Surra is a non-cyclic parasitic disease caused by Trypanosoma evansi (T. evansi) and spread by biting flies. The disease has a severe impact on camel health, productivity, and market value, posing a significant threat to food safety and the economy. In a cross-sectional study, 370 blood samples were collected from camels in three Egyptian governorates. Samples were tested using parasitological (thin blood smear (TBS)), card agglutination test for T. evansi (CATT), and PCR to estimate the prevalence of T. evansi infection. Overall, the prevalence of T. evansi among examined camels was 17.3%, 18.9% and 22.7% using TBS, CATT and PCR methods, respectively. The risk of T. evansi infection in older camels (> 10 years) is higher than that in young ones (odds ratio (OR) = 9; 95% CI: 3.5–23.1), particularly during spring (OR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.1–5.7). Furthermore, females and poor conditioned camels were 2.6 and four times more likely to get infection than males and good conditioned camels, respectively. The level of agreement between diagnostics tests were perfect kappa (> 0.83). Moreover, CATT showed higher sensitivity (0.83; 95% CI: 0.74–0.91) than TBS (0.76; 95% CI: 0.66–0.85) and both had perfect specificity (100%). In conclusion, our findings revealed a high rate of T. evansi infection in camels from the three Egyptian governorates. The CATT is a good test for routine use in control program of trypanosomiasis in camels.

Introduction: Soil polluted with Nickel (Ni) adversely affects sunflower growth resulting in reduced yield. Counterbalancing Ni toxicity requires complex molecular, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms at the cellular, tissue, and whole plant levels, which might improve crop productivity. One of the primary adaptations to tolerate Ni toxicity is the enhanced production of antioxidant enzymes and the elevated expression of Ni responsive genes.Methods: In this study, biochemical parameters, production of ROS, antioxidants regulation, and expression ofNRAMPmetal transporter genes were studied under Ni stress in sunflower. There were four soil Ni treatments (0, 50, 100, and 200 mg kg^-1soil), while citric acid (CA, 5 mM kg^-1soil) was applied on the 28^thand 58^thdays of plant growth. The samples for all analyses were obtained on the 30^thand 60^thday of plant growth, respectively.Results and discussion: The results indicated that the concentrations of Ni in roots and shoots were increased with increasing concentrations of Ni at both time intervals. Proline contents, ascorbic acid, protein, and total phenolics were reduced under Ni-stress, but with the application of CA, improvement was witnessed in their contents. The levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide were enhanced with the increasing concentration of Ni, and after applying CA, they were reduced. The contents of antioxidants, i.e., catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione reductase, were increased at 50 ppm Ni concentration and decreased at higher concentrations of Ni. The application of CA significantly improved antioxidants at all concentrations of Ni. The enhanced expression ofNRAMP1(4, 51 and 81 folds) andNRAMP3(1.05, 4 and 6 folds) was found at 50, 100 and 200ppm Ni-stress, respectively in 30 days old plants and the same pattern of expression was recorded in 60 days old plants. CA further enhanced the expression at both developmental stages.Conclusion: In conclusion, CA enhances Ni phytoextraction efficiency as well as protect plant against oxidative stress caused by Ni in sunflower.

Stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici, is one of the most dangerous rust diseases on wheat. Through physiological, biochemical, and molecular analysis, the relationship between the change in resistance of 15 wheat cultivars to stem rust disease and the response of 41 stem rust resistance genes (Sr,s) as well as TTKSK, TTKST, and TTTSK races was explained. Some cultivars and Sr genes, such as Gemmeiza-9, Gemmeiza-11, Sids-13, Sakha-94, Misr-1, Misr-2, Sr31, and Sr38, became susceptible to infection. Other new cultivars include Mir-3 and Sakha-95, and Sr genes 13, 37, 40, GT, and FR*2/SRTT3-SRTT3-SR10 remain resistant. Some resistance genes have been identified in these resistant cultivars: Sr2, Sr13, Sr24, Sr36, and Sr40. Sr31 was not detected in any cultivars. Reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide and superoxide, enzymes activities (catalase, peroxidase, and polyphenoloxidase), and electrolyte leakage were increased in the highly susceptible cultivars, while they decreased in the resistant ones. Anatomical characteristics such as the thickness of the epidermis, ground tissue, phloem tissue and vascular bundle diameter in the midrib were decreased in susceptible cultivars compared with resistant cultivars. Our results indicated that some races (TTKSK, TTKST, and TTTSK) appeared for the first time in Egypt and many other countries, which broke the resistant cultivars. The wheat rust breeding program must rely on land races and pyramiding genes in order to develop new resistance genes that will survive for a very long time.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-026-08625-4.