted at the blood bank center of KFSH and RC from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2019. Data on ABO and Rh blood group testing, serological testing, molecular investigations, serological assays, nucleic acid testing (NATs), and socio-demographic information were gathered. During the study period, there were 959,431 blood donors at the KFSH and RC. The overall 7-year cumulative prevalence estimate of blood transfusion-transmitted infections among blood donors was low at 7.93%, with an average prevalence estimate of 0.66%. Donors with the O blood group, the O RhD +ve blood group, in particular, were more at risk of developing TTIs, whereas donors with the AB blood group, the AB RhD −ve blood group, in particular, were at the lowest risk of developing TTIs. In total, 96.9% of the blood donors were males (n = 916,567). Almost half of the blood donors belong to the O blood group (49.4%). A total of 861,279 (91.0%) donors were found to be RhD positive. The percentages of TTIs were found to be higher in RhD +ve donors compared with RhD −ve donors. The prevalence estimate of the hemoglobin C (HbC) infection was the most common TTI among the blood donors being 3.97%, followed by malaria being 2.21%. The least prevalence estimate of TTI in the present study was for NAT HIV being 0.02%. Significant associations were observed between RhD +ve and RhD −ve among the malaria-infected donors (A: χ² = 26.618, p = 0.001; AB: χ² = 23.540, p = 0.001; B: χ² = 5.419, p = 0.020; O: χ² = 68.701, p = 0.001). The current 7-year retrospective study showed a low level of TTIs among blood donors. However, we urge that more research encompassing the entire country be conducted in order to obtain more representative results in terms of the prevalence estimate and association of transfusion-transmitted infections with ABO and Rh blood groups in communities.