Background and Objectives: Citrobacter freundii (C. freundii) is an emerging and opportunistic Gram-negative bacteria of the human gastrointestinal tract associated with nosocomial and severe respiratory tract infections. It has also been associated with pneumonia, bloodstream, and urinary tract infections. Intrinsic and adaptive virulence characteristics of C. freundii have become a significant source of diarrheal infections and food poisoning among immune-compromised patients and newborns. Impulsive usage of antibiotics and these adaptive virulence characteristics has modulated the C. freundii into multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Conventional approaches are futile against MDR C. freundii. Materials and Methods: The current study exploits the modern computational-based vaccine design approach to treat infections related to MDR C. freundii. A whole proteome of C. freundii (strain: CWH001) was retrieved to screen pathogenic and nonhomologous proteins. Six proteins were shortlisted for the selection of putative epitopes for vaccine construct. Highly antigenic, nonallergen, and nontoxic eleven B-cell, HTL, and TCL epitopes were selected for mRNA- and peptide-based multi-epitope vaccine construct. Secondary and tertiary structures of the multi-epitope vaccine (MEVC) were designed, refined, and validated. Results: Evaluation of population coverage of MHC-I and MHC-II alleles were 72% and 90%, respectively. Docking MEVC with TLR-3 receptor with the binding affinity of 21.46 (kcal/mol) occurred through the mmGBSA process. Further validations include codon optimization with an enhanced CAI value of 0.95 and GC content of about 51%. Immune stimulation and molecular dynamic simulation ensure the antibody production upon antigen interaction with the host and stability of the MEVC construct, respectively. Conclusions: These interpretations propose a new strategy to combat MDR C. freundii. Further, in vivo and in vitro trials of this vaccine will be valuable in combating MDR pathogens.

This global systematic review and meta-analysis of Vibrio cholerae prevalence, covering environmental, food, animal, and human samples, analysed 111 studies from five databases. The meta-analysis, adhering to standard reporting guidelines, revealed a pooled prevalence of 10.6 % (95 % CI; 8.2 - 13.5; I-2 = 99.595 %, p < 0.001) from 176,740 samples, including 27,219 cholera cases. Despite significant publication bias (Egger's test, p = 0.00018), prevalence estimate remained stable in leave-one-out analysis. Subgroup analysis showed prevalence varied by region, with Indonesia highest (55.2 %) and Jordan lowest (0.2 %). Asia continent had the highest prevalence (13.9 %), followed by South America (12.1 %), and lowest in Europe (3.8 %). Environmental samples exhibited the highest prevalence (24.9 %), while human samples had the lowest (7.1 %). The pervasive presence of V. cholerae in environmental resources highlights the persistent risk of global cholera outbreaks, necessitating urgent proactive measures and ongoing surveillance for effective cholera control. (c) 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) represent major global health challenges, especially in areas where healthcare resources are restricted. This study estimated the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV among patients visiting a selected dental clinic in Mogadishu, Somalia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Alfurad Dental Clinic between February 2023 and March 2024. A sample size of 410 participants was calculated using Cochran’s formula. Data was collected using structured interviews along with serological testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS (version 27.0), with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: Among the 410 participants, the seroprevalence of HBV was 2.0% (95% CI: 0.9% to 3.6%), with no cases of HCV reported. The majority of participants were female (73.7%). The highest prevalence of HBV was observed in the 60–69 years old age group, and 45.9% of participants had non-formal education. The proportion of individuals vaccinated against hepatitis B was low, at 3.2%, and none of them were found to be infected. No statistically significant associations were identified between HBV prevalence and the following demographic variables: age, gender, marital status, and educational level, or medical history ( p > 0.05). Conclusions: The present study reveals a low prevalence of HBV among dental patients in Mogadishu, with a seroprevalence of 2.0%. There were no reported cases of HCV. The results highlight the importance of improved public health strategies that prioritize screening and vaccination to reduce the risk of hepatitis transmission within this particular population. Further investigation is crucial to track developments and guide specific actions.