Rapid urbanization has increased human-animal interaction and consequently enhanced the chances to acquire zoonotic diseases. The current investigation is focused to uncover the genetic diversity of multidrug-resistant E. coli strains between different ecologies (i.e., humans, livestock, and environment) at the molecular level by employing antimicrobial resistance profiling, virulence genes profiling, and microbial typing approach using ERIC PCR. Based on multiple antibiotic resistance, overall, 19 antibiotic resistance patterns (R1–R19) were observed. Most of the strains (49/60) were detected to have the combinations of stx, eaeA, and hlyA genes and considered STEC/EPEC/EHEC. A total of 18 unique genetic profiles were identified based on ERIC-PCR fingerprints and most of the strains (13) belong to P1 whereas the least number of strains were showing profiles P7 and P8-P11 (one member each profile). The calculated values for Shannon index (H) for human, animal, and environment are 1.70, 1.82, and 1.78, respectively revealing the highest genetic diversity among the E. coli strains of animal origin. The study revealed that drug-resistant pathogenic E. coli strains could be transmitted bidirectionally among the environment, humans, and animals.

Aims Antibiotic resistance is a major problem in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. Objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of XDR Salmonella among local population of Lahore and genotyping of isolates for antibiotic resistant genes. Methods and Results A total of 200 blood samples from suspected typhoid fever patients were collected. One hundred and fifty‐seven bacterial samples were confirmed as Salmonella Typhi and twenty‐three samples were confirmed as Salmonella Paratyphi after biochemical, serological and PCR based molecular characterization. Antibiogram analysis classified 121 (67.2%) Salmonella isolates as MDR and 62 isolates (34.4%) as XDR. The predominant resistance gene was ampC with 47.7% prevalence, followed by gyrA, catA1, tet(A), aac (3)‐la, qnrS, bla_NDM‐1 and bla_CTX‐M‐15 genes in 45.5%, 40%, 21.6%, 18.3%, 11.6%, 2.2% and 0.5% isolates, respectively. Sequence analysis showed the presence of sul1 and dfrA7 gene cassette arrays in twelve class 1 integron integrase positive isolates. Conclusion Large number of clinical XDR S. Typhi resistant against third generation cephalosporins have been reported. Significance and Impact of Study Current study highlights the possible emergence of clinical XDR S. Typhi cases in Lahore, Pakistan. Potential attribution of phenotypic and genotypic XDR cases may help to contribute targeted therapy.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major opportunistic pathogen responsible for severe human infections and is increasingly associated with multidrug resistance and limited treatment options. In this study, we isolated and characterized bacteriophages targeting drug-resistant P. aeruginosa strains and evaluated their capacity to disrupt biofilms and modulate biofilm-associated gene expression. Phages recovered from sewage showed broad lytic activity against P. aeruginosa and were classified morphologically into the families Podoviridae and Myoviridae. Two phages, A2 and A4, exhibited the highest lytic activity against the resistant strains examined. Both phages significantly degraded preformed biofilms, with phage A4 showing comparatively stronger antibiofilm activity. In addition, phage exposure altered the expression of several biofilm-associated genes, including pelA, htpB, bifA, psl, fimW, and wspA. A notable finding was the reversal of bifA expression from downregulation at 12 h to upregulation at 24 h following treatment with phage A4. Collectively, these results demonstrate that phages A2 and A4 possess strong lytic and antibiofilm activities and are capable of modulating biofilm-associated transcriptional responses in drug-resistant P. aeruginosa. The findings support the potential application of bacteriophages as alternative therapeutic agents against drug-resistant biofilm-associated infections.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) ranks as the seventh most common malignancy worldwide and accounts for over 90% of all oral cancers [1]. Global estimates from 2020 reported 377,713 new cases an...