The present study was conducted to estimate the antimicrobial activity and the potential biological control of the killer toxin produced byD. hanseniiDSMZ70238 against several pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, the effects of NaCl, pH, and temperature, killer toxin production, and antimicrobial activity were studied. The results showed that the optimum inhibitory effect of killer toxin was at 8% NaCl, and the diameters of clear zones were 20, 22, 22, 21, 14, and 13 mm forStaphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida albicans,andCandida neoformans, respectively. The largest inhibition zones were observed at pH 4.5 with inhibition zone of 16, 18, 17, 18, 11, and 12 mm for the same microorganisms. The results also showed that 25°C is the optimal temperature for toxin killing activity against all targeted microorganisms. In addition, the activity of killer toxin significantly inhibited the growth of fungal mycelia for all target pathogenic fungi and the percentages of inhibition were 47.77, 48.88, 52.22, and 61.11% forTrichophyton rubrum, Alternaria alternata, Trichophyton concentricum,andCurvularia lunata, respectively. The results showed the highest growth rate ofD. hanseniiDSMZ70238 under condition of 8% NaCl concentration, pH 4.5, and 25°C for 72 h.

The goal of this study was screening and molecular identification of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) producing β-glucan from different species isolated from boza and cider compared to a standard strain for Lactobacillus rhamnosus NRRL 1937 (LGG). From 48 unknown isolates, four LAB strains were selected. Based on the NCBI database, their nomenclature was A3, B6, and C9 for Limosilactobacillus fermentum SH1, SH2, and SH3 along with D6 for Leuconostoc mesenteroides SH4. Also, their similarity values were 100%, 99.8%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. The potential of Exopolysaccharide (EPS) (as β-glucan) production for selected LAB strains by gtf gene, conventional PCR and gene expression using both LGG as a control and LAB 16S rRNA gene as a house-keeping gene was investigated. In addition, EPS (mg/100 mL), cell mass (mg/100 mL), pH, total carbohydrate%, total protein% and β-glucan% by the HPLC for all selected LAB isolates were studied. All results of genetic and chemical tests proved the superiority of B6 treatment for L. fermentum SH2. The results showed the superiority of B6 treatment in gtf gene expression (14.7230 ± 0.070-fold) followed by C9 and A3 treatments, which were 10.1730 ± 0.231-fold and 8.6139 ± 0.320-fold, respectively. while D6 treatment recorded the lowest value of gene expression (0.8566 ± 0.040-fold) compared to the control LGG (one-fold). The results also demonstrated that B6 treatment was superior to the other treatments in terms of EPS formation, with a value of 481 ± 1.00 mg/100 mL, followed by the C9 treatment at 440 ± 2.00 mg/100 mL, compared to the LGG (control) reaching 199.7 ± 3.51 mg/100 mL. Also, the highest % of quantitative and qualitative β-glucan in EPS was observed in B6 followed by C9, D6 and A3 which were 5.56 ± 0.01%, 4.46 ± 0.01%, 0.25 ± 0.008% and 0.12 ± 0.008%, respectively compared to control (0.31 ± 0.01%). Finally, the presented results indicate the importance of screening the local LAB isolates to obtain a superior strain for β-glucan production which will be introduced in a subsequent study under optimum conditions.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella enterica in raw chicken meat, eggs, and ready-to-eat foods containing poultry products and among patients suffering from diarrhea as a result of ingestion of this foodborne pathogen in Baghdad, Iraq. It assesses the antibiotics susceptibility, virulence and pathogenicity of S. enterica isolates. Thirteen Salmonella spp. isolates from foodstuff and seven from clinical patients were recovered from 80 and 20 samples, respectively. Isolates from foodstuff samples displayed the highest resistance to nalidixic acid (69.23%), followed by chloramphenicol (53.84%). Salmonella spp. isolated from clinical samples showed resistance to both azithromycin and cefotaxime at the same percentage level (71.42%). The results of antibiotic resistance gene amplification (gyrA, mphA) were analyzed and showed that these genes were present in 100% and 50% of phenotypically resistant isolates, respectively. Virulence genes invA, avrA, and sipB were found on average in 86% of food isolates, accounting for 69.2%, 92.3%, and 95%, respectively. In addition, the detection of these virulence genes among clinical isolates showed their presence at the same level (85.7%). Our study revealed that unhygienic chicken slaughterhouses and lack of food safety management are strong indicators of a high probability of the Salmonella presence in our food products in the Iraqi markets.

Chia gel is a heteropolysaccharide complex gel primarily composed of unrefined fibre and carbohydrates. The study included the extraction of gel from Chia seeds. The extract exhibited a significant capacity to thicken, emulsify, and stabilize food compositions. The physical characteristics of Chia seed extract were assessed in terms of its primary components, which included moisture, ash, carbohydrates, protein and oil composition. Chia gel was utilized to substitute 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% of the fat content in the burger processing. Substituting fat with Chia seed gel as an emulsifier has shown a statistically significant impact on the standard chemical, physical, and sensory characteristics. After comparing many samples, the results of the current research demonstrated that burgers prepared with 3% Chia seed gel had improved organoleptic qualities and were potentially technologically made.

Killer toxins (PkKT) produced by yeasts exhibit antimicrobial effects against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. This study aimed to extract, purify, and characterize the killer toxin from Pichia kudriavzevii killer toxin (PkKT) and evaluate its antimicrobial and anti-biofilm potential. PkKT was produced as a killer toxins and was purified through ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. The purified PkKT showed a molecular weight of 36 kDa. Antimicrobial testing revealed significant inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Listeria monocytogenes, Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans using well diffusion assays. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 16-128 ?g/mL, while the sub-MIC was determined to be 8-64 ?g/mL depending on the pathogen. At sub-MIC levels, PkKT exhibited a 66-89% reduction of biofilm formation in all tested species. S. aureus, S. pyogenes, and A. baumannii showed the highest MIC of 128 and 64 ?g/mL sub-MIC, while E. coli and K. pneumoniae were most susceptible with MIC of 16 ?g/mL and sub-MIC of 8 ?g/mL. In conclusion, the purified PkKT toxin displayed broad-spectrum antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities against common healthcare-associated pathogens. These findings reveal the potential of PkKT as a therapeutic agent to prevent or treat biofilm-associated infections.

In this study, we isolated Staphylococcus aureus (SA8-IRQ) from a patient suffering from an inflamed wound at Al-Kadhimiya Hospital in Baghdad. The whole genome of the bacteria was sequenced and analyzed. It is 2.8 Mb in size, has 32.7% GC content, and contains several virulence and antimicrobial genes.